Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1856-02-20

TAHNr,s srWENTY DoLLARs.-
NJ ms. y. !. nicHAsnsos.

/ IT Ms. II. ). RICHARDSON.
/ Nov for tina. splendid collar 4, Up;on's. :
said Mrs Hapgood, as she drew on her deli
cate hands pair Of white kid gloves, and step
ping 10 The mirror. re-adjas,ed her exquisite bon
net. what beauty she continued; | can.
| not see how Charles conld say that twenty dol
/ lars was too much for such trifle. Tfife, in.
deed. I wonder If the JerkiHses will think ii
| a triac, when wear IL at Mrx LIE Glaire's party
tonight. Oh, TO eclipse them once, only in en-
broideryir
The reader must not set Fanny Hapgood
down as wholly vain and fashionable woman.
The only daughter of rich man. she had been
fsttered from childhood. At sixteen she had
married prosperous merchant, who had made
her, for two years, his darling. What wonder
then if Fanny had yet to learn some sad lessons
from the outer world
Fanny was so eager to reach Upton's, that
she did not observe, on Opening the front door,
that child stood in her way. fall and cry
and something rolled down the costly steps, and
lay motionless ON the pavement.
''Gh! what have done" she cried frightened,
trembling all over as she recognized little boy
clad in rags but beautiful even in tatters as the
object she had run against and who now lay APP
parently dead.
Instantly the coveted collar was forgotten
Shrieking aloud for assistance, and cariess of
her snowy gloves and spotless dress, she stopped
down and picked up the little sufferer. He
moaned as she lifted him, but did not open his
eyes, and his face was covered over with blood.
Il have killed him !" cried Fanny, and with
her costly handkerchief, she wiped the blood
away. God help me!' And she burst into
tears.
The servants came rushing to the door, in an
swer to her frcnzied ring, the child was carried
up to spare chamber, and Fanny forgetting all
about the party and the Jenkinses, sat down to
nurse the sufferer, first sending for the doctor.
The physician announced the child seriously
injured. A high fever, attended by deirium,
set in. Four, five, six o'clock came. Fanny,
her tears falling fast, would permit no one to
administer the medicines watch by the bed
side but herself. When the clock struck seven,
she knew that her husband would soon be at
home, and went softly to the door, and put her
fEger to her lips as he came bounding up stairs,
two steps at time. "Hush!" she said, 'come
in here" And leading him to the bed she whis-
pered what had happened
She had scarcely finished when the little suf-
fer awoke free from delirium. At first he looked
frightened, and was about to cry; but Fanny
soothed him on her bosom, and he smiled up at
her, and was soon able to tell his tale. He could
as yet speak indistncty, however, in conse-
quence of his childhood. But his eager listen
ers gathered from his broken language, that he
had been sent out to beg early that morning:
that he had eaten nothing all the preceding day;
that his bare feet had been treading the icy
streets for hours unsuccessfully, and that he was
about to knock at the door, to ask aims, when
the hasty exit of Fanny caused the accident.
Father in heaven, can this be possible"
said Fanny when the lsping, feeble accents
ceased
''Not only possible, but probable" said her
husband. "Ah, dearest, there are scores in this
great city just as destitute"
II know now why you said twenty dollars was
too much for such trihe as a collar, when
have enough already" said Fanny, with bitter
self reproach. 'W hat good could l not do
among these poor, with twenty dollars"
at was impossible to know, from the descrp-
ton of the child, where his widowed mother
lived. 1t was some where in cellar and she |
was sick in bed-that much the listeners learned, |
and also that his sister, who was but little older
than himself had sent him out to beg, she lav- |
ing to stay and watch by her mother.
81 will but get cup of tea," said Mr.. Hap
good 'and then 60 and hunt for them. Think |
how alarmed they will be about him."
Hours passed. yet her husband came not, and |
meantime Fanny sat holding the weary sufferer,
soothing him to sleep, or watching beside him.
At last, near midnight, Mr.. Hapgood returned.
Il have found them at last, he said taking off |
his wet overcoat, for it was sccting violently |
without, THE mother, has seen better days.
She was almost distracted when l entered the
low, damp cellar, where there was not bit of
fire. Oh! Fanny, we don't know what suffering
there is till it is brought to our very doors
in this way
Fanny drew him to the fire, and away from
the bed for the child had fallen into sweet
sleep, which was undisturbed by dreams. 'He
oreathes naturally now she said. The doctor
was here at 10 o'clock, and said that he is out of
Danger. Tell me about them
They both were deeply moved as he told
story of widowhood, sorrow and restitution,
such as is often furnished by our large Cities
When the narrative was finished, Fanny was fin
She'd Fanny was changed being. For the
irst time in her life she had been brought face
20 face with real suffering, and she made reso-
ution, which she has since faithfully kept.
The next day, the twenty dollars which she
lad designed for collar, was laid out for the
benefit OF Mrs. Waters, the mother of the injur-
I'd child. neat, warmly furnished room was
procured; stove put up, and the sick lady put
nto it. Groceries were placed in the cupboard,
,oa in the cellar, winter clothing purchased for
he daughter, and the family physician of the
Iapgoods despatched to prescribe for the invalid.
NOT ulu Tue DcHeNOleliCe VI FdHny StOp mere. !
When the mother had recovered, which she soon
lid, now that she had medical attendance and Il
warm apartment, little store twas stocked for
Ter, so that she might earn her living. by this
ime the child was well, and had gone home,
md merry family it was on Christmas eve
when Mrs. Waters opened her little shop and ate
Ter first meal in what seemed to her little ones a
palace.
Our readers would be surprised to know how
title money it took to do all this. Fanny had
,ften wasted as much in one season OH unneces-
AIRY articles of dress; and there are many who
viii read this tale, that have done the same. Nor
vas it the last of her charities Systematically
nce then, has she labored to deserve the d.
line words, "Inasmuch as We did it unto one of
he least of these, We did it unto me-"
Great and glorious is thy mission Fanny! The
world is calling with her thousand voices,
Gomez But the desoate and stricken, the
widowed and the fatherlcss cry to thee Also and
Ierily thee hast chosen the better part, and
would to God, that, in this hard world, more
hearts might receive, like thee, the baptism that
naketh them whole.