The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1878-07-04
Was She Saved ?

Was She savsdS
$50 you want 10 hear my story about
that girl, )" said the sergeant, who is one
Cf the oldest and best educated officers
in the department. "I've promised to
tell 1t TO you, and, as this is my day off,
wen step around the corner and talk
over a glass Of beer. It's story DON'T
care to tell every body, for it happened
years ago, when | was young, passion
ate, and / may say very foolish, too.
When look back and think what hap
pened then, ! don't know whether to
laugh or feel sad, aad although | gen.
orally begin by laughing at myself, !
almost always wind up by sniyeling to
myself at the finish. | was a raw lad,
fresh from the country, and just been
appointed on the force. ] won't tell
you what precinct | was in when 1t hap
pened, but at that time the fashionable
part of the city was, comparatively
speaking, down town, and the street !
had for a regular post was nearhand to
where a freight depot lie now. 1t was
all private houses then. There were
many boarding houses Of the better
class in it, and / soon knew their in
mates by appearance. So that in the
morning, when on post, | could say to
myself, There goes that young clerk
out of No. 80, and he meets that young
lady from 30. q around the corner and
takes her under his umbrella, If it's
raining There wasn't bit Of firta-
tiOn or courtship going in the street
with which / was not perfectly familiar,
and the young folks knew it, too, for
the girls would smile and say, Good
morning, officer as they passed by,
and the young fellows gave me an oc-
casional cigar as they came home from
work.
"Now, l was on post one morning,
when the servant girl of No. Al came
rushing out, and says: "NOw's your
time to do me favor. I've lost Miss
Thorpe's canary bird. and the poor girl
is crying her eyes out looked up,
and.there was the canary perched on
the edge Of the roof. The hall-door
opened, and a young girl about
eighteen years old came out on the
stOop. She was not what you would call
handsome, suppose, but | never saw
such beautiful woman before, or such
wonderful eyes of bluish-gray. oh!
Mary, said she, did you get my bird? ?
He's up on the roof, Miss Annie, said
Mary, 'and the officer will catch him
for you.' She smiled, saying, IF you
would be so kind, sir, and just then /
would have chased that bird all over
New York until caught him for her.
You would have laughed to see me with
the empty cage in one hand, and hard
boiled egg in the other, chirruping for
that bird to come back into captivity.
| was in luck, and he did. She thanked
me ever so kindly, and wanted to know
In what way she could recompense me
for my trouble. / answered l didn't
know Of any beyond her thanks, and
went out, leaving her laughing over
her pet. The next day she came along,
and stopping me on the street, said:
will you wear these mitteRs as little
present from me?' and handed me
pair of elegant mittens with the initials
Of my name worked on them IN silk. j
guess she got the initials from the ser
want girl.
1T got to be so at last that | looked
for her coming and going every day,
and l walked through the street with
her. God bless me, she soon knew as
much about my old mother, and the
little farm in Vermont, where | was
born, as did myself; and she told me
of her own folks, poor people, who had
enough to do to live themselves, down
in Pennsylvania. She was saving up
her little earnings to send to them, and
one evening told me joyfully that she
had SO put by, and was ever so rich.
/ told her that / was saving every cent
l could, all owing to her example. She
looked up at me surprised, but not dis
pleased, and felt her arm press closer
over mine. ] was very happy then.
"One evening met her coming home
leaning on mans arm. | didn't like
his looks. and / never forgot his face.
She blushed a little as she passed by,
but said Good evening" When | asked
her who he was, she told me that was
great goose to be jealous, that the
gentleman was one Of her employers.
If had known then what knew af-
.,.s.E -ds. would have acted different.
nns e,I-e,ses morning, and, when /
No slNaslIns,. turned cold in me.
.ueln ring that she had
# .2hm : asking NE to