Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-08-20
CAMILLA.

ford il, and from whence he crept, as
harmless and unnoticed as fly, down the
corner of the dingy street, to the little
music shop of Carl Bertmann, German
settler somewhere is Soho.
There he tinkered all day on broken
violins and other musical instruments,
never a5senting himself for moment,
save on Saturday afternoons, when he
went to the house of small tradesmau to
teach the piano to three or four very STU
pid girls. Sundays he curled up in his
den, and amused himself, nobody knew
how, until Monday morning.
There are few certainties; he never
went to church; but he picked ragged
children from the pavement when they
fell near him, and gave them half pennies
when he had any, shared his dinner often
with NANCY, dirty cur, who acted as
sort of escspe-valve for the i'll temper of
half the mep and women in the street; and
he reused Pat Ryan from his midnight
snooze in the gutter many cold night,
and literally carried him home to Norah
and the ''cbildren.
As for his honesty, neighbor re.
marked, 'if he found five shillings in the
street, he'd wear out ten shillings worth
of strength and shoe leather to find the
! owner"
One cold night Paul was returning from
his work, with loaf of bread under one
arm and violin under the other, when at
the street door he stumbled, and nearly
| fell over a small object crouched on the
step.
''Bless usl What's this9" cried Paul,
striving to regain his equilibrium.
''Only me, sir" and the small object
stood up, and became very pale, thin
and ragged child.
care you hurt, little girl2"
''No, SIR"
''What are you doing out here in the
cold9"
'tNothing"
t'Why don't you go home9"
81 amt got anyl"
''Dear me! Where's your motheIl"
SIN heaven"
At this Paul was dumbfounded; aud
seeing that great tears were stealing down
the child's wan face, he thrust the violin
under the arm which bad held the bread,
and putting the other around the tiny
figure, he said, ooh! I've got home "a
really jolly place! Come up and see"
And this is the way old Paul came to
have neat little housekeeper, and to be
buying calico gowns and shoes out of his
| poor salary.
People wondered st the sight of this bent
old man, hitherto alone and uncsred for,
now walking daily to his work with his
! hand upon the shoulder of the odd, yet
pretty faced girl, looking at her with hon
| est pride Frightening his eyes, and laugh
| ing SIS loud SIS she whenever the joke came
in. But old Paul looked unconcerned,
svsded the questions of the curious, and
learned TO love nothing better in this world
than the little waif, Camilla.
There were many, many days, when
rheumatism drew Paul up by the fire in
the old, back attic, and drew the last pen
ny ots of the dilapida.ed old purse; but
near death she had been on that bitter
night of their meeting, always found
word to ward off hunger, and courage to
keep them both bright until help came.
The winter of 1856 came in like lion,
as many a poor wretch well remembers,
and with the first blast came Paul's enc
my. He turned one night sad face
| from his warm corner in Bsrtmaun's shop
among the viOhns, and hobbled up the
| cold street, feeling the APPROACH Of the
| old rheumatic pains, and wondering what
| would become of his poor little Camilla
HIS excitement carried him up to the
last flight of stairs, and hearing CSmills's
voice, he paused to rest and to listen.
She was singing in that sweet and ex-
pressive manner which made her voice
seem to him the sweetest and purest he
had ever heard. At the end of the stan
Ia he took breath, and another voice
said, ''Child, you astOnish me. Either l
am poor Judge of music, or else your
voice is the finest l ever heard. You are
right in preferring its cultivation to any
thing else
An electric thrill shot through old
| Paul's frame, and quickened his blood to
Tapidity that quite carried away his rheu-
matte pains, aud in a twinkling he was
up the stairs and in his little attic.
He was terrified at the sound of mans
voice, but the sight of handsome AID
! polished gentleman, with diamond studs
| in his snowy linen, a heavy ring upon his
udlnI1 NulbC uoudY bAO1O-
cloth upon his back, in close converse
ton with his Camilla, whose wondrous
beauty had of late startled even his dull
perception, was more than Paul could
bear.
He was very small man-had been in
his vOu,h-and now that Tunes wither-
ing fingers had touched him, he was
shTiVeled aud dried like withered fruit,
! but in his virtuous indignation he pulled
| out to his fullest extent, and in his falset-
to voice piped, Camilla, how dare you
| invite sny one herel"
"Oh, Uncle Paul This is Mr.. Clay
ering, gentleman Whose-whose--"
"Whose mother she saved from death.
Your niece, sir, few days since, was
| passing through our crowded thorough
fare, when my mothers carriage drew up
! to the pavement. The horses were res
tive, and bidding the driver attend to
them, she began TO descend uDassisted.
| Her foot was ON the step, when the ani-
mails sprang forward and flung her vio-
lently from her foothold. But for the
sudden act of your niece, who received
my mother in her strong young aims, the
fail might have proved q fatal one. My
mother at Cnce entered shop, AMI keep
iDg your niece near her, sent for me. l
came to-day, ct my mothers earnest re-
quest, TO express our heartfelt gratitude,
and to offer"
''You needn't offer Camilla a penny,
sir. She will never suffer while Pve
pair of hands to work for her" said
! Paul
t'You mistake me. l do not wish to
insult you, but would raise this child
from Der poverty and educate her, that
she might be of use to you and TO hers
self, and become a refined woman. Don't
| let your selfish love stand in her light,
and shut it out from her. she sings like
a prima donna, and wishes to study mu-
| sic"
The great iustrous eyes of the child
turned imploriDgly to her new guardian.
'Ior', Camilla, l can't stand in your
way. know you're every bit a born Ia
dy, if your poor fOrsaken mother did die
in hovel among wretches who turned
her child into the cold as soon as the
breath hsd left her body; but deary me, l
can't part with you"
"And you shall not. Let me serve lit
tie Camilla, and she shall Fever leave you,