The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-08-30
For the National Era.
ELEANOR S0UTHMAYD'S WARDSHlP.
By MARTHA RUSSELL.

BosToN, May s, 1850.
The girl caught my meaning at once. Sand
you believed it, Eleanor she said, sorrowful-
ly. "Could you look in his face, and think evil
of him, and such evil will tell you what he
has been to me-" she went on, while her whole
frame quivered with emotion. "He has saved
me from myself! You, in your innocence, can
never know what that MEANS Eleanor was
forsaken by man and God, as l thought-ready
to curse God and die-when he found me, gave
me this shelter, these kind women to tend me,
for was i'll and starving-and spoke to me words
not only of kindness, but respect-me, the thing
that men sneer at and women pass by with ST.
lent scorn-treated me even as if had been
his sister; and then, when the fever of remorse
| seized upon me, and in my misery and anguish
dared not think of God, he gave me back my
| childish faith in Him who had mercy for even
such as /. Obi had had one such friend,
one such brother, l had not been herel" and
groan, cry, almost of bitter agony, broke
from her lips.
Mr.. Summerfeld came forward. "You are
said; II will call Miss Ames, and Miss South
mayd and l will withdraw"
"Not yet, sir, not quite yet, if you please"
she said, pleadingly; and again he turned away
and left us, while in low, broken tones, she told
the story of her ruin. And who, think you,
had wrought all this misery? Who had won
that fair, giddy, motherless girl to trust in him
more than in God, and then basely deserted
her? Who but the man who might be even
then waiting in Mr.. Summer6eld's parlor for
me-Miles Allingham! Then / saw it all
the noble forbearance, the genuine kindness,
the true delicacy of my guardian-and for a
moment, in my deep ESTABLISHMENT, 1 looked
longingly on the pale Magdalen, who lay there
so faint, and still with lips moving slightly in
silent prayer. She had much loved" but I
how should be forgiven? l rose and crossed
the floor to where my guardian stood, and bow
ing my head before him, murmured the only
word which at that moment it seemed possible
to utter" Forgive"
He looked at me moment, pityinglye then
said
~ have nothing to forgive you, Eleanor,
only myself for the movement of wounded feel
ing that led me to task you thus"
Oh j.! had he been stern and cold, harsh and
reproachful, l could have borne it but this
gentleness-it struck quite through me, struck
the life from me, think; for / staggered, and
should have fallen, had he not caught me.
"My poor child, this has been too much for
you," he said as he placed me in a chair. 81
should have remembered that you had been not
well this week. But, believe me, l was wholly
unprepared for this. / did not dream that you
had met before"
l know not whether he had any thought OF
that man waiting in his parlor, as together wa
night, but had !; and, laying my finger on his
arm, whispered
"Shall / go for him? Shall bring hin,
here face to face with her 2"
He looked up to me, and quick, bright
smile flashed over his face.
"Would you do this Eleanor? ?"
GAY, indeed 1 would" answered.
But the smile gave place to look of deeI
compassion, as he glanced at the face of the
Magdalen.
"It is too late," he murmured. "'Twer'
cruelty to disturb her now"
1t was, indeed, too late; for the excitement
with the momentary strength it had brought
had been succeeded by death-Gke stupor, 81
that it was only by an occasional slight tremo
of the mouth that we could tell that life wa
still there.
We watched her silently, unmindful of tn
noise and confusion going on in the densely
populated rooms around us, until that die
away. and even the streets without grew com
paratively still. :,
Suddenly there came the cry of "Fire !
"Firer "Fire !" In less than five minutes
Cd hryo hmm ira
throats. We had scarcely time to speak betor
the nurse burst into the room, with a face whit
from fear, crying
"Tbe house is on fire this house, sir Th
rooms on the lower floor are all in a blaze, an
sister Ann and the children, and all we have
the world! Oh, Heaven help US What sha
we do 2"
We needed no information as to the locatio
of the fire, for volume of thick, black smok
poured in through the open door behind he
almost suffocating US, but particularly the d
ing girl girl. .,o do, nooa woman ,y said n
guardian, with his usual calmness. "No'
tell me, are the stairs still safe"
81 believe so, sir; but the smoke is so thic
you can't see an inch before you"
"Eleanor, he said, turning to me, 81 mu
first see you in safety"
i merely pOlnCeU 10 Tue SdSpluS SIi '"
supporting. "Not until she is cared for
can wait. / have no fear"
Again he turned upon me one of those cles
quick chances. "She shall be cared for, b
you must go now"
Once that tone would have reused me to
fance but the demon was gone out from N
and, without another word, / allowed him
wrap my cloak about me, and muffie my b
and face in his thick worsted scarf. Then
made our way down the stairs, enveloped
the suffocating smoke, amid crowd of ha
naked men, women and children, whose crit
screams, curses, and ribald jests were mingl
with the shouts of the gathering fremen Wi
out. Then a strange new feeling was DO
within me-a sense of that womanly helple
ness and need of support, which had hithel
scorned as libel on our sex-a feeling of p
feet trust and dependence, which led me
cling closely to my guardian. 1t was not tet
for, had he walked straight through the fire
should have followed, certain that it was b
and right, aud thatin some way he would p
where the flames, fed by the air from witho
were putting forth long red tongues upon dc
and casing, gas q crowd of the wretched
mates, each aden with children, or some pie
of household furniture, scrambling, and sh
ing, and pus ing, like so many animals. Drs
inc his arm ON mine, he folded it close abb
me. and by ,eer force made his way throu
them. and sat into the open air. Oh, b
grateful it ssas to my scorched throat, Il
air. which = few hours before had seen
laden with every impurity of that wretched
pion On, through the ranks of fremen q
the strengthening crowd of men and boys,
led me, till, without the circle, drawn up
the pavement, we found our waiting hackm'