Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-04-29
day and sre reunited. He will come back. You

dsy and sr e. reunited. He will come back. You
" oh No. madame. | cannot. My mother"
She win not let me marry Gabriel. She
snotner, who IL 8 mechanic, who has plenty of
work, and who says he will keep me like A sdy.
and take care Of my mother. and perhaps i
do love Gabriel so."
"what does Gabriel do for uving?"
she hesitated, but finally answered
deed, madame, I am ashamed to tell YOU. and
yet IL Is comfort, too. The fact is nv mother
made me slight Gabriel, and grew yery ieaIous
oi-the other one, aud it drove him wild, you
:. He has been dismissed, then"
Alasl yes"
" For what particular offenceqv
oh, madame, he-he-was found intoxica-
ted on his beat, and they broke him at once"
Annette, know II Is painful to yeu to an
sTeri but am asking these questions for good
oh! No, MAG bme. He says he would never
drink, only for tl1uay treat him."
could not hey smiling. 1 wonder If there
ever was a man who did not lay his own impru-
dence and excuses at some woman's door?
However, it was M smiling matter.
Between her struggles for life, against wind
and tide, the care Of her invalid mother and her
separation from the man she loved, Annetts's
cup was full.
. will 20 and see your mother. Annetts-see
# there is anything can do for her, any little
neeessaries that can provide; and as for Ca
briel, II ne Is OF any account, he can support
himself aud you too. Brighter days win come
Cheer up and be of good courage"
The next day, IN pursuance of my design of
helping Annette in her trouble, went over and
a a;s.s her mother found her thin, dark,
little FTeDchwomsn, with keen black ewes, and
hard look about her face. On her head was q
neat French cap, and everything about the
clean, deft!y.arranged room showed the marks
the room was a shrine covered with spotless
white, and surmounted by plaster statue of
the Virgin, before which burned two wax can
dies, and bloomed few fresh flowers from the
boxes in the window. Here the young girl told
her beads, and sent up her guileless prisons to
Under cover of a bottle OF old sherry and a
pound or two Of butter crackers, united to the
tenderest expression of regard for her health,
made my approaches to the old woman, listen
ing alphabetically to her long account of one
OF those cases of woman's suffering which
seemed to battle the skill and knowledge of
those men who call themselves physicians She
repeated TO me how Annette, during three
years, has been her sole support.
When alluded to the heavy burdens thrown
tearsshe had grown bara in the worIds bsqde ne
school, poverty, and saw that Annette's youth
energy and talent. were regarded by the mother
who bore her simply as so much stock in trade,
to be turned to the best advantage.
she could marry, madame, and throw Off
these burdens that you speak OF. There is one
fine young man, good, Industrious, that will
marry Annette and take care OF me. But the
girl is peTverse. L cannot manage her. She
thinks Of nothing but that good-for-nothing Ga
els Grabrel then so good-for-nothing?~
"What else rs he, madame? Is he not out of
place these six mOnthsP What got him on the
police but his own bad conduct? Let her do
what she will, she shall not marry himi"
" But If she loves him?'' ventured.
"Oh! love, madame love Is a girl-andI boys
(''candid," thought II, "but we got along well
enough, and be made me comfortable living
while he lasted. That was better than love and
"The worlds logic thought, disconso-
lately, as rose and babe adieu to the implica-
bic parent. visited her afterwsrd, but found
1t in vain TO try to soften her. L told Annette to
send Gabriel 10 me, that might judge for nv
sell what material he was made of. One day he
presented himself. He was better-looking than
his portrait, and there was a certain air of self
respect and courtesy OF manner in him that l
liked. He was well-dressed, too, and saw but
little essential difference between him and men
far above him in rank. Nowhere but in America
could you have found such a gentlenanltke,
sef-possessed young man in his station. L was
glad, because should have felt too sorry to
have seen the young girl, whose beauty, mis-
fortunes, and lovely character, interested me so
much, ally herself to one much her inferior.
IL Was evident Gabriel was not bad fellow at
heart. He was one OF those natures without
great moral courage or heroic force, but gener-
Gus, lmpulsiye, and open-handed-the very sort
10 90 TO the bad when ven t4.ther by any
onward pressure. He confessed his devotion
for Annette, and declared il "was the trouble
he'd had about the girl that dove him to dissi
patton
promised him that, If he would pledge him
self 70 me TO do bis duty like a man and
Christian, would see some friends Of political
int uence, and endeavOr 20 have him reinstated.
lie gave me his pledged word, and had
scarcely departed when, In that singular aBTJ-
pos way that things sometimes occur, ! .ss
H, lawyer who was tranSacting some bus
ness for me, was announced.
knowing bis great inf uence, and thinking of
the young lovers, i welcomed him with such
smpressement tha the old gentleman was quite
astOnished.
"I have no verv good news for you, he said,
hesitatingly. " L lind the Ninth Avenue Rail-
rOac business Is all in middle, and the suit for
thirty thousand against the p Bank has gone
dead against YOU
For a moment sat silent under his news. I
thought Of my lost husband, of his hard labor
and toll far into the night, OF the cases won for
This bank under the greatest difficulties, the
sbest opposition; thought Of the insufficient
fees, the long waiting, and now was TO be rob-
bed OF that which know in justice was nv DUE
AT last L answered, bitterly: " might have
known it would be so. as justice Is administered
one side, weak and desolate, and an association
OF rich men on the other, IL was easy to foresee
the decision"
The Judge sighed in sympathy.
listened silently while he talked over the
weary details OF my business affairs. am one
Of those persons who have received one so great
q blow that all others seem light by comparison.
When be was through, reused myself from
my depression, and made an effort TO interest
him in the fortunes OF my poor little protege.
Yet thought Of her, as / did it, with a vague.
envy, She was lovely, loving, and beloved.
Fate had never thrown into her path all that
woman's heart or ambition yearns most wildly
to win, only TO tear all from her grasp IN the
hour of sweetest frution.
The judge was very good natured; and prom
ised to do all / desired, if possible.
When / told the lovers that had spoken of
Gabriel 10 Judge H, and when Gabriel
himself had had favorable interview with that
gentleman, they were elate with hope. The
very next day i received a letter from the
judge, notifying me OF the appointment of my
prOtege TO a post on the Central Park police,
and the next time I saw Annette she stood,
crowned with orange flowers, in the sweet re-
hgious gloom Of a Catholic chapel, while the
low, tender chant of a nuptial hymn arose on
the air as the good priest finished his benedlc-
ton.
The mother, who had finally given in, when
she found Gabriel could bring grist to the mill
the mother, to whose illness opportunities, and
exactions, the young girl had devoted three
years Of her bright youth, died suddenly OF dip
iberia, about fortnight after her daughters
marriage-strangled to death.
The young couple are keeping house In fiat,
in a house overlooking the park, and IL you could
only know how pleasant il is there; If you could
only see how snowy the lace curtains, how fault