The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1860-04-25
Romantic History Of A Girl.


G. L. Brace, Secretary of the New
York Children's Aid Society, writes
the following touching account of the
struggles of young girl with want
and misery in that great wilderness,
New York -
Some two years ago a young En-
glish girl, of perhaps fifteen years,
with refined manners and a pretty,
though pale face, presented herself at
our Office, and nary0usly asked for
some place in family in the country,
and we only observed that her hands
were very thin and bony, and her
cheeks hollow, and that on being as
signed to an excellent home by Mr..
Macy, her eyes filled with sudden
tears of thankfulness. Something
was given her to eat, which she receiy-
ed quietly, and on the next day went
to her place. Lately, on revisit to
the city, we learned the particulars
of her history. She had been in En-
gland in good circumstances, as her
manner and language showed had
come over on the death of her father,
and on the wasting of his property to
seek her fortune in America. She
sought at once to enter some trade,
and to earn a living for herself; but
without friends, and with the crowded
competition of the city, she could find
no opening. In the same way at the
intelligence offices, after waiting, for
many days she discovered no chance
for herself Each day her means were
being exhausted, and she was forced
to pawn all the ornaments and relics
of better times. She was reduced fl
nally to living in a small attic room of
9 tenement house, sleeping on some
straw in one corner. Hour after hour
through the weary day, her little feet
were traverSing the streets, as she fol-
lowed advertisements for a chance to
work. At last she reached the point
at which every available means had
been sacrificed, every penny spent,
aud hunger stared her in the face.
She described her feelings then most
touchingly. One day she could get
through quite comfortably without
anything to eat the second, she says
she crouched herself in bed, land, do
you know, sir, what found the best
to stop the hunger /? Why ! drank
water aud then / prayed, and some-
how l always felt better and stronger
after it ~ The third day, when il
seemed as if she could not hold out
much longer, she would go fainting
down stairs to a woman she knew in
one of the lower rooms, and this wo-
man would offer her something to eat,
which she would take care lessly, no
one ever suspecting that the poor
creature was being saved from starya-
tion.
In this mode of life she grew so
weak she could scarcely walk, and as
thin, she says, as any skeleton. She
was attacked, too, with terrible head
aches, and some days, she is sure, she
was deliriouS, for she now remembers
how she seemed to see angels and spir-
its in the little room, bringing her
food
Once or twice she determined to
beg, though she felt as if she would
rather die aud she went into store,
and said, gaspingly, 'she was hun
cry" The people were very kind,
aud sat her ina chair, and gave her
fooQ, once she reeouects cup of tea.
Then as she lay on her heap of
stray, thinking Of her dear old En-
glish home aud the comfort there, the
mother and the days that were gone,
the thought would come up, why
should | deserve this? Why should
God pick noe out to make me suffer
so? Why should | be SO deserted 2"
One day she bad gone down in the
lower room, and sat there weak aud
despairing, when gentleman entered,
whom she describes as very grand and
wealthy in bis appearance. He spoke
to her kindly, said he watched her go
in and out, and said she must be in
misfortune that he had so much adj
mired her-yes and loved her ! She
answered, gasping With weakness
Why do you come here to insult
me because | am poor5
Then, as she described it, he replied
that he did not mean to insUh her,
that he truly loved her-~and in yari-
GUS phrases he offered to her to live
in splendid home with kim, but not
as bis wife.
The poor girl eTosehed down With
her head ia her hands, coafcsses that
Tor a moment tbs ttGaght crossed her
Gafnd what if she shonld do this p
No one will know it. Here is com
fort and 4 home--an escape at length !;
and on the other hand, long, weary