Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1864-02-17
THE DEVOTION OF LOVE.

erlbes q visit to the dock yards OF loulon,
and the appearance of the convicts at
work there, gives the following touching
episode connected with her visit:
Just as our Cicerone was on the point of
taking leave he directed my attention to
little woman, quietly dressed, who was
walking quietly up and down on the pave
ment outside the gate. She looked ner-
vously in at the open entrance, then
turning, walked away. The glance and
the hurried turn were repeated every time,
and my friend Of the dock-y yard told me
that she had walked there, with few ex-
ceptions evew day for nine years. The
guards at the gate knew her as well as
their own sentry boxes, and some of them
could note the gradual decay that had
changed her from bright, young. pretty
featured woman to what she now appeared.
she is so aged and altered" said the
garden, that if she is waiting for any
body IN there, he will not recognize her
when he comes out, for all her constancy.
There are none IN under twenty years, SO
eleven years more of this work will hard
" add to her beautyp' -a.f.
He said this with an awkward attempt
to laugh but there was an expression in
his eye that showed me it was but an
effort to conceal his sympathy, and he
went on: "Any one who has observed
her as we have, can see that she is dying
uow. Yes. she is killing herself, for GER
tain, about the one an there" }hHlD
l was watching the poor little creature,
when she came quickly toward US, gazed,
in her nervous halffrightened manner,
through the gate, then, with hurrid
"Good morning" to my friend, walked
hastily away, and disappeared. The
good natured fellow had lifted his cap
and returned her greeting; but looked
half-ashamed Of his politeness, and, in
semi:apologetic tone, began to explain to
me that she always said that when her
weary walk was over for the day, and
added
"She is 50 we'll known that nobody
thinks Of stopping, or questioning her,
and this pavement is open to the public.
There are only few of US who can re-
member what little beauty she was nine
years ago. She was always in tears then,
but now she only looks sad--as sad as
ever. She had black hair then. Once,
asked her if ! should try to get her an
order to enter and see any one IN there.
This so touched her that she would have
fallen, if had not caught her, shall
never forget her face. She looked, some
how, frightened don't know what else
to call it,. She never answered me a
word but, as soon as she could stand,
crept slowly away. steadying herself by
the wall. She raised her hand once. as
if she was going to say something bu,
she did not speak, and went away.s as |
said. not coming back for several days.
i began to feel sorry; thinking that,
though | meant well, might have scar.
ed the poor creature away; but, at last
ION the fourth or fifth mOrning,) there she
was again, looking SO changed and i'll
that | only knew her by ways.f Tha
day she said Good morning, for the frs
time. It's more than eight years, now
and nobody has meddled with her since.
! asked him If it were possible to &c
news of prisoner through him.
He answered that the convicts leave al
identity outside the walls. Within, the,
are nameless units, distinguished merel
by q number. 1t is only the highest au
thoritics who can identify, or communii
cate individually with any convict.
could understand why the poor littl
woman dared not relieve her heart thirs
by gazing on her fallen hero. The RI
membrane of him, even in his daysae
recklcssness and crime, was more tolerabl
than the Eight Of his.sullcn apathy---th