Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1856-01-19
4MlistcllonGous
A SCENE IN REAL LIE.


The editor of the Chicago Times, hay
ing been on the north side of that city to
see friend, was recently prevented from
reaching his Office, in consequence Of a
steam-tug having passed up the river
with a small feet Of vessels in tow, one
Of which had been cast off and hauled
in just west of the bridge, leaving the
"draw" still open. While waiting he
witnessed the following scene:
The vessel we have mentioned had
been moored, or made fast outside of
several canal boats; and as we stood
looking at the men upon her, one Of
them approached female, who had
been crouched upon the deck, and ad-
dressing her, pointed to the shore, then
to the bridge, and then down towards
the throngcd and busy streets of living,
moving, headlong Chicago. She rose,
picked up small bundle, from which
she drew forth a coin, which she ten
dered to the hardy sailor. He refused
it, whatever it was, and lending her a
hand, helped her from the vessel to the
dock, and from the dock up to the bridge.
BY this time large crowd of persons
thronged the north end Of where the
bridge would be, if there was always a
bridge; and in contemplating the new
faces, and the representatives Of the
various classes there assembled, we had
almost forgotten the incident we have
related. Our attention was called from
vain endeayor to discover some hope
of a cessation of tugs going up and
down, and schoOners and briggs pulling
in and out, by hearing most audible
sob from some one near us. 1t was not
the sob Of childhood, caused by some
sudden change from gayety to grief; it
was the sob of some maturer breast,
filled with sense of loneliness and des-
pair 1t reached other ears than ours.
/ A lady, dressed in a manner which
bespoke wealth that could crafty taste
and elegance, and who, like ourselves,
was detained at that place, stood near,
accompanied by three children, whose
desire to get at the extreme edge of the
platform she with difficulty repressed.
With woman's tenderness her heart
recognized the stihed ebullition of sorrow.
and approaching the person from whom
it came, who was none other than the
woman we had just seen land from the
vessel, she quietly, and in that soft,
sweet voice of woman, which none can
resist, inquired if she stood in need, or
was she i'll, or was her sorrow such that
she could not be relieved? A portion of
the railing near us was vacant, and to-
wards that, and almost at our side, these
two women came to converse. The
stranger was a fair, handsome girl, Of
about seventeen years; neatly, but
coarsely dressed, with shoes not only
well worn, but heavy, and unsuited as
much for her sex as for the season. The
poor girl, in honest simplicity, and with
an eanestness which despair alone could
impart, related her history, uninter-
rupted by single observation from her
companion, but often accompanied by
the tears Of both. We have not space
for it at length, but we will give it,
changing its order just enough to enable
us to state it briefly.
She said that she was born in Boston /:
she had no brother or sister now she
remembered that she had a sister, the
oldest, whose name was Lizzie that
sister, years ago, against her fathers
will, had married, and with her husband,
having been banished the fathers sight,
had gone off, and had not been heard Of
snce-nO doubt was dead. At the time
Of her sisters marriage her parents were
wealthy; the pride which drove away
Lizzie had brought silent regrets, and
after awhile came melancholy complain
ings by the mother signing for the en-
brace Of her frst-born. These soon led
to anger and ordinations at home and
dissipation by the father abroad. Losses
came upon them, and at last, gathering
the few worldly goods they possessed,
they left the proud city Of their birth,
and settled five years ago upon land pur-
chased Of the government in Wisconsin.
Her brotheA, scre older and some
younger thar iep II. one by one dropped
end died DON the mother, calling