The New York herald., 1871-12-24

meath the crush OF satin and silk the fashionable
woman OF society rarely has time to give a mo.
ment's thought to the agonized existence OF thou
sands OF other women equally blessed with natures
gifts Her side Of the picture Is all magnifcence,
luxury and conquest; but the other is the dark ana
dreary view. where nothing is TO be seen but
MISERY, DESPAIR, DRUNKENNESS AND DEATH.
The one life Is rapid dash through whirlpool
Of delights; but the other is long chain OF dire DIS
slightest links. In elegant mansions from which
the slightest zephyr of the winters afr scrupu-
iously shut out, the scant family is lost scattered
through the vast apartments. In miserable dens,
reeking with filth, dozens of large families are
crowded together with scant room to stretcn their
wornout bodies In when the labtrs OF the day have
ended. side by side they glide down the stream Of
lfe and yet the mansion seems never to have an
ldca that the hovel exists except when the owners
income is derived from some such property.
The lady, who Ia the honored and acknowledged
centre OF an admirtng circle, sits upon her social
throne surrounded by horde OF eager natterers,
to whom she mods her pleasant approval at inter-
walls, never for one moment pauses to reflect that
therels world beyond her own q life OF
TRIAL AND HARDSHIP,
OF anxiety and regret OF hope ana fear and ortures
only endurable by the almost broken back. Her
mind is occupied with balls and parties the opera
and her Dress Or perhaps with the coming pleasure
10 be derived from the crushing Of rival Her
friends are the peasantest people IN their set
and nothing Is permitted to approach her
that may prove dsagreeabe. While she
wanders listlessly through her elegant rooms,
or sits delghtedly attentive to fairy story Of
anection the soft nattery is poured more vigor-
ously nto her ear the eye brightens at the person
ality, the blood rngles ana rushes with a double
force through the swelling vessels and visions Of
ecstatc dreams OF lifelong bliss float before the ex-
cited Imagination. Similar soft romances are not
unfrequenty INDUCED In by the forlorn outcast who
turks In dark and noisome aleyways and snuns the
daylight. But TO her clouded existence they come
In . much mnder form their unreality rarely
amounts to pleasure. Her homo (at least the place
In which she lives II such den might get the name)
is In the shade, and
NEVER SEES THE SUNSHINE.
What wonder, then. her mind Is dim and not
Always to be trusted She was born IN a tenement
house-she scarcely Knows another existence
and such life as she has lived has been
passed in them Up the narrow, rickety stairs she
can boldly push at any hour or the day and night
INTO the abominable corner In which she roosts.
Hers Is not the only family that has been brought
mp from childhood In the same apartment, in the
very room there have been several OF them, and
not always divided from each other with any pre-
eence OF decency. The existence she knows Is TO
start shiver1ng, ct the break OF day from the nu-
mid lair OF straw and do days work for heS
parents before she goes TO her su,ployer's, who
generously give her suflcient remuneration TO buy
. days food for weeks wastingl Of bone and
muscle. Trudgng along. wet or dry, cold or hot, to
THE vILLANOUs SHED
In which she coils always patientand never repin-
ING al her lot. Home again, with more to DO than
there was in the morning when she started, and not
unfrequentiy going back to the dreadful couch,
abused and wronged by drunken father, or,
Serhaps still worse mother In the same condition.
Not unirequently, II one watches close enough, she
viii caught stealing few minutes TO work, with
almost lightning speed at some little piece OF mex
pensive fnery The struggles and disunions OF all
those around her sne Is compelled to be familiar
with, and q thousand times week even her dulled
sensbllities are shocked by The scenes that SUR
round her life.
One day during the last week attache of the
HERALD going into OF the large tenement houses
In one OF the lower wards OF the city, noticed girl
that appeared TO be OF this Glass; She had crossed
she open yard In front OF the huge mausoleum, AMI
had passed out into the street by hail way that
through the buildings fronting the street. An old
man, who stood at the only door OF the tenemenr,
was asked
''Can you tell me who that girl is9'
0D, yis sur; snure, she lives in here, on the top
0ure,r was the answer.
.'How long mas she lived heres'
'sOn, Dedad, that can't tell ye. she was here
afore me-"
"she lives on the top noor. Do you mean the
.No; she lives wid family In that ROOM" point.
..Have the family the room all 10 themselves"'
"Ah no. there's I'VE OF EN- In It."
-Flve famnies"
"Yls, sur.n
SHOW many are there In each famnyr'
81 deant rally know; sum ov EN- is SIX an more
Il seven. Al ali ivnts. there's lots o. chide-."
And all In one room I"
"fls, altoXither.n
but they nave partitions dividing OF the di1er-
cht families haven't they ;"
'PurtitionsY Well, never see ony."
'Wel. but they have some KIND OF screen nung
well, yls; LIZZIE had one, an ould horse rug
full o. holes that lime sue had the little trouble"
hat kind OF trouble did she haver'
81 doant exactly know how II knm about, but the
poor thing got wronged be sum one, and snc nad u
..in that room~
biankit sum o. The womin folks INT id 10 her."
'.aut COULDN'T they take ner out OF 1t ~
bad on ihlmseyes as she wus wud the exception OF
sum ov EN- havin' husbands, an begor mauy ov 'em
Is better wudout em.o
"what became OF the chdYn
aid didn,t i've, SIR. ye see. The poor thing was
long time sick, an 10 glt bite o. soinethin 70 ate
sue was obliged TO sell the few rags she had, until
the only thing was there was an ould cotton gownd
70 keep herself aud the little thing warm. ID cum
on sharp one night and the young one died. The
sDe woke and round ia dead beside her.n
'tan II be possiDleW ~
'.Itis the ruth I'm teln' ye, SUR ye can az any
one In the house. She TOOK on terrible she hung
herself down ON the ground, an tore hur hair AL
bate nerself like
A CRAZY THING.
6ne cursed the women an said twas their fault,
an all tney could do wouldn't quiet her. she Kept
ID up like that for Two or three days widout ever
aflns bit or a sup, an shure she wint out her
mead Di! an niyr got into Id agln. That's wny we
calls her L0oneY LZzie.n
There = something strange about the girl. That
vas why nrst noticed ner.'
''sne's a harmless poor thing, sur; she Gums an
goes widout sayn' word 10 ony one. sue nIsir
Lakes no nUtlce oneu
now does sne get vingri
ssaes putty hAnay wld the needle, an believe