Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1874-03-12
\ STRANGE, SAD STORY.

Are built II rainbows on the sand,
\ STRANGE, SAD STORY.
LITTLE en-. BEATEN AND BRUISED BY A
BURGLAR-N NOVEL IN ONE CHAPTER
There may be seen in an uptown millinery
store here, says New York correspondent, q
pale and sad faced woman, who, il any stranger
gives her second glance, bends over her work
ank seeks to hide her awfilly Mulilated counte-
nance.
The forehead is crushed iuto her head full two
inches deep, the bone IF the nose has been hid
eousy broken, and one ear projects from her
hair in the neighborhood Of tile organs Of be-
nevolence and yeneration.
Tho duties of The little country girl for one
pleasant October day were ended, and Minnie
sat with her dolls ia the kitchen, when knock
at the door was heard She answered it and
found rough looking man, who asked for
drink of water, and the Eearest road TO the next
town. Little Minnie gave him what he asked
and the man turned to depart, but as he passed
through the swinging gate he caught his thumb
In IL and caushed il so badly that the watchful
kind child cried to him to come back and she'd
give him something for il. Bringing bottle
OF arnica she bound his bloody thumb
up with ono Of hel dolls calico aprons, and
thas bandased, the thumb went of, taking the
sough looking man with it. Minnie ate her
supper, put her babies TO bed, said her prayers
suu WtuL lcrstli ~ slcep Ill lllluulu utu' Iitr
aunt had married years before, separated from
her husband, and supposed him dead. She
Kept little millinery establishment, and had
for q long time lived with hel mother, a we'll
TODD old woman OF eighty. Grandma this
night slept in the annt's bed. The aunt had
gone for same new fashions to The distinguished
capital, Burlington, so that the two were alone
in the house.
About twelve piercing cry from the old wo.
man woke the girl, and starting up she behed
two men 18th black cloth over their beads aud
all their faces but their eyes, one II them emp
tyiIg the drswer of bureau, the other pulling
the poor old woman down Oh the floor from 3
window to which she had sprung. Out climb
ed Minnie and laid hold of the rutfian, and a
poor day for Minnies beanly it was. The mer-
ciless wretch made quick work oil the o.d wo.
man. A blow on the head and q moments
pressure on the neck and the grandmother was
quiet Minnie shrieked and screamed, and
with awful oaths the murderer struck her oil
the head with flatiron two or three times
and left her for dead beside her grandmother
Afler searching the house they returned to the
room where their victims lay. Minnie, not.
withstandins her awful injuries, had regained
her senses. She dimy saw, through the clots
Of blood that blinded her eyes, that the work o
murder was not yet complete. One of them
tore pieces from cotton wadded comfortable
on the bed, with u case knife, packed it int
the room; poured a can Of oil-upon it, set it OF
fire aud left the house. Minnie watched tn
whole operation, and saw that the man WHIT
had murdered her grandmother, wore on In
right thumb the blue calico dolls apron sh,
had bound upon the strange man in tine af,er
noon. AS no glimpse of the iaca had bee
seen on this second visit, this was the onl
clue she had, but as the little girl saw few face
the countenance of the wounded man who's
thumb she tied up was stamped upon her me
mory. as indeliby as the blow lie had deal
her was printed on her poor, young fore
head.
The fire was creeping along in several place.
the smoke was pouring out from between til
overlapping boards OF the frame house. Mimi
crawled to the water pitcher, and dragging he
sell about the room poured the water on til
burning rags. A dense smoke arose from then
and clicked and tanting Minnie became agai
unconscious, finally 10 be awakened by orei
cutlery, as several early rising farmer neighboI
broke into the house. The poor Old woma
had been hours dead, and Mnne's chances il
living were counted nothing, but the girl wa
young and strong, and even with the rude SKI
Of country practitioners Minnie got well, an
dieadfully distisurcd lived To work ont drea,
iul vengeance.
The aunt returned and wept and mourne
the mother murdered, and the little niece
terribly wounded In due time after Ninn
was wei! benevolent person took the chtld in
!he mountains ii New Hampshire to rart,
the strength lost i'll that night OF terror.
During The visit which lasted all the ne
Summer, tie supposed dead husband Of 4
aunt luthod up, told 'llsiual tale OF h4rdsli
IN tue mines Of New South Wales shipwre,
and sickness ia the four quarters of the ulub
Womanlliie the Nonali iOigale the wander,
aud selling the old idriu at his iustigatiou ho
went to live in Boston. Some months at,
TINS change, While the husband was AWAY, t
aunt sent Tor Minnie sud size OhsycI, thou,
the kind people She was with urged her to
main, saying tie poor di,bgurud crralu
you'd mol attract the attention among them 5
would IN city Of strangers. But affection
her aunt determined the child. aud she arriv
~ nef relatives and had bern there a wee
when one evenin. sht, III passing through I
hall, me: man, and after giving one .lan
At him and catching hhu by he throat she Sc
AIMED like one mad
The different inmates III the house speed
gathered on the scene. Minnie still tinur
the mans throat, denounced him as the M
derer OF her grandmother aud hex own won
oe executioner. With horror, the aunt he,
This statement, for the man 10 whom tie I
tlung thus franticllly was the neylv.re,urI
husband. The chld reiterated over and O
again the story ',e hand iammed in the "a
"hlcn see hai f'i." up, and the aunt rene
oered, when L. first presented himself,
was iosins the naI from his piratical
,huno, anu suffered much pain with it, o
toia some ia'e OF catching it N marng So
or some other nautical trap. She took N
with tue uiece and was loud and firm in
aecusatioIs As the poor little wllue,s. so
ofhcious neighbors went iof tile police. 4
man was arrested and committed for EXAM
ton. smart attache of the satlon-Lol,se w
TO the prisoner and told him they'd got
other man and he'd confessed. This sca
the ignorant wretch, and he admitted the VIII
anair, laying the blanc OF the murder on
accompiice. After long aud tedious tri:
the details OF which Minnie, now an ED,
woman, has f1rgotten-the uncle was sen,
eed TO State Prison for life. lie has been d
many years. The married woman whose e.
lie was so tragcally evenifu, supports h
self as nilllner, and is so amlable, pleas
and Intelligent person that upon aeauainta
one almost forgets the fearful face tina, stri
stranger as perfectly appalling in its hliet
ness. This is the moral. All Young reo
should remember that a sweet disposition
compensate for forehead iammed in by a
Iron. And though their ears be knocked
the top Of their heads and stick up like "A d
keys, they eau walk off on those ears and
hsppy-if only they are coed aud guilty
nice manners.
Some time since, W. T. Underwood
Cleveland, who had been divorced ircm
wife, fell in love with Miss Annie pridgeon
Detroit nd Int