Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-08-29

| my sudden awakening from my dreams,
turned giddy, and must have fallen, but
fortunately saved myself by the armchair
beside me.
1t was all over In a moment hut in
that time heard a cry of terror, and saw
the angel face full of fear bending over
| me.
care you ill what is the matteri
Heavens he Is dying, Help"
| The girlish figure turned, and was flying
wildly in the direction of the door; but by
| an effort I mastered my weakness, and
laying OBTAINING touch on the fold of the
! pretty soft crimson dress which had hut-
tered across my hand, said quickly, "No,
no-do not be afraid. am not Ill, only
little giddy."
"Are you sure p asked the voice. 1
nodded reassuringly, and the look of
less; but she still gazed somewhat nerv-
ously at me. She was, I noticed, trembling
slightly.
care you quite sure ? Oh | do let me
get you something some wine"
"Nay, nay" said gently. at is not
necessary, assure you. am used to
these attacks"
USED to theuaI Do you feel like this
often How I do pity you p
And oh, what a world of sweet womanly
sympathy was in those words-the first
that had heard for SO long. Nay more,
as looked up quickly into the angel face
1 saw-could 1 believe my senses yes,
the blue eyes were filled with tears, tears
of pity for me. How the thought thrilled
me I felt my heart leap into my throat,
and scarce knowing what l did leant for
ward, gazing greedily into those sweet
blue orbs drinking into my very SOUL
with a hunger Of spirit starving for one
drop of gentleness and mercy in the midst
of the hard rough world, all their angelic
tenderness and said;
Heaven bless you for those words. 1
need pity even more than you can tell.
In the midst which suddenly dimmed
my own eyes, the angel face
was turned away from me. For
some moments there was an utter silence
in the darkened room, and began to fear
that my words had in some way offended
the ears on which they had fallen. be-
| gan to wish that I had mastered my
feelings. 81 must beg yonr pardon for
speaking SO just now" stammered con-
fusedly, "3ut If you only knew"
There is no need to ask my pardon"
interrupted the sweet angel voice in ac-
cents even more gentle than before. II
do know, and can understand. guessed
1t all last night"
"Ah, last night" 1 said eagerly, Tell
me what happenedP How Is 1t l am
| here p"
cit was just this" And the angel face
came suddenly from the shadow into the
freight once more, SO that 1 could gaze
upon its loveliness at was just this"
said the pretty lips. also and 1 were
lonely last night, and were amusing our
selves by telling fairy stories when you
came"
'But how was it you took me in and
gave me shelter--I who had no claim upon
you ?"
"No claim ~ was the reply, with a great
effort to infuse indignation into the gentle
accents. "Were you not poor and friend
less, fainting before our door, Could we
close it and leave you to die in the cold 7'
But" 1 said, amazed at this reply, so
unlike what could have expected, II was
a stranger to you. How did you know
but it was some vagabond's ruse to gain a
footing in the housef"
mo vagabond could have acted to the
life. or rather to the death-it did seem
so to meas you did. Vagabond p and
the word rang out In laughing contempt.
ono, no, If now they were to come and
tell me that in the night you
had tried to rob, to even murder,
Iso or me, I would refuse to believe
it--aye even, If you told me soyourself"
smiled in wonder at the earnestness
which was infused into these strange
words, but the next moment their quaint
ness seemed gone, as, leaning forward az
]
the girl raised her face once more to me
with a far-away look in her eyes, and half
unconsciously as 1t seemed stretching out
her two tiny white hands in the freight,
said softly
alt was the music which told me you
could not do as you say"
The music which told her all
Stranger words to some they may ap-
pear than those previously uttered, but
to me they were not SO. In an instant my
amazement vanished. wondered nc
more. My prayer had been waited to
Heaven, and there echoed back against
the mighty wall of a Fathers love, anc
fallen on this girls SOUL 1 had not beer
, dreaming-she was the angel who had
1 saved me.
Such was the fancy which filed my
mind Let my reader deride 1t as he will
: l will maintain its truth to my dying day
Filled with It's gladness and thankfulness
bent forward, and taking the two little
! white hands outstretched towards mt
9 within my own ICY cold ones, 1 raised
, them to my lips and pressed reveren
= kiss npon them.
!, God bless you, lady, and the HEAVIER
that sent you to me In my bitter ex
7 tremity."
: More could not say-my heart was to-
, full, my lips trembling too much.
> If my action appeared at all strange ant
: out of place to the girl, could not tell
- for she drew back quickly into tn
b shadow, and her face was once more hid
den from me.
. In the silence which followed thousan,
:, thoughts rushed into my mind. Who wa
. this girl ? The old woman had told m
7 the mistress of the house, Lady Isobe
:, Longton, who had given the shelter 70
the night, had spoken of my lady's hus
band. This girl she claimed to herself tn
office Of my friend. Was she then tn
mistress Of the house ? Was 1t possibl
one so young could be wife,
Eagerly, 1 know know not why, Der
forward to see If the little white han
bore the symbol but this was unable t
do.
4 Surely" thought, 'it is not possib
J such a child should be mistress of such
! house Pr
y Over and over again the question fle
through my mind till unable to contr
= an impulse, wild as the one of the MI
/ ment before 1 asked. 'may ask if it
" a