The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-09-24


where opportunities for work and ad-
vanceinant are to be had for the asking.
She and her mother were to come to
him, to q little home that he would
have ready and waiting on the other
side Of the great ocean.
she smiled bravely when he loft her,
but as she watched his broad figure
disappear in tho soft evening twilight
despair seized her heart and strange
forebodings made her tremble with
fear and distress.
What au age it was until his first
letter arrived! The waiting for it SO
filled her thoughts that she failed to
notice that the dear, frail mother was
growing weaker and paler each day.
Before the second letter reached Berlin
the mother was dead.
For six months the young girl
breasted tho storm of poverty. Then,
to her great 10y, hor lover in far-away
America wrote that she was to como
to him at once. She gathered up the
small belongings and heirlooms that,
although worthless in a money sense,
and with these she sailed away to her
new home.
When the great boat landed her in
her way to an address that her German
sweetheart had sent ner, expecting to
lind there II friend of his, who could
put her On a train that would take her
to the small town in Pennsylvania
where lie had secured work. There
no would meet her ut the station, and
after saying over the holy words that
were to make them husband and wife,
take her to the little homo he had pro-
pared. The plan was u good one, but
something was wrong somewhere. At
the address in Now York there lived
no person by the name which he had
written in her letter. and the poor girl
was in despair. She found lodgings, and
the next day journeyed on to the little
Pennsylvania town, where she was un-
able to discover the Whereabouts of
her betrothed. With but few dollars
left she returned to New York, and by
some miracle Immediately secured em-
ployment as a gOverness. In another
week she was on her way to Mexico,
having in her charge two small child
rem of u wealthy Gothamito.
Then came two years OF hard work,
during which she went from one situa-
tion to another, and finally became our
neighbor in "The Ruins"
81 have but two pupils now," she
explained. zone l am teaching
French, the other German. But TWO
pupils-they bring me hardly enough
to pay my rent and to buy fuel and
provisions. / cannot hold out much
longer-and I though perhaps you
| have tried everything-everyt thing !"
promised to help her even while
doubling my ability to secure employ
ment for her, for | knew that hope
never fails to warm the heart and that
encouragement is pleasant even to the
doomed. She said goodbye and went
up the dark, creaking stairs. AS she
took my fingers | noticed that her
hand was hot and fevered and that her
eyes looked strange and restless.
After hearing that poor girls story
almost fancied myself millionaire,
SO much better and happier was my
lot than hers. The old furniture APP
peared less awkward and scratched,
even the old cook stove did not look so
bad after all, and when Tom came
homo | fused over him in way that
made him say:
Dear, Pm always afraid Of you
when you act like this; it's sure to fore
run QUARREL And then we laughed.
The idea Of Tom in a quarrel was really
too funny.
AS we sat down to the little supper
| had prepared told Tom about my
visitor, and we immediately began TO
lay plans as to how we could best offer
her assistance. AS Tom remarked :
We never hear Of anyone who wants
lessons in painting they're always on
Il mad tear after languages" And so
We bethougbt ourselves of several per-
sons to whom we would recommend
and advertise the talents OF our down
cast neighbor.
l. did not see her the next day, but
the following morning | tipt0ed along
the creepy corridor to her room, carry
ing little breakfast dainty in my
hands and hoping that she would ac-
ccpt it in the same sisterly spirit that
it was offered. | knocked several
times on the door but no answer came.
Then | fancied that / heard some one
moan. Back L ran to Tom, who re-
turned with me, aud after satisfying
ourselves that the girl was there and
i'll we broke open the door
What room it was a bare little
garrot with q bed and table and several
decrepid chairs and foOtstools. The
one semblancc Of elegance was Il large
Oil painting of a beautiful woman with
snow white hair and eXquisitely shaped
hands, which [ Immediately surmiscd
was portrait OF the girl's mother.
On the bed lay the rooms occupant,
burning with fever and talking wildly
Of this terrible, terrible America,
whore people have no heart, and some
times breaking into strange German
love song.
We did what we could for her. Tom
went for a doctor, who came and said
she had brain fever. He advised send-
ing her to a hospital, and after con-
siderable red tape preliminaries we
had her installed in one Of the large
institutions Of New York. She had
been there less than IL week when the
kind nurse told us that such person
as our littl, invalid was wanted by
some one who had been long searching
for her, who had left word with city
officers to notify him at once in case
she was found. How my heart leaped
when | heard the good news. How
happy was for her. l rushed home
to Tom and cried all over his shabby
old coat, and he scolded me for being
"such an emotional little woman"
But just the same, he ha to put on q