The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-05-29
EATON, OHIO, THURSDAY, MAY 90, 1879.

until having reached the house in which
he lodged, he opened the door with
latch-key, and hasteped up stairs as if
afraid of being seen. On entering his
own room, the first thing which met his
eyes was flower pot, with snowdrops
and crocuses intermixed, by the side of
which lay letter. In an instant the man
was changed. He flung the basket he
held in his hand into the furthest
corner Of the room, as if afraid that its
vicinity would contaminate the purity
of the flowers on the table, and eagerly
catching up the note, which he kissed
ere he opened it, read the following:
"DEAR FRANK. This is the proudest
day in my life, and 1 congratulate you
on your triumph, which 1 could not
come to witness. Even if I had OBJ
tanned leave for SO many hours, I do not
believe could have mustered courage
to be present from fear of betraying my
emotion. My prayers have been with
you, and l beg you to accept the flowers
| grown in nay room and under my care
during the winter. / have watched
over them very carefully, and they have
been great consolation to me. Keep
| bAACAA 4OA Ii o6ACy anu may 1uCy AAoHi1O
you with the same hope and confidence
as they have often done.
Yours, very truly,
| "FANNY."
After reading this the young man sat
down, covering his face with his hands,
sobbing like child, exclaiming, I" am
not worthy OF her and her love, which
was mean enough 10 doubt" Becom-
ing more calm he went down on his
knees, thanking God for having saved
him from the temptation and snare into
which he had SO nearly fallen. Having
regaiped his self-esteem, he felt himself
again man as he walked toward the
door, which he opened, and, looking
over the balustrade, he called out to a
colored boy cleaning the hall, "John,
please tell your mistress that would
like to see her for moment"
Mrs. Worrom, the landlady, soon
made her appearance, and with pleas
ant smile congratulated him on his
newly-acquired title. Whilst doing 30
her quick, dark eyes wandered from the
flower pot on the table to the crushed
flowers and basket which lay in heap
in the corner, where they had been
thrown unceremoniously. She undoubt-
edly took in the whole situation in a mo-
ment, for no sooner had the young man
said, I thank you, Mrs. Worrom, for
your congratulations please have those
flowers removed from my room; do
what you like with them, only let me
never see themagain :" ere she answered:
doctor, understand you. l will
burn the whole rubbish the moment
go down stairs; but what about the
flower pot?"
Frank blushed like young maiden,
saying: Mrs. W., Pll use no conceal
ment with you. Those spring flowers
are very dear to me; tell. me who
brought them here"
Thus encouraged, Mrs. Worrom, like
true daughter of Eve, told her story,
forgetting everything else, household
duties, servants down stairs, dinner on
the fire and all the boarders in her house
excepting Doctor Frank, who listened
very attentively to allthe good woman
had to say
She had just finished her own dinner
when young lady had called and
wished to see her. She was real lady,
very young and very handsome. Poor
child, she trembled and blushed pain
fully, when holding out the flower pot
and the letter, begging that they might
be put on the doctors table ere he came
back from the, Academy. GAS wished
to give her little more confidence"
added Mrs. Worrom, az told her to
come up stairs with me and put them
wherever she thought best. Poor dearl
she was very grateful but she trembled
all the time we were in yC,4f room. from
fear that you might return. As we
went down stairs we met my second
floor lodger, old Mr.. Yellop, whom you
don't know, because he never takes
notice of any one he meets. Well, for
wonder to-day, he stepped out of her
way and stood against the wall with his
hat in his hand till she had passed him.
l am sure had she been queen or an
empress, he could not have been more
respectful. When we came into my own
room again the poor child was all in
futter, asking me if there was anything
wrong with her hat, as the old gentle
man had looked so hard at her, never
dreaming, in her innocence, that it was
her own pretty, modest face, and not
her hat or dress, which had attracted
his attention. tell you, Doctor, she is
a real jewel, and well worth being taken
care Of" ~
When the worthy woman had ex-
hausted all she had to say she took her
departure, remembering that she had
other duties to fulfill. When she was gone
the young man sat down to write two
letters. The first one, to Fanny, was
easily written; when the heart dictates
the pen flies rapidly over the. paper.
The second one was harder task; it
was to the sender Of the elegant flower
basket And who was the sender?
Reader, she was one of those harpies,
those vampires, to be found in the So
ciety of every great city, who suck the
very life-blood from the veins of our
young men and rob them of their man
hood. In word, a Modern Messalina,
whom society suspects but still tolerates,
because she has got gold at her COM
mand and can buy the silence Of her
lovers, whom she has tact enough to
choose among honorable but poor and
struggling youths. Sometimes she is
lOuhu Oul, Uuu tliO CJOdh VI CldAlpy,
when trimmed with valenciennes lace
and decked with diamonds and other
precious stones, covers multitude of
sins. Not SO, when the sinner is poor,
hard-working girl, who, in her struggle
to keep soul and body together, has
fallen > victim to the temptation which
surrounds her on all sides. Then the
cloak of charity is fimsy. easily torn
to pieces by the yirtuous sisterhood, who
turn their backs upon the victim, thrust
ing her mercilessly upon the world, there
to atone for the first false step she might
have taken The atonement of the
fashionable woman is of another kind.
A trip to Europe and sojourn of few
years at Baden Baden or Monaco, washes
out the stains and the once soiled dove
returns spotless, repenting Magdalene
to occupy her place in society. Should
her repentance be SO sincere that she
car induce any respectable bishop to
allow her to nestle under the protecting
wings of his lawn sleeves, her re-estab,
| l,1l, = L.. IL