Middletown transcript., 1882-03-10

| grow upon their Sllken DackSTOullu'
at last the journeys end came the
terminus was reached, and, in the
hurry and confusion attending the arri'
val, none noted or thought of the
lonely woman, who, in her utter bewil'
derment, stood gazing about, this way
and then that, watching the forms Of
the retreating ones, entirely at a loss
as to which direction to take, which
course to pursue.
BY question here and a direction
there by pushing her way through the
chance openings in crowd that seemed
all elbows and sharp protruding angles,
now and again regaining breath and
strength after the encounter in the
quiet desolateness of some unfrequented
street, she at length arrived at the
address printed on the bit of paper 50
carefully treasured.
Here, after making known her errand
and exhibiting her perfect work, she
was Immediately engaged as one of the
many hands employed in the creation
of the artistic needle work for which
this firm has become world-renowned,
and over which half the cultivated
members of the earth's family have
gone mad.
Before allowing her to leave, her en-
ployer beckoned to one Of the many
accountants engaged in adding the long
columns representing the enormous
profits Of the firm, and subtracting
from them the proportionately small
sum given as a recompense to those
whose skill and labor had been, meta
phorically speaking, the geese which
laid these golden eggs, and motioned
him toward the waiting woman.
"Your name PSI asked the beckoned
one, with kindly smile at the pale
face now before him.
The woman stammered and hesitated.
"Mrs.- -" she began at last. No !
1 mean Gwendoline Darcy"
A false name," thought the man,
as he entered it at the foot of the long
list, but he still smiled at her, as Nal
colin Goodale always smiled at any
woman who seemed to need friendly
sympathy.
"Now your place Of residence,
please, . he added, looking up from his
ponderous volume.
GWendoline started and flushed.
The young man instantly guessed at
the situation.
You have no present home," he
pleasantly, as if such fact
were a matter Of small moment. 'Then
would advise you to let me take you
to my boarding place." continued this
befriender of helpless womanhood, this
modern knight sans pe,er ct sans re-
proche. "Many of the embroidery
girls stay there, and it's pleasant
enough place, clean and homelike." :"
Two years had passed since Gwendo-
lines long, solitary journey from West
to East. Two years, during which her
skilled hand, quick eye and artistic
mind had served to keep her, not in
the luxuries, but in more than the bare
necessities Of life-the food and shelter
for mere physical well-being.
That she was happy in her new home
and employment none could doubt who
saw the old bloom returning to her
pleasant face, the old merry sparkle to
her deep blue eyes.
And yet, with all, there still clung an
air Of mystery, Of secret sorrow, about
her. A month of careless, happy living,
when every day seemed to bring new
pleasures. every week had in its train
new enjoyments, when her fellow
workers and companions would be at
tracted towards her by the very buoyant
ioyfulness and freedom from care that
seemed to encircle her, would be fol-
lowed by fit of such deep despon-
dency. such bitter pain, that all would
shrink away again, repelled by the
sudden change, the unaccountable de-
meanor.
Through all the varied experience of
the past months Malcolm Goodale had
befriended her. His first interest had
never tagged. His help and advice
had been hers in all her troubles and
With all his love of ease and COM
fort, his laughing, careless good nature,
he could never see a woman suffering
fft,,f, the LACK of aid without offering his
assistance in the difficulty. He might
chafe angrily against the self-imposed
duty afterwards, but the first impulse
was always to take some Of the burden
from the feeble hands.
In this instance there was something
more than mere kindly impulse. Now
it had become a pleasure to lend his
strong manhood to another. To see
the flush mounting slowly into Gwendo-
lines pale cheeks, to see the fearful
shadow daily retreating from her eyes,
we're all the return he asked for his
seryices-services that had heen taxed
not a little during the utter strangeness
and unusedness of her first winter in
her new home.
There can be but one ending to such
companionship. The result NIT in
evitably be the same when a lonely,
friendless girl finds her one support,
her only counselor, in man of her own
age who, in his oyerfowing good
nature. gives comfort and cheer to all
who stand in need, but keeps something
deeper and higher than mere outward
service for her alone.
Of course the women, her felloW
boarders, noted this fact. One might