Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-01-16
A STRANGE MARRIAGE.

Mrs. Elizabeth H. Birkbeck in Brooklyn Eagle
A STRANGE MARRIAGE.
ST Collins was out of work. In common
with many others, for reasons not neces-
sary to enter upon, he had been idle for
some time. He was almost out of money
fifty cents is not much. But he was not
out of hope. He was SO determined to put
his shoulder to the wheel that he could not
believe that there would not soon be a
wheel to shoulder.
Now on this Saturday afternoon, with
everything at a standstill, he knew that
there would be no use in standing before
closed doors or of lettering in empty yards,
so he made up his mind to have holiday,
and all that sweet, sunny afternoon to pre-
tend to himself that he had nothing to
worry about.
There was music in the park; there were
seats to sit upon.
A man could eat five cents worth of soda
crackers as well there as. elsewhere. In
fact, they made quite neat little lunch.
On Sunday he would buy paper and
get every item in the columns headed
"Help Wanted-Males" by heart, but this
dlUGGuOOu LIS PIOSIdlIIllG WI pIO pdTh
Accordingly, he went home, climbed to
the top floor of q tenement house, where
he had hired hall bedroom of q washer.
woman, who did not need all the rooms at
her end of the fat, and dressed himself in
his Sunday suit
The suit was not a fine one at best, and
it was by no means new, but ST was
handsome man, and there is good deal
in that.
He BACKED his boots, turned his cuffs,
thanked fortune he still had a clean collar,
and set off parkward. He was just in time
for the music.
The sky was blue, the grass was green,
the park was just as much his as it was
anybody's, and after the crowd had dis
persed and the musicians descended from
their pavilion, he bethought him to walk
about WHILE and took his way toward the
reservoir.
There was not soul there, and he began
to saunter about the brink, eating his
crackers, when his attention was attracted
to the singular conduct of young girl,
who was creeping along toward the reser-
voir, looking over her shoulder as though
she expected to be followed.
Now and then she lifted to her eyes
handkerchief that she held crushed up in
one hand, and it was evident that she was
crying.
"What can she be doing9" 81 asked him
self In minute more it flashed upon
him that she intended to drown herself
He was about to spring forward to seize
her, when he reflected that until he was
sure that she was actually would-be sui
eide it would hardly do to lay hands upon
her, and so, concealing himself as best he
could, he waited.
And now he observed the girl more
closely. She was young, she was small,
and her features were pretty. She had
that peculiar attenuated look that comes
to most women with worry and poverty,
but her clothes were not ragged, and she
had very respectable air. She wore one
kid glove, he noticed. At first she stood
behind stone parapet that guards the
edge of the reservoir, crying and looking
over.
Then she folded her hands and put her
face upon them, and ST fancied that she
prayed After this, by dint of scrambling,
She perched upon the stones and sat there.
ST drew nearer.
At last she arose to her feet, and ST was
there below her, though she did not dream
of it.
"Good-by. you dear, pretty world" he
heard her say. II wonder where ! am 60
ing to-" and she made preparations to jump
into the water.
Instead of accomplishing this she was
lifted landward by two big hands, and as
she touched ground she began to sob.
ooh, why couldn't you let mes" she
said "And now you'll put me in prison,
suppose, for being too unhappy to live"
''Tm not policeman" said ST.
ooh, thank goodness" said the girl,
you'll let me go, then?"
"Not YETI said ST. "You see, although
Pm not policeman, Pm man, and that
makes it my duty to take care of the wo-
| men folk when they need it. You seem to-"
"You mean to be very kind" said the
! girl; 'but you are not. Isuppose you have
| no idea what it is to be all alone in big
| city without money and without work"
s'Oh," said 81, ffhut I haven't had any
| work for three weeks, and this is my cash
| in hand"
| And he exhibited his half dollar.
"Oh," she said, with an air of greater con-
| fidence. 'Well, yes, you do know some
| thing about it, only you are not q woman"
"No," said ST. 'Of course that makes it
worse for you. But tell me, what drove
you to that cowardly act?"
sit is a very brave act" said the girl
"Not bit of it, said ST. cts brave to
| live and fight as long as you can-that's my
| idea"
"Ican't; pve nothing to fight with" said
| the girl ooh, if you knew
'"Tell me-" said ST.
"My father died." said the girl. "My
stepmother hated me. She married again,
and her second husband turned me out of
| the house. Pa had left her all his money;
had nothing. l came to New York and
got sewing to do. One day the woman that
| employed me asked me if I'd make her
wall pocket for her papers. The kind I
mean is made out of old steels from extend
ers You knit worsted over them, you
know"
ST did not know, but he looked as wise
as possible.
81 was to make it as favor not for
pay" the girl went on, land at home even
ings. liked doing it; but the steels were
too long. had to break most of them, and
it gave me felon on my thumb. l can't
use it yet to sew with, and can't do any,
thing but sew. That woman knew how I
got it, but she never offered to help me at
all. She dismissed me and took another
girl in my place. Then l couldn't pay my
board and they turned me out. / went to
a hospital. The doctor said my finger
wasn't bad enough to allow them to admit
me; he said it would be all right in
month. Well, have not even anywhere
to sleep tonight. shall have to starve or
beg-I will not beg. Now you see that you
had better go away and let me finish what
began"
"That can't be DONE" said 81.
Every one who knew ST called him queer.
If acting differently from other people I'M
der given circumstances is being queer, he
certainly was.