Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1862-01-30
LOSING AND WINNING.
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF Aw
ORPHAN.
WRITTEN BY HERSELF.
TcoNTINUEp.7

1t was not many days before | saw him
again, and after that he came quite fre-
quently to the store. He always seemed to
prefer making his purchases at my counter;
and my interest in him strengthened with
every time | saw him. He treated me with
as delicate q courtesy as he could have
shown to an equal in society; and this
formed such o pleasant contrast to the
naughty arrogance Of some Of my custom
ers, and the rude familiarity of others that
began to mark the days on which he came
with a white stone.
At length week passed without my see
ing him. | should have blushed to acknowl-
edge, even TO myself, how much difference
this made to mellow often | thought of
him, and how many coDiectures l wasted as
to whether | would ever see him again. Do
not infer from this that was at all what
story-books call Gin love- with him. can
safely assert that my heart had not at that
time, approached even the verge of that
dangerous precipice. But it was pleasant
to encounter now and then, amid the stag
nation of my life, some one whose face
reused me from my apathy, stimulating
not only my curiosity but my sympathy
the courtesy Of whose manners recalled to
me the agreeable associations of earlier
days.
At length 1 went home one evening and
found gentleman in Mrs. Niles sitting
room. The circumstance, so unusual in it.
self, surprised me; how much more when l
perceived that her visitor was none other
than the absentee concerning whom l had
wasted 60 many thoughts
In accordance with her primitive idel of
courtesy, Mrs. Niles introduced lis by name
n pnpb nj bpr MI tbou yIo oJ1oJ
''Mr. Lincoln has come, Gertrude dear, to
get me to do some plain sewing for him
though how in the world he happened to
hear that l did such work I'm sure | don't
see.h
Mr.. Lincoln took no notice of the question
so gently insinuated lie addressed a fe W
courteous and agreeable remarks to me, in
which he did not allude to the circumstance
of ever having seen me before, and then
took his departure. When he had reached
the door, as if struck by sudden recollec-
ton, he turned back
"By the way, Mrs. Niles, forgot to bring
you my pattern. | will leave it with you
tomorrow evening"
After he went out my landlady became
voluble at once. 1t was such a piece of
good luck that he should have heard of her
He would pay her so much more than she
could get at her shops. lie was SO polite,
too, and so nice-lookiug.
She was turning over the linen as she
talked with busy fingers making calcula-
tions which ] was too much absorbed to no
tice. l had taken involuntarily, so much
interest in this Andrew Lincoln, without
even knowing his name, and now Fate had
so strangely brought us together again.
Should l ever be better acquainted with
him-ever be able to solve the mystery
written on his face? Time would tell
He presently, after this, became quite a
familiar visitor. At first it had not struck
me as at all singular that he had heard of
Mrs. Niles as a neat and reliable seam
stress; but when second dozen of shirts
succeeded the first, and these in turn were
followed by other garments of various de-
scriptions, whose construction seemed to re-
quire his particular explanations and direc-
tons, began to think with Mrs. Niles, that
che must be going missionary to some
heathenish place where nobody knew how
to sew or-the thought would haunt me, so
l may as well confess it here, that he found
pleasure in coming to my boarding place.
and was determined to make a pretext for
continuing his visits as long as possible
After awhile, however, he seemed to ig-
more any necessity for excuses, and by the
time Mrs. Niles had finished his sewing, he
had fallen into the habit of coming to see us
quite regularly. He was lonely, he said, at
his hotel, and it was so pleasant to come
where he could feel at home; only if he was
intrusive or in the way we must give him
hint.
In an early stage of our acquaintance he
had drawn from me- in the most delicate
manner, the history ofmy past life. hardly
know how / was beguiled out of my re-
serve-chiefy, perhaps, by his appreciation
of my favorite books, and his warmly ex-
pressed admiration of the engravings which
had been my fathers pride. | was in some
sort obliged to explain how treasures so at
variance with my present mode of life came
into my possession.
We had not been long acquainted when
finding that |, as well as Mrs. Niles, was
always at my needle when at home, he pro-
posed to occupy the evenings he spent with
us in reading aloud. l soon suspected him
of design in this manner to test my men
tai resources and study my character He
had marvellous way Of drawing out my
opinion on various topics connected with
art and literature and then he would bring
forward his oWn-worth more than mine by
as much as thorough knowledge and mental
NASSipAAhN oiN ulOLC NhluuDl6 ludu ulBEe
taste and feeling.
AS our acquain tance had progressed, [
had gradually almost ceased to speculate
concerning The sorrow whose profound and
passionate impress had awakened my first
interest in him. Indeed, think the sign
and seal Of despair had been upifted from
his face. Looking back | believe that the
hours he spent with me did him good and
not evil-that he was a happier and surely
not worse man for my influence.
Was it strange that my life once more
put on the colors of hope-that flavor and
tone and richness came back to it? no
longer repined at The disagreeableness of
my daily task. Without my own knowledge
or volition my feet had wandered to the very
border Of Loves ideal realm, and already
every thing had begun TO look brighter than
Its wont, through the golden haze of that
enchanted atmosphere. The spell which was
woven round my life was more perfect than
the devices Of the old magicians. ! had no
room for discontent-no longer for the talk
ing bird, the singing tree, or the golden
water; or, perhaps, had found them all.
do not mean that | had admitted as yet,
even TO my own consciousness, that my
heart had gone out from me, as Noah's dove
from the window of the Ark, aud, like that.
would return no more. For the nonce,