Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-02-16

lovely mistress of that wonderful
great house, with all its stately
grandeur and elegance, as she lay,
not fifty yards away from him-On-
ly street and a massive stone wall
separating them-her sunny head
buried in the soft blue cushions OF
her chair, crying and sObbing with
a passionate sense of pain and mis-
cry beyond the reach of reason to
control.
''Auntie! auntie!'' she called out,
as her gentle friend and relative en-
tered the room.
''My child, what is the matter?
Have you seen Howard again?"
The only answer was a low moan
ing cry, as the sobbing girl wound
her arms around her faithful friend,
and buried her face in the gentle
bosom that had sheltered her SO Of
ten.
"Where did you meet him?"
"Last night, at Mrs. Stevens,
where we went after the opera. He
only came in for a moment. l was
dancing at the time; he gave me
one look as l passed him, but there
was something in his eye so kind
and gentle that all my old love for
him came back with redOubled pow
er, and such a sense of misery pour
ed itself upon my soul that won
dered why God so formed His crea-
lures that they can endure such tor
ture and still live. Oh, auntie! did
he ever love me!''
"No, darling. 1 do not think be
ever did. He certainly admired you
as who does not?-and circum-
stances threw you much together;
but what has Howard Langly, the
hard working clergyman, whose par
ish is in the poorest portion of the
city, whose life is spent among the
poor and suffering, listening to their
complaints and ministering to their
necessities, to do with Maud Cong
don, whose talent, wealth and beau
ty place her in position with which
his life of care and toll and sacrifice
can have neither contact or sympa-
thy"
And yet, auntie, l would fling
houses, lands and jewels to the winds
if by so doing l could secure one
glance of love and tenderness from
Howard's eyes, such as l fancied he
used to give me during the happy
days gone by"
''But, Maud" continued the gen
tie lady, "with all the passionate
love for your cousin, with all this
wild longing for affection from him,
what have you ever done to show
Howard that you sympathize with
his efforts or understand his labOrs?
You have never attended his church,
or offered to assist him in his work. :"
"Oh, auntie, stop! NV money has
been his to distribute as he liked, but
l cannot stOop to tricks and artifce
to win his love. Would you have
me emulate the admiring spinsters
of his congregation, undertake dis
trict visiting, seek interviews with
him in his vestry- room, follow him
about among the poor and surfeit
him with a mawkish sentimentality
under the cloak Of charity and re-
ligion? Oh, no, no; l cannot do
that. But how can l live without
him!"
"Oh, Maud, how wrong, how
wicked you are! How little you un-
derstand life, with all It's response
bilities, its demands for patience,
self-sacrifce and unselfshness! Can
you never learn to look beyond your
self, to shake off this terrible ego
tism that pervades your whole ex-
istence, and in endeavoring to under
stand and ameliorate the woes of
others, find a medicine for your own?
Lift up your head now; darling, and
look out of the window. Do you see
that poor little shivering boy, who
is shrinking behind the shelter of
that opposite door-post, and looking
so wistfully over here? Let US call
him in and listen to his story, and
help him. 1t is what Howard would
do"
"Call in your ragged boy, auntie,
if you will. Is there more pain in
cold and hunger, think you, than l
am suffering now?"
In a few minutes Jenny was
standing in the midst of the beauti-
full room, gazing first into the bril-
liant depths of the wonderful sea-
coal fire, and then at the bright low
illness of its youthful owner. The
little street Arab was bewildered by
the warmth and luxury into which
he had been so suddenly drawn, and
irresistibly attracted by the beauty
of Maud, as she asked his name in
her soft, low voice.
Then he went over to where she
sat looking at him, and laying his
hand very gently on her delicate
dress, he said, looking earnestly INTO
her eyes, "Is you any little boys?"
Maud repressed an involuntary
shrinking as the dirty little paw
was laid upon her knee; but she saw.
the piteous look in his eyes, the
tears came into her own, and she an
swered him very gently, ''No, Jem-
my; why?"
"Cos they'd be so happy and a
great sigh broke from the quivering
lips of the wletched little fellow.
"Auntie," said Maud, 81 think l
would like to kiss him if he were
only clean"
"Well, Maud, have him washed.
Jenny, would you like to be wash
ed?'
"I'd ruther not" said Jenny with
frightened look.
"Why not, you dirty boy?"
"We isn't used to it, yer see,
down where lives. They does it to
us sometimes at the House of In
dustry." They killed little feller
that way last week down there. It's
very cold, bein' washed, and it's so
nice here!" and the tears began to
roll down Jemmy's cheeks. The
prospect of being washed appalled, his
very soul; but when he looked at his
dirty hands and soiled clothing, and
at Maud's sweet countenance as it