The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1865-03-22

trayed her; taking his hand and claspine
it close, not seeing upon it the stain Of q
murdered and lost soul, not seeing between
you and him the ghost of spirit driven
down through untold depths through life,
and all of the eternity yet to come I ask
you simply that the same law shall hold
good for one as it does for the other. But
what ask of you is, that you save other
women from going into this life. Out Of
the cruel and terrible necessities Of this
war, there are hundreds Of thousands Of
women flung upon their own resources for
their own support. 1t is absolutely neces-
sary that these women have more work,
and better pay, if you would save your
sidewalks from being crowded with young
girls, who to-day are spotless and pure and
innocent, mother, as the young girl sitting
at your side.
STORY OF A GIRLS LIFE.
Will you let me tell you little story to
illustrate the whole matter !? Some time
ago, l was going home one night, just as
the shades we're closing around it CON-
mcnced to rain, and saw walking before
me beautifully dressed woman unshel-
tered. l went up to her and said; MAD.
anne, will you have part of my umbrella
will you walk with me up the street ~
She, looking at me and shaking her head
slowly, said, 81 don't think you know
what you are sa, ing" "Oh, yes" respon-
ded. II say will you walk up the street
with me under my umberellay" She said
again, ~ don't think you know what you
are saying. You don't know who am"
Still said, ",hat makes no difference;
don't care whether you know me or not !;
shall wo 60 up street together ~ "No,"
she said, II don't think you would care to
have anybody who knows you meet you
walking up the street with such a woman
as me and turned, looking into her face
as the gaslight struck across it, saw there
the traces Of life that always leaves its
traces. knowing that the young and
beautiful woman standing beside me
was one upon whom society had brand.
ed ''outcast," and abandoned" and
said, "No matter, we will 60 on together"
And as we walked said to her, "what
could have brought you to such life !;
you arc young, you are pretty, you lcok
well 4; what could have brought you to
such life p She told me there her
story; and questioned thereafter, found
that the story was strictly true. She was
a daughter of clergyman in West Penn
sylvania, who had died, leaving his widow
and herself penniless and unprovided for
The giil tried to find something to do. 1t
was the common story repeated. She
tried to stand behind the counter, but they
preferred young men; she tried to keep
school, but there was only one in the
village, and that had its teacher; she tried
to sew, but could not find the work there
to support herself and mother by it and
so they found their way to the great busy,
bustling city, in pursuit Of work. She
tried to keep school there, but could not
obtain an appointment. She tried to get
into store, but was told that she must
first serve six months as an apprentice,
without pay. She was not so completely
learned in her accomplishments as to teach
them. She was driven to the slop shop,
making her miserable pittance by sewing.
One Saturday she took her work to her
employer and asked for her pay. He
looked at it, and tearing it apart and fling
ing it back to her, told her to do it over
again. She carried it back and the next
week, bringing it home, received no pay,
but was told to carry it back again and
so, for five weeks she received no money
She had sold or pawned everything she had
for bread, that she could live and have a
little fire, beside which she might work,
and she stood before her employer with
clasped hands and tears trickling over her
face begging for the money she had right
fully earncd, and it was still withheld from
her, and then this man said to her, "You
are beautiful and young, you need not labor
for such price as this; you might get
plenty of money if you would"
She did, mother, what your daughter
would have done-she left the store indig-
nant and outraged, and wandered up and
down that city hour after hour, and
went up one street and down another, into
store after store, pleading for work, and
some kind-hearted people said to her,
ave would give you work if we could
We have five hundred such applications
every day." or, perchance, they would ask
! from her certificate from her last en-
ploycr, and she had none to show; others
turned away carelessly, and others in.
suited and outraged her as her old EN-.
ployer had done; and so, she said, at ten
o'clock that Saturday night she found her.
self standing, without work, without
money, in front of her old store. There
she stood, in the night, and the storm, and
the cold; there she stood, the gloom gath.
ering about her, the wind driving the
rain in gusts into her face and
through her torn garments. Oh! she
said do not think l hesitated then
She looked up this long street, dark with
the night and tempest, up narrow alleys
and passage-ways, up winding flights o
stairs, into little garret room, all poor
and empty, into the fire place-no fire
there-not stick Of wood-not a cent
to buy any with; into the little corner
cup board, all bare and empty, not even q
crust Of bread. not cent to buy any with
All she said, don't think hesitated then
Don't think so meanly Of me as that. Bu
looking into this little room, poor, starved
wretched, miserable I; looking round it into
one corner, there, she said, saw my poor
poor mother; dying of hunger and cold.---
Oh, what marvel, what marvel that she fell
And so she had goue on lower and lower
step by step. said, "you must stop this
life; you shall 60 with me; maybe | car
iind something for you to do--nay, vii
find something for you to do. You shal
stand an honored and respectable woman
once" "No, no." she said, "don't try it
you need not talk to me so !; have tried il
again and again, and am always discover
cd and driven back. You need not try t
help me. There is no hope, there. is n,
help for such a woman as l." and ther
turning and looking at me-ob, men, oh
women, careless and Indifferent, oh, tina
you could have seen the girls face, anc
could have heard her say, "You too ar,
young, you are handsomely dressed, may
be you have wealth, may be you have posi-
ton, may be influence, OH beg you,
pray you, to use them all to save othc
young girls. They are coming into thi
life, living it as live it, suffering it as
suffer it, dying in it as shall some da.