Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-07-19
Found in the Street.
A STORY OF REAL LIFE.

"Do you know, sir, that l am al
most starved-th | have had nothing
to eat for twenty-four hours ?"
The young man started at this un-
expected address; then turned, and
regarded the speaker for a moment
curiously.
The scene was Fifth Avenue, and
the time was near midnight.
Horses and carriages were dashing
over the pavement, conveying gay par
ties from the theatre to supper.
The air was crisp and chill the
stars shone cheerfully above; the
lamps cleaned brilliantly below; yet
the young man was thus suddenly ac-
costed, in the most fashionable tho
roughfare in New York, by stranger
who was almost starved, and had eat
en- nothing for twenty -four hours.
No wonder he turned to look Gu
riously at her.
Caleb, or Gale Gordon, as his init
mates called him, was hard working
young journalist-hard working, but
we'll paid for he was a vastly clever
and rapid writer, and found a ready
market for all he wrote; besides be-
ing on the regular staff of one morn
ing paper as musical and dramatic
critic.
And in pursuit of this part of his
vocation he had that evening been to
the French opera to hear "Genevieve"
had stepped into Delmonico'S for a
light supper, and was now on his way
down to the Office to write up his eve
ning's work.
He had no one but himself to take
care of; made money enough to sup
ply all his wants, including light sup
pers at DeImonicos when he desired
them; and knew very little about the
poverty and wretchedness Of the un-
der world of the great city he lived
in.
Therefore he queried. in a tone of
surprise, after looking at the question
er for a moment, You say you have
eaten nothing for twenty.four hours p
"a bit of bread and some coffee
last evening, and nothing before that
since the day before" and the girl
gave q great gulp, something between
sigh and a sob, and turned her face
away.
"Bles8 my soul y said Caleb "come
right along with me and get some
thing"
You see Caleb was quite green
he had only been in the city about
six months, having come well recon-
mended from a country newspaper, or
else we would have given a quarter
and sent her on her way-or perhaps
something worse might have come of
it, who knows? But as it was, he
took her hand and placed it on his arm
and walked her rapidly down a side
street, toward a point where he knew
there was an oyster saloon that kept
open all night.
1t was not exactly place to take
a lady; but it did not occur to Calel
to take her to Delmonico' o's-besides
they were past it.
She mad said nothing further; but
Caleb noticed that she leaned rather
heavily on his arm; and as they pass
ed a street lamp, and its light shont
full in her face, he observed that she
was very pale.
He hurried her along and present
ly they arrived at the saloon and were
soon seated opposite each other in {
small private room or box, with ;
table between them.
Caleb called the waiter and order
, ed a glass of sherry, and, when tina
was provided, gave it to the girl, whC
,, seemed absolutely about to faint, an(
begged her to drink it, which she did
; then ordered a substantial supper fo
her
The waiter left them, and Caleb ha(
, an opportunity of looking at his com
panion.
The wine had revived her, and
little color tinged her cheeks.
!, She seemed very young. Gale
!, thought of his little sister at the oil
. homestead in the country, and guess
ed this girl must be about her age
about seventeen.
7 Thinking of his little sister, too, b
:, could not help thinking how he woul
). feel if she were in such a strait as thi
y poor creature; and he felt a strang
sensation under his watch pocket, an
did not care to speak for moment.
Then he said kindly and in lov
L voice:
"And now you must tell me ho'
- all this has been brought about, an
perhaps can help you"
But the girl folded her arms on tn
table, laid her head upon them, an
) cried-not loudly, but very bitterly.
"I don't like to see you cry" sal
e Caleb-and his voice was a littl
- tremulous; that was a soft point
Caleb's character; he never liked I
4 see anybody cry.
The girl raised her head, and thre
III the long, soft curling hair back fro
her face, and said: "You are vel
- kind to me, and-I won't cry" an
% she didn't; she stopped Instant
T. T. which pleased him in more ways tha
W one.
: Caleb wasn't far out about her az
W probably his memories of his litt
sister had aided him in some occu
= =, way. She was just about seventee
W and now that she had gained lit
color, which between wine and tear
= was manifestly pretty, or so, at leas
: Caleb thought but so thin-so thin
- She had pretty, soft, brown eyes
very large; and as they looked
: Caleb, through the midst of her la
70 weeping, he thought he had never SEE
=. any half so expressive.
be Her figure was trim and neat
clad, but poorly. Her hands we
f. small but they bore the marks of
"a bor, and the fore6nger of her rig
~ ~ hand was dotted over with little bla,
70 specks. as Caleb remembered
mothers to have been when he was
boy at home, and she sat in the arl
chair sewing for him.