The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-06-12
THE UNFORTUNATE B4BY
A BUSINESS MAN's.HTORY.
BY MARY KYLE DALLAS.

The city is strange place. Wealth anC
want stand side by side. Mirth and misery
jostle each other. The jewels of the mil
lionaire's wife flash mockingly before the
eyes of the paupers widow. I leave my
wife and my smiling infant, my littlo che,
rub, Of whom | am remarkably fond, and
| saunter pleasantly down Broadway, smo
| king fine cigar. know shall make 4
! large sum OF money by business arrange
| ment day, and intend to take Clara to
| the opera this evening. This is my pro-
| gramme but what is his who stops me on
| the corner, and with skinny hand extend
ed begs in a tone that is almost feroci-
Gus, for something to buy food with. He,
poor wretch. will sbiver in his rags until
the sun goes down, anG then stink away to
hide in some wretched hole, unblessed by
hope even in his dreams. Probably he has
no wife or children. 1t is to be hoped he
has not, for they would only be helpless
companions of his misery.
feel as though we're doing wrong to
fiaunt my prosperity in his eyes, and 1
blush as 1 give him charity and hurry on.
There are so many of them-so many of
them. There goes thief to prison two
stout policemen clutch his arms-a crowd
follows them. Guilt and misery together
this time.
And here woman hurries past, with a
child in her arms. What woeful express
sion on her face What terrible story
must be hers, and how she could curdle the
blood in our veins if she should stop and
toll it in all it's blank, unvarnished horror
now! I feel thrill of anguish as L look
at her. All, how delightful it would be, If
all the world were happy and prosperous.
| was led in this train of reflection by
nv mornings walk to my place OF ousl-
ness / have rather n tender heart, L be-
lieve. and scenes of sorrow make great
impression upon me. Or this particular
occasion | remembered the faces of the
beggar, and thief, and the destitute woman
so vividIy, that may say they haunted
mo. The woman's face, especially, seemed
TO hover before me in the air.
oWhere was she going?" asked my
self seWhat was she about to do? The
street into which she turned led directly TO
the river. Perhaps, driven to despair, she
was going there to drown herself-about
to take her life, because the task of sustain
inc it had become too hard for her and
and \ thousand other christians, who could
have helped her, had let her pass unques-
toned.
"God forgive us for our sins OF omis-
sion ,, 7 said to myself ''for they are very,
very great
These thoughts troubled me all the morn
inc. and at noon-time l went out to lunch
rather in the hope of casting away my DIS
NAL reflections than because had an aP-
petite.
However, l stayed longer than usual
| met friend who buttOnholed me on inc
corner. And it was half-past one before
came back to the Office.
Even then l was not myself. A preseh'i
ment of evil was upon me. / felt as tho
| were about to see some terrible sight, ana
the face of that woman floated IN the ar
again. That horrible face, with wild olach
eyes, showing the white beneath the pupii'
the small, tightly-shut mouth, the hoilo"
cheeks, the piuched chin, and the tioaslng
tangle of black hair, framing it all IN