Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-12-23
sCENE III.

"Oh, what cruel, fiendiSh world it
is. What u terrible curse life Is, ana
how long it lasts II how long-how
iUng"'
And with a low, wailing sob, the
speuker, a forlOru, shiyerng woman,
most miserably clad, drew round her
more closely the folds OF her thin, rag
ged shawl, and crouched down upon
one of the stone seats on Waterloo
Bridge.
Ii was bitter cold, foggy night, early
in November, aud aS the GrlZZliug mist
came driving upon the miserable being,
sharp, hacking cough sOGLded dole
,uIly through the night.
Sill she sat there unobserved or, at
I'll events. unnoticed 0y any of the pc
,iestrians who passed by; it was not the
kidd of night Tor folks 10 look much,
,ither to the right or TO the lett.
Another hour passed, and the misera-
hie woman in the recess raised her mead
ard looked cut upon the black water.
"Aias, alasp she muttered; what
life has mine been! 10 what have L
fallen? For that one sinful act of dis
obedience, what price have PAID!
But it shall end to. night"
81 can bear my misery no longer. L
have striven against the yearning to
end il all, but can strive no more-the
worst has come. am homeless, de-
graded, starving!
"Oh, father, father" she went on,
while the dark, suuken eyes cleaned
cut fiercely and despairingly; "if you
could only see tonight-if you could
only know the misery by which | am
>ulroundcd.B But YOU do not you never
shall, / left you i'll my madness, and |
could not go back to you could not
j could pot! May you never hear Of
r".,">. 1885, -,
Perhaps you are praying for your poor,
lost child, in that Peaceful, happy home
which |, fool that was, let, To my mis-
siy ard my shame!
Perhaps you are dead; il 50, then
ah, then Shall soon he with you. No,
no." she almost shrieked: "what did |
say soon be with you. All, forgot
forgot the distance that must be be-
tween you, my dear, good father, and a
'osi, degraded wretch like me,
But can bear il no longer, l will
die will diew
md, with a bi;tcrcouvulsive sob, the
wy Etched outcaSt lcaIed the parepet and
yiurgcd into the horrible gulf below.
\ scream, n splash, and all was over!
Folks came rushing 10 the side TO see
what hsd happened, and very soon the
cry went forth that some one had fallen
MO the river.
"What is the matter" said tall, ar
iStHcratlc looking man, an hour later,
a., Of Il lao -.,l ha
u'sr the end Of tie bridge.
Only woman jumped into the
liver, SIR" said u boy, "aUd they've just
raul, Il her out, that's ALL"
How shockingm said the man with
I slUdder. "Where is the the
The body, sir?' said the boy. "Oh,
It's just on the top of the stairs, there;
somebody's gone to get stretcher to
AXE it TO the dead-house."
Another shudder from the man, who
stood trying to persuade himself to go
OH bis way without further iuvestigs-
ton of this unpleasant business.
Put something compelled him, al
most against his will, to see the end OF
his strange fatality.
So, pushing bis way through the
crowd, he came at last to where the
body Of the unfortunate creature lay
covered with policeman's great coat.
Malcolm st. Ange, fol IL was he, still
moved by the strange Influence which
he seemed powerle>s to resist, knelt
down beside the inanlmate form and
looked in the white, set face.
"My God" he muttered, in a low,
hush,d " hisper; sits Nellie"
A. A. HI.