The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1860-08-22

angels ascend, the fair Child slept and
dreamed of heaven.
The officer had testified that she was
San old offender" SO the judge sentenced
her to thirty days.
An sold offender" against whom or
what Why, having no home, she OBJ
ssinately refuses to seek one, and remain
ed in the street, Notwithstanding the re-
peated warning Of the guardian of the
night: therefore she offended the law
Not that the law cared particularly; it
n,attsrsd naught to it that the loss of vir-
tue caused loss of home, friends, means,
and that all these losses combined sent
her out into the midnight streets. It mat
tered little how she conducted herself
elsewhere only she must not haunt thos'
streets. She also offended the exquisite
sensibilities and fine ladies and gentlemen
strollsd drea,ningly along in the moon
light, or thronged in the gay parties from
the different places Of amusement. Not
that it mattered muck to them, her fading
beauty and her lost estate; but they did
not like to see her; she ought to DO forced
to keep out Of the way. And so the
strong arm of ths law graspcd her frail,
shrinking from, and bore her out of the
way, not TO protect, to save, to lead from
temptation, and deliver from evil: oh,
no! She had offended she must be pun
ished.
That night the wind made strange
meanings among the bare boughs of the
orchard trees around the cottage far away
among hills, and the slender branches of
the crocus tapped YEARLY against the fros-
ted window pane of the lowly chamber
Well might they, for the gloom of pris-
on cell had closed around the form of q
young creature, who when child, had
knelt there at her psor mothers knae.
Al, it is but the old, old story to tell
over again, Of death dspriving the young
girl of hslne, care and protection, when
her awakening life most needed both, and
then ofgrudgingly given and scantily paid
labor, and next temptation. Believe me
it is not eftenast tho soft, smooth way Of
libertinism that lures our fair young sis
tiers TO destruction. It is the wealthy
and respectable merchant or manufaotur
ct who forces them down for lack of the
veriost comforts which bis miserable dolsd
pittance renders forever beyond their
means. Want and sorrow came and
pressed their dark fngsrmarks on the life
page Of this lone and lovely girl; pressed
down SO cruelty, so long, that when the
darker shadow, whose very imprint leaves
a stain, drew onsapace, it grew to seem
not so much heavier than these that had
como before; and then it promised bright
ness, and gradually she believed, and be-
lieving, she was lost.
In that quiet parlor all was calm and
bright, and the caimaess and brightness
were reflected in the face of the lady who
sat there writing. But without, the storm
ragged on in the darkness, seeming to
spend its worst fury on the youthful head
that dropped YEARLY against the window
pane.
The parlor door opened, and fond
smiling narse entered with little curly
headed boy, clad in bis snowy night
robes, on whose sweet eyslids sleep was
weighing heavily.
"Hennie wouldn't say his prayers up
stairs tonight" said the nurse; she says
the Lord can't hear so well ifho doesn't
say them at your side.
Tho little kHefs were bent the dimpled
hands clasped, the wee, sweet face up
raised, and the low dove-tones went muir
muring through the room.
"Delver Us from evil3' The house
hold head on which the rain was falling
bent lower, the face pressed down on the
| window still, and the worn cheeks were
wet as the storm had not wet them, The
frail frame was shaken as tho wind had
not power to shake it. while up through
the darkness went dreary moan: "De
liger me from evil, for Thine only Thine
ia tho power, Oh, God"
| Morning camo and the storm was over
The sun-gleam crowned the mountains
and lighted the mist-wreathei valleys
Far down the river, whore tho shores raj
along low and green the waves dr'fted VI
with o strange burden, and receding rev
erently, left it there. And there, witt
i l.slo,r, hair braidinp its brightness