The Portland daily press., 1888-02-25


theyY' questioned the woman, sadly. MY
Ella was a bright pretty creature, fair,
blue-eyed, and with handsome teeth. Her
smile was sunshine itself. | struggled to ed
ucate her for teacher-she hated house.
work and sewing and factory work: Oh, my
| Godl doctor, do you know what it is to be
| so wrapped up in anyone and then to lose
| to lose she broke down in hySterical Sob
bling, and the doctor let the grief spend it
| self.
Come" she said, soothingly in a short
| time, Il Will go with you to get your money,
| and promise you will leave nothing UNI
done to lind your daughter Be Of good
| cheer. We shall succeed, am sure Of it,
The weeks passed by, and DR. Mary could
come upon no trace of the lost girl, AT
stated intervals, Sarah Hilton brought her
SAD, questioning face to the office, only 10
take it away again with the cloud untitled
One slushy day in February the, doctor
looked up from her medical journal as tne
| ofhee-door opened. 1t was glrl, nor over
| twenty. with hard face-a girl dressed all
| too well for Riggs court. Her gown OF
| cheap silk was made in the preyalling
fashion, her rough jacket fitted her slender
| shape stylishly, her dark abundant halr was
| crowned by velvet hat almost covered with
| feathers. Rings and bracelets adorned her
| ungloved hands, and cheap earrings mashed
| under the heavy coils OF mar. her Doio
| black ewes met DR.. Mary's serene hazel ones
SAY can YOU come over to No. 90 to see
| Min? She's my chum, and sh's carryin' on
awful. Says there's tigers in the room wait
inc to take Der off You'll get your pan.
Don't be afraid of that"
| She laughed recklessly, but her glance fpii
a trifie now before the doctors calm. pltying
Dr. Mary could diagnose the case almost
without leaVln@@ .ser chair. Riggs court was
I noted lor as periodical decisions concerning
1 tlgH-s snakes
:, Nevertheless she put OH her hat and sack,
took up her medicine-case, and followed the
| girl,
Up narrow, broken, filthy stairs on which
| swearing children-just the age of your
dainty darling, my lady, whom you will not
suffer the winds to visit roughly,
Up this teeming stairway, with peril to life
and limb--into den where tinery and squa-
lor dwelt in hideous juxtaposition Ragged
corsets and pettcoats hobnobbed with dirty
dresses of snowy material trimmed with
tawdry laces. Fragments Of meal stood on
the rickety table, and on the bed lay girl
whose blue eyes were wild with the early
stages of detiriun tremeas Her fair hair
was tossed over the pillow, her cheeks were
burning, her white shoulders were visible
through the torn embroidery of her night
gown. DR.. Mary laid her cool, soft fingers
| on the rapid pulse. Professional interest
and womanly sympathy overcame her des-
| pair and disgust, as they had so many times
| before in similar cases. More than this.
Her first glance at the girl had made her
| heart throb quickly.
"Bue eyes, fair complexion, handsome
teeth"-that had been Sarah HiltoD's de-
! scription. A swift prayer went up from Dr.
| Mary's soul as she kept her eyes on the girls
face, and gave a few directions to the one
| who had brought her to the place. The lat
| ter entered upon voluble description of
| "Min's" symptoms.
DR.. Mary heard her YEARLY. With gest-
ure to induce silence, she bent forward to eX-
anime the patients eyes more closely. The
girls incoherencies slowly subsidized under
| the magnetism of the doctors cooling touch,
and steady, plying gaze.
do you hate mel" she whispered.
| DR.. Mary shook her head, and laid wet
| cloths on the hot temples.
II wanted you to come because | thought
| you wouldn't be hard on me. DIR. Barrett
was hard on me. He was loud and cross.
You won't be cross, will you?
The doctor began to smooth and braid the
| heavy golden hair.
"Wiil you go with me away from this
dreadful place? You will die if you stay
| here"
The girl shrank back with an impatient
mot to a hospital? The women point
their fingers at such as l am, in the hospi-
tall
| country, where dear friend of mine lives,
| friend who will Ike kind to you"
The other girl, who had been bustling about
| the room making pretense of setting it in
order, cast sharp glance toward the bed,
then gazed sullenly out of the one miserable
window.
"Em will feel bad if leave her." wnis-
pered the sick girl, hesitatingy. The pow
ers of light and darkness were battling with
in her.
feel bad-to break her heart over you?''
| questioned the doctor, with penetrating
| look. The time seemed ripe for the inquiry.
The girl threw up her arms with de
| spairing gesture, and bitter cry escaped
her.
"Yes, yesl Oh, yes 1t seems so long ago.
have been so wicked. l am not fit to re-
member" She began to rave again, and to
beg for drink.
DIR. Mary prepared a quietng draught
Then taking advantage of the temporary lull,
removed the bottle standing on the dirty
mantel, and with strong fingers sent it crash
ing through broken pane into the court be-
low. She looked steadily at the girl EN-, and
said in low, distinct tones:
SIS not this girls true name Ella Hilton,
and did you not entice her from her home a
year ago last August?"
Ems defiant look fell. ''She was old
enough to know her own mind. She said
her mother wasn't good to her"
Argument was useless. DR.. Mary now
knew that she had found Sarah Ilit0n's lost
child, and, with deep throb OF thankful
ness, she went away to make preparations
for getting the girl out of the hands of her
worthless companion.
Perhaps even EN- may be redeemed some
day." thought the doctor. Heaven hasten
the hourv'
1t- f,tn lof nr oil -