The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1857-03-04


ashamed to be seen in the broad gay thorough
fare, a passenger among the passengers.
! Until she reached the scene Of her daily toll,
her daily torture, she skulked like guilty thing
through narrow bye streets. The scaVeager had
still the heart, the instincts of woman-per-
chance of a good, great one!-and to what
fate had society consigned her--with what eye
does society look on its slave now-with what
eye will it look on its victim, its criminal here
after?
At length, emerging from the purlieus east
ward of the great thoroughfare, she found her
self even there, "where merchants most do con-
gregate, in front of the city's boast, the grand
cathedral, the sublime temple named the Indi4
visible Eternal Three the church of the Christ
ian's God in which is preached, on one day in
the week to the luxurious Dives, enrobed in
purple and fine linen, who spend the other six
in grinding down and trampIing under foot the
soaring Lazarus. That Lazarus is his brother!
1t was soft sunshiny bright morning, the
sky overhead was blue as lapis lagul and like
to 1t was filled with rnello golden lustre; the
air from the southwest was mild and balmy;
three days before long hard frost had broken
| up, and the streets were--as no streets of u civ
ilized land elsewhere are-young rivers-riyers
of thick black pestilential mire, ancle deep, ev-
cry where
And the girl looked on the filthy crossing, and
through the depth of her adherence, almost
smiled-smiled at the prospect of earning some
small pttance from the stout men, the rich men,
the delicate and softly natured men, for whose
resplendent boots she toiled to make dry land
between the parted vortices Of that foul sea.
| 1t was still very early; and as no passengers
were as yet abroad, except few workmen or
mechanics plodding down with their tools, and
the tin pannikins filled with their noontide
meal to the scene of their labors
One other little girl smaller and more ema-
cated, younger and wretcheder than herself,
the daily colleague of her hopeless toll, was on
the ground before her; and half the crossing was
already swept clean by the weak chds labor.
| She was barafootel, and bareheaded; and the
broom, which she piled with unweared energy
was grasped in bare Blue fingers, that looked as
! if they had never felt the influence Of a fire
She looked less able to endure that filthy labor
| than the elder girl who joined her-alas! she
was more so! The child, from her cradle forth,
Of sordid misery, she felt no degradation in her
task, she shrank not from the eye of passengers
she knew no mental sorrows. She knew when
she was cold, she new when she was hungry,
but when she waxed warm in her piled straw
when she waxcd full with wretched ofal, cold
and hunger were both forgotten ..
| Poverty and neglect had done its work or
her alieady-not suffering alone, and sorrow
but sin had sharpened her pallid face, In every
line, in every wrnkle-lor the child of twelve
was already wrnkled--you might read prema-
ture bitterly learned wisdom, the wisdom o
the worlds outcast first, of the worlds enemy
the next, and, to conclude, Of the worlds victim
If that child was not as yet utterly depraved,
irredeemaby lost and abandoned, it was due tc
the chance--if indeed anything be chance
which brought her into contact with her sister
Pariah.
"Ah! Hetty," said the little one, as the elder
girl approached, 'you are late to day. think
but have been hard at work ever since came
See, have cleaned half the crossing"
81 am late, Sophy," answered the elder girl
"but it was not my fault, Aunty Patience kept
me, abusing me and miscalling me for half ar
| hour, and thought she would have beat me, =
!. wouldn't have cared, if she had beat me, SC
she had only let me see mother, She DiR beat
me too she swears, if don't take home more
than did last night"
"Would'nt she let you see your mother Het
typ said the little one in sharp hard voice
bending her brow and comprising her thir
! lips7-"D---n her! wish" a
''Fie! sophy, fe Imust not hear you swear
good girls never swear you know"
"Good girls! good girlsl'' shreked the other
with burst of dissonant creatng laughter
Alas! how different from the fresh joyous
mirth, Of happy childhood. "What do 1--WE know
about good girls? they rides about in carriages
and wears silks and satns, and big busties, anc
goes to churches, and balls, and has dinners eV
cry day! Good girls, indeedl Who ever tried
to learn Us to be good girls? I'd like TO know
But, at that moment something seemed to fash
upon the wretched little creatures mind, ant
she said in u more subdued tone than she hac
used before, "But / am wrong to say us, Hetty
For you are good girl. But then you ihat
4 everybody to larn you to be good. You have &
mother but never had no mother; and you
mother was a lady wunst if she d5es wear ole
J. duds now. knows alady, when hears then
4 speak, and knows as she fs lady."'' e 7I@
4 "Indeed, she is not, nor ever was, poor moth
i err" answered Hetty, with sigh. "But She I,
the best woman in the world, and she did teach
me to try to be good, Sophy; and ! do try very
hard; but for all that, | am often very naughty
am discontented sometimes .,.,,a, ~. Y.
i "Discontented," !" exclaimed the little one with
eyes staring wide with wonder, 'what on eartl
should we be contented for---is qt for being ii
| red all the time, and cold, and hunger?"e
"Oh! forgot,' answered the elder girl witt
4 a faint wink, II forgot that youhaye been work
+ ing, while have been an unwilling truaht an,
that you, darcsay, have. not eaten anything
to-day, while Ihaos had some breakfast. So d
fgo, you, and sit down; and rest yoti for q fe1
minutes, while l take my turn at our work. !
aEAnd see I have spared t'of bread for you,
she added, producing %retehed dry crust fron
her pocket "sit down, and eat, and try to b.
good, poor Sophy." "a 3. 13..s9q y, sginmpo
.B lt arn't you hungry, HettyY" said the poo
child, looking wstfully, yet hesitatingly, All TIN