The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1878-12-18

trends. Evidently INSANITY nOUH1Hgs
else could account for it. When We left
London yesterday evening Hollingsworth
s. Co. were as solvent as we are.n
q And they looked around as If, after
such an assertion, the solvency of Hill |
lingsworth 4 Co. could no longer be
questioned.
But next day news of different char
acter reached Chester. That morning q
great, sudden, and unexpected failure,
accompanied by very suspicious circum-
stances, had been announced in the city.
Hollingsworth s. Go. had smashed failed
for an extraordinary large amount, and,
in its ruin, had dragged down many
smaller firms with it.
There was long consultation at the
coroner's inquest, and the jury at length
returned verdict Of fezo DO SO. For,
when matters were moro closely investl-
gated, reasons, stronger, and stronger
appeared to show that the mlser-
able mans rash act had not been
unprecedented, nor caused by. an
unsound state of mind. Had he lived,
England would have no longer been safe
home for him; the bankruptcy was a
fraudulent one; penal servitude would
have stared him in the face.
Many were the articles that appeared
in the daily Journals on Hollingsworth's
bankruptcy and suicide, and far and
wide was the suffering it caused spread;
and as I travelled back from Chester to
London, wondered if had done right IN
making bllndfold the promise l had
made to the unfortunate man. But it had
been made, and felt must abide by it,
and do the work had promised to do.
1t was four days after my return to
town that I read, for the first time, the
address on the packet that had been con-
fded to me: --a II. =.
"Mrs. Gerald Connington, No. Vul-
ture Court, Golden Lane, Gray's Inn
Road"
IA slum that, / fancy" thought I.
"Who can Mrs. Connington be? l don't
much like the idea of penetrating into
such places alone, but suppose it must
be DONE" and I put on my hat and coat
| and started off to hunt out Vulture Court,
not, however, in the best Of tempers.
As was walking down a narrow side
street, in which groups Of roughs STOOD
smoking idly, and knots OF houseless,
shoeless women chartered and screamed
together, and dozens of dirty, dull-eyed
children shouted and fought in the gut
tiers, saw man, ragged and miserable
looking enough, but bearing for all that
the stamp of a gentleman about him,
coming down the street in a state Of evil
dent agitation and distress.
'What's up now? Here's Gentleman
Jack all of huster," said dirty woman,
staring at the approaching figure,
90, aye; his missus be real bad, they
say. Maybe he wants DOCTOR" replied
a girl with bold black eyes, and arms sci
akimbo, that prize-fghter might have
envied. "
AS she spoke, the man came up, and
his eyes fell on me.
"For the love of Heaven, sir, if you arc
a doctor. come with me! My wife,
believe, is DYING" he said.
"Dear, dear!' chorussed the women
s'Poor soul, she did look mortal bad las
weekw
And they stared cnen-mo, w. at me
way, and I'll do what can for your wife.
| And down the street I followed him
into squalid, dark, dirty court, reekins
with filth and the air loaded with baC
smells, into d1ngy house, and up three
pairs of rickety stairs, till we stood in I
wretched garnet, lighted by one small
shattered window.
| It was November, and bitterly colo
and damp, but there was no fire in tb
fire on the hearth, and a single blanke
covered the bed whereon lay the sicj
woman. A mans threadbare coat Ia,
over her feet.
It was half dark, so the man struck
match, and lighted a farthing di p stuc]
in an old tin candlestick, and held itup, t.
let the light fall on the invalid.
Great Heavens! what sight met m,
Mortified gaze! On the bed lay a girl
beautiful still, though, as I saw, in tn
last stages Of exhaustion from starvation
and beside her lay tiny child barely
month old. .. .s..
"Have you brandy?" cried. d..
The man shook his head.
THOR the means to get it, suppose
Here, send and buy some, and food also.
And I held out half sovereign to tn
man. -e .=-~
"Heaven bless you, STRIP he sal !, dis
appearing down the dark staircase, an
leaving me alone beside the sick bed.
I looked around the garnet, half lighte'
up by the glimmering candle. What
T scene of wretchedness was presented t
my eyes! A broken chair and table,
pitcher and basin, and few rickety cup
and plates were all that it contained. n
2 carpet was on the floor, no curtain befor
the window. No article of dress, save a
old bonnet and shawl, were to be seer
! Evidently the occupants were reduced t
the last stage of restitution, for, beyon
I dry crust of bread and mug of water
= the room contained no trace of provis
ions.
The man soon returned, bringing wit
, him brandy and provisions, and while
l strove to rouse the sick woman from tn
+. deathly lethargy into which she had fa]
len; he, aided by miserable, Skim
, child of perhaps thirteen or fourtee
: years of age, lit a fire, and set some wa
| ter on to boil in delapitated tin sauce
/, pan. Then he came to the poor bedside
t and assisted me to administer the brand
: to his wife, and I saw how thin an
starved he was, with the unmistakabl
. | sione Of rannnt i11noae wr;ttnn IN HI a ,,o