The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1858-04-29
3 Storg Of gife's Grials.
From Peterson's Magazine.
ITAIJ
CLERGYMAN'S DAUGHTER.


A TRUE STORY OF THE "HARD TINES. F"
If a country clergyman's daughter
is at all loveable, she is generally the
pet of the parish. Anna Irwin was pre-
omineutly so. Old and young looked
upon her with affection, as Sunday after
Sunday she glided, in her timid, grace
ful beauty, into the roctory pew; and
her father might be pardoned, if, even
from the chancel, his eye sought her
loved form, and his ear the soft tones
of her voice. For sixteen years she
read and studied, sang and laughed,
surrounded by fond, admiring hearts,
But there came a change, a day when
DR.. Irwin preached his last sermon, and
laid his head down in the old church
yard. Anna went away to New York.
II is needless to trace the progress of
the changes, misfOrtunes, by which she
sank, in a few years, from a music
teacher to taking in sewing, and then
working at hat-binding. When the
"hard times" of this last fall fell upon
the country, even this humble resource
failed her. She could find nothing to
do, and she had no money. Ruin had
her few friends in the city
She sold and pawned most of her cloth
ing, and all other articles Of any value.
She was obliged to leave her small but
but respectable apartment, and sleep on
a rag mattrass, in a freless, bare garret,
glad of the privilege. One fearfully
cold night last week she crept to that
comfortless pallet, foot-sore from a
whole days fruitless walking in search
Of employment. For Eve days she had
not tasted food. She had only scant,
worn rug for covering For hours her
teeth chartered, and her limbs aohed.-
She curled herself into every imagina-
bic position, in the vain effort to obtain
a moments warmth for any portion of
her frame. And then she thought of
her home, where each night she had
herself in thick, soft blankets,
and lain in warm, dreamloss rest, till
morning dawn. She thought Of her
fathers goodnight kiss and blessing
She slept at last, for she was utterly
waking to suffering every
FIVE minutes, tortured by hideous night
mares of food turning to stone, icy in
her grasp, and by grinning faces; and
never for one instant, losing the pain
Of cold.
In the morning she saw girl, who,
with her old mother, had slept, if sleep
it could be called, in.the same room,
to go out begging cold vict-
uals. Two little girls who lived in the
opposite garret also issued forth, and
Anna, despairingly and nearly wild
with hunger and cold, went out after
them. She soon found herself in a
street where every surrounding showed
wealth and luxury. She thought Of
the more respectable mode of begging,
to ring at the front door, and asking
for one Of the family, tell her story
But her pride shrank from that, even
more than from fitting down the back
steps. And this at length she did,
II haven't anything, said the ser
want, who answered her knock.
"Won't you let me warm myself by
the fre?" whispered Anna.
81 guess moi" said tho girl "The
lady don't like such people about the
kitohen;" and she shut the door in An
mas face.
She would have lain down and died
on the cold door-stone-willingly.-
After two OF three gasps, she stumbled
up the steps, rolled her ftost-bitten 6n-
gers ia her thin de Bage cape, and went
on down through the broad Avenue,
bitter thoughts of man and of God
may He forgive herl--shrieking in her
heart. The long rows Of costly h6us0s
we're. to her like fortidcations, reared
by hard, triumphant sel6shness, 10 keep
her and such as her from sharing in
common comforts, defended by cruel,
unerring weapons. OF what pitiless ty-
rants seemed human law, human sooie-
ty Her feet we're numb, but they car
riad her on over the ioe-oold pavements,
like one in a dream, sensible only to the
biting tooth Of cold, and the raging of
the hunger pangs, Down q broad stoop,
a little below her, came q young lady
mu6ied in furs TO her rosy cheeks She
paused, suddenly with a look Of com.
passion. "You seem very poor. CAM
III do something for your