The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1884-06-28

spent, and had / not hurried forward |
hastily to her assistance 1 believe she
would have fallen to the floor with her
helpless burden. Asit was signed to
Betty to take the child while 1 suppor-
ted the mother to the comfortable seat
before the blazing embers, which had
just vacated. She sank into itall weak
and limp, and lay back with closed eyes,
breathing painfully. And now the
crimson in her cheeks had given place
to waxen paleness like that Of a
corpse. Only for her heavy breathing
one could have imagined her dead. The
infant raised feeble wall Of hunger
where it lay in the dazed Betty's arms,
and she slowly opened her eyes at the
sound.
''She is starvIngl" whispered the wo-
man, and 1 started back in horror, The
words were full of hopeless, despair
ing languor. hastily did what I could
for her, and then
"Betty, give me the child" l said,
land go Just as quickly as you eau to
the pantry, get some milk and bring it
here to warm. Bring plenty. Then
set the table here by the fire and put
plenty of good things on 1t.
At these words the woman in the
chair fixed her eyes upon mine for the
first time, and they were full of wild,
eager anticipation, which was painful
to look at.
"Food?" she murmured. food. 1t
has been three or four days since have
had anything but single crust. +"
Then she relapsed into silence, out of
sheer weakness, and turned my atten.
ton to the puny, beautiful bit of hui
manity that lay moaning in my arms.
1t was the handsomest baby 1 have
ever seen, in spite of its hungry,
pinched look. Its eyes were very large
and dark and velvety. You can mag
inc better than can describe to you
how my Ruby looked asa baby by stud
ying her portrait, for it was no other
than herself. Well, we warmed and
fed them both, mother and child, and
when she was stronger the young moth.
er told me her pitiful story, of reck-
less marriage, against the express COM
mands of worshipping father, who,
when he learned of her dlsobedience,
cast her off, with his curse, forever; of
falthless husband, who deserted her
when he found she would inherit none
Of her fathers wealth; of the painful
struggle to keep body and soul together
in herself and child by the use of the
needle; Of being turned out of her
miserable garret because she had moth
ing wherewith to pay for it, and of her
final wandering away and out into the
wide country, "where," she concluded,
pitifully, 81 somehow thought people
would not be so cruel and hard-hearted
as they are in the city, for there they
are cruel as-death-cruel as the grave''
,, and she stopped, shuddering, with both
thin hands covering her pallid face.
"But you-"
"Yes, my dear, will take care OF
, you," interrupted, strokIng her beau
tiful hair and wiping away the tears
which felt were trickling down my
: face. loved her from that hour like
an own daughter. And as for Betty,
she fairly worshipped the child, as 1 did
myself, and between us both it did not
suffer for lack of care.
They stayed with me. Day by day |
j watched the little Ruby unfolding new
/ baby charms and her little cheeks grow
ing rounder.
' But as surely as her child was i'm.
/ proving the young mother was fading
dying.
And when Christmas day dawned
/ and the world was al over wrapped il
| peaceful quiet, the Angel of Death
4 swept into the room with its merciless
scythe and cut down that lovely human
S flower in the bloom of youth and beau,
/. ty.
a Imourned her as if she had been my
Y own, and then my whole heart turned
: to my little Ruby. 1t was as if my
| very, very life were bound up in her,
< loved her so.
8 She grew up into lovely girlhood, as
: you see there, and she was all my own,
!, All the affection of her warm heart
: and passionate soul was given 10 me.
S l was jealous OF it. kept her away
{, from the gaze of people. When went
to town taking her with me, always
made her so closely yelled, so fearful
g was that some of her mothers former
8 friends or relatives might see her, and,
9 recognizing her by her wonderful like
9 ness to her mother, wish to take her
from me.
r But one day fell ill. My child
ministered tenderly at my bedside, and
4 one morning she came to my room to
: read the paper aloud to me. l remem-
| ber she was reading story about a
I beautiful young girl and her lover, and
t her sweet face was lighted up with
{ childish delight as she read it all eager
| ly.
"Aunt Monna," she said suddenly,
breaking of abruptly, sit must be de-
lightful to have somebody to love you
like thatl"
81 love you like that, my pet" 1
said, smiling at her enthusiasm, sand
more than thatl"
) ''Rut mean--I mean-you are not
a man, Auntie Monna," she stammer-
1 ed, laughing and flushing, too.
: Instantly the ''green-eyed monster"
sprang up IN my heart-jealousy, sus.
picion. had been forced to let her go
to the city for me, not once but many
, times during my illness. Had she met
: some one there, some one who had fallen
- -. ,.,,,c1 e,.,aaf Fana aY,d