River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-02-27

What sort of journey did you have2 Any
nice cOmpanIons2"
'Oh, the journey was fair enoughl"
she replied; slightly tedious, though.
As for my fellow-trayelers, / paid but
little heed to them; they read nearly
the whole way down, and, when not
reading, appeared asleep"
As Butterworth walked along the
streets of Oldcastle with his lovely and
lively companion, he experienced feel
ing Cf immense qualification. With
what cnvious eyes. he thought, did the
different men they meet look upon him.
This is the house, said Butterworth,
as they stopped efore the well-known
restaurant. III you do not mind" he
said, hesitatingly, II should feel great
pleasure in joining you?"
do so, by all means" was her rejoin-
der; Il shall be only too pleased. As
you can imagine, to have some one TO
chat with after my dull journey will be
great relief. When / feel refreshed
will encroaeh still further on your gen.
erosity, for 1 am sorely in need of aid. :"
All that this young lady mad told But
terworth convinced him. more than
ever, that he would shortly be the reeip-
lent of some important secret. To be
successful on this, his first undertake
ing, was to be cohsummately desired;
but how lie had a lingering hope that
this sweet young girl might be cleared
from all suspicion.
ANY thing you please" was her an
swer, as to what she would prefer, ~
can not I an, cura do ha+.ar 4baa laava
it entirely in your hands"
A short conference with the waiter,
with the result of an ordered dinner:
small but dainty feast. 1t was during
their repast that the lady unburdened
her mind, and made Butterworth the
recipient of the following pathetic
story:
II am, believe, the most unhappy
girl living" did she commence, after
the waiter, who had been attending to
their wants, had retired. 1.-The most
unfortunate and miserable being in tn o
whole world. What have done that
my present life should be so heavy a
burden? / want so little, but that little
is denied me. 1t is perhaps in contrast
to my early and happy days that the
present is so unbearable-al lot for which
| seem so entirely untitled, and 80 una
BILE to support without murmurings and
complaints. l was born. and brought
up by my parents. in a village at Devon
shire. In looking back now to that
time our life seemed one of luxury and
Indulgence. Ours was indeed happy
lot Perhaps we did not suffi-
ciently appreciate these bless
ings whilst they lasted-looking
upon them as our due and as if they
would continue forever. But it was all
too good to last The family. besides
myself, consisted of my two elder sis
tiers should be about seventeen years
of age when our mother died. She sud-
denly sickened-some illness to which
the doctor who attended her was unable
20 give a name or alleviate her suffer
ings But a few days after her seizure
did she quietly pass away and leave us.
1t would be useless for me to try and de-
scribe the severity of our loss; words
would be out of place, and no stranger
can enter into that bitterness which the
heart alone knoweth.
''SOme twelve or eighteen months aft
er our mothers death did my father lose
all his prOperty-which was very con-
siderable-in the City of Glasgow Bank.
tie had never been educated for any
professional or mercantile pursuits, so
that when the crash came upon us he
was almost incapable of filling any situ-
alton sufficiently remunerative to sup
port us-if in only moderate comfort.
Besides, he was now getting into years,
and it was only young men who were
required when any situation was of
fered. Yet all the same did he logged
IL preserve. We removed into a small
house in an questionable quarter-one
of the northern su-urbs of London. Be
sides being inexpensive, il was conyen-
lent for the city, where my father spe Mt
much of his time in the vai- endeavor
to procure some employm"n- Whether
through want of energy or his own
shortcomings-as | have mentioned
/ don't know, but he was unsuccessful.
/ believe he did try hard to get some
work, and answered innumerable adver-
tisements from those requiring secre-
taries or clerks. But it was useless,
and now we are reduced to abject power
". We strOye hard to keep a home over
our heads, and, as long as we could
dwell together, our straits-severe as
they undoubtedly were-were not in
suppOrtable. We struggled on, as those
who have lost their all are enforced to
dO-the continuous and ceaseless stug-
gle for daily bread. At length my two
sisters-who were more capable than
was-were obliged to take situations;
they went out as governesses into fami-
lies whore in former years we had been
accustomed to be entertained as guests.
/ alone remained at home to keep house
for my father. The little money he had
been enabled to save out of the wreck
of his fortune had at last dwindled
down 10 but a few shillings; and we
were daily pressed by our tradesmen for
the small accounts owing for the bare
necessaries of life, until our existence
was quite Intolerable.
Twelve months ago this very day
ahl how | remember Tiny father went
out, after an early breakfast, on the
plea of seeing some one, from whom he
hoped 10 receive some sort of employ
ment-what, | don't know. / felt it
awfully. his going from home that morn
ing! and was much depressed. had no
special reason for this that | can recol-
lect; but fancied he looked more than
usually dOwn-hearted and dispirited.
Alas. he never returned, and | have
never seen him again TO this day."
Here this poor young creature-she
was but little more than a girl-fairly
broke down. and sobbed outright.
What could Butterworth do or say I'M
der the circumstances? Here was one
whom he had been told was a suspected
criminal, and one he was deputed to
watch, making a confidant of him and
unburdening her mind of all her home
troubles and Affections. But she pres
emily recovered herself, and resumed
her narrative.
AT first / imagined that he might
have been called away suddenly; per-
haps have written US, and his letter had
miscarried. l went to all the London
police stations, dreading that there |
might learn something of him-some-
thing concerning his fate; thinking it
possible that he might have met unfair
play. or had been killed accidentally,
perhaps drowned. A horrible suspicion.
Yet what could | think, or what can |
suggest even now, after so great lapse
of time. My poor sisters-lilIe myself
were quite brOken-hearted. But / had
no time to sit idle and give way to my