Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-17

MISS JENNINGS III Won viii come round 10
the Russelietreet Infrmary ~ soon as possible
after receiving this note, you may do some
good, and greatly cblige, yours truly,
MARIA STONE, Matron OF Inhrmary.
Doing good IN hospitals h al never bean my
forte, and 1 was morally certain that hal
never laid eyes on woman Of the name of
Besides all this, il rained as if 1t were the
first day of another deluge, and most likely the
letter was meant for another Miss Dennison;
Depnison being common name, ana the prehN
Miss commoner still, and growing more so.
am ashamed to say that hesitated some
minutes, with my rubber shoes in my hand; but
curiosity, rather than benevolence, finally car
ried the day, and went forth on long, wet
walk to Russell street.
/" Are you Miss Dennison?" said woman,
who seemed TO be waiting to let me into the in
Urinary.
miss Eleanor Dennison?"
Then you are the lady wanted"
1t was comfort in my soaked condition to
hear even that, though put my faith init
was led through room containing seven or
eight beds, all occupied by cOnvalescent pa
tients, into a small one, so dark that / could
not distinguish anything for moment.
Is she here?" heard a wOman's voice ask
family, and guided by the sound, saw a wo-
man lying on narrow bed, propped up with
pillows.
q am Miss Dennson," said, "but l am
very wet, and may give you chill
90 II don't matter" she returned, after wait
ing for prolonged cougbing-ft to pass. "Noth-
ing can hurt me, and must say quickly what
i have TO say
Even then felt cer5ain impatience that
had been dragged out on such day, TO hear
the dying confession of s. stranger, who proba-
bly, intended it for some other person.
How often, but for our hard working guard
ian angels, We should pass by with a sniff and
miss forever the most blessed opportunities of
our lives,
sat down by the wOmans bed, and size
grasped the cape Of my ''waterproOf' as If 20
be certain that should not escape her. She
aTnNa .l,aal 1GNN
like rocks at low water, and, having been a
dark brunette in her best days, her coal-black
hair and extreme sallowness made CHASTITY
contrast with the white pillows at her back.
'Are we alone?" she asked when the MatrOn
went out and closed the door, without noticing
my silent entresty for her TO remain.
| glanced over the room and perceived
another bed, in which the outline OF human
figure was visible under the coverlet.
Not quite, there seems to be some one asleep
in the other bed"
Yes, she's asleep fast enough, and she won't
trouble us with her dreams; it's the only kind
OF sleep worth having. She died while the Ma
IOne was down stairs"
For mercy's sake let me go and tell her'' /
said, Mortified at her careless manner.
. 1t is for mercy's sake to the living that |
have sent for you. Never mind the dead"
The woman was not in the least wild in her
manner, aud paused only TO cough at intervals.
Il am Madeleine DejouN, a seamstress, who
worked three months once for Mrs. John
Deane, making up the wardrobe for one of her
babies. think it was the second boy. used
to see you, Miss Dennison every day, and You
have changed very little. But was handsome
then, with p brilliant, Spanish sort of beauty;
You would not suppose it, to see me nOw?"
- have given no thought TO the matter a.
all, said, a little sharply, recognizing her
at last as one whom / had formerly disliked,
and suspectiug that she was about TO confess
the theft OF lsabcPs gold thimble, or something
OF the sort.
9" suppose not, but YOU must give both
thought and understanding 10 the rest of what
j have to say. Mr.. Deane and his wife. as pos
slbly YOU have noticed, were the most perfectly
happy married that l ever saw Being SO long
under their roof, Ihad every opportunity 20 OBJ
serve 1t. always sowed in a little room, ad
joining their bed chamber, which Mrs. Deaue
used as nursery; indeed, she usually sat there
with the only child she had then.
She treated me kindly, after fashion. bat
somehow she seemed to make no difference be-
tween me and the servants in the house. was
just the person who served her purpose, and
she wanted no more to do with me. had been
taught that my good looks were to be my for
tune. and she never noticed them at all.
- She was plain-looking woman at times
when she had no color; but if she had been a
full-tedged angel, Mr.. DeaEe could not have
beer more convinced OF her beauty. He fairly
woIShiped the ground she walked on, and when
| could hear them billing and cooling over their
boy, would grind my teeth with sheer envy Of
her happiness.
Il tried in every way to attract Mr.. Deane's
attention, even to laCiDg his wife's boots after
she found it difficult to stO0p; but she had eyes
only for her foot, and never saw the scarlet
mower III mar. l nel0 MS BOY tlll my arms
ached, and tried to magnetic him with my
touch; but | might as well have been So much
empty air; for him, there was but one woman
in the world.
1T Is not a safe occupation for a young girl
to try such experiments. had not been IN the
house two months before loved him with all
my heart, and he scarcely knew me by sight.
He had habit of reading aloud to his wife for
an hour or two every day, and one book, in
which they were much interested, was James
GreenwOOd's Seven Curses of London Mrs.
dad raafG ffxyx1 he
wretChes that II described, and talked very
lovingly of the fallen ones of her own sex; OF
course. Mr.. Deane loved her Tor 1t more than
ever, if that were possible.
They give it up, however, after reading
few chapters, because she said in her mawklsh
way that II was too painful TO be true hope
she has found out by this time that because
things are painful they are all the more likely
to be true. l got the book out of the library
again as soon as they returned it, and finished
it myself. If you have read it (and If you have
not, i recommend IL to you and all other
starched- up women, who have seen nothing but
the whited side of this sepulchre OF world)-I
say, II you have read it, you cannot fail to re-
member certain chapter which, after de-
scribing many forms of villainy in the way OF
anonymous letters, goes on to detail a very in
genious method Of getting money out OF widows
and orphans, called the dead Turk"
After a man dies somebody writes a very
familiar letter purpOrting 10 come from his
mistress, or an aceomplce i'll some piece OF
wickedness, asking for money according to
The odds are that the poor woman, hoping to
pre- serve her husbands name from the stain
and disgrace OF an investigation, will send the
money. Wemen are so credulous that they will
believe one story as soon another. | adj
mired the talent and acuteness of such trick
it was TO me the cream of the book, and did
not think 1t too paint III to be true.
About month afterward Mrs. Deane hap
pened to hear me use vulgar word before her
little boy, who repeated il at once. 1t was a
slip OF the tongue, not worth noticing; but she
could not make fuss enough about it, and sent
me away directly She was too self righteous
to give me any recommendation TO her friends,
and had to go into a strange place, with very
little money and no certificate of character.
But never mind that now; she has had her re-
ward
al soon found people enough to look at my
black eyes and the flowers in my hair, and /
come to grief of course. You have been look
ing all along as If you expected it. / came to
grief without delay, as said, but L got some
pleasure on the way, perhaps as much as my
betters IN the long run. / got on well enough
till slight cold turned 10 cough, and began
10 grow sick and poor equally fast. had one
child to support; he was then about 5 years Old,
the only creature who ever loved me. But
see you are not interested in him; nobody ever
was interested in him. except his mother.
80 4 had no prospect before me but a lingering
death in the poOT-hOuse, while my lovely, blue
l.