Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1866-04-04
MIFF TNTOWN JTNIATA COJTNTY PENNA. APRIL 4, 1866.

In an attic room. meaniy furnished, sal
a young girl, pale and thin. She was
oosering over scanty wood fire. the best
she could afford, which heated the room
very insuf6ciently. She was sewing stead
lily, shivering from time to time as the
cold olast shook the window and found its
way through the crevices.
! Poor child Life lad very black as
pect for her on that winter day. She was
alone in the world There was absolutely
no one on whom she could call for assist
aace, though she needed it sorely enough
The thought came to her more than once
in her discomfort, "Is it worth while liv,
ing any longer ?" But she recoiled from
the sin of suicide. She nj ght starve tl
death, but she would not take the life thai
God had given her.
Plunged in gloomy thought she con.
tinued to work. All at once step wa:
heard ascending the staircase which led te
her room. Then there was knock al
the door Size arose in some surprise and
opened it, thinking it must be the land
lady or one of the servants.
She was right. 1t was servant.
"Hele's letter for you that the post
boy Just brought, Miss Morris"
"a letter for me-" repeated Heller
Morris, in surprise, taking it from th'
servants hand. "Who can have writer
to me 2"
"Maybe it's a valentine, Miss" sale
the girl, laughing. You know this i!
Valentines Day, More by token, I've
got two myself this morning. Ones
karakter (caricature p SO mistress call
it. Just look at it'
Bridget displayed highly embell
, ished pictorial representation of femal;
hard at work at the wash tub, the cast o
beauty being decidedly Hiber nia.
Helen Morris laughed absently, but
did not open her letter while Bridget re
maiped-a little to the disappointment
of that curious damsel.
Helen slowly opened the envelope. A
bank note for ten dollars dropped from il
on the floor.
She eagerly read the few words on the
paper. From St. Valentine"
Heaven be praised - che said fohine
her hands gratefully. The sum vii
enable ME to carry cut the plan which
had in view"
? Eight years passed away. Eight years
, with their lights and shadows, their Joy'
and SORROWS. They brought with then
, the merry voices of children-they BIO
with them newmade graves-happires
5 to some and grief TO others.
Towards the last they brought tn,
great commercial crisis of 81, when hous
5 es that seemed butl. upon rock tottere1
all at once to their fall. Do not man,
remember that all too well, when mer
; chants with anxious faces ran from one t
another to solicit help, and met onl
sverted faces and distrustful looks ?
And how was it that time of the uniyer
sal panic with our friends-Stacy l. vii
bur?
Up to 1857 they had been doing 81
excellent business. They had gradual.
enlarged their operations, and were rap
idly growing rich when this crash cane
They Immediately took in sail. Btf
we're prudent, and both felt that now va:
) the tine VIXEN this quality was urgeltly
needed.
BY great efforts they had succeeded in
keeping up till the l4th of Febftary
1853. On that morning a note of two
thousand dollars came due. This wa.
their last peril. That surmounted, the,
would be able to 20 on with assured con
fidence.
But, this alas was the rock on which
they had most apprehension. They hae
taxed their recources to the utmost
They had called upon their friends, bu
their friends were employed in takin;
care of themselves, aud the selfish polio,
was the one required then.
"Look out tor number one, supersede'
the golden rule for the time being.
As l have said, two thousand dollar
were due on the lst Of February.
"How much have you got toward it?'
asked Wilbur, as Stacy came in at balf
past eleven.
Three hundred and seventy-fve dol
lars" was the dispirited reply.