Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-09-21
Af(iistcllaueolts.
From uarper's Weekly.
Reflections from an Emerald Ring.
BY KATE D. TALBtSD

Nal IL d AH'oN.ND'
Coming tile other evening at twilight
through Blocker Street fr"n B"wery to
Broad way, my attention WAS arrested ny The
shrieSs baby in the arms of q woman IN
hoopless faded dress, who stood with one
fpt ON the steps Of an elegant residence:
vainly endcavoring to hush the piteons baby
wailngs, while at her feet lay llt,le-rerH
little bundle. For mc, il was Impossible I"
PASS snc;l q picture and such cries wi'inu'
Stopping ~ enquire il the baby WAS hurt "r
sick and rs the M ,lher raised tIrr !:rad 4"
answer that she Thought it must he suffer
ING acute pain frDm illness" | was struck no
less bv her correctness Of expression than by
the sweet spiritual sha''e OF the heantiin!
ter-stainal young face uprai.ed towaT me
How long hal her baby been sick. aud how
far was she from home? hurrlediy asked.
Poor girl! Size had no honc-
Ia whale city full.
Was it u"t pitiCuilE =
She had come but two or three DAYS he:nre
from the hospital, with a child only f''w
weeks old in her arms, tile little bundle at
her side. and half dollar in her hand, to
commence the desperate battle with the world
far Mace to live, an. the wherewith to SuS
tain clamoring nature. She had no friends.
no acouain,ances within tue citr-ilad com:
hut 4 few months before from = the country"
Sae had haunted intelisence-"lirc' sleep
ing on bench at night, and snHplicafed at
the doors of dwellings for shelter wher"
she might sew, or knit, or wash, so she was
allowed but her food, and the prlvilcge-the
Inst blessing in her bitter cnp-of keeping
her baby with her. But rejection, scorn, was
all she met, and now night was coming on
a.ain. and she was still in the street. tome-
less penniless, faint, furnishing. On how
wished then that were rich! A little money
would have gilded and illuminated the black
and hopeless prospects of that wretched eirl.
But had none, only one shilling in my pocket,
aud dubious probability Of the next, and
no home to take her to- for was ins1 moved
into boarding house where knew tue pres
ence of such visitor to myself would be re-
e,rded with wondering, unwelcome eyes.
Yet could not leave her, with "the young
chil6r in the streets to shivrr and starve,
and so told her my position and offered her
shelter in my room and warmth at my hre,
bnt her delicacy and sensitivencss to her de-
graduation would not allow her to accept the
semblance of such equality-shc shrank from
it in weeping thankfulness.
A ID then could only take her waling
baby into my own arms, 20 rest her weary
limbs. Wrapped in coarse but snowy blank.
cts what a beautiful creature it was after |
had tossed it, and given it the fresh breath OF
heaven, and talked baby words to 1t until
had coaxed a smile to its cunning wee face.
q Dear little Luz so his mother called him ;
and ladies brushed past me standing there
hushing that poor baby, and looked anu
smiled and gentleman passed me and stared.
first at mo with the tiny morsel OF coarse.
clad humanity in my arms, and then at the
faded Young woman with the little bundle at
her feet. Bur none stopped to enquire or
offer her relief, and returned the little nr-
concious one to its mother, gave her the s!ll
ling and sympathy. And then leaped iort1
the ,coo,un in her stifed nature. had held
her child, and given her, the outcast, Kind
,cord, and she felt the vitalIzng OF one tic TO
humanity. With broken wor,!S, and llos:
fast.fallng tears, she clutchcd my dress and
entreated me, 'f for kindness saSe," to take 4
ring which she drew from her finger. This
did not desire. but desired less to wound
her feelings. and giving her my address, with
her promiSe that she would call next day 10
,,.iI me uer success, l accepted her grateful
,oI,n. She said it was a gift from one who
had ceased to thiak of her: and she had "
er,l times offered it to senilemen wh" passed
her. beggi e them to give her s"meliiinC I"
lp.n her from starving. Bnt none cared t"
purchase or examine the heggar's ring, and
took it III my keeping, intending to return 1t
,nrt ,1,y vhon hpr emotions Wnul,l be less
exci,abe-and lr(i her standing there f"d-
ing her t..in shawl closer over her innfcen,
one. But thoughts Of the sensitive, wr"lchrd
ou,cast l,.un,rd me all the night aud wa.
anxious for lhe morning from a holc that
might be enabled to secure place for Ter.
All laI | waited Cor her. but she did not
come; and several days passed, and ceased
70 cxpsct ler, aud she never called.
IN the great trouble and tumnit IF her
tecl;nes she rnlSt Lave forgotten my ad'ircSs.
AMI her ring have n''w on my finger; hr';s i
in. and testing have developed it from the
dun circle i! wa iu!o glitterins emerald.
did not su :,.ect its value, and doubt II she
lnew il. hut il it. worth could have been APP
nl;,d to her wants, it might have SisVed hcr
many pang. 80,
And while I wear the ring and tell the
.,nrv where is the fallen one? She told me
of M husband, no father for tue TENDER help
Ies. creature for which the one parent was
suffering 50 much. and asked Tor none. But
1l,,k into the lights ard shadows "l the
. s,.rlJinG stone. and away through The lone
Iipess, and misery, and Humiliation OF ner
pressnt, shine the vanished hours Of aifection