Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1865-01-21


naturally large and melancholy; her poor
little fragile hands had the inexpressible
nervcless look Of utter bodily prostration.
When had shut the door and lighted a
candle that was placed ready for her at the
bottom OF the stairs, remarked that hoped
that her fire was still alight. On such .
night rs this, n cup of hot tea or coffee was
the best thing to take on coming in out Of
the cold and WAS going to offer to make
he- one at my own fire, when she interrupt.
ed me, with u tone of infinite gcntlencss,
and yet that Instantly told me she did not
require my help.
Susan is very thoughtful, and always
puts everything ready. if | hi$S TO make Il
fire but to night I'm really not cola, 2uly
tired (tired God knows she was thatD
"wanting sleep. Good night, sir. aud thank
you very much for coming to- let ms in"
And then she took her candle from my
hand, and with pretty little gesture. very
friendly but not without Il certain pathetic
dignity, poor child! badc nae good night
and passed off into her room.
BY eight next morning she was giving n
lesson to pupil, the only house plpil she
had, who came to her three times week at
that hour, because Miss Philips. our land
lady, did not like anything professional
going on under her roof
II would have mentioned to YOU, sir, that
We had a professional lady in the house"
said Miss Lucinda Phillips, lingering after
depositing my weekly bill upon the break
iasttable, and evidently wishing to explain
away the occurrence of the night. II should
have mentioned our having professional
person lin the house when you took the
apartments, only that We knew Miss Weston's
habits are too quiet that she isn't likely to
disturb any one As to her troubling you
last night, it was the mercst accident can
assure you, sir. She was playing for II young
peoples party and as the night was dry,
and the distance was so short, thought she
might as well save her cab fare by walking
home. | told her how imprudent it was,
this morning. and she regrets as much as
my sister and do that you should have had
the annoyance of opening the door for her"
The Misses Phillips were sisters of middle
age and staunch propriety, and their es-
tablishment was private hOuse--that is 10
say, a card printed apartments was always
kept in the stationer's window round the
corner, not their own, when their rooms
were vacant. How did the Misses Philips,
Gliding in their own private house--a por-
ton of which they happened to find too
take u "prolessionaln person under their
exclusive roofi | hazarded the surmise.
dclicateIy, to Miss Lucinda, and after some
hesitation, and, it is unnecessary to add.
not little superuous verbiage, got at the
romance, such as it was, of my !eiiow,lod-
gers life.
L. the first place she yaA ma led wo-
man only her husband being a gentleman
o: family, according to Miss Lucinda, ard So,
of course averse to anything professional, it
was considered best for the present that she
should retain her maiden name. In the
next she had child, whom she maintained
with some poor relations of her own in the
country. And lastly, it was evident-thOugh
true to the instincts of her sex, Miss Lucin-
da at heart was quite upon "thc captains"
sidc-that most OF the results Ol those patient
hours work, those early lessons, those mid
night viglIs, went to support AN idle, dissi-
patcG husband, pho neglected and affected
to be ashamed, OF the faithful hands that
worked for him.
Its been an unfortunate story altogether
sir" said Miss Lucinda ''and though don't
deny that the captains gay, and goes about
to races, and such things, and spends every
farthing he can get out of her on himself and
his own pleasures still, every one must al
low it is IA hard thing for gentleman of lami-
ly to be brought to see his wife work. He
says himself he'd never had to leave the
army, if he had not married; perhaps he
wouldn't; but AS it is it took all her little
fortune o.. two thousand pounds to pay his
debts, and as he was obliged To sell his
commission, to save himself from going to
Jail, can't say that think it was oltogcth-
er his wife who ruined him. However that
may be- ruined he was. His friends-and
hes got the very highest connections-rc-
fused to help hlm any more; and Amelia,
with baby six weeks old, and very weak
in her own health, was thrown, you may
say upon the world for the captain, poor
gentleman, he was so cut up about it all,
that he went off abroad with what little
money he had to Baden, think it was--for
the summer 1t was then that Mrs. Fitz,
gerald took to music as profession Her
own friends were too poor to help her as to
money, but from one to another they
recommended her as a teacher and when
the captain came home at the end of Il
twcvcmonth, he found her maintaining her
self and the baby too.
"Well, sir" proceeded Miss Lucinda, pa,
! thctically, "of course, it was great come
down-a very grea; come down for a gen
! 'lcmun Ike MN 10 lnu MS Wlie gong IRON
! house to house ms 4 music mistress but, bit
by bit, she brought him round to consent
! provided poor fellow that she would
! take her maiden name again, so as to run
no risk of disgracing him or his connections
anG this she las done from this time, about
two years ago, till now. The way she camC
to live with lis was this MS she got on il
her teaching, i! was found n disadvantage
Tor her to live in II poor part of the town
and through the recommendation of friend
of the captain's-ior he quite keeps up Will
II number of the best society still-my siste
and were induced to let her our smalles
down stair set. The lady who recommended
her hadn't an idea tina, the young persoI
she was beiricnding was the captains owl
wife, nor we either, Of course. But the frs
time she came, poor ,aing, she called m.
sister and me into the room, and told u
the whole story. She had been advised no
to do So she said, but she would not live il
our house day and deceive us; Captain
Fitzgerald was her husband lie was aboy,
her in birth and now that she was obligc,
"a earn her bread, they thought It wiser for
time that she should take her maiden ram
again, especially as the captains Londo
friends believed her to be dead
| Hllut | am not lpnd sha said trvin0 4