New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-01-12
The Illegitiinate.
sA sroaY OF NEW YORK LIFE.


5SA. STORY OF NEW YORK LIFE.
BY AN OLD PHYSICIAN.
| IIlclad poverty, numbed with cold alone was
abroad that winters night, the white snow feeced
the frosthardened ground. But never mind earths
cold bosom, the rich mans hearth doth warm him
and makes him merry, however blows the wind or
RACES the storm. Shyer, shiyer on beggar poor! Ye
have no hearts! Hungry stomach and chilly skin
belong to such as you. Kindly impulse nor feeling
are thine Starvation and sense-dulling cold alone
belong to yonl 81
Winter night! hast thou no tongue to tell how
sprtless poverty covers beneath thy frozen breath,
and vanly tries to warm its icy blood in tattered rags
Canst thou not enter the summered air Of earth's
favored children. and teach lesson to them?
Through the crunching snow trudged weary boy,
with aims basket upon his shivering arm. From his
figure, he seemed not over ten years old but his face
was SO and sad that it was difficult TO tell how
many yearblights the beggar child had seen. Sum
mer clothes were still upon him; a tattered wooden
comforter was the only winter article he wore.
. Light enough yet remained, with the SHOWS reflec-
tion to discern every outline Of chimney and house
top. against the milky sky, A gay carriage rolled
noiselessly on with Beautiful girl well wrapped in
rapd wheels like white dust. She saw the weary,
thnclad boy as he stopped with his head bent aside
to the fake burdened blast, to gaze the smoking
horses, as they plunged through the fastdeepening
to the boy it sank from her warm hand deep into
the snow. 1t might have bought bread and cheer
ing faggot but the smitten child never got it the
snow closed over it, whilst the blast grew keener.
Trudge, trudge on, weary boy, life is Godlesson!
Fire and lamplight CLEANED through window pane
and wide-open door, as the gay girl leaped from the
carriage step-health glowed as warmly from her
bright cheek. The snow melted as it fell from her
upturned faces the beggar-boy it would have lain
as upon corpse; life blood had ceased to warm it.
1 Alas, for the beggar-poor! 4sF5t &sar
From lowly cot to palace house, the snow lay I'M
| broken-not sound broke on the night !; the very
in Yo cold
The wind alone was abroad, bowling its wintry dirge
through tree and hedge. Still the snow fell and
drifted in rdgeiike Iheaps-lsndmark and road-cut
were all gone. None could tell where the poor rich
mans grounds began or ended like the grave, their
claims were one.
The beggar boy toiled on through drift and dark
ere he returned, more weary as the night gathered
Thus is il ever with the humble poor-heir load light
ems not though life lessons! No light, nor warming
hearth-thngs that make house home-were there
to welcome the wandering boy.
BE placed his basket upon bench. A wick still
struggled to light the wretched apartment as flick.
cred in the deep socket. An old woman lay asleep
in the corner, covered with rug and rags. The boy
approached, and touched the face with his cold fin
geis-thsy were colder than the blood of starvedage
Their chill aroused her. Another light was placed in
the socket and few dried leaves with shavings were
put beneath some rotten and water-soaked bark to
warm the frozen fragments that unwilling charity had
given and thus Wrinkled age and wasted yodth-life
broke fast.
The clock had just struck two, as was summoned
to the house OF Mrs. T.. The same carriage that
in the evening had borne the beautiful girl awaited at
my door, with Its impatient horses snorting against
the frosted air.
In a few minutes entered the house. Mrs T
met me in the hall her face was deadly pale, and her
manner much excited. Her, at times. singular ner
ever her daughter allied. She now informed me that
her darling Emily was very i'll with high fever.
The young girl lay with her head turned aside upon
the pillow, her golden brown hair scattered in wild
profasion upon its white cover, whilst the nurse was
gently moistening the palm of heroutsretched hand
The pulse was beating wildly at the wrist and temples
which were scorching hot fever heat gowed from
her lustrous eyes. As kept my finger on the pulse,
and watched the expression of my young patients
.countenance, something seemed to whisper-it was
not from any regular reasoning of the symptoms
that mind had much to do in this of mat.
ter Whilst the nurse held the candle to her face the
traces Of dried tears shown on her sufused cheek.
. Heart ache surely is here, y said to myself.
| The mother watched my countenance with a pain
full socitude. A faint harshness Of expression gave
certain rigidiy to her features, which were still
very beautiful. There was something in the whole
appearance OF my patient that excited my curiosity
in the case. Some eight ten hours only had passed
since she had thrown the snowc claimed aims to the
beggar boy, and now fever was running riot through
| every artery in her body. a.
Silently seating myself at the bedside after admin.
isterng cooling draught watched for the changes
that might ensue. s,t'- a... eaa ~.
The snow continued to fall and was driven clinking
against the window easement. A comfortable fire
burned on the hearth, casting long shadows on the
floor and walls. The young girl dozed, but now and
then started from her short fevered Sleep with eyes
widely OPEN. Once or twice deep sob escaped her
lips, and few words unntelligibe to the ear, were
uttered. After time, she slumbered more calmly
placed my finger gently on her wrist /; the pulse
had lost much OF its increased strength and frequency
was now satisfied that this sudden incurson Of fever
originated from some violent mental cause.
Her mother sat near the fire, its blaze lighting up
every feature of her beautiful face which still
remained very pale. In all my intercourse with Mrs.
tt Inever had 50 prolonged an opportunity of
tenance. The longer gazed on her, the more salts
fed became that she had not passed through life
without history. i.
A few vague rumors had foated around relative
to her history that strange desertion Of her hus
band had taken place, and that he was forwards
found drowned in river his house, and that by
his death Mrs. T had become possessed of an i'm
mense estate. These tales, however, had soon sub
sided, and as her means were large and her charities
ample, the gossips of the town quietly dropped the
past and speculaed on the future, all respectable
gossips should do.
4 The longer scanned her features which at times
became almost fierce, and varied with the thoughts
that seemed crowding her memory, the more was
satisfied that this woman, generally selfpossessed
had passed stormy life at period when her pas
sions were under less restraint than now. The voice
of the feyered girl diverted her thoughts few words
were nurmured, and then the lips pressed trembngly
together, and a tear ran down h2r cheek. Suddenly
starting up in the bed and threading her long curling
hair with her slender fingers she exclaimed in wild,
deirious tone:
g 1t cannot be true 0, mother-tell ME mother!"
Mrs. T fairly leaped to the bedside, and placing
her hand over her daughters mouth exclaimed with
affrighted gesture:
What is it--what do you mean? My God, she
raves "
The young girl fell back on her pillows. The mother
stood trembling and pale by the bea, nameless ter
ror depicted on every feature. Turning to me- in
quick restless voice, she babe me give her queting
draught-" anything that would keep her from
nving!" The room was not more than co mfortably
warm, yet the perspiration stood upon the excited
mothers forehead like thick dew.
Conscience, thought to myself, must lie here.
In the course of an hour the sufferer slumbered
heavily her breathing was hurried and oppressed,
the fever heat had increased and her mornings were
more constant
Day was just breaking as left nv Young patient
to return home. The snow was still falling The
traces OF wheels made during the night were nearly
effaced.' As looked out of the carriage window
saw small boy struggling, knee,deep, in the I'M.
broken snow. 1t wasthe poor beggar child thin-cad
as OF yesterday with his pale cheek as white as the
snow he toiled through Ical!ed to the coachman to
! stop as we were passing the child.
/ Where are you going | exclaimed :" in this cold
WINTER morning, my poor boy l-
he raised his large dark eyes to my face nv heart
grleVed at their look OF utter hopeessnes, as he
| simply answered
" 10 beg for myself and old grandma