The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-05-29

"That common term is not suited to
her at all. She had the most exquisite
face / ever saw. Her eyes, without
knowing their color, haunt me with an
angelic expression. I cannot get rid of
them. / cannot account for it. They
seemed to appeal to me for help, and
yet there was nothing in her manner to
indicate anything of the kind %
Miss Foster sat thinking and study
ing her brothers face, then she asked ::
"What about the child, was it hers ?"
"Of course did not think of asking
her. She had done all that was neces-
sary it had probably eaten something
indigestible, and it resulted in spasm.
She said in her fright she had hurriedly
begged the first person she saw outside
of her door to run for a doctor, but re-
GREETED it because she had no money to
pay me, and she knew very we'll how to
manage in such an emergency"
Here the doctor, in a shame-faced
sort of way, drew from his vest pocket
a handkerchief, if the bit of lace and
fbres of linen may be named such, and
laid it on the table before his sister.
That lady examined it, and pronounc-
ed it real.
"That has been stolen, she decided :;
sit never cost less than fifty dollars.
Vey likely it would have been disposed
of if the initials had not been worked
in"
Where? let me see," exclaimed the
doctor in an excitement quite unusual.
"F. T."
He gazed at the letters a long while,
then he folded the little web of lace
into minute package and placed it in
a covered compartment of his pocket
book.
"What are you going to do with it %
Keep it until she comes for it.
! Miss Foster went over to him, felt
his pulse, his brow, his hands, sat down
again with dark frown on her face,
saying:
"If your confidence in this strange
person is not a feverish fancy, there
must be something else the matter with
| you. Did she say she would redeem it?"
"She did, and I really long to see her
sweet face again, as one longs for a
touching melody or beautiful pic
ture."
How came such an exotic in filthy
marsh ?" tarly questioned Miss Foster.
"That, 1 shall leave for your woman
ly good sense to discover. You will do
me the favor to visit her tomorrow,
and aid in such manner as the case
calls for. She is certainly not an OBJ
| ject of charity in the ordinary sense
but-why multiply words? 1 can place
the matter in your keeping. You cal
| Judge and manage with a delicate tact.
Ny kind would spoil in bungling."
! How we'll he knew the rather rigor-
/ GUS exterior of his old maid sister GOV.
| cred heart tender and warm, a mind
above harboring little iealousies OF
blind condemnation.
The first thought in her mind the
| following morning was this strange
charge.
"Who knows how sadly this woman
needs woman's sympathy and aid p
| she said to herself as she sat beside he1
brother on their way to her.
He left her there, knowing she was
familiar with poverty and feared nc
| harm in her missions of mercy, this not
being her first trial by very many.
| Passing through multitude of dirty
| faces, both old and young, agape with
curiosity, very likely hungry also, as
bad whisky was cheaper than bad bread,
Miss Foster reached her destination.
She found everything as her brother
had described, clean, what there was
| only few of the most necessary arti-
| Giles three chairs, table, a he'd and a
stove, not Fillye's best either.
Seated at table holding child of
about eighteen months old on her lap,
was the young woman in question.
Putting the child from her she rose,
placed chair for her visitor and in a
ladylike and dignifed manner asked her
no., E, ha NE
"That remains to be seen," pleasant
II replied Miss Foster.
81 came at the request of my brother,
Doctor Foster, who called here last
evening, to see If we could serve YOU. "
The young woman looked at Miss
Foster, and that lady returned the gaze.
An invisible power established conf
dence between the two.
God knows I need help some way"
replied the young woman, taking the
child on her lap again, caressing its
silken hair meanwhile.
Are you alone ?"
Z" Yes, Susie and l are all that are
left the others all died with the yellow
fever at Memphis few weeks ago. A
kind soul who used to wash and help
about the house at home brought us
with her to st. Louis, until the horror
was over. This is her room and the
people you see around this place are
her friends. l am a perfect stranger,
not one dollar do we own grateful for
even this shelter until we can return
and gather the remnants my dead par
ents left in the confusion and distress.
Grief for the dead and care for this lit
tie one is all that is left me in the wide
world. You can we'll imagine / thought
of nothing but safety for ourselves,
when it was to be obtained, and flight
from the horrors I was helpless to miti-
gate. Oh shall ever be able to for
get?"
"You are only one of many, poor
child, who must carry in their hearts
the memory of this terrible time. If
you are friendless, the God who per-
mitted your sorrow will also heal it,
and new friends will rise up to help the
worthy and protect the orphan. We
DO wish to forget a grief, dear, but we
know time will Tighten it."
Miss Fosters voice had the true ring
of feeling as she said this, and the
young woman saw the first tears shed
in sorrow with her own since her trouble.
"This child is your sister, 1 judge?"
"My sister, yes three others, father
and mother. all were taken from me in
one day. How we escaped a touch of
the fearful disease is a marvel. We
were led to the boat by the kind woman
with what we had on, nothing more
we have been here two weeks, an eterDi-
ty it seems, and still there seems no
prospect of a safe return. But thank
full as l am for this woman's goodness I
believe [ should die before another such
time could elapse in this place. We
fear to go out, and still don't like to
leave Susie in this close air constantly"
"You must go right home with me -
ooh! You are an angel, and your
confidence in me shall not be abused.
Until can go home, we will be as little
trouble as possible. Perhaps I can
make myself useful. Oh, dear madam"
said the girl between her sobs, "you
cannot, who perhaps have never known
what it is to be so utterly alone, you
cannot know how sweet it is to have
friend once more. We were so lone
some, so wretched, weren't we, little
q GHF L