Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1853-07-08

/ IA
may suppose, that we are drawing laroel
upon our imagination, we will mention in thi
place, that we knew of child left undersuc
circumstances, and half perishing with cold
who was nearly burned to death by som
hops, flor there was no fuel to be found) whiel
1t scraped together in its ragged apron. an,
set on fire with coal found in the ashes.
Phoebe did not long indulge in grief
however, she forgot her weary limb, and bus
ting about soon made up fire, and boiIeC
some potatoes, which constituted the suppe
after which she nursed the children. two
at time, for awhile, and then put them ten
derry to bed. Her husband had NOT come
home, and as he was nearly always intoxica
ted, and sometimes ill-treated her sadly, she
felt his absence relief. Sitting over hand
tut OF Goals, she attempted to dry her wei
feet; every bone in her body ached, for she
was not naturally strong, and, leaning her
head on her hand, she allowed the bio tear:
to course slowly down her cheeks, without
making any attempt to wipe them away
while she murmured:
"Thirteen dollars year gone! What is
to become of us? | cannot get help from
those authorized by law to assist the poor
unless | agree to put out my children and |
cannot live to see them abused and over
worked at their tender age. And people think
their father might support us; but how can
help it that he spends all his earnings in
drink! As rich as Mrs. Percy is, she did
not pay me my wages to night, and now |
cannot get the yarn for my babys stockings,
and her little limbs must remain cold awhile
longer; and | must do without the flour too,
that | was going to make into bread, and the
potatoes are almost gone"
Phoebe's emotions overcame her. and she
ceased speaking. After while she contin-
ued:
Mrs. Percy also blamed me for being so
slow; she did not know that was up half
the night or that my head has ached ready
to split all the day. Oh! dear, oh? dear,
oh! dear, if it were not for my babes, should
yearn for the quiet of the grave"
And with a long quivering sigh, such as
one might heave at the rending Of soul and
body, Phoebe was silent.
Daughter of luxury, did it ever occur to
you that we are all the children of one com
mon Parent? Oh, look hereafter with pity
on those faces where the records of suffering
are deeply craven, and remember "Be ye
harmed md tiled" will not suffice unless the
hand executes the promptings of the heart.
After while, as the fire died out, Phoe-
be crept to her miserable pallet, crushed with
the prospect Of the days of toll which were
still before her, and haunted by the idea o;
sickness and death, brought on by oyer-taxa-
ton Of her bodily powers while in case OF
such an event, she was tortured by the refec-
tlon-"what is to become of my children. -
All this anxiety is the true bittepness OF
death to the friendless and poveqv-stricken
parents. In this way she passed the night,
to renew with the dawn, the tolls and cares,
which were fast closing their work on her
We will not say what Phoebe, under other
circumstances, might have been. She pos
sessed every noble attribute common to wo-
man, without education, or training, but she
was not prepossessing in her appearance; and
Mrs. Percy who never studied character, or
sympathized with menials, or strangers, would
have laughed at the idea of dwelling with com
passion on the lot of her washerwoman with
Il drunken husband. Yet her feelings some
times became interested forthe poor she heard
of abroad, the poor she read of, and she would
now and then descant largely on the few ca
ses of actual distress which had CHANGED to
come under her notice, and the little oppor-
tunity she enjoyed of bestowing aims. Su-
pertieial in her mode of thinking and obser
cation, hor ideas of charity were limited, for
getful that to be true it must be pervading
principle of life, and be exercised even in the
bestowal Of a gracious word or smile. which,
under peculiar circumstances, may raise a
brother from the dust-and thus win the APP
proval of Him, who, brought but the +" box
of spikenard'-with tears of love-" She hath
done achat she eould."-Lewis5urg Union
Co., Pa.