Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-06-24
THE ACTOR AND THE MAGDALES.
An Incident in Chas. Young's Life.

On one of, the very foggy nights of
November, as Chaeles Young was step
ming out of the stage door OF Covent
Garden Theater, on his way home I'm
such weather be preferred Drawing the
perils OF the trottoir on foot to those OF
the pave in hackney COACH he heard
the link.boy. whose aid on such nights
was indispensable, apply abusive
| eui,hsfs 10 one of the many Gree who
used to haug'on the skirts of the great
thsatsrs. and saw him push her rudely
aside into the gutter. Young angrily
r-Oussratei with him on his unmanly
Tialsaee. and turned TO look at the OBJ
iset- os bis ill-nssge. She bore her
self 80 nsekly and cast so sad
Gud ssprec&tinE 9 look at him, that
ss called her 70 his side, snatched the
Euk from the boy, and babe him
soLI1w While he spoke TO her. The di-
rect ard Grslexs way in which she re-
Had 20 his questions, the difhdenee Of
her zAznsrs s1d the plaintiff accents OF
asr vcS.e. szeo1rAged him to hope that
shs was zoe ys< so hardened in vice as
rs oe i-rselAInsole; that, IN short, she
h1z heen the reluctant victim OF circum-
stances rasksr than 3 volunteer in the
wzy az SIN He gave her = half crown
ard his card a. the same time with his
address,. sad invited her TO come u see
hin the next morning at ten o'clock.
She courtesied her acknowledgements,
ard forthwith vanished in the fog.
The link-boy resumed his torch and
bis Office, and, casting familiar grin be-
IL nd
pioneered him safely home.
At the hour appointed on the following
morning, the young woman made her
appearance. The particulars of the
interview | never heard pass from my
fathers lips; in fact, poor Msgdalen's
errors were never once alluded to by him
to any one. From what know Of her
story, as told me forty years ago by
friend Of her own, she was in the first
instance blameless, for she was no con-
setting party to her own undoing. Out
ragged By villain, whose ststement it
was her father interest to prefer to hers
(he was the squire Of the village in
which she had been born, and was her
fathers landlord), she was disowned,
thrust from the door, and flung penniless
upon the streets.
As soon as Young. after rigid inquiry,
had verified her statements, he offered to
insure her against penury, if she would
promise to retire to some secluded spot
and try to employ her remaining days
usefully and virtuous. For two and thirty
years-in short, until the day Of her
death-her annuity was paid to her
quarterly without fail. She settled in a
neat little cot in Bakewell, in Derby
shire, where she led not only most
respectable but a most useful life; for,
out of her own slender pittance,
she always found something to spare
for those still poorer than herself,
aud whenever sickness or sorrow entered
in that house was she willing aud well
come visitant. So prudently did she ad-
minister the funds at her disposal that
she not only died owing no man any
thing, but left upward OF twenty pounds
behind her to defray her funeral ex'
penses. The last act Of this poor Msgda-
len sllife was TO raise her emaciated hands
and invoke blessing on her benetac-
tors head.-JuIiGn Youngs Rec0ttec'
Hans