Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1853-11-18

many drunken people about the neighbor
hood She has made out to pay the rent
r but has had no food for the poor little
E children, who have subsisted on what they
r could manage to beg in the day time. TIL,
!, landlord promised, when she hired tn,
basement, to put a lock on the door, ant
make it comfortable, so that " the Croton
/; need not run in but he got his rent ant
E then broke his promise, and they have moi
seen him since
"Is the woman respcctable!" enquired
Mr. Pease.
Ies-no-not exactly" said the pool
Old lady, violently agitatcd. "She wa:
well brought up. She has good seart
sir, but bad head, and then trouble ha:
discouraged her. Poor Mary-yes sir, ii
must have been the touJle-for l know
her heart is good, sir. I"-tears choked
the old lady S utterance. Recovering her
self she continued:
"She had kind husband once. He
was the father of her two little girls: siz
years ago he died, ani-the poor thing
oh . sir, you don't know how dear she is to
me- and burying her aged face in hel
hands, she sobbed aloud. Mr.. Peasc's
kind heart interpreted the old lady's emo
ton, without the pain of an explanation
In the weeping woman before him he saw
the mother of the lost one.
Yes, she was Mary's" mother. Pow.
erty could not chill her love shame and
the worlds scorn had only filled her heart
with 4 Godlike pity,
After brief pause she brushed away
her tears aud went on:
Yes, sir; Mary was 4 good child to
me once: she respected religion and re-
ligious people, and used to love to 90 to
church, but lately sir, God knows she has
almost broke my heart. Last spring l
took her home, ard the three dear children;
but she would not listen to me, and left
without telling me where she was going
| heard that there was poor woman liv-
ing in basement in Willet street, with
three children, and my heart told me that
was my poor lost Mary, and there found
her. But oh, sir-oh sir and she sob
bed, as if her heart were breakiHg-such
place. Ny Mary, that used to cradle
in these arms to sleep, that lisped her lit
tie evening prayer at my knee-my Mary,
drunk in that terrible place.
She was getting 50 agitated that Mr..
Pease, wishing to turn the current of her
thoughts, asked her if she herself was a
member of any church. She said yes, of
the street Baptist Church. She said
she was a widow, aud had had one child
beside Mary-a son. And her face lighted
up as she said:
"Oh sir, he was such fine lad He
did all he could to make lie happy; but
he thought, that if be went to California
he could make money, and when he left
he said Cheer up, dear mother; L II come
back and give my money all to you, and
you shall never work any more"
Il can see him row, sir, as he strod
there, with his eye kindling Poor lad :.
poor lad He came back, but it was only
to die His last words were, 'God will
care for you, mother-I know it-when
I'm gone to Heaven Oh. if l could
have seen my poor girl die as he did, be-
fore she became so bad. Oh, sir, pont
you take be, here?-pomtyou try to make
her good ?-cun't ycu make her good, sir!
| can't give Nary up. Nobody cares for
Mary now but me. Won't you Try, sir.
Mr.. Pcasc promised that he would do
all he could, and sent person out With
the old lady, to visit " Mary" and obtain
particulars he soou returned and coroDo-
rated all the old lady's statements. MIR.
Pease then took friend and started to
see what could be done.
In N'illct street is rickety old wooden
building, filled to overfowing with the re-
fuse of humanity. The basement is lighted
with two small windows half under ground
and in this wretched hole lived Mary and
her children. As Mr.. Pcase desconded
the steps into the room, he heard some one
say, " Here be comes, grandmother. he's
come-hc's GOMEZ
The door was opened. On pile Of rags
in the corner lay Mary, "my Mary" as
the old lady tearfully called her.
God of mercy! what wreck of beautiful
womanhood. Her large blue eyes glared
with maniac wildness, under the influence
of intoxication Long waves Of auburn
hair fell, in tangled masses, over form
wasted, yet beautiful in its graceful out
lines.
Poor, lost Mary!
".Such a place ~ as her mother had,
weeping, said Not table, or chair, or
bedstcad. or article of furniture in it, Of