Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1857-11-26
COULD, Editor and d. Proprietor.

make four dollars and half. We ca
. get along very we'll with that; but l.
me see there is the rent due next week
Il. 81 had not thought of that, said HI
len, in half sorrowful voice, and the
a CATERS next week, after all, it will tax
every cent to pay the rem" Not wisf
ling her mother, however, to perceiy
her emotion, she continued in a ga
jtonc: --
| ITO. morrow will be Sunday, mother
won { we have a nice time together .
home here, in our own little room ?'' :,
4 ID Yes, my dear child, We will indeed,
answered Mrs. irving; ''but,i come, le
us sit down and have some supper . 2
H. Helen and her mothcs sat. down {,
tf1lN lIlI1l I.iL|E & form 8 ( h5E
nicely pfepaled against her daughter
tfeturn, and were soon engaged IN dis
cpssihg their homely fare, where wewil
leave them while we make the lreaderii
little more acquainted with Helen Irv
ting, the heroine of this sketch. ;Enr nn
T Her father had been many years be
FORE a wealthy and talented lawyer o.
this city, and possessed a wide circlcro
friends. As natural consequence, he
was Obliged to mingle a great deal in
society, and thought it no. harm to in,
dulge now and then in a social glass
with his most intimate friends! The
story soon is told; he became dissipa-
ted, neglected his business, and his eli
tcnts'dro3ped off one by one, after the
other; until, finally, debt and ruin stared
tho wretched man in the face A ft of
sickness, brought on by his bad habits,
soon after ended tho days of the once
rich and talented Edward Irving. ;Ev-
rerything of any value was then seized
uponnby tile creditors, and Mrs Irving z
the wife of the deceased, found herself
,penniless in tho vide world, with her
little daughter Helen, then but eleven
years of age. What few articles Of jew
-elry she possessed were Instantly sold,
and she then hired lodgings in the hum
bic tenement of which we have previ
,ously spoken, where she had resided
ever since. She had taken in sewing,
and by this means managed to support
her daughter and herself She found
time also to teach her many of the high
cr branches of learning, so that by the
time Helen was fifteen years of age, she
possessed much better ed0cation than
many girls with superior Advantages
Helen had always hitherto assisted her
mother in sewing but she now begged
that she Cher mother) would allow her
to enter into some kind of employment
which would be more profitable to them.
At first her mother strongly objected
bat good opportunity offering, Helen
at length persuaded her parent to allow
hef to enter a bo K binding establish
hent After having hadra little prac-
tice, she became an expert hand at the
J u incss; and was pleased to find that
her scanty earnings were of considera-
BILE benefit to them, affordfng many lit
tic comforts which they had not enjoy
ed for number of years. The little
room in which they resided was fitted
up with great taste by Helen and her
mother. 1t was indeed great comfort,
to the former, after having been at work
all day, to come home to the neat little
apartment. and beguile the long winter
evcnin with some interesting book kssor,
talk of by gone days. Having thus far
tho reader in respect ito our
heroine, We will now proceed with our
story. .hts s@ ys-.. ~ ia.'l .la
81 Two weeks passed away, and still poor
Helen continued to toll busiIy at her
daily task. The rent was paid, but the
poor girl had not as yet been able to
purchase the long Nished-for pair of
gaitefs. Day after day, upon her way
homo, did she sec the same string of
cheap gaiters hung up in front of the
store, and stand wistfully gazing upon
them. One of the clerks Of the estabu
lishment, little conccitcd fellow with
red hair and a pug nose, became accus
toned to seeing her stop every afternoon
in front Of the store, and imagined that
she did so in order to look at him, as
he stood in the door way ~ According
ly he bowed to her ono afternoon, which
had the effect to frightcn her so, that
she never dared to pause in front of the
shop again. -'.'''. .,. '.-t...'a
'"Next week at any rate, can get my
gaitcrs, - said Helen, one day, at the
same time slancing down at the worn
out articles which She wore ..,.fi d.
Next week came, and with lt-not the
gaiters, but doctor for Mrs Irving,
who had been suddenly taken sick with
a fever. Poor Helen forgot all about
her new CATERS, and the ragged ones she
wore,; in; the anxiety of which she felt
for her. mother. Every cent of her
earnings was, now used to pay the doc
tors bill, and to procure such little de-
licacies as would be grateful to the pa
late of her sick parent. But, in order
even to do this, She must be at work
continually; and, consequently, be OBJ
liged to leave home every day at an ear
ly hour. 1t would not do to leave her
mother at home alone, and Helen there
fore made bargain with next door
who, on several occasions,
had shown herself friendly to them to
stay in the room with her mother while
she (Helen) was absent. The kind
hearted woman, who was a widow, and
lived all alone, readily agreed to do as
Helen: proposed. She was constantly
thrown much into the society of the
doctor, whom, we will inform our read
crs, was a single man, and very fond of
wine and cigars. It is indeed won