The Washington critic., 1889-01-11
WASHINGTON CRITIC
A BOYS LOVE.

You may imagine what shock il was
to my dear old Methodist mother when
she heard from my own lips that ! was
in love with a circus rider. You see, /
was very young and impressionable and
! had saved the girls life while the cir
Gus was performing incur town.
was bound / would marry the girl,
but my mother set to work and made in
quiries and investigations that convinced
her that the circus rider had done things
in the past that were not exactly rep
utable.
told Augusta what my mother had
said, at the same time adding that ] did
not believe word of the accusations,
but trusted her. She laughed q little
scornfuly. She was conscious of her
own innocence and would have been sat.
isfied to settle down and live quiet life
If she had married me. Since there was
so much opposition in my family of
course no happiness could come of such
a union.
And so we parted. was miserable,
but mother did not know 1t, And so my
youth passed, and / got on in the world,
became rich, was respected | hope but
never fell in love. How sad and lonely
i felt no one knew. AT last mother told
me that had better marry.
"Choose a wife for her good qualities
of mind and heart she said, "and a
nice housekeeper, and church member
think Hetty Black would have you, if
you asked her"
Hetty Black was not quite my own age
and had high cheek bones, dull, straight
hair, and large mouth; but her eyes
were sensible, bright, kind eyes, and she
was poor, and good home would be u
great thing for her. She liked me, too
j was not vain, but L knew that.
So we were married, and it seemed
right to take an outing, and VIC went to
New York to do it, and there saw fine
things.
We spent fortnight there, and it was
during one of our last days that, going
out alone, | saw u crowd at the door of a
tenement house. 1t was gathered about
woman dressed in rags, who had been
hurt somehow. She was bleeding, and
/ am somewhat of natural surgeon,
and feel that must do what l can if
any one is hurt. stepped up and bent
over her. The people thought l was a
doctor and made room for me.
She was so dirty, so vile to touch and
look at, that it seemed to me no woman
ever looked so before. Her clothes were
mere rags; her flesh was scratched and
bruised great red blotches were upon
her puffy white face; but when at last
she opened her eyes and looked at me,
and gave little cry, l knew that il was
Augusta Star-fallen low as woman
could fall-but still Augusta Star.
She kne% me, too.
Il wish you had not come" she said.
SThis is the worst of all.
The people of the house allowed her to
be carried to a small room they had at
the back of the hall. She lay there on
wash bench, and found her voice at
last
"How well you look" she said "How
well dressed, how prosperous; and are
you married?'
"To pretty girl?" she asked
"No," I said; "to good middle.aged
woman, who never was pretty"
"Do you love herr" she asked.
81 have great affection for her."
said She sighed.
"No one ever had any affection for
me-" she murmured. MEN went wild
about my pretty looks, but there was no
love. If you had loved me. Henry, ]
should never have come TO this"
Involuntarily l looked about me, fear.
full she might be heard by some one.
Don't be afraid" she said, 81 shan't
hurt you by letting any one know we
ever met before"
The people from the hospital came.
They lifted her and bore her away.
The next day went to the hospital
and asked how the woman who was hurt
in - street was.
"You are the gentleman who was SC
good to her." said the attendant. "The
woman is dead, sir; will you look at
her?'
bowed my head. He took me to O
place where figure was stretched on O
low pallet bed. Death had blotted out
all mark of dissipation. A woman OF
marble lay there, not unlike statue OF
Augusta Star of my remembrance
They had dressed her in white and
about her neck was tied little locket
"The last thing she asked us to do u
said the man.
| knew the locket. 1t was one I had
given her, and within it through the
glass saw curl of my boyish golden
hair.
"That woman has had story" the
man said.
said nothing. took my wife homo
the next day, but l never told her Au
gusta's story.