Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-03-26

How a KIND Act was Treasure

How a KIND Act was Treasured
| had been home from Oxford fol
a couple of months, and as the END
of my vacation was drawing nigh
one day my brother Arthur and
were sauntering through lovely
vale.
Suddenly my attention was ar
rested by Arthur exclaiming: 81
say, Tom-oh, look ~ pointing to a
female figure leaning against an old
stile in an attitude of the utmost de-
Election. "What beautiful face
that girl hast"
And, obscured though she was by
the dire poverty which was evi-
denced by her dress, she was beau
tiful to behold as she stood gazing
down, with an expression of terror
in her eyes, upon some fragments
of broken earthenware at her feet.
/ could not resist the temptation
to speak so, going up to her side, /
said kindly: "My child, you seem
in trouble. Can l help you ?''
The child uplifted her eyes a mo-
ment to my face with a strange
look, in which distrust seemed to
1 be the uppermOst feeling.
Then, appearing to gain conf
dence from what she discerned in
my features, she said II have bro
! ken the pitcher, and aunt will beat
me for it. Oh, [ am afraid to go
home !"
"Where is your home?" / asked,
"and what is your name?"
Her old expression of mistrust re-
turned as she moved away a few
steps from my side.
"What do you want to know
for ?'' she asked, brusquely.
1t was evident that kindness was
thing unknown to the poor, neg
lected-lookiEg child.
81 want to know simply because
I feel a friendly interest in you.
Here" I continued, drawing from
my pocket a gold coin, ''is money
to buy another pitcher. Your aunt
need not know of the breaking of
this one, and you will escape your
dreaded punishment. Now do you
believe that l mean only kindly to
you"
The dark eyes dil4ted; then they
SOll610tt Will q Suuu0u hlul vi
tears, as, grasping my hand, she
exclaimed, in eager, childish tones:
"Oh, sir, thank you! Now l need
not be afraid to go home. | am
sorry was SO rude, but it is seldom
that any but rough words come to
me. | will tell you my name. 1t
is Annie, and l am old Hester's
niece"
AS l listened to her words, my
heart filled with pity, for 1 had
heard dreadful stories of the kind
of life the old woman she called
aunt led, and | wondered no longer
at the manner of suspicious reserve
which had struck me as something
so strange in one of her youth.
The next day | babe goOd-b bye for
another year to my home.
Amid the duties and distractions
of college life the above episode
slipped from my mind, to be re-
called once more on perusing let
ter from my brother.
"YOu remember the little girl
with the beautiful face whom you
befriended when she broke her
pitcher?" he wrote. swell, she
and that dreadful woman, Hester,
have left the place, and no one
knows why or where they have
gone. l fear that poor child has a
sadly pitiful future before her."
Ten years had passed since the
date of the a6Ove-years that had
wrought many changes. In them
my father had died, and later, my
brother Arthur, grown to mans
estate, had brought to the old home
a bonny bride.
Then in the course of year
little stranger had arrived, who
grew and thrived, and in due time
learned to stretch out his arms in
welcome to his bachelor uncle.
My friends often laughed and
joked me about following my
younger brothers. example and
choosing a wife; but though thirty
years had rolled over my head, l
had never felt my heart beat quicker
in the presence of any woman. But
this summer of which l am now
about to write, / could make that
boast no longer. Early in the sea-
son, Arthur, his wife, their three
year-Old son, and myself, had come
to a retired nook by the seaside, to
spend the summer months. There
were only few people staying in
the small hotel beside ourselves.
Two of the number, an elderly,
gray-haired lady and her beautiful
companion, who supposed was her
daughter, interested me at first
sight. Their names were Mrs. and
Miss Carter. But although when
ever we met, l exerted myself as |
never had done before to be enter
tanning, did not seem to be max
ing much headway toward an
acquaintance with the young lady
whose charms of face and manners
had so strongly attracted me.
1 suppose 1 might as well make
clean breast of it, and confess at
once to my reader that the heart
which / had deemed so impregna-
BILE had succumbed at last. At
length chance placed in my way an
opportunity of drawing nearer to
the object of my fancy.
1t happened in this wise: My
brother and / started off one morn
ing to attend to some necessary bus
iness matters in the neighbOring
town. We reached home earlier
than we expected, and before re-
turning to the hotel, we decided to
while away an hour by stroll upon
the beach.
AS we approached the bathing
houses we were surprised to see
large throng of people gathered to-
gether and conversing excitedly.
Apprehensive that something had
happened, we quickened our steps.
AS we came up, the crowd parted,