St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-03-17
NUMBER IL.

gone and begged to have him removed
to this room, which had been prepared
for him in the same house in which
she boarded {; she had hired a nurse
and physician, for her own duties
Kept her from home large part Of
the day.
All, Ellen, how am I ever TO pay
the expense you have incurred 2 Do
you not know that | am pcnnlcss?
Better have left me where ! was
Because would not see friend
fOrsakcn by others without stepping
forward to his relief. \ friend is so
much more in sickness than at any
other time. | thought that if you
died, it would not be entirely among
strangers. Do not trouble yourself,
Paul, about expenses. | have means
to help you, until you are able to help
yourself, and then you can, if you are
soon repay me-"
" You ?" exclaimed Paul,
" Why, yes, have a little sum laid
by which will meet all your wants.
The furniture Of my dear mothers
brought three hundred dollars, which
has been lying at interest in the bank
these eighteen months. had intend
ed to purchase a new piano with it,
but | can well wait until you repay it,"
But what do you do for a living.
Ella ~
:" teach the piano and singing. I
have large class, and am quite sue
cessful, am told Besides this, |
have small salary for singing in tho
church."
Paul regarded her with astonish,
mcnt. That this little frail creature
could make eXertions thus to support
herself comfortably, was new TO him
and he had never suspected that her
musical education was anything at
all.
How did you learn music ?" he
asked.
"By perseverance," she answered
with a smile. when you were dream
ing up in your little room, building
mountaln,high, | was work
ing with will to overcome all diff
culties. loved music, and | resolved
that it not only should add to my hap
pincss, but should give me the means
Of living"
Well | confess, | never suspected
it," said Paul. You used to sing
swectly, Ellen will you not sing for
me, nOw!'
She sang, without hesitation, an old
song that he used to love. 1t stirred
up strange memories in his heart of
by-gone days, when the lovely girl be-
fore him was Il coniiding little thing,
giving him trust and love lavIslly out
Of her guIleless soul.
How bascly | have wronged her
how selfish and mean must appear
in her eyes Yet she is so noble as
to pity me. to bcfrcnd me . Pity me
would to Heaven she would love me
love me as she used to love II should
be a better man. But how can she ?"
So thought the impetuous artist, as
he gazed at her while singing Ellen
had indeed learned to read his true
character, and the most impassioned
offer Of ms hand would not at that
time have induced her to accept il.
"Do yuu not find the world a hard
place iol the poor ?" he added, when
she had completed her song. do
you not find it selfish, absorbed in its
own interests, bad, hollow, contempti-
ble ?"
cannot say that have found its
loves always as uuSeiiish as had
drcamcd,' she answered, looking
gravely into his eyes. But it treats
us much as we treat it. | have given
it respect, | have labored hard to earn
its rewards, and in my humble way
have them. | have even found warm
iricuds-triends who would relieve
me somewhat Of the burden of doing
for myself. But, since am amply
able to take care Of myself, aud Iicav-
en- has given me talent by which |
can do it, why should not? find
my happiness in cultivating my re-
sources, and making them in return
serve me kindly"
Now it was by this, and many other
like conversations, that Paul began to
realize his immense interiority to this
little girl, whom he had regarded with
such neglect. Her scli.denial, her
high sense Of honor and duty. her no.
ble independence, her many arduously-
gained requirements, her earnest, un-
pretending love of all beautiful and
refined things which exerted So spirit
ual an influence upon her character,
her forgiveness, her goodness, all stood
out in contrast with his own selfish
ness. 1t is true she was not tcchni-
cally acquainted with the art Of paint
ing but he began to realize that this
was not the only virtue that man or
woman could possess.
SO one day he confessed all his er-
rors, and begged to be restored to her
favor She did not deny that she loved
him still, but she refused to enter into
any present compact with him.
You have blamed the world for
all your misfortun, s." she said to him.
gently, when, in reality, self.love
and self-indulgence alone have been
at fault Art does not necessarily
bring misery upon her worshippers :
they bring it upon themselves. They
consider that their genius entities
them to all kind of immunities, and
these immunities destroy them.
love you, Paul, as much as ever: : but
| desire to wait one year, to see if you
have in you the real strength to over
come your own deficiencies"
She was so lovely, SO pure, so no.
bic in her own example, that he could
not complain. The advantage of hav-
ing some one to tell him of his incon.
sistencies, encourage his efforts, and
rcbuke his faults, instead of singing
in his ears when he did badly that "a
glorious fellow like him must do as he
pleased was 50 great that he spcedi-
~ learned selt-government, and when
he had learned that, he had at thesame
time learned the government of his
fortunes.