The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-06-23
After Many Days.
By ESTHER sERLE KENNETH

"Because this is a terrible world, and l
want to die"
She stood straight up before hm-the
1.-the, dark, passionate girl, but fourteen
years old-and uttered these un-childlike
words. And Blanton Pleasanton surveyed
her with the deepest concern.
He had come whistling up the stairs of
his boarding house, thinking of nothing in
particular, and had swung wide the door of
his room, which he found ajar, when he
paused upon the threshold, amazed at what
he heard and saw.
1t was his sleeping room, and was richly
furnished. A Wilton carpet of pansies
and forget-me-nots covered the floor lace
curtains fell over the plate glass windows !;
the bed was luxurious, and all about the
room strewn the brc-a-brac of taste and
travel.
And across the foot of the bed, in soiled
and ragged garments, her face buried in her
unkempt black hair, lay girl, sobbing
tempestuously.
In a minute Pleasanton recognized her as
the little maid of all work about the house
"a being he had never given thought to.
But alarmed at her violent weeping, he ad-
vanced to the side of the bed and said, kind
y:
"What is the matter ?"
She sprang up like a flash.
"What is that in your hand - cried
Pleasanton, in alarm.
AS he spoke he caught girls hand and
held it aloft.
Her slim fingers were cloted around a
small wide mouthed vial, containing pale
powder, and upen the label was the word
"Arsensic."
1t had been left in his care by a medical
student, ard she had taken it from the little
side room, where were kept brushes ard
towels.
"What are you going do with ths9"
II was going to take 1t"
"Good heavens, child What for ?"
"Because this is terrible world" she
exclaimed, "and want to die !"
1t would be impossible to express the We
hemence of her words and manner.
Pleasanton looked down at her with his
astonished blue eyes, and she gazed back at
him with dauntless orbs as black as night.
"How old are your" he asked.
Fourteen"
"What do you know about the world ?"
he asked, turning away with sigh, and
placing the vial above her reach.
~ know more than | want to-" she an
swered. "My mother is dead; l have no
one in the world to love-not friend any
where-snd cannot live SOL"
Standing on purple hearth rug, he look
ed at her where she stood-a small object,
no looking at him, but gazing through the
plated glass window into space.
He had been educated to prejudice
against "these kind of people" but Blanton
Pleasanton was cast in large, generous
mould.
The child was dirty and distasteful to
him, but he recognized her nee1, and
sought to minister to her condition as kind
ly as If she were the dantiest patrician of
his acquaintance.
at ID very hard to be alone and un-
loved" he said gently but 1t is weak
and wrong to try and kill yourself"
81 don't care for what is right and what
is wrong / am miserable just the same"
she answered, bitterly.
Blanton Pleasanton did some hard think
Ing for few moments.
sis Mrs. Ball unkind to you ?" he asked,
at last.
"She beats me every day, nearly, because
l don't do my work. | have more than
can do. l cannot rest at night my should
eIs and feet ache 80. / have to get up be-
fore light in the morning, and am 80 sleepy
my head aches all day. went TO sleep on
the back stairs yesterday, aud see there
She beat me over the head and shoulders
with hard brush"
She pushed up her sleeve, showing her
thin, while arm, black and blue above the
elbow.
Pleasanton exclaimed with horror and in
dignation. Then he walked twice across
the floor.
"What is your name p he asked, stopping
before the child.
"Raphaelia Gray. Mamma used to call
me Rae"
swell, Rae, do you love childTeni"
~ love little babies" she answered, be-
ginning to cry more softly.
~ think will try to get another place
for you. know widow lady who needs
girl to take care of her little CHI Id, year
old. But, you would have to be neat and
and clean, and very careful and kind to
the child"
81 would De neat If had any time to
take care of my clothes" she answered,
turning crimson at her tangled black hair,
and dropping an ashamed glance over her
person.
"Whst were you sent here forf"
ITO clean the stove"
"Well, do II as we'll as you can. and I
will see what can be done for you"
He took up the book he had come for,
and went down stairs aud ont Of the house.
A feeling of the deepest pain and sym
pathy possessed him as he took the longest
way to his ofiice to pass Mrs. Amberley's
residence. He enlisted the good lsdy's
sympathy in behalf of his protege, and had
hut little fiioulty In presuading her to try
Rae.
That evening hs rang his bell, and sent