Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-10-24


ridge-like eheaps-landmark and road .cui
we've all gone. None could tell where
poor mans lot or rich mans grounds be-
gan or ended /; like in the grave, theiI
claims were one
The beggar. boy toiled on through
drift and dark ere he returned, more wea-
ry as the night gathered on. Thus is il
ever with the humble poor their load
lightens not, though life lessons Nc
light, nor warming hearth things that
make house home-were there to well
come the wandering boy. He placed his
basket upon bench. A wick still strug-
gled to light the wretched apartment, as
it fiickered in the deep socket. An old
woman lay asleep in the corner, covered
with rug and rags. The boy approach
ed, and touched her face with his cold
fngers-they were colder than the blood
ofstarved age Their chill aroused her.
Another light was placed in the socket,
and few dry leaves with shavings, were
put beneath some rotten and water soak
ed bark, to warm the frozen fragments
that unwilling charity had given and
thus wrinkled age and wasted youth life
broke fast.
The clock had Just struck two, as !
was summoned to the house ofMrs. T.
The same carriage that in the evening
had borne the beautiful girl, awaited at
my door, with its impatient horses snort
ing against the frosted air. In a few
minutes, entered the house. Mrs. T.
met me in the front hall her face was
deadly pale and her manner much excl
ted. Her at times singular nervousness
had struckme, at my former visits, when
ever her daughter allied. She now in
formed me that her darling Emily was
very ill with high fever.
The young girl lay with her head turn
ed aside upon the pillow, her golden
brown hair scattered in wild profusion
upon its white cover, whilst the nurse
was gently moistening the palm of her
outstretched hand. The pulse was beat
ing wildly at the wrist and temples,
which were scorching hot; fever heat
glowed from her lustrous eyes. AS 1
kept ay finger on the pulse, and watch
ed the expression of my young patients
countenance, something seemed to whis.
pert was not from any regular reason
ing from the symptoms mind had
much to do in this over-action of matter.
Whilst the nurse held the candle TO her
face, the traces of dried tears shone on her
suffused cheek. Heart-ache surely is
here" said to myself.
The mother watched my countenance
with painful solicitude. A faint harsh
ness of expression gave a certain rigid
ity to her features, which were still very
beautiful. There was something in the
whole appearance of my patient that ex-
cited my curiosity in the case. Some
eight or ten hours had only passed since
she had thrown the snow-claimed aims
to the beggar-boy, and now fever was
running riot through every artery in her
body. -...
Silently seating myself at the bedside,
after administering a cooling draught, L
watched for the changes that might
ensue.
The snow continued to fall, and was
driven clinking against the double win
dow easements. A comfortable fire
burned on the hearth, casting long shad-
dows on the floor and walls. The young
girl dozed, but now and then started
from her short fevered sleep with eyes
wildly oper. Once or twice deep sob
escaped her lips, and few worls, unin-
telLgible to the ear, were uttered. Af-
ter time, she slumbered most calmly
1 placed my finger gently on her wrist !;
the pulse had lost much of IFS increased
strength and frequency. l was now sat-
isfed that this sudden incursion of fever
originated from some violent mental
cause.
Her mother sat near the fire, its blaze
lighting up every feature Of her once
beautiful face, which still remained very
pale. In all my intercourse with Mrs.
T, l had never had so prolonged
an opportunity of amining in detail the
expression of her countenance. The
longer | gazed on her the more satisfied
l became that she had moi passed through
life without history.
A few vague rumors had foated
around relative to her history that a
strange deseruon OF her husband had ta-
ken place, and that he was afterwards S
found drowned in a river near his house,
and that by his death Mrs. + had
become possessed of an immense estate.
These tales, however, had soon subsided,
and as her means were large and her
charities ample, the gossips of the town
quietly dropped the past and speculated
OH the future, as all respectable gossips
should do.
The longer 1 scanned her features,
which at times became almost fierce, and
varied with the thoughts that seemed
crowding her memory, the more l was
satisfied that this woman, generally SO