Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-03-01
ALONE.

A restless, sad, longing little heart was
beating under worn calico dress, in little
room in Fourth street. Tears as warm and
grief-swollen as any that gush from woman's
eyes crept down the cheek little way paused
crept on little farther, waited, trembled, and
then swelling as the bosom swells with sighs,
ran down the maiden's cheek, and fell upon
the faded chintz. Through and through, and
through again, slipped the nimble needle
shining with the never-ending attrtion ol
muslin and linen and silk. The Argus-cyed
| Misunderstanding better than steel, though
worn to the polish Of slver-cIicked agains,
the needle, pressing it through the close fabric
into the calloused tinger-tip, fretted and notch.
ed and blackened by many another needle
point, during many weary day and many a
weary night.
A cooking stove one chair two beds, few
dishes on shelf in the corner, broom, a
large stone pitcher, a bonnet and shawl, few
pieces of stove furniture, half dozen plants
in rough wooden boxes on the window sill
four or five books on one table-these com.
prised the furniture.
The room was elevated far above the noise
and dust of the dirty street-above the usual
flight of city pigeons even; in the fifth story
and the roof in shopping had cut off a corner
of the ceiling The low windows pair OF
stnnted oncs-did the best they could with
the sunlight, but were too much crowded by
the fallen roof to accomplish much
Had you slipped noiselessly in which you
could not have done, IN fact, for the sagging
of the door and its heavy scraping upon the
threshhold-yOu would have been struck first
by the baroness, and then by the singular
neatness of the attic room. a7
A little black and white kitten would have
glanced up at you from soft bed of cotton
in its own corner, or skipped, frightened, up.
on the smaller bed of the two; and the still
figure in the window would have presented
only bowed head, but busy fingers, and a
worn and faded print. ..........t ........
But if your tread had been heard on the
stairs and mistaken for that Of an old man
just before you reach the threshhold you
would have heard springing step upon the
attic floor, the door would have scraped open
with good natured growl, pair of black
eyes would have shone at you from face
wreathed in smiles, and possibly, in the
shadow and haste, you might have got pair
of arms about your neck At any rate you
would have followed tall, little figure into
have found yourself cis-a-gis with as expires.
sive and proud face as ever shone from
voh,ptuous plush, airy laccs, rustling silk
and sparkling diamonds.
Indeed, while the tear-drops were falling
under the pressure of thoughts which .ht
heart could not possibly hide under its lifting
lid. a step was heard upon the stairs, the
Staircase did creak like the stage drivers
horn, with the news of a coming. the door
did open, and pair ofwhite arms were flung
passionately around the neck ofa white. haired
old man. gsas .ss.s
Jennie had been crying of thoughts arous.
ed by brief walk in a populous street that
afternoon. 1 #f
She avoided these better thoroughfares
when she could. hurrying along where the
streets are narrow and dingy-where the
glistening of silk and the trcmble OF plumes
is seldom scen--where bright eyes and fair
faces radiate only from faded and worn sur
roundings. But this afternoon her errand to
the store had taken her through one of the
comely streets. Indeed, it stood on the very
corner of Main street, around which human
tides swept, eddying, every hour. She had
seen poverty, comfort and wealth-plainness,
comliness, beauty-stupidity, sense, intellect.
Sitting at her low window in the dull, un-
seernly room, worn, tired, discouraged with
the labors and forebodings of life, Jennie's
thoughts could do less than bring tears She
was thinking of the happiness which foated
about her in the crowded street of the laugh
ing eyes; of the naughty tread; OF faces
brimming with careless mcrriment and con-
scious beauty. She had seen hundreds in
that one street-hundreds ofmaidens to whom
she was consciously superior. And this was
not egotism in the weeping girl. Does the
doe imagine itself snail, or the eagle fancy
itself a blue jay9 Was it wrong that all this
beauty all this mate refinement, all this spirit
and taste and mentality, should pine and
sorrow for want Of that appreciation for
which we all long and striyee And If Jen-
lie wept that her scant and faded calico had
draw, forth sneers, as though it were her
self and MT the accident Of covering and II
she wept thai simple-n,inded and narrow
thoughted girls carried themselves proudly,
and won attention, while she slipped meanly
into by ways and shrunk from the observa-
ton which was only cold and contemptuous,
can we blame herr She was woman, with
4 woman's beauty and woman's power
But alas |! Jennie was Gagged by circ.imstan-
ces, ner Jewels cOver00 WIN GUST Ot laOOT,
her young life hidden, and dull, and sad.
Besides, an accident at the store had
wounded her severely, and reawakened her
consciousness Of weakness and seni-degre-
dation. 1t was this: She had taken bum
die Of work to the inspecting clerk, and
thence had been directed to the cashier with
ticket for her pay On former occasions
she had suffered from curious and wicked
glances while passing the clerks Of several
departments, Is well as from . peculiar tone
/ in which the cashier addressed her. To day
she' ~as eithT more painfully sensitive o.