Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1875-01-05
MISCELLANEOUS.
NEW YEARS EVE.
[From poterson's Magazinc.l

| 81 T was New Years Eve, aud the snow.
g which had been falling steadily all day,
had now ceased. A stingiug north west wind
was blowing. The streets were deserted and
most of the houses closed. One, however.
and that the most imposing on Fouteroy
Square, blazed with light, for a ball was be-
ing given within.
Before one of the drawing. room windows
Of this mansion, holding on to the railing.
aud looking in, was woman, apparently not
over twenty one. and who had once been
beautiful. But her form was now aitenuated.
as IT by sickness, perhaps even hunger, and
she was both poorly and thiniy clad
"fhas is Iletty," she said, in hushcd
whisper. "EIow beautiful she has grown "
In her cagcrness she rose on tip~toe. holds
ing to the railing, and Iittine<her head, till
her bonnet fell backwards
At that moment, gay. weIl-remembcrcd
sir rose, from superb band within
"Ah the Beautiful Blue Danube" >" she
cried Glow used to love to valtE TO it,"
She listened. breathlessly. till the last bars
If music had died away. Then the pronlcnad.
ing began again.
''lf only papa would come this wav," she
murmered "l1e will never forgive me. | know;
he will never, never speak to me again but if
/ could ouly SEQ his dear face. only once"
"ilillo. tkerew cried rough voice beside
her. and p"licemsn's hand was laid on her
shoulder. None of this Move on, move
on"
Sho shrsnk as if polluted, and fed, fright.
encd, from the big burly policeman But she
went no further than around tho corner
There, hiding behind big tree, she watched
till he had disappeared on his beat, and then
stcaIthiy crept back to the window
Dear IIotty." she said as slender, grace
fui girl again approached the window, escort
ed by cavalier, who bent down to listen to
her in way that told whole story of love
and alteration. ''tho glamour is on her too
God grant she may fare better than did -
Helen Fortescuc, for that vas the vayiarer's
nsnc. had been a hichsTrited, pettcd, i'm
puisive girl, when. at eighteen, aho fell in
love with plausible, handsome ndventurer.
Who called himself count aud whom she
ciung TO ard believed in, even after she had
been told his real character. Had her mother
lived, it might have been different. But Mrs.
Fortoscuo had been dead for more than ten
years, and poor Helen hnd grown M, without
that most invaluable of MI things to a young
girl. mothers constant, supervising care.
For now her once loved father seemed both
prcjudiced aud tyrannicsI There was a
stormy interview, in which Mr.. Fortuscuo
forb.de the sni'or his house; an elnpement:
vain appeal of the young wife for forgive
ness; curse, literally like that OF the old
Hebrews, pronounced on the disobedient
child: and then fainfing girl was borne nff,
ny terrified servants, tn the carriage that had
waited for her, and which bore her away. tn
wske. only too soon. from her dream Of lo9o
and happiness. @
For her husband did not even pretend to
care for her, nov that he found she badeome
to him spenniless. a few months after, when
. the money, raised by the sale Of her Jewels,
was spent. be BrutaIly deS6tted ber. This.
happened 1T an out,nf-the-way GeTman tDWn.
and the shock nearly cost Helen her life :
Her baby. born 10 this bOur Of two fold sgon x,
only survived for little while and then the
the poor, hopeless giri was utterly desolate
for as IuUg rs the child lived as long as Helen
had something to love, she was not wholly
miserable She had supported herself, dnr-
ing all these sad months. parity by the sale of
her wardrobe, and partly by her needle bu,
when the tiny coffin was paid for. and the
innocent baby laid In its humble grave, SIZE
was literally destitute. Then began a terrible
struggle. struggle merely for bread to eat
Hundreds of times, Helen felt that it would be
blessing if she could die; but death would
""' C"iHe' sHe was TOO heatby. she hao too
much vitality. to sink even under such bur-
dens as oppressed her. She fingered at the
obscure town. where her infant was buried as
long as she could, cIinging to the last to the
grass-grown hillock, where all that was left
to her was laid but subsistence was, from
tie first, difficult to be earned there, and
finally became impossible; and then she set
her face howeward. with sort of desperate
feeling, saying, ''Let me but see them once
again. aud then will lie down and die"
BY what lonely wanderings, through what
hunger and sufferinks, she fought her way.
months after. back to America who can tell F.?
Yet she did not return because she hoped TO
be forgiven No! she knew her father too
well for that But at the end her health he
gan to fail, a racking cough set in and the
desire grew on her to creep within sight of