Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-10-24

Dt ugtss had long since lett the scene, and it
remained for MsdeliDe 70 help her father in
this delicate and difficult operation. AIeck
held the candle Instead Of the dog, and the
WondroGs beauty of Madshne, as her 1.-THE,
supple form bent over the lap of the Professor,
her white fingers held firmly bat caressiugly
the shattered leg, and her radiant eyes, filed
With the first tears Aleck had ever seen therein,
ston9 down upon the little sufferer with sab
dued Yet glowing splendor.
. III tholght she'dlook upon me In that way"
tn0ueht Aleck, al d go out Immediately and
SPLINTER ny leg In dozen places"
But all Machines sympathy and affection
were laVished on the dog; il became the pet of
the household; and, bec.use IL was so unde-
niably Ugly, they called it Venus;
Aleck had certainly saved its life by digging
It out Of the debris of the wharf, bat this would
have been useless wlthout the skill OF the Pro-
Il sso- in setting the broken bones, and the Pro-
fe-sOT cOuld have done nothing without NJ al =.
lines help and when all was done, the dog
wouldn't have lived If Mrs. Douglass had not
come 70 the rescue with her eodaHag soups and
dellcaciss; so it became a house-thst jack
built matter OF gratitude with Venus, ami she
loved each aid all Of them vi lmitless deyo-
ton.
A long, sad winter closed in upon the Pro-
fessor's " mIlv, and Alsck saw many more tea 8
in Madelines beautiful eyes. Mrs. DOuglass
face wore look Of anxiety akin 70 despair, An
each and all suffered alone, not daring TO
whisper 10 each other, or even to the ms lives,
the awful calamity that threatened them.
only one of them had courage 20 approach
the Professor when at times his head sank up n
his breast, and his soul shrank from the pitiiess
thoughts that assaulted him. ALWAYS in the bit
teTest OF these moments cold, soft substance
lnsiDuated itself into the dropping hand OF the
Venus.
Only the Professor knew, and he scar ;ely
dared Own TO himself, the measurable value of
the dog Is she cuddied close TO his feet by day,
half guiding the footsteps that grew more and
more distTGstful of confidence.
oh, the misery OF getting skillful with the
sense of touch, the bitterness Of finding the face
OF his wife growing dim and indistinct to him
hazy veil spreading itself between hinl and
the eyes OF his dauEhterl
Harder and harder became the strain upon
his wasted sight as he toiled over the heap of
manuscript in his laboratory-mauy q prayer
escaped his lips that he might get his work into
shape before the end came.
"YOu see," he said one day to Aleck, upon
whom he had called for help in an experiment,
''if the book can be published, it will be valu-
able in its way; there is in it the patient work of
lifetime"
And at that moment the awkward hand or
AIeck Jagged the Professors arm, and out of
his grasp upon the table dropped the jar Of dis
solving acids, which liquid rapidly and effect
ually licked up and effacsd sheet after sheet of
the precious script, while Aleck aud thssPro-
fessor, powerless to save looked on in horror
that betook OF petrihcaton. An ashy culver
trembled upon the Professor lips. "fhis work
OF lifetime!' he murmared.
Sand you can't gasped Aleck. Then
he remembered all The blood mounted up
into Alexis head, he became msu for mo-
ment, and, seizing the heavy crucibe, woald
have dashed out his brains, had not the strong
arms of the Professor compassed hi m about.
"Be comforted, "he said: "God is above US
all" But poor Aleck rushed out of the labor
atory in hot haste to Mrs. Douglass and II ide-
line, crying, "I've ruined us all, every one of
us. I'm going to find my uncle, and If 1 make
fortune, you'll see me again; II not, goodbye
foreyer!'' He took Mrs. Douglass in his arms
and kissed her over and over agein, but only
once did he stoop and touch the white brow OF
Madeline. AS for Venus, she had gone % the
Professor. Then Aleck went from the hearth
stone OF the little cottage, and it saw him no
more from that day.
Deprived OF Alexis CHEEKY boulders, the
hearth stone grew cavernOus and cold, the low
black rafters no longer echoing his merry quip
and jest, hung pOnderously low over the CrOop-
ing heads of the little family.
Days and weeks and months wore by, and not
word came from Aleck.
"The nasty sea has swallowed him up" said
Mrs. Douglass.
"Heaven forefend" said the Professor
But Madeline cried out that he had forgotten
them all. And wish she could have seen
Aleck when she said that cruel wOrd-seen him
and looked into his heart, as he galloped over
the Southern plain, his tawny hair hanging
long upon his shoulders, Mexican saddle be.
ath him blazing with jewels, his long shanks
sombrero hat, and his silver spur! Aud this
gay cavalier, who would have delighted her
to her, body and soul. Els head was fall of
schemes for making money so fast tn at he could
fly In search OF her, and his heart full of bitter
ness for her seeming cruelty and neglect; for he
had written twice, and even thrice. He had
tried them each and sil,-Nadeline. Mrs.
Douglass, and the Professor, and he was half
tempted 70 invoke the gods in behalf of Venus
fer he had gotten no answer, not one.
How could he? His uncle, whose moral edu-
cation had been sadly neglected, distracted
each of those letters from the mailbag. AMI,
after reading them with considerable Interest
ana appreciation, had touched them to the
blaze OF his cigar, and watched them fall into
ashes upon the broad yeranda.
"The led Is clean daft" he said, shrewdlV,
land a word from this queen would lure him
away just when 1 want him the most"
As the second winter was closing in, affairs at
the cottage wore an ominous look, for the Pro-
lessons sight became but glimmer, and N ade-
line, going over TO town one day, tricked out
with the old sllendor, looking as grand aud
queenly as when her poor father sailed on the
tide OF prosperity, caused a profound sigh TO
well mp from the heart of her poor mother, and
with it the wish that Madeline was a tribe less
homogeneous.
But Madeline returned at eventide with a
glow on her face that rivaled thatin the western
Congratulate ne, mammal" she cried.
"I'ye been to see Madame Chappelie."
"Not to order new dress, surely?" cried the
''No, dear, ;" replied Madeline, ssbut to seek
for q situation. They've been dissatisfied ever
so long with that hOmely young woman in the
mamma-tall, and graceful, and statuesque.
I'm not to prick my dainty fingers with a
needle, only wear out all my good clothes in re-
must get TO the city, mamma; it is, after all, a
great sheltering old pile for the poor. They
herd in there together, and the houses close
about them, the streets aud alleys hedge them
in, and they get comfortably lost from sight in
the great surging crowd of humanity. The mo-
ment an impecunious family ventures toward
the suburbs, a melancholy conspicuousness
marks them for its own, and they become the
mere puppets of a malignant notorietv. And
oh, mamma, don't cry, please don't, for, now
that can do something, shall be so happy"
SO in an amazingly short time the Profess
sOr's family became psrt and parcel OF that
vague but powerful class known as the working
mass OF the metropolis. And, in Gods good
providence, even the Professor was inspired to
take stand on a downtown sidewalk, for the
sale of spectacles aud optical auxiliaries of va
Iious kinds, Venus guiding him TO and fro,
keeping sharp eye upon passing pedestrians,
and watching the sales warily. The sad Ho-
meIic face OF the Professor and the sharp fidelity
of Venus becoming one of the landmarks in the
vicinity, they were treated with the success and
respect their various excellences merited
SO the years went by, and in course OF time
Msdeline's capacity for business developed,
and II became speciality OF hers to manage the
bridal toilet in manner marvellous TO behold,
to loop the veil and arrange the orange BIOS
SONS, to drape the train, and deftly pin the
oyerskirt so that every curve OF the Honiton or
point should 20 seen to advantage-sn in such
49, 49, that "a somewhat sded charms OF many