Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1890-12-24

starvation.
She was fortunate. she thought, in
finding an attic, in a tumbledown
cottage on the outskirts Of the city,
and SO escaping the close feverish at
mosphere of lodging, in some mar
row, foul alley, up half dozen pair
of stairs. 1t was such a relief, such q
luxury, to escape from the hot confin.
ed garnet, in which she and others
worked, to the delicious GOODNESS
the almost Sabbath quiet, of these
summer evenings out of town.
Often, she looked at her compan'
ions, and wondered how soon she
would grow as pale and haggard as
they were. Now and then, one would
stop sewing for a moment, and rise to
stretch her arms as relief from her
long-continued constrained position
but the memorable voice Of the task.
master would remind the offender
that her wages would be "docked" for
every minute she thus wasted. To
escape from all this, from shutdown to
sunrise at least, and breathe the pure
air of the country, was oh ! such a
boon.
But, when winter came on, and
Ethel had to trudge, as tonight,
through slush in the city and snow
drifts out of it, she began to think
that she had made mistake. And
every day she felt herself growing
more weaker, until, tonight, she near.
ly tainted, when only halfway home.
"Is there never to be change :"
she said. twill it never end? How
dreadful to be without even hope.
Oh for one of the dear old days
again"
She leaned her head OH her hand,
in despairing, half-dazed Way, and
began to think of the past.
"Ah if he had only lived" she
said. Harry Harry! why can't
you come back to me? Oh! this ter
rible, terrible, death, that separates
those who love"
Her attic-window commanded a
view, in the distance, of the bridge
over the turbid and wintry stream, by
which she had come home, and of the
city beyond, with its lurid furnace
fires. She had often gazed at it, and
said to herself that only one object in
the whole landscape ever spoke of
hope: and that was the massive square
tower of the grand old church, telling
of God and Heaven, and future life
of peace and bliss. Yet even this,
with its black and almost sullen look
tonight, no longer inspired these
sentiments and she felt almost ready
to cry out in despair that there was
no righteous Judge, after all F; no pity
in the Infinite Mind for sufferers ; but
only world given over to cruelty
and wrong; only blank hopeless des-
pair.
Suddenly. as she thus unused, the
moon was seen to rise. Listlessly she
watched it at first. But, as it rose
and rose, high above the dark furna.
ces, triumphant over their red flame
and dusky smoke, she became consci-
Gus of a sudden feeling of hope, of an
elasticity Of spirits not known for
long months. Clasping her hands
she cried: "God reigns, after ALLIE
is not deaf have been wicked and
ungratetul," and, raising here eyes
above, she prayed: Father in Heav.
en-, teach me to bear all uncomplain-
ingly, and rely on Thy aid in Thine
own time"
And then, all at once, she remem-
Der what day it was.
cit is Christmas-eve," she cried,
that brings goodwill and peace. How
could l have had SO little faith, re-
Numbering the blessed morrow
At the same moment, the chimes in
the great tower began to play the
sound coming and going, like aerial
music, through the frosty atmosphere.
ut is the angels singing" she said
to herself, in a hushed whisper, in the
reaction and enthusiasm Of the
moment. "Peace and goodwill,
peace to the God-wiling-oh |! can it
be an answer to my prayerT But
then the overstrained tension gave
way, and, covering her eyes with both
hands, she burst into halfhysterical
tears.
She wept so long and so uncontroll.
ably, that for awhile, she did not
hear a knocking at the door. 1t was
only when the knocking became loud.
er and more urgent, and was supple
mented by the voice of her landlady,
that her attention was finally attract.
ed. Then, hastily wiping her eyes,
she rose and opened the door.
The landlady stood there, holding
in her hand one of those envelopes
which SO many of us learned to as.
sociate, as kilograms, with messengers
of woe. In happier days. Ethel had
never seen one without trembling, and
IL 4