Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-10-28

IdIlb DdCk Oh ouI tOuolS gobiADyt
And We mourn our vain deiay9
Then steadily onward, friends. and v
Shall have sunlight all the way
Sunlight all the way,
Till the journeys DER,
And we reach ths shore
OF never-ending day.
THE HEIGHTENED SHADOW O
ONE GIRL.
Nothing but ragged girl, in tn
outskirts OF the city, on q coll
night.
But there was a tragedy in he
Young heart as she turned away from
her fathers door, bis curses ringing
in her ears. 1t began a long way
back-indeed, all her ten years o
life had been tragedy. She hat
never known childhood, she was {
suffering little waif in her cradle
She was always hungry, always cold,
always afraid. Her mother, too
pale and tired-was always hungry,
and cold, and afraid. The dark
shadow of fear never left their roof
for the father was a brute.
The fear of him, the dread of his
words and blows, both for hersel
Midas she grew older-for heI
white-faced mother, grew into her
yery soul, and Swallowed every in
slant of her life.
The tragedy went on anddeepened
when year ago her mother died
died, weeping bitterly that she mus
leave her young daughter to suffel
alone. And troubles seemed worse
snd blows harder, and cold severer
and the world darker to the poo
child, Many q time had the brut,
kicked her out Of the wretcheG
sbsnty-all the home she knew-and
many time she had hung arount
the door until he had fallen into 4
drunken sleep. and then stolen softly
In and crept to the pile OF rags she
called her bed.
But the end of all had come now
abe thought, for he had been grow
ing worse Of late, and on this nigh,
bis words and blows had been worse
than ever. and he had sworn a
dreadful oath to kill her If she came
back.
She believed him. She knew he
would do 1t, anu as she turned away
from the door, she felt that she faced
the wide, wide wsrld.
She walked slowly away. slight
frail figure, with large black eyes and
tangled black hair, Q very ragged
dress-all she had-barefooied. bare.
headed. Thus Nora Dennis lett
her fathers house that cold Novem.
Der evening.
The long tragedy was very near
its end now, she thought, and she
looked around for q place to hide.
To hide was the one instinct OF her
life, poor child! Some time she
wandered vaguely about, but at last.
not many rods from the shanty, she
came to new barn. 1t stood up a
foot from the ground, and under one
corner was hole.
Nora stopped here. Here was a
place to hide. Here no one could
find her. Here she could lie IN peace.
She crept in, away in, far out OF
nght, and. huddled up in . corner,
she lay down to die.
Oh! It was pitiful! Only ten years
old
What could have been her thoughts
y she lay there motionless all the
long cold night. all the next long
dreary day, all the next night, in
utter, hopeless despair !!
Death was slow in coming to her.
hunger had long ago left her, cold
uas nearly gone, something OF the
humbness Of death was stealing over
Der, when she was aroused BY the
ahout OF boy.
She could not move but . dull wish
. be let alone dawned in her mind.
bhe did not try to speak. He went
away, but soon returned with other
bora They called her. they threw
hicks TO. see IL she was alive. they
TIED al ways, and at last they went
away. But in an hour they came
eack. and men with them. Nora
through her half-shut eyes - could
~ them. She knew their blue coats
nd bright stars, they were police
men. To her, policemen did not
mean protecto:, - it does to you,
but enemy.
They called, they coaxed. they
commanded, but she did not move.
Ihey found q boy small enough "a
enwl under the bsrn, and he went
y He found that che vas alive, but
~ he could say was a. though
apoken In the ear of the dead. Never
wish or hope crossed the child'i
done.
Al last the boy, by direction Of
zee policemen, pulled her towards
ne opening. She did not resist,
- whole life had been q crushing
nnmission to everything horrible.
Finally the men could reach her,
nc the poor, little, half-dead figure
~ brought to light
Poor soul |" said one OF the men
1most tenderly. Shes near dead
sEsn cold and hunger.
che could not walk. Kind though
pogh hands carried her to the sta
so-house, where . warm fire and
n .poonsful of broth-hastily pro
sefe0 from restaurant - brought
- wholly back to light, and she o.
10 caair and faced the row Of
Misery.
hlttle by little her story VA
s.wn from her, and eyes unused
! 'ears were wet with the horror o
nut what to do with her that va
~ question. She was not an oil
,souer Of the law, and this institution
~ not fol the protection Of mis-
ss;ane: but for the punishment o
Te They did the best they could
~ ied her, made her a comfort
IN oed on bench in the station
49, and next morning the who'll
vent into the papers.
,souve had enough Of this blacl
perhaps too much. Well
- On another.
s0e . Buckingham. spinster
=