The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-08-05
From Cassell's Family Magazine.l
The Blind Spinner.


been thriftless, extravagant man. He had
lived up to his income-a little over, it-a
great deal over it, and then came the end;
debt, disgrace, ruin, vain remorse, and be-
fore long three fatherless Ones-girls, reared
in foolish luxury, now left to face all the
trials of grinding poverty.
The mother had died many years back-of
broken heart, people said, for the worst er-
rors of the father were mereifuly yelled from
the children's eyes, and to them he was al
ways "poor papa" who kissed them as he
lay dying, and then turned his face to the
wall, and wept for the wasted life he could
never now expiate-wept- for his helpless
children, rendered homeless by his own griev-
GUS fault. ... -.
This happened a long time ago, or itseemed
so to them-for sorrow makes time seem long
TO us all-and now it had come to this!
"This" was furnished lodgings in an un-
fashionable suburb of London-that great sea
into which SO many troubled hearts plunge,
to hide from the eyes of those that have
known them in brighter days.
We must now sketch these three sisters, in
whom would fain hope TO interest my read
ers. >
Bessie first: she was the eldest, now Just
eighteen; tall and slender, dark-haired, dark
eyed, and grave beyond her years.
Then came Katie-and Katie was blind.
1t was the prettiest sight to see the devotion
of the other two to this afflicted one. "They
are my two eyes!' she would say, with that
sweet smile often seen on the face Of the
blind-a smile that seems 10 hold all the light
the sightless eyes lack. 4,.sqs ard ri
She had an intense nature, this poor blind
child a nature that suffered more than others
in pain, and rejoiced with more exceeding joy
In gladness. She was now seventeen; and
Alice, the wilful, merry, naughty darling Of
the other two, was two years younger.
Alice was beauty, and bewitched you
with her saucy violet eyes, and ripping chest
nut hair, and cleaning pearly teeth. tkf
They were very friendless, these three sis
tiers, For one thing, the father had not been
man to make friends, or, if he did make
them, lost them again with remarkable
promptitude; and their mother had been a
foreigner, so that English relatives were few
and the few had offered help in somewhat Of
fensive fashion. ~er rE.,alr.s
So the girls came to London, and took uE
their abode at Mrs. Busby's furnished lodg.
ings, II Paradise Place.
The stairs were steep, and Katie often put
her hand to her side after mounting them
the rooms were small, and Bessie's room, uI
at the top Of the house, had a slice cut off al
one corner, and a window so low that it gave
hair by-but then, was there not a mirror in
the parlor in which you could take glimpse
of yourself, and If it did depict. you with a
swelled face, and one eye up and the Other
down, why, you learnt to make allowances
for these peculiarities, and to know whether
yopr bonnet was straight, in spite of them
SO. take it all in all, it was not bad sort of a
mirror. ISL
Bessie was the clever one of the family, as
far as accomplishments went. She hoped
brave heart, to make something comfor:a-
BILE" by her musical powers, for she had been
told that London was just the place TO get on
In; but for all that, the sisters had been near.
ly six months in Paradise Place, and vet only
now had Bessie got her first pupil!
I've got pupils on the brain, my dears,''
faid Alice, her pretty eyes sparkling with
merriment as she looked at Bessie, erayely
pouring out the tea. ooh, it's too delightful
Bess, nay darling! Sure and it's proud am
7And after all the pupil only represents
five shillings week; but then it is begin
mag. you see, and will pay half the rent.''
The cold weather was going now, and Ka-
tie and Alice were glad Of that, for it would
be less trying for Bess, you see, going in and
out, when that crowd of pupils they SO conf
IDENTIFY expected should become reality.
So the snow melted, and the little town
sparrows in their sooty jackets chirped and
twittered as merrily as any country bird could
possibly do; and Katie set in the sunshine at
Mrs. Busby's front parlor window, and
thought it very pleasant to listen TO a street
spinner playing I'll Bacio."
How often Katie thought of her dead faith
er! Naturally she from her affiiction had
known least of his wrong-doings; and. tender
ly she loved his memery, calling TO mind the
fooI nj tic hon IotA lo~1 H., Il
helpless in his bed of pain, while creditors,
like birds of prey, hover ed about the house
that ought to have been hushed and silent.
1.-THE sun shines warm and bright; the mu-
sic out there sounds cheerful to me; and poor
papa lies in his. graver' Thus ran the
thoughts OF this gentle loving heir. 49,.
As time went on, though the crowd of pu-
pills so confidently anticipated by Alice and
Katie did not make their appearance, three
or four more were added to the original one,
and things seemed to be going on passably
well, when Bessie took severe cold-so Sc
we're that the others supported by the opin-
ion of Mrs. Busby) would not let her leave
the house. Then an event happened. A
visitor came to IL Paradise Place-a young
man in velveteen coat, and soft, wide,
felt hat, that Swallowed an honest, manly
young face, with gray eyes and silky brown
beard. III =
This was Phil Lushington, struggling
artist, striving hard to make that something
comfortable" of which mention has been
made before. Phil taught drawing at a
school where Bessie, too, had some pupils.
The young fellow came in somewhat tim
idly to that dingy parlor in which Mrs. Bus
by's soul delighted: and Mary Anne, the
maid-of-al[work (who, to judge from the
state of her hands, cleaned boots all day
long without ever leaving Off, showed HIM
In, herself in such state of excitement that
her cap fell off in the passage; but then. as
her cap was as often in the passage as on her
head, that was no novelty.
Now may as well say, once and for all, at
this state OF my tale, that there are no vii
lains in this story, and that Phil Lushington
was an honest, chivalrous young fellow, who
treated these three solitary maidens, now
and ever after, with the reverence all true
women should command from all true men,
and was as fastidously respectful to them as
though Belgravian chaperone of the most
rigid description bad kept watch and ward
over them, and Paradise Place had been
With chivalrous, tender grace, Phil LUSH
ington greeted the three sisters, as he stood
at the door of their dingy parlor, hat in hand,
ms bonnie brown curs clustering about his
forehead, and his honest eyes resting on
Bessie's face. Yes; he was an individual Tin
whom there was no guile" was this young
artist of mine, and, like the sunflower, gazed
openly at the sun that had begun to shine
with such bright beams upon his life!
II was rather hard for Bessie though, as
with pretty bashfulness she presented her
visitor to the two sisters. lf
~ know I ought to have called earlier in
The day." sad Phil, still drinking in the
,ight.of Bessie's face, "but L haven't had
moment to spare since ten o'clock this morn
ing. was sure you must be ill, as did not
see you at Beech House for five whole days,
10 ! asked Miss Minerva Bycroft, and She
told me you had a severe cold" ~
Phil had not thought before he came that
he should feel as if his advent needed so
many apologies and explanations. but some
how this all came upon him now; and Alice.
that Bessie was evidently not ca.
pable of much fuency of conversation,
rushed bravely to the rescue.
sand now you have found us all sitting in
Lhe duskl We do that, you must know, to
save the gas. OF course it would sound yery
pretty to say we love the cleaning, and all
hat sort of thing; but the gas is the real
.eason."
Bessie looked imploringly at her sister, as
It 10 stem this torrent of domestic confiden-
ces; but their visitor seemed wonderfully set
At ease by these matter.of-fact remarks on
the part of downright Alice, and soon they
were all chatting pleasantly together. Pres
entiy fnll told them that he and his.mOther