News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-10-12
Late to Mend" He was wonderfully
L

Late to Mend" He was wonderfully
impressed with the book.
He declared to his wife that he felt
certain the author was in earnest when
he wrote that story, and that he must
know deal about the tyranny of prison
officials. "He might put me in the
way OF getting some redress from the
Government for the inhuman treatment
1 have received" He wrote to Charles
Reade, explained his condition, and anx-
iously awaited the result. The next
mornings post brought him brief re-
ply. "Call upon me tomorrow, and I
will have talk with you" wrote the
philanttfropist. The poor fellow was
too great an invalid to bear the journey,
so his wife went instead. A short time
ago I had an interview with thai anna
BILE lady, when she told me that she
should remember to her dying day her
first visit to Charles Reade. 81 felt at
home the moment I entered his house.
He was so different to what I expected
to find him. HIS asked me to have some
tea, and treated me more like daugh-
ter than q stranger. l was suffering
from neuralgia, and he pressed me to
accept box of ointment that he hoped
would give me relief. He said he must
condemn my husbands fault, 'but, he
continued, the punishment has ex-
hn off Ao hn
to me, will go to him. Tell him that
am not very formidable individual !;
but. as he is SO i'll, will send rele-
gram to prepare him for my visit. "
As the lady left the house, her emotion
choked her utterance. At the door her
newly found friend slipped some gold
into her hand, and told her to get her
husband whatever he needed.
Two days later Mr.. Reade called
upon the unfortunate couple. They
resided at the East End of London, in a
decent house their benefactor has since
told me that he found everything neat
and clean. They had paid their way at
the expense of their health. All they
had possessed of any value had long
since gone to the pawnshop. For some
weeks they had barely existed. The
wife was a sinsle-hearted woman who
from the commencement of their trouble
had stood by the side of her beloved and
defied the world and its opinions. For
nine weary months she had borne the
taunts and reproaches of her relatives
and so-called friends-but her love in
creased in proportion to the bitterness
of her husbands calumniators perhaps
the woman suffered more than the man,
for he was protected from society, while
she had to listen to the attacks made on
the. man whom she loved, without the
power to resent them. Their story did
not fail to excite the compassion of one
whose life had been devoted to deeds of
mercy. The visit of the eminent author
was too much for the mans shattered
nerves, and it was some time before he
could articulate.
After while, when the victim of
prison tyranny had gained confidence
for who could long remain silent and
uncommunicative in the presence OF
the gentle hearted Charles Reade ?-he
gave few particulars of the place
where he had been tortured. What
pleased his distinguished visitor most
was the fairness of the report. He did
not say that all the officials of the
prison in question were tyrants; they
were not all bad indeed, several of the
warders were men who, in spite of their
training and the example of granite
hearted comrades, had still some pity
for suffering humanity. "But," said
MIR. Reade's protege, "neither the
warders nor the governors have any
control over the actions of an unprinci-
pied surgeon. In goal the doctors
power is absolute, and, if it amuses
him to do man to death, there is no
one within the walls who cares to op-