The morning call., 1892-08-29
A LITTLE blue Shoe.
Story of a Girl Who Might
Have Been Saved.
NOW A SAD MENTAL WRECK.
a Mothers Kiss of Forgiveness, Friends
Bad Advice and Fathers Hasty Reso-
lution-Alone With the Dead.

1t was little blue shoe that a woman
dressed in deep mourning held in her hand
as she sat on the coping of a small, well kept
grave in the chiIdren's plot at Lone Noun
tain yesterday.
She seemed buried In deep thought, but at
times she turned to the grass-covered mound
within the inclOsure, on the border OF which
she sat. leaned over to remove weed, and
then she would look at the little shoe she
held in her hand and would press il to her
lips.
While the writer was watching her from
distance a man passed by. he appeared
as if he was in some way connected with
the home of the dead and he was asked if
he knew the woman.
Yes" said he, "she is frequent visitor
to this place since her little baby boy has
been laid beneath that mound. She will
come here and sit for hours just as you see
her now, holding that little blue shoe in her
hand. l have seen her time and time again
occupying that very position. and the only
movements that have ever seen her make
were TO weed the mound and press the little
blue shoe TO her lips"
Strange, is it not?"
YES" continued the man addressed, "it
does seem strange. but there are great
many strange things in this world"
You said you know the woman, who is
she?'
"lf l told you her name you would not he
any the wiser, and you might talk about II
with some newspaper man who would put
Ii III print. The publication would do 10
good; on the contrary, II would only serve
! to add to the pain Of those who are the rela-
tYeS Cf the unfortunate woman, for let me
tell you that her mind is just little affected,
| but not enough to warrant her being placed
within the walls of an asylum. AS you can
| see she Is still young-in fact she is much
| younger than one would judge from her
! looks. She is the daughter of people who
! are well TO do in the community and who
stood well in the social scale-ln fact they
! do So yet, but are not SO prominent as they
| were some years ago."
| And why?"
That IS what | will tell you. You see.
! this young woman, who is neither wife or
| widow, was few years since a bright,
| young schoolgirl, and while al boarding
| school, as many others like her have done.
! feh IN love, aud that without the consent or
even the knowledge OF her parents. Ii vas
! the oft-tod story. 4 man of good manners,
fairly good looks, splendid education. but
| with black heart and fair, eOnfiding girl
! who believed all that he said was as gospel
/ truth"
Time came when the girl was forced to
make confidante Of some one. There was
| no one she could turn TO with the burden on
her mind but her mother. With tears that
| were scaldlng as they fell from her eyes she
| ;
| her feYered mead resting upon that mother
| lap, she told her terrible secret. When she
| had concluded she looked up in her mother
face asking can you forgive me?
! The poor mother, whose soul had filed
| with anguish at the recital said not q word
! but taking her daughters hands helped her
| to rise, and, placing her on her lap, as she
| had done many a time when the daughter
| was a meIe babe, drew her TO her breast
and then pressed a loving mothers kiss
I'm rfF e. IT,4a
| word was spoken. but that one kiss was
| more expressive than any words that could
| have been uttered by human lips"
| But then came the task of n lifetime
| that was TO break the terrible news TO the
! father II was done, and the father TaYed
| and sWore vengeance against the black
| hearted villain who had put such a terrible
| cross upon his cbild-his only daughter
When lie was told that the object of his
| wrath had left the State and Was on his
way to other lands-possibly to make other
! copquests-his wrath turned against his
/ child, and, summOniBg her before him, bid
her leave the homo that had sheltered her
| for years, never 10 return.
| Mother and daughter pleaded. All in
| vain for time but at last he yielded 10 an
| iBtreaty. He consented to submit the mat
| ter to friend who had known the family
for years. This friend, who has always
| been looked upon as one who would take
sinner by tho hand and lead that sinner
/ from the broad path that leads 10 destruc-
/ tion. and turn the misguided footsteps 20
the narrow, but straight one that leads TO
| happiness, decided that the girls sin was
/ such that she could only atone for it by in
! csrceration In reformatoTy. 'and so say i,
adced the father, there she shall CO.
"The girl upon hearing this raised her
| bowed head, and, arising. said to her father,
! L know that l have done wrong, and have
| brought disgrace upon your head. and upon
that of my poor, dear mother; but see the
| error OF my way, and my conduct in the
| future shall be such that it will atone for
| the terrible rast. For the sake O my mother
| for my sake, for the sake of the unborn
| one, father. YOU will not send me there
| You say yes" Well, so sure as you send
me TO the reformatory so sure will l add
| VIII be short life and merry one. Do
you know what that means?'
''The girl was sent to the reformatory,
| ard while there she become mother
| When she was released she attempted TO
| carry out her threat, but her child sickened
| and died, and then she was stricken with a
| fever. When she recovered her mind was
| unsettled and she never carried cut her idea
| OF short life and merry one Her
| mother, unknown to the father. has ever
| since cared for her. She showed her where
| her baby boy was laid to rest. Since then
| she has been frequent visitor TO the grave.
and there she remains for hours, always
| holding that little blue shoe in her hand,
one of the first pair her baby boy ever
| wore"
1T is sad case"
"Yes, il is" and the man of the graveyard
walked away.