Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-07-31
MISCELLANEOUS.
From The Colam5ian Magazine.
ALLY FISHER,
ny n FORESTER.
THE DRUNKARD's DAUGHTER.

lFNhEC. DEW, SEW hBN !. VIZ NIidh Il nucI
humdrum life was that of little Ally Fisher!
Day in, day out, late and early, from weeks
end to weeks end, it was all the same. Oh,
how Ally's feet and head and hands aohcd !
And sometimes her heart ached too-poor
child
Ally was not IN interesting little girl she
had no time 10 he Interesting. Her voice,
tire, was very sweet, but 80 plaintive! Be-
sides, you seldom heard il; for little Ally
Fishers thoughts were so constantly occu-
pied that they seldom found time to come to
her lips. No, Ally was not interesting. She
had never given out the silvery, care-free,
heari-largh which we love SO to hear from
children; she could rot laugh for though
sent to earth a disguised minis;eriug angel,
vice had arisen between her and all life's
brightness. and clouded her sun. Ard how
can anything be interesting On which the
shadow Of vice resist Instead Of mirth. Ally
had given her young spirit TO sorrow instead
Of brightfowers springing up in the pathway
Of bliss!ul childhood, the swelling and burst
ing buds of hope that make our Spring days
SO gay, Ally looked out upon a desert with
but one oasis. Oh, how dear was that bright
spot with lis flowers all fadeless, its waters
sparkling, never failing and living lis harps,
its crowns, its sainled ones, its white winged
throng, its king-the King Of Helven-that
kind Savior who loved her, who watched over
her in her helplessness, who counted all her
tears, lightened all her burdens, and was
waiting 10 take her in his arms and shelter her
forever in his bosom. Little Ally Fisher
had, indeed, one pure precious source of hap
piness, and that was why the grave did not
oren beneath her childish feet ard she 90
down into ii for rest, worn out hy her burden
Of sorrow, want and misery. Yet Ally was
I Dot intarastinr NNbo, IL. uI:II
out playing among the quivering Joyful Sum
mer shadows, she sat away behind her desk
in the school room, sew, sew. sewing, till
her eyes ached way back into her head, and
her little arm felt as though it must drop from
her thin shoulder. Dad ways these for d
child! How disagreeably mature! 1t is a
very unpleasant thing TO see children make |
old women of themselves! All, then wo to
the sin-wo to the sinner who cheats a young |
heart Of its Spring!
Neither was Ally beautiful; her face so
thin and want-pinched, and her great eyes
looked so wo-begone! How could Ally be
beautiful with such Il load of care upon her,
crushing beneath its iron weight the rich jew-
els which God had lavished upon her spirit?
1t is the inner beauty that chimes upon the
face or all the lowers Of her young heart had
been blasted. Her curls were glossy enough,
but you could not help believing, when yol
locked upon them, that misery nestled in their
deep shadows; her eyes were of the %softest, |
mleekest brown, fringed with rich sable, but
SO full of misery! Her complexion was
transparency fair, with a ,inge of blue in
stead Of the warm generous heart tide which
belongeth 20 childhood and youth. All Ter
features were pinched and attenuated; her |
hands were small and thin and bluc; aud her
little figure in its scanty, homely clothing.
looked very much like a weed which has
siood too long In the Autumn time. So frail
so delicate! so de%solate!
And did any body love poor Ally Fisher
the busy beetle humdrum worker-the for
loru child, who was neither interesting nor
beautiful! Was there any body to 10 @ her!
No one but her mother poor, sad LOOKING
woman, who wore a faded gret n bonnet and
a patched chintz trock, and who never stop
ped TO smile or shake hands with any hody
when she walked out of the village church,
This desolate, sad-hearted woman, with her
hony fingers and sharpened face-this dame
Fisher whotn the boys called scare-crow and
the girls used 10 initiate IT. tableaus-th;s
strange woman, seeming in her visible wretch
edness, scarce TO belong 20 this bright beau
tifnl world, bore a measnreiess. exhaus,less
fountain of love behind her faded garments
ana her ugly person; and she lavished all its
holy wealth on poor li'tle Ally. Ally had
a father too, bat he did not love her, He
loved nothing but the vile grog-sh3p at the
corner of the street and tho brown earthen inn
which he yet had humanity or shame enough
to hide in the loft. All, now you see WHY
Ally fisher was unhappy. Now You see this
vice in whose shadow the stricken child ma
tn.ed so rapidly. Now y ~ are ready to en-
claim with me-,
Poor, poor Ally Fisher! God hello hers
Ay, God felp her!
Ally tried very hard 10 help herself; but
her mother was always feeble. and there were
several little ones younger than herseIc-
Wha, could poor Ally do! She went TO
school-!hat she ,0ouh do-hecause she new
er could accomplish any thing at home in
mat small crowded room with I'll those thin
faced miserable little creatures about her; but
she took her sewing with her, and every mo-
ment she could steal from her books was de-
voted TO earning bread.
Dame Fisher had looked earnestly forward
to the time when Ally would be old enourh
and had learned enough TO vary the monoto-
nous character Of her employment, and pre-
sldeln the capacity Of teacher over The school
Just over the hill. These mothers are SO do
Ilngly hopeful! How could she think Of il.
and Ally the child Of a drunkard TO be
sure, tbs was the only vice of which Billy
Fisher bad ever been guilty. He had never
defrAuded his neighbor; he had never in bet
Tor days, when some who now uesoised
him were in his power, been oppressive to
the poor; he had harmed no one nor wished
harm TO any; he had only degraded his own
nature almost TO a bestial level, and poured
out a vessel Of shame upon his own family.
Enough, 10 be sure but then Aily-she had
been a gentle, patient, to.ling, fault
less child, and why must she suffer for her
fathers sin? WHAT The daughter of the
drunken vagabond, Billy Fisher, a teacher
lor Mer ch'ldFen! What a presuming mink
She must find other means Of SUPPLYING her.
sell with the finery she was ~prinking in Of
late; let her go to work in the kitchen where
sac belonged! Poor Ally, she had wrought
midnight, for a fortnight, to prerare her
sell for presentation 10 these same fault-fnd-
-