Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1886-04-27
MISCELLANEOUS.
NeIIie's Trial.

In the CHEEKY drawing room or
London vicarage there sat number
of ladies, old, young and middle-aged,
maidens, wives and widows, all busily
occupied in making up with deft fin
gers little posies of the bright flowers
which surrounded them on all sides,
to be the next day distributed among
the occupants of st. vitus's Hospital
when suddenly Mrs. Torrop, the
clergyman's wife, uttered little ex-
clamation of surprise as she found a
letter which lay hidden in one of the
fragrant masses of bloom.
She opened it and read aloud:
"Please accept my mite for yeur blessed
work.
"some of the sick may be country bred, and
J a sight OF sweet-smelling. old fashioned posies
may bring a watt of their homes TO Them, and
do as much good as medicine.
| "As You go around among the different
wards. IF there should happen to come to your
notice girl with big. dark eyes and fair skin.
would it be too bold for me to ask yon to say
to her, Is your name Nellie Meadel' and If
by Heavens mercy It ts, say, AL Is forgiven
and forgotten. Father and mother beg you to
| come home
"shes our only child. and we've never heard
| from her but once since she left her home Sc
| cretly three months ago. Her fathers anger
was so hot at her dis0bedience. she was most
| likely afraid to let him know where she and the
smoOth-tongued man who who lured her away
were living. So she gave up her old patents
for the love of one who had known her but
| few weeks.
my old heart is very heavy, for 1have been
warned In dreams that all is not as II should be.
Night after night see our Nellie stretching
| ont, white and sad locking. on a narrow bed
and there's always more of the same kind SEEM
! ing to be in rows-sO told father this morning
| it must be a hospital see, and our poor girl in
I WI at he thnuplt 4
were SO poor and old, or we could make
journey to hunt her up. when, like an angel of
mercy, father said:
s.Mother send to the kind ladies the paper
told us about, and maybe they'd take an inter
est in an old woman's sorrow, and see If the
| gals there
bold, and please excuse the hand writing. for
am old, and my hand shakes SO 1 can hardly
| hold the pen.
Yours respectfully,
"sUsAS MEADE"
There was not dry eye among the
listening group as Mrs. Torrop fin
ished reading the letter.
The ladies responded to the appeal
so heartily as they went through their
designated wards, that it would have
been impossible to miss seeing any
one answering to Nellie Meade's de-
scription. =
Mrs. Markham, a tall, elegant look
ing woman, had the - ward at st.
Vitus's. AS she came to the last bed
upon the line its occupant lay appa-
rantly asleep.
Mrs. Markham laid a pretty fringed
napkin on the table at the invaiid's
bedside, and set delicate crystal
vase upon it, after filling it with rose
colored spice pinks mixed with sprays
of valley lilies.
NoiseIess as were her motions, she
found upon turning that the patient
had opened her eyes, and was watch
ing her.
AS she met the gaze. of the large
eyes, dark and soft as pansy's velvet
| leaf, and noticed that the curling locks
which had escaped from her cap were
like glints of yellow gold in color, it
came to Mrs. Markham like an intui-
ton. Here was surely the lost dar-
ling of the old mothers dream. But
she merely said pleasantly:
Do you love flowers, my dear"
The girl looked up wistfully as she
answered:
"I love them so well that I can not
bear to see them. Take them away"
X" NellicI''
A faint color stole into the wasted
cheeks, and she clasped her hands
with startled look.
Don't be frightened, dear; 1 have
a message from your mother. She it
was who sent you these flowers.
"Gfve them to me-" said the girl
eagerly. Please let me hold them.
They have the very fragrance of home
butt" and with sobbing cry, she
cast them from her, 81 am not wor-
thy. Tell my mother-that-that-I
l-am-anything, so she will put her
cruel, heartless child out of her
thoughts; but am punishedI"
For a time Mrs. Markham said
nothing. She stood in silent pity,
listening to the girls sorrowful sobs !;
then she took her hand.
"BeIieve that am your friend, and
tell me the story of your trouble, and
how it happened that you were
brought 10 public hospital. Do not
tell me if you do not wish.'
The dark, sad eyes studied her face
for moment. Then she said: