Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-11-26
Daily a'iroiaiau.
A Thrilling and True Story ofPoverty aud
foundation,

TomptotlOn.
&c. l.. b. tho Secreinry Of tho Children's
All cirty in Now York, communicates 10 the
New York papers tho following painfully inter
e'ing story:
some twa years ago young English girl, Of
perhaps fifteen years. with refined manners, and
pretty, though pnle face. presented herself ut our
ih,c. and nervnusy asked for some place in n
family in tho country. She told the uaual story Of
poverty. and We only "bserved that her hands were
very thin AMI bony. and her checks hollow. and
that IN 'eing assigned ~ an excellent home by
Mr.. Macy. her eyes filled with sudden tears Of
thankfuness. Something wns given her to eat,
which .he received quistly. and on the next day
went to the place.
La'ely. on n revisit to the city. we learned the
particulars "f ! OF history. She had been in Eng
lnnd in good circumstances az her manner and
language showed, and had come over ailer the
death of her father and the wasting Of his pruper
~, to seek fortune, "a do 80 many others. in
America. She sought at once IA learn sume trade,
nnl to earn living for herself, but whut friends
aud with the crowded competition Of tho city she
could find no openng In the same way At the in
l"'.iGcncc Office, after waiting for many days. she
discovered no chance for herself Euch day her
he.ns were being exhausted, and shc was. .at length
forced 10 pawn all tho ornaments and relics OF bet
ter times. She was reduced finally to living in
small attic rom of tenement house, slceping on
soac straw in one corner. Hour after hour through
the weary dny her little feet wcrc trnycrsing tho
streets, as she followed advertisements and look
ri FIR work.
Al las, .he reached the point in which every
nynllo' 'e means Ind been sacrificed. every penny
81 cut and hunger stared her in tho face. She do
rites her feelings thcn most touchingly. Ono
dny she could got through quite comfortably with
"h ything to cnt, the second she snys she crouch
el he ELI in her bed-and. do you know. sr.what
found the best to stop tho hunger? why, l
drank Taf,r, and then prayed. and somehow l
nlway, felt letter and stronger after TIP Tho
lhird day, when it seemed ns il she could not
hid out much longer, she would 60 fin,y
down stairs to woman she knew in Of the
lower rooms and this woman would offer her
something Ia cnt. which she would tnke careless.
y. II" one ever suspectng tbnt the poor woman
briug saved from starvation. In this mode
Of life she grew weak she uuld scarcely walk
aud rs thin, she rnys. M my Skeleton. She was
attacked. too, with terrible hennrhcs. and some
days. she Is surc. she was dcri,u,. for -ho nav
remembers how she seemed sometimes to see
nnerls ard s,rifs in the little room, bringing her
food
oarc or twice she determined to bog. though she
felt MS if she would rather die; and she went into
n store, and snid. gaspingly, 'shc VIVA hungry"
Tie pc Pile were very kind. and they sat her down
in rhair nn gave her food, and once, she rccol-
IT, t.. Gun oi ten.
Then. NJ shc lny upon her heap of straw. think
irg "i the dear old English home nnd the comforts
th"rc th" mother. and the Days TINT wcrc gone,
she would sometimes sny, 'Whnt hn,e done to
.ir~cr,cthis. Why should God pick mo on, to mako
me suffer so2 Why should he ,icscrtcl?'
One day she hnl gone down into the LIVER room,
aud sat thc,c weak and despniring. whei n gentle
man entered. whom she describes very grand
and wealthy in his appearance. lilo spoke to her
kindly, snid he had watched her 60 in mud cut, and
sa Il she must bc in misfortune; that hc had much
admired hcr--ycs, and loved her She answered,
ga-ping with weakness, "Why do you come here
Ia irsult me. because am poor?'
Thcn a she describes it, he replied that he did
not mean to insult her, TINT he truly loved hcr-and
in various phrases lie offered to her to live in q
splendid h, me with him. but not his wifo.
The roor girl crouched down with her head in
her hands, cauIeSses TINT for the moment tho
thou rht CROSSED her mind, What if she should do
hi; None will know it. Here is comfort and
n hnme--an escape At length and on the other
SIDE. II long, weary struggle and starvation But
in the midst Of this-sha almost believes it was
real-ther" seemed to come up lciure her figure
Of her m"thef--.lc saw the face and the warning
gesture almost distinctly n she saw any one.
She seemed pcall her nwny-nnd then he thought
ol all h" ba, ever told her oi Heaven and Of Gnd
mud she started up and snid, with sobs and gnsps
--onc may lie sue eloluen,ly. for she tells the
story now with eyes flowing with tcnrs and with
tones that thrill the heart:
IL know am poor-I have n0thing-I have
home and no frcrds-l am starving; hut if you
should give me- all the money Of New York henn-
eh ten times over would not do this thing. Why
do you come here to tempt me and insult me be-
cause am ponrY" and she almost fell down gasp
ing, but she says she saw the man star. back,
with face ghnslly pale, saying My God! What
Il >u You have saved me from
Tia, day she heard accidentally Of tho Society
to hrlr children, and resolved to 20 there and try
for last chance. If she failed there, the only
thing left for her seemed to be sefdestruction or
death. We know the happy result.
The simple truthfulness and pathos Of this girls
story cannot in any way be represented.