Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1861-12-24
TINE GHOST OF WINTER.
A Thrilling story.
BY "oUR FAMILY Physician"

BY "oUR FAMILY PHYSICIAN"
was alone in my study, thinking over
the appalling events of the day, for | ha6
been 70 see several cases of HOPELESS and
heart rendingsuffering in the abodes where
poverty ignorance and crime wers strugy
ling for the mastery.
aly careful little Katie had gone down
into the kitchen, to superirtend some of
her domestic affairs. The noisy young
brood who rollicked through the house the
whole day, were now hushed in a rosy
slumber,
The street bell rung a sudden peel
through the still house that was start
ing, and the summons that followed
winch came in a long, loud, protracted
shrek Was no less so. i basened to the
front door. and there lay Sally. our maid
OF allswork, on the floor. huff upon her
knees, aud half prosfrated, trembling and
muttering as she vigorously crossed herself
The saints preserve US from the ghost =
Well might she have taken the pale,
deathly pale, attenuated creature. slender
and fragile as a dropping snow drop, for
one of those unearthly visitants who are
said to haunt this mundane sphere.
For the love of God, doctor, come at
once, or he will be dead before you get to
him ~ Thus urged | fol)wed my guide
as soon as | could hasten on my oVercoat
and hat. She was dressed in light colJred
thin habil!men,s, which contrasted but
lily with the singing cold without. but
which also heightened tine ghost like ap>
pearance of her slender form and deatb!y
white cOuntenance,
offered her my arm, and trembling and
shivering she FASTENED on. | could scarcI.
ly keep pace with her impati, n; speed
A few minutes walk brought us to low,
humble house. she entered it, and leading
me to the garrett room opened the door ami
babe me enter.
Over handful of half dead and live
Goals in the CRATE, sat crouching two mis-
erably pale, half sarved looking children,
whose large, deep sunkcn eyes and square,
broad fUreheads, told of intellect and
refinement above the ordinary poor-the
starving mass of this great metropolis
Near the cheerless CRATE sat also bag
gard III man, whose chair seemed literally
resting in river of blood
Oh, doctor, stop his arm from bleed
ing; Gud knows he has none to spare
tried to first, and then ran for you"
As | took boll Of the mans arm, he
gave me lock with his great, wild blue
eyes, and sank back exhausted and faint
lag.
banaged the bleeding arm, and then
applied restoratives; the man slowly re-
/ yiged.
oh, Why have you called me back
again Why did you let me go in
peace Oh, God, cannot bear this =
Guessing from the rolling restlessness OF
his eyes and appearance of the forluru
| apartment, that hunger might have depriv
| ed him of his sanity, | hastened to procure
some wine and biscuit.
! From the raveuOus manner in which he
! clutched Il piece of soda biscuit which
/ held out to him. saw my surmises correct
/ The two children also acted more like hal
famished cubs than human offspring.
urged upon the wife and mother fouo, bu
true to her woman's nature. her intens,
anxiety for her husband was stronger thar
the mere physical sensa tion of hrng-
CT.
She ate sparinely. and with her eye,
Constantly turned towards her husband.
stayed until | saw the man quiet anC
asleep IN bed-a miserable pallet Of straw
laid upon the fianr. almost devoid of cover.
Ing. And here they all slept, for it was tn
only bed In the room, and the only furni
ture, in fact, of any kind, save the broke
chair, on which the father had been sitting
and few dishes
left some change with the pale younj
creature, who seemed 60 fragile AMI slen
der that rude blast might have broken il
half the slight fabric which supported he
graceful and beautiful eaG-graceful an
beautiful in spite of the ravages want hat
made in her sunken eyes ard waste
cheeks.
The next day called, and finding tn
members of the suffering family more com
Portable, learned that the husband was
young EnglIehman, who, with his wife an
two little ones, who had come to this coui
try to make his fortune by his profession
which was portrait painting. They ha
arrived in the summer, but finding nothin
to do,and living on the little he had brougt
with him until his store had vanished, h
was compelled to sci! his watch. clothe
books, &c, and at last brushes palettes Oh
paints.
He had tried in vain to get employment
the cold hard winter came on With MOI
and more severity, until. at last, in ute
despair, be had, when his wife left the
miserable garnet, for a moment, opened
vein in his arm that he might no lcDgt
witness her accomplishing sufferiDgs an
the affect want of his little ones.
This was but few weeks ago. Sine
; then purse has been made up for the di
tressed family, and two benevolent gentle
men have agreed to sit to the painter (,
their portraits.
The wife is now looking in better healtI
inasmuch as Sally can see her withu,
swooning in alright She grows MOI
beautiful every day. The young paint,
has lest somewhat his wild, haggard luo
and is working at lis paints like renov,
ted steam engine.
lfthe rest ofmy fraternity. and the cau
munity at large would search abroad, the
would find many, many more similor ca
ses.