Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-09-10
5Niseellany.
Hal Burgess Luck.

brohe up Cordial adleus were spoken,
and leaving his friends at the door of the
club house, Hal walked briskly up the
avenue. At that late hour of the Mi ght it
was silent and deserted, but, turning a
corner, he saw young girl coming hastily
from the opposite direction. The bewil-
de-ed. frightened expression of her wan
and beautiful face, revealed by the gas
Toht near which they met, caused him to
s.on. and exclaim :-'' What is the mat
tar7 Can [ do anything for your
" must find doctor; do you know
where there is one?" she answered, hur-
r;edIv, with quick, questioning glance,
and reassured by his respectful manner.
There is none very near here" Hal
said after a moments reflection, and add
ei. from what the young men he had
INST left would have deemed most Quix-
o,i. impulse, But | am almost ply.
siciau myself; unless the case is very
serious, perhaps, l think l can .attend to
it,"
oh! please come quickly then," re-
piled the glrl, and she led the way rapidly
nast several blocks of stately houses to one
Of those poor neighborhoods which are
sometimes found crouching at the back
door of an aristocratic quarter.
Who is sick ?' asked Hal, as reach
ine small house. she held open the door
for him to pass, and taking Pickering
candle from the floor, lighted his way up
two f sht Of narrow rickety stairs.
My mother" she answered in trem-
bling voice.
" And was there no one in *he house
you could call upon to help you ?'' he
continued.
No; the people who have the lower
rooms 90 away at night; was obliged to
leave her quite alone"
On the bed in the room they entered
lay a woman apparently insenslble, with
sckening marks of blood about her, and
crimson drops still ooziDg from her lips.
The girl FASTENED to the bedside, in mute
terror at what might have happened du-
ring her absence, but Halls practised eye
saw that she mad had dangerous but not
fatal hemorrhage, and could soon be re.
stored to consciousness. With a few
consoing words to the daughter, which
enabled her to assist him, he proceeded tc
treat the case as well as circumstances
would permit, noting as he did SO, that
ghasty as was the pallor of the thin
careworn face, it still showed traces oil
former beauty and Of unmistakable refine
ment.
At last the sufferer. opened her eye.
with the vague Indifferent look of complete
physical exhaustion, but closed then
again YEARLY.
" Do not speak to her," said Hal in {
whisper, " she must be kept perfect.
quiet but think she will do well now" "
As he proceeded to give the necessar,
directions for further trea tment, his eye
wandered round the room, which wa
neat, though meagerly furnished, anC
bore witness to that struggling destltutioI
so much more pitlabe than thriftless
squalid poverty.
Under the lamp on a table lay severa
pieces of fine needIework, in a confusion
that showed how recently the labor upor
them had been interrupted. Ostenslbl,
searching for something in his letter case
Hal bent over the delicate embroiderie
with wondering pity for the patient toi
by which they were produced. He haC
been among poor people before, but neve
when his sympathy was so deeply elicte'
as in this instance. Both mother an
daughter seemed so wholly untitled 70
this hard life-so helpless and forsaken
The girl came toward him trying to ez
press her gratitude.
Have you no relatives or friends ?" h
asked her.
She shook her head sadly.
Your father ?'
He died two years ago, just after W
came here to live We have no none
Just now," she continued, misunderstandln
the motive of his questions, but L sha
get some as soon as this work is finished
and if you will give me your address,
will"
Il did not mean that" he interrupte
hastily but he did not add that he wa
really thinking how soon she might b
alone in the world, for her mother wa
evidently victim of quick consumption
am going to Europe Tomorrow b
went on, $50 shall not be able to Ca
again but | will leave prescription fc
your mother, which l trust will do be
some good"
He wrote few lines on scrap of p;
per; then, availiDg himself of momer
when he was unobserved, he slipped
the money he had with him int
an envelope and left it on the table. Fo
tunately, it was considerable amount, al
though he regretted that it was not In hi
power to give something besides none.
and left, thoughtful at the contrast be
tween prodigal, careless pleasure an
anxious want which the last few hours ha
forced uDon him.
Amid the distractions of fo rel On trave
the incident was soon forgotten; but befor
year had passed he was reminded of
by receiving a note dated from larg
Western city, and incloslng draft 70
the amount he had given away that nigh
The style of this missive was curt an
business-ike:
DEAR SIR;-Though personally III
known to you, l am under great obliga
tions for your kindness to my sister a n
niece at a time when they were in muc
need. Without wearying you with N
personal affairs, l will merely explal
that the lady whom you attended ft
hemorrhage one night last spring, was m
sister. She married against my wishes,
man who gradually squandered the litt
fortune she possessed. All intercourse b.
tween US had ceased, and knew neitht
of her husbands death, nor the destit,
tion that followed, until the dread
leaving her daughter without any prote
tlon overcame her pride and resentmen
and she wrote to me. l reached her on
few hours before her death. and it is on
within q uank that / have learned tn rouc