The daily Minnesota pioneer., 1855-06-22
Mrs. Smiths Charity.
By ELLEN ASHTON.

=. ..4gafF.f Dt ELLEN ASHTON.
"lsn't that seamstress come YETI"
Mrs. Smith, as she spoke, leaned over the
balustrade, calling down the staircase to the
footman"
"No, num-"
Il declare" -muttered the lady, but quite
loud enough for the servant to hear" that lazy
thing ought to be turned off. It's eight O'Clock
already. A pretty days work it will be, be-
gun at such an hour. JOHN and she raised
her voice to louder key, 4" be sure you tell the
coachman to be around by eleven, for I've got
to go collecting with Mrs. Huntley, for the
poor, this morning"
She left the staircase as she spoke, and pass
ed to her chamber, where she expected to spend
the next two hours in dressing to 60 out.
1t was a cold, wet morning in March. While
this scene was transacting in the elagant man.
sion, thinly clad, delicate young girl, was
feebly struggling against the rain on her way
to Mrs. Smiths. She had been awake for halt
the night, tending to her sick sister, who lay
dying of consumption, i'll the comfortless and
tireless room which they occupied together, up
three pair of stairs, in narrow, lll-ventiated
alley. For breakfast she had eaten nothing
but dry crust, and drank nothing but cup
of cold water. And now, with faded sum-
u
umbrella that only half protected her, she was
braving the inclement weather in order to do
Mrs. Smiths plain sewing at dollar and a
quarter week.
The bell rang, and the rich lady, throwing
on splendid dressing gown, went to the head
of the staircase.
"Ah! that's you at last, Miss Jones, is it ?"
she said, sharply. "a full hour behind time
Recollect, Miss, what told you. shall keep
my word, and take off shilling for every day
you are SO late Go at once into the back
room, where everothing is waiting for you"
Too heart-broken to demonstrate, the girl
did as she was directed, and took her place in
an apartment, which, as it was to be occupied
only by seamstresses, as Mrs. Smith said, was
from motives of economy, never more than half
heated. Here the girl sewed, in her damp
clothes and wet feet, all day, there not being
warmth enough at the fue to dry either, and
at night went home through the storm to her
sick sister, and the cold, unfurnshed room they
...... '.....
All that morning Mrs. Smith, protected
from the rain by her comfortable carriage,
drove about ostensibly to collect for the poor,
but really to indulge in gossip, and crafty her
vanity by being called benevolent. While
exhibiting her splendid tablets, Oh which to
write the names of the donors, and expatiating
sentimentally on the sufferings of the INDECENT,
she took good care to say nothing of the need
lewoman she had left working at starvation
prices, in cold, unhealthy room.
The next day the seamstress did not come
at all. Mrs. Smith was highly indignant, es-
pecially as piece of work which she had par
ticularly wished to be finished, was incomplete,
ALI oLa
again tomorrow" she said angrily, late in the
day, /" that l don't want her services any long
er. People who work for ME must be pune
tual"
When the fOotman went back into the kitch-
en-, rehearsed the. message with which he had
been charged, there was u general Outcry
lmong the servants.
Pears to me-" said the cook, " dat some of
lie rich hab no heart at all, deed it does. Dat
Door child was almost starved yesterday, and
ooked as if she had the ager +; and she has
sick sister dying of the consumption, says
Ef was you, Jim, I'd tell missus she might |
turn her off herself, deed / would" And
Dinah thoroughly aroused, flounced around the
room Indignantly.
But the SeamStrcSs never retured to receive
her dismissal. The exposure of the preceding
day had brought on violent Inflammation of
the lungs, and she was now lying in q his h
fever, and drawing her breath in agony, by the
side of her dying sister. Here, about dusk,
her landlady found her accidentally, both hav-
ing been too ill to summon assistance.
1t was the charity of this woman, only less
INDECENT than themselves, that saved the two
sisters from perishiDg from cold and want.
For that they lived long, however, to consume
heir hard earnings. The violent inflammation
'oon carried off the seamstress and her sister
speedily followed her.
One day, while Mrs. Smith was making calls,
her luxurious carriage passed pauper funeral.
The sight OF the coarse pine coffin made the
'ich lady shudder, as she rolled by; and she
told to all her acquaintance that morning,
how inexpressbly she had been Mortified by
the sight.
at is dreadful to think how many poor
people there are" she said, "and in spite, too
Of all we are doing for them. There must be
, great deal of improvidence and laziness to
cause it. Only to think, had seamstress
week or two ago, who, because reprimanded
her for coming late to her work, lett in pet,
and haven't heard of her yet
AT the Judgment Day, proud lady, you will
hear of her.
Vain indeed, is the charity that gives pub
licly to the poor of our abundance, if we neg
ect the greater charity of sympathy with the
INDECENT and suffering whom we actually know.
ru>uS