Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-12-24
III.
"Glory to God in the nigbcst"


The night was grand one. The moor
like heavenly pearl was hanging in the
| deep blue sky, peaceful and serene. The
armament seemed more thickly studded
with twink!ins, glowing stars than usual
| rs though the angels had purpOsely poured
them out in especial profusion because it
was Christmas night. How calm and
quiet tho great city seemed!
SO thought ut least Maudc lIcrrington, as
she lay there on her bed, over against the
window, in the neat little fourth. story
room, where she had lived ever since her
fathers failure. What long time ago that
seemed!
"The boy is asleep now, Miss Maude,' ~
said the kindly voice of the poor woman
ing. "Is there anything l can do for you
again, is it not?'
With tho tenderness of mother the
good woman bent over the sufferer and
smoothed her fevered brow. She was one
of the women who lived in the court where
just one year ago this very night Maude
had found the dying mother Of the little
boy who since then had been her most
cherished treasure and had found too, an
everlasting peace for her own soul.
Since then scarce a day had passed on
which she had not visited one or the other
of the miserable families who lived there.
That court had been her special parish.
One by one Of the degraded women and
drunken men had yielded, many of
them unconsciously, to the purifying in
fluencc of her presence, of her gentle
words, and devoted selEsacrificing Chris
tian walk and conversation. She had
started a sewing school among the women,
in which she taught them much of the
holy Jesus and his love and salvation,
much of cleanliness, economy, industry
and all the virtues Of true wOnanlness.
Every Sunday she gathered together the
children, who Soon also brought their
parents with them, and taught them tho
precious word Of life, which was ever be-
coming sweeter to her soul the more she
studied it. In one short year she had
brought about a wonderful change in the
character Of that court, and had gained
for herself the devoted love of every man,
woman and child that lived there.
1t was now about three weeks ago that,
on one of her evening visits she had seen
what formerly had been no uncommon sight
4 man in 4 beastly state of intOxicatiOn,
reeling toward the gutter. slipping on tho
ice, who, had she not half-caught him,
would have fallen hcadforemost against
the stone curb. AS it was the poor wretch
cut an ugly cash across his forehead, and
lay unconscious and bleeding in her arms.
There in the bitter cold night, with the
rain pouring down upon her, as she sat on
the wet pavement, she tried for fully
twenty minutes to restore tho wounded
man to consciousness. But in vain. At
last she had to leave him, to summon to
her aid some Of the men living near by.
Into their care she gave him, while she,
wet and chilled to the bone, fastened to
her humble home. She had never left her
room since then, but sank rapidly under
the effects of the severe cold then con-
trac ed.
The wounded mau had been confined to
his bed in one Of the houses there for sew
eral days, and then had been called for by
a gentleman in fine carriage-and that
that was all the dwellers in the court could
find out about him. Before he had left,
however, he had been ve;y anxious to dis
cover who the lady was to whom he owed
his life, as he said. He had been we'll
nigh forgotten by this time in the
anxiety every one felt for Miss .Maude in
her illness.
A gentle knock is heard at the door, and