The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-08-13

the souden, brutal poor, all seeking the
statlon-house, eager to receive that last
stamp of degeneration on the coinage
OF their own abasement, if sleep might
only bring forgetfulness of misery.
Gottlieb shuddered and drew back from
the crowded entrance of a building
which seemed to exhale a painful ia
mi,iarity with crime in every stone. He
could not throw himself into that stream
of pollution.
| AfterWald he wandered on, without
purpose, past rows of fine dwellings,,
| past burrying people all intention reach
| ing home. Sometimes he held out his
| hand for aims, but it was done so
awkwardly and hesitatingly that few
noticed the movement. The way grew
narrow and crooked he had quilted the
spacious thOroughfare unc0nsciously,
and now tall houses, time-stained and
| dilapidated, linod the street. Gottlieb
| sat down on wooden doorstep to rest.
Nobody disputed his right of posses
sion. LabOrers came and went work.
women trudged along; children played
IN the gutter.
Suddenly a light form darted around
the corner, tripped, and fell almost at
Gottlieb's feet. Was it the CLEAN of
golden hair escaping from little scar
let hood, or the blue eyes, now anxious
| and terrified, that made GottIieb start
| with the exclamation, Gretchen -
| Color had dawned in his pale face he
knew his mistake even before the
young girl rose, nursing a bruised
| wrist Gretchen was in her grave. The
| girl regarded him sullenIy, almost
wildly, and when he laid hand ON her
arm she darted away again as if fearing
| capture. Her rapid fight was impeded
by an old woman carrying q basket of
apples and oranges, which we're spilled
| by the shock of contact
Amt yer ashamed, now, an for an
old body, too ?" said the woman, whose
name was Mother Bates. Tie girl hest
tated, then stopped TO gather up the
fruit.
Don't let her go" implored Gott-
lieb.
The girl looked from one to the other
suspiciously.
"He wants me to be TAKEN" she
cried, with a sob.
" You are like my Gretchen, and I
wish to help you, he returned, quietly.
"Where are you going?" to Gottlieb.
81 don't know" YEARLY.
"Where are you going" to the girl.
"Away from the police" with a
shudder and fearful glance around.
"COme along, then"
They followed the old woman, these
two waits, scarcely knowing why, and
the girl whispered to Gottlieb, 81 am
Christine CArlen [ don't know Gretch-
en-. And what makes you 80 pale ?"
Mother Bates lived at the top of
tenement-house, and she conducted her
guests into O small room with cheerful
hospitality. Already were five children
gathered here, sharp-featured, shrill-
voiced, and bearing that aspect of pre-
cocity peculiar to boys and girls of the
city streets They might have been
trained in worse school certainly, and
the little room made q sort of democ-
racY, of which Mother Bates was ruler,
with limited authority. The addition
of two strangers to their circle was
taken as a matter of course by these
small citizens of the world only the
baby stared at Christine, attracted by
the beauty of gold hair, blue eyes and
red lips. With a tact Mr.. Gildwell
could have initiated. this ignorant old
woman, taught by the goodness of her
own heart-the only true instructor,
indeed, in politeness-asked no ques-
Few manifestations of affection were
exchanged in the household, although
shrewd Mother Bates cherished a dry
pride in the success of some of her
charges.
81 used to live here alone, but pick
'em up one by one a-starving. l taught
em their trades, too. Billy sells news
papers Molly sweeps crossings; and
1 lo r. 10, fyNH-
fire. They save my old bones lots OF
work"
Christine Carlen had grown quiet
she was ready to tell her story. Two
wears before she had come from Sweden
their family in the west. Instead, the
foreigners stranded in the city; the
mother had sickened, been taken away
to a hospital, and, alive or dead, Chris
tine could never fiId her again. They
told her the mother had gone to one of
the islands, and there she had been
put in q pauper's grave That was all.
Afterward a woman took the child, and
placed her as cash girl in the house of
Dibbler & Co. What heaps of glitter
ing finery, festOOns of ribbon and lace,
crowds of beautiful ladies, did Chris
tine daily behold What longing filed
her own young heart to be free like
these fortunate ones Sometimes she
touched furtively delicate fabrics,
wondering how it would seem to own
such splendOr.
When Gottlieb Braun emerged from
the depot the usual throng surged
through the premises of Dibbler & Co.,
and the shop-man had pulled bundle
of lace from Christine's pocket. Yes,
there was conviction of robbery, al
though Christine had not stolen the
lace. She affirmed, hotly, 81 never did
it y
The shop man merely said, "Come to
the desk"
As she prepared to obey, trembling,
confused and astonished, the pretty
girl in the corner, who wore pink bows
in her hair, and who had grown deadly
pale, grasped her arm.
"Get your things and run away,
Christine, before the police catch you.
Quick %
Christine had snatched the little red
hood, and fed in blind panic and fear,
until she fell at Gottliebs feet.
The old soldier now listened attent
lively to the story.
"She came to me like Gretchen" he
said, with n smile Mother Bates could
not understand.
In the night the snow fell. The gera-
MUM in the window, pride of all the
children, shrank from the frosty pane;
the meagre fire died to single coal.
The old woman had insisted upon Civ
ing Gottlieb a spare pallet in the
corner; the children were huddled
together on her side of the room
Christine sat before the fire regarding
her bruised wrist piteously. At mid
night Gottlieb rose, and silently
m0tioned the girl to take his place.
She obeyed Wonderfully, and sank into
dreamIess sleep. In the cold dawn
Mother Bates discovered that the man
had tainted on the hearth.
Life may become infused with unex-
pected interest, which stimulates fresh
exertion rather than hope. All through
the night GOttlieb Braun, thinking of
the lost Grstchen, gazed at the sleeping
child and when darkness screened a
soft cheek, rose flushed, swept by silky
lashes, lie listened TO her quiet breath
fOrpniuC a new rasol11tiOT