Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1872-11-07
SELECTED STORY
SHOT FREE.

ement house In one fthe poorest streets
in the city Of New Y ork-a locality from
which decency was largely banished by
poverty, filth and crime-a man and wo-
man sat upon the only apologies for
chairs that the 'wretched place contain
ed Their clothing and surroundings
were in perfect keeping with the attri-
butes of the building and neighborhood.
The man seemed to be something past
thirty years of age; but the impress of
dissipation and recklessness may have
made him look older than he really was.
The woman-or girl, for she could not
have been more than seventeen-was
beautiful even in her rags. Her fea-
lures were perfect in their regularity,
her hair black and abundant, her eyes
bright and large, and hcrexpresslon, for
one so young, remarkably proud and
self-reliant At this instant, anger, hot
and ihtense, added ferry, passionate
colcring to her roughly CARRIED beauty.
YOU'D better be careful Of your
words, John Berger" she exclaimed,
her eyes-Hashing and her bosom heav-
ing with the intensity Of her anger
''This iisshhf the first 'tiiihe you've threat
ened me because l won't give you my
wages for drink.
'Softly, Nell,' said the man, in a half
conciliatory tone; 'dont let's quarrel.
"Yes we will quarrel" insisted the
enraged girl !; ''and I'm not to be talked
into good nature this time. Because l
haven't relative or friend in the world,
you are all the while domineering over
me, and throwing it into my face that
you took me out of the streets-a poor
news 'girl-when you married me. l
wasn't anything but a girl, then-not
fifteen, and didn't know what a rascal l
was marrying loafer, thief
The sentence was not finished. The
man, driven to fury by the taunts of the
girl, felled her, with a crashing blow,
from the chair The blood flowed
from a wound in her head as she lay as
still and as white as death, with her
handsome. face upturned. John Berg
er bent over her anxiously, look of
terror overspreading his hardened fea-
lures Had he killed her? He was
afraid 50, and a dread Of the conse-
quence cooled the anger which had, a
moment before, fired him to the coward
ly deed.
''She brought it on herself" he NUT
tered, as he hastily tore open the bod
dice of her dress, and held his hand
over her heart.
He felt only faint sensation, and, ii
sing quickly to his feet, he cast one
glance at the paid face, and darted out
Of the door, closing it carefully behind
him. Down the dark stair way he gro
ped, gazing furtively around as he EN-
erged upon the sidewalk. A few squat
id children were playing about, but they
did not notice the man with the scared,
guilty look upon his face as he skunk
past them, and went around the cor
| ner. s.
The fugitive made his way towards
the river, and passing along the docks,
at last skulked into dingy office: Ap-
preaching a desk, behind which sat a
clerk, he inquired if the crew of the
whaling ship META was made up.
"No," replied the clerk. '.Do you
want to ship?' re-
"How longs she off for 2" replied
Berger. 17
'Thfee years.
"When does she sail g
'To-night."
eyes, I'll sail in her"
The papers We're quickly made out
and that night, under an assumed name
John Berger sailed in the META ON 8
three years cruise.
The victim of his brutality lay for an
hour totally Unconscious, and Their
weakened by loss of blood, was scarcely
able to Move. A sharp pain in her an
kle, too, told her that her injuries were
serious. In falling; one of her legs had
been doubled beneath her, and a bone
had been broken. Upon again trying
to rise, the pain in the fractured ankle
had been so intense that Nell cried out
and sank back upon the floor:
Just as she was loosing consciousness
the door opened and some Of the ten
ants, having heard the cry entered
They lifted the injured girl upon the
miserable bed and somebody went to at
adjacent public hospital for a sttrgeoh
One promptly aiswered to The call, and
Nell was promptly removed to the hos
pital: 'aet 4
Ten years later. At Saratoga thu
| season. was well advanced, and the gaity