Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1855-06-29
W1s. Smiths Charity.
BY ALLEN ASHTON, ESQ.
" Isn't that seamstress come yet"

w 4i All
81 declare" mutercd the lady, bu
quite loud enough for tie servants to hear
that lazy thing ought to be turned Of
1t is s o'clock already. \ pretty day.
work it will be, begun at such an hour
"JoLn," and she raised her voice Ito .
Louder key, abe sure you tell the coach
man 20 be around 10y eleven, for I've got
to go collecting, with Mrs. Huntly, for the
poor, this morning"
She left the staircase as she spoke, and
passed to her chamber, where she expect.
ed to srend the next two hours in dress.
ing to 60 out.
Ii was cold, wet mo-ning in March.
While this scene was transpiring in the
elegant mansion, thinly clad, delicate
looking girl, was feebly struggling against
the rain, on her way to Mrs Smiths.
She had been awake over half the night,
tending her sick sister, wLo lay dying of
consumption, in the comfortless and fire.
less room, which tLey occupied together
up three pairs of stairs, in narrow, i'll
ventilated alley. For breakfast she lad
eaten nothing but dry crust, and drank
nothing but cup Of cold water And
now, with faded summer shawl, pair
of thin, worn out shoes, and an umbrella
that only half protected her, she was bra
wing the inclcment weather, in order to DO
Mrs. Smiths plain sewing at dollar and
quarter week.
The bell rang, and the rich lady, throw
ing on splendid dressing gown, went to
the staircase.
Gam that's you at last, Miss Jones,
is it p she said sharply. a full hour
behind time. Recollect, Miss, what
told you. l shall keep my word, and take
off shilling for every day you are SO late
Go at once into the back room, where
evcrything's waiting for you"
Too heart-broken to demonstrate, the
girl did as she was drectedsauI took her
place in an apartment, which, as it was to
be occupied ''only by the scamstress," 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 ilue t. dry either
and at night went home through the .
storm to her sick sister, and the cold, un-
furnished room they occupied.
All that morning, Mrs. Smith, protected
from the rain by her comfortable carriage,
drove about os.ens;bly to collect fox the
poor, but really to indulge in gossip; and
crafty her vanity by boiug called benevo-
lent. While exhibiting her splendid tables
on which to write the names Of donors,
and czpatiating sen'im. ntally On the suf-
f.rings Of the INDECENT, sac ;2yl; good care
10 say nothing Of the needlewoman she
had leit working at = starvation rlice, in
cold unhealthy room.
The next day the sca,ns'rcss did not
come at all. Mrs Smith was highly in-
dignant, especially IS piece of work,
which she had particularly wished to be
finished, was incomplete.
" You may tell NJ jones' If she comes
aga;n tomorrow" she said, angrily, late
il the day, that don't want her ser
vices any longer. People who work fer
me must be punctual."
When tho foo,mau went back into the
kitchen, and reheaysed the message with
which he had been charged, there was
general outcry among the servants. d
"Poars to me-" said The cook, Dat
some Oh the rich hab no hearts at all, deed
it docs. Dat poor chile was Almost starved
yesterday, and looked as cf she had &c
ager aud she has a sick sister dyin' Of
consumption, she says. IF | was you,
jim I'd tell mis,us she might turn her or
herself, deed | would And D.nah,
thoroughly aroused, flounced around the
room Indignantly.
But the scams;rcss never returned to
receive her dismissal The exposure Of
the preceding day had brought on a yio-
lent inflammation of the lung, ,and .he was
now lying, in a Lish fever, and drawing
her breath in agony, BY the side Of her
dying sister. Here, about dusk, her land
lady found her accidentally, both having
been to Ill too summon assistance.
1t was the charity of this wom4 n, only
less inligent than themselves, that saved
the two sisters from perishing of cola and
want. Not that they lived long, however,
to consume her hard earnings. The VIC
lent inhamation soon carried or the seam,
stress and her sister speedily followed
her.
One day, while Mrs. Smith was making
calls, her luxurious carriage passed pau
per funeral, The sight of the coarse pine
coffin made the rich lady shudder, as she
rolled by (; and she told to all her acquain-
tauccs that morning, how inexpresSibly
she had been mortified by the sight.
dts dreadful to think how many poor