Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-01-11
Our aJuuug folks.
The Poor Girls Trial.
A TRUE STORY.

In the winter of IS-the subject of our
sketch was presented to our notice. We Will
briefly trace her history
She was English, had been raised in
Cheshire, where the family of which she was
a member had been dOmestics for generations
in the family of a gentleman who had taken
a deep interest in the physical and spiritual
welfare of his servants. find her name en-
tered on my notes as Annie H, aged -
Annie had reflected great credit upon the
judgment with which the gentleman in whose
family she had been raised had selected and
trained his household.
Deep piety, and great earnestness of char
acter, had given to her handsome English
face that intense expression, which, while it
might induce a thoughtful man to stop for
a moment in passing, to admire, yet was one
of those faces which the most degraded man
would hesitate before be insultcd. She had
left the Episcopal Church and had fallen in
with the Wesleyans, and a strange mischance
threw the pretty dairymaid into the society
Of a manufacturer of nails, from Noting
hamshire, named John Battus. Never were
two people more unlike than the boistering
mailer and the sweet and gentle Annie, vet
with perverseness which Is peculiar to her
sex, she loved the drunken man with fer
vor and steadiness worthy Of = better object
Reverses came upon the family in whose ser
vice she had been engaged, and they went 70
the Continent, while Annie. with her moth
or and youngest sister, left England Tor the
United States via Canada. When ascending
the St Lawrence the mother died Of cholera
and the friendless girls saw her committed
to the deep. In few weeks the poor girls
found themselves in Philadelphia. strangers
IN a strange land, and to add TO Annie's
grief Mary, her sister, was taken sick. The
exposure TO the cold and winds Of the pas
sage had completely ruined her health.
Now came one Of those times in Annie's
life in which the latent strength Of the girl
and above all, her sublime trust in God -
the result Of thorough religious training
was called into exercise
Poor Mary, whose mind had never been
strong, lay IN bed wasting with CONSUMPTION
and panied her sister with her childishly de-
lirious complaints and fears. All her waking
moments she lay and talked with "A natural
ness which was exquisitely painful to Annie,
about the plenty OF her old home in Cheshire.
and sinking into childishuess. chided her
weary sister with bringing her to America
TO starvo her Sometimes, when these COM
plants became iearfully painful. Annie
would drop the unfinished pantal0ons upon
which she was at work, and going t. Mary
bed, take both the dying girls hands in
hers, and sinking to her knees at the bed
side. would look up to Christ and say
oh, Saviour this cross, this cross
Dear Lord Thine was heavier -
Misfortunes never come alone. Battus, to
whom she was engaged 70 be married, came
from England, and obtaining employment in
Frankfort, came to Philadelphia to find his
fiancee. lie found her, with her dying SIS
ter, over worked and half starved in R
street.
4" Well, lass, said the English brute, a.
had ma tho't to foind thee in SIGH IA place as
ha' foind thee. This is ma loike the good
old hoom wi u plenty Of milk and cheese,
where | coorted thee in Cheshire And see
that thee ha ma the gold loikS thee once had
En- lass Still it shall never be Sold that
John Battus did ma keep his word WI thee
or any other lass be ever coorted. [ could
love thee summat yet, lass. | am moo max
in thirty shillings a week, and | will marry
thee roight away. A few glasses Of alf and
'alf Will put thee on thy feet again. COON
to marry thee and max all roight and toight
atween US, lass
1t might have been something in the voice
Of her old lover, or some memory Of the old
times which came into the heart of Annie
The old English red-a stranger now-came
into her face. There is a fight going on in
the brave girls heart between love, home
and duty.
She trcmbled She took Johns hand in
hers aud drew him a step forward into the
middle of the narrow room, and with her
left hand she drew aside a curtain She
pointed to Mary, sleeping, dying upon her
bed. Her voice was tremulous. She tries
to choke something down which rises in her
throat She takes poor Mary's hand in hers
She speaks to John, but she does not look at
him.
John. when | promised to marry Won. /
did it before God Every friend that had
/ from me, aye, even the mother who bore me
might have turned me from her door T.
/ She paused and looked musingly down into
the face of her sister, and continued
THAT face lay against mine in childhood.
| this hand encircled my neck when it was a
baby's hand, as it is baby's hand now. -
/ She took the unconscious hand of her sister
in hers. For a moment she smoothed the
blue veins which lay upon the surface.
Something hot, it might have been a tear
God knows-dropped upon the long fingers
of the dying Mary. q Come this way, John.
/ When l placed my mother in the ST. Law
renee, promised to watch over and keen nv
feeble sister. have done SO. | must lead
my sister through the church to the grave
yard before you have my hand at the altar. y
Another long pause.
John, will you, if my love is worth that
! to you, take my sister with you ? She will
not trouble you long will you give nv
sister home when you take me as YOUR
wife? If you will, John, / will give to Won
more of my love than woman ever gave to
man before?"
Why said the mailer, q if it cooms to
that now, doon't moo ABBOTT the 1.-THE lass ,