The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-07-20


abroad, where they spent two years in the
show places of Europe. Then her mother
died and OF a sudden and sad coincidence
her father, grandfather, two brothers ano
a sister all died in one year Broken IN
spirit, dcmented in reason and alone in all
the world, she disappeared from all her
friends and was lost 10 all the world until
her name was learned from papers found
in her lone furnished room the day after
she died. For eighteen years she had lived
there, her sole companion even 10 the last
being a little pet dog, which on that morn
ing sat by the bed and licked the cold hand
OF its mistress, growing numb under the
chill Of death.
one other day I stopped to have my
shoes shtned in a little shop on Second
avenue when the old cobbler in the place
astonished me by quoting from the creed
in Latin. When / showed surprise he du-
piicated this by other statements even less
in keeping with his habitat and occupation.
/ discovered that the old man was con-
sumed with a desire for some little human
fellowship, although his sole purpose for
twenty years had been TO keep himself unto
himself alone. l made some overtures OF
sympathy and he welcomed them 10 the
point of leading me back through his shop
into little room, where he had lived alone
throughout those twenty years.
l found the room sort Of composite
Kitchen bedroom. library and museum All
combined. On shelves about the wall,
carefully placed and scrupulously clean,
there were 200 volumes, many or them
masterpieces OF the choicest literature In
four languages On a desk were paper.
pens and pencils, and upon a table there
were open books of reference, which he
had used the night before in studying and
writing When i looked at these l found
they were a Latin dictionary, Greek
lexicon, a Hebrew concordance, a volume
OF ROusseaus Confessions and copy OF
that work by a writer still gnknown-"Su-
pernatural Religion"
But how came he there? Twenty years
ago he completed a course Of preparation
for the priesthood which had kept him
studying for fourteen years in three great
universities. By the time he was prepared
for ordination he was prepared, also, to
renounce the church of Rome. His class
mates rallied al him, his friends forsO0k
him and his patrons cursed him. In the
turmoil of his soul and in the anger of his
heart he renowned the religion OF his
youth and never since has espOused any
other. He learned a trade by which to
earn living; then, worried by taunts of
early friends and jeers of former benefac-
find here license to live, in his own way,
the hermit life Of a "stickit minister"
Again. there are in this quarter those
who plainly do not belong here, who are
here not because they want TO lead her
mit's life, but rather because this region.
being so far from that region where they
do belong, furnishes what they most want
isolation. Some of them know why they
are here and some of them do not. Tho
first are enthusiastically women whose de-
votion to a husband had been bOundless;
do not know it. bear about with them the
marks of wOndrous lineage.
ANOTHER STRANGE WAIF.
One cold, wet, winter night. in passing
through a crowd of newsboys at the en-
trance to the Grand Central, 1 picked up
one whom I had often noticed led him
with rue to the house and there installed
him in one of the boys clubs. He was a
wiry, willy little chap, with quick legs,
nimble fingers, sharp eyes and clear
cut shining featured face. which soon
made strangers visiting the club ask who
he was. He had not been among the hun
dred other boys a week before he knew
equal. Nor did they tease him as they did
each other: somehow II didn't pay. He
never fought or argued with them for
somehow he never needed to. Yet in less
than two weeks he was in every way their
leader.
Where had he come from? Well ten
years ago there was a young doctor i'm
Cincinnati who was looked upon and
talked about the foremost young sur
geOn in the middle West. He was hand
some man of excellent family and had a
fair young wife and one child. He had,
also, unusual culture. a fine education,
great skill as a surgeon and rapidly
growing practice. All of a sudden and
without apparent reason he broke off from
this practice and came with his wife and
child to New York Here he succeeded in
losing himself from his whole circle OF
acquaintance and, as well, in keeping
them from knowing the real reason. That
reason was that when he died, five years
ago, it was the death Of a confirmed
morphine fend.
less, helpless, penniless. She was too proud
to go back home, the boy was still too young
to understand; so they are living in little
fiat on lower First avenue. There, in that
quarter far from home, that mother with
her pride, her memory, her heartache and
her boy, works for a living as a seamstress,
while the boy, with so much of his father
in him that a stranger will turn twice TO
| look at him, sells papers on the street and
does not even know where that home is
one day a letter came to me written on
the fine, engraved, stamped paper OF the
WaldOrf-AstOria and signed with the name
of a woman whom L remembered as having
been for several years past an occasional
attendant at services In several churches.
| knew her merely for handsome, we'll
dressed. cultured woman-a stranger. Sew
eral times before 1 had received from va
rious other hotels similar letters from her
| bearing different dates. The contents of
this letter merely duplicated those of for
mer ones in telling story of financial en-
| barrassment and of pressing need for
money. The money was TO relieve the
wants of herself and sicS husband.
On two other occasions l had sent her
small donations out of funds placed in my
hands, but when this third came L de-
cided TO make a personal investigation
and this time, If possible, 10 see the man
| himself L followed back her record
through the two years 1 had known of
| her, and came at last on an address away
| on lower Sixth avenue. When l reached
| the place 1 found a little umble-down gro
Gerry store, and over this series Of cheap
| flats extending up three, four. five flights
of stairs. In the top back garnet apart
ment of this Tickety old building / found
the room in which this woman lived She
was serving as a nurse beside lOWly bed,
on which there lay a ragged. haggard,
broken and decrepit man, her husband, in
the last stages of delirium tremens
He died next day and then L learned their
story She was a daughter of one of the
first families of Virginia and twelve years
ago had married a dashing young officer
Of brilliant promise in a troop OF cavalry
stationed at Washington. y year later he
was censured by his colonel for excess in
drink and some time afterward dismissed.
He came to New York. concealed his iden-
tity, got work as a riding master in a
cheap academy" and tried TO begin life
again: while she, in spite of her father 5
ters ridicule, came with him. Finally he
took To drink again. then went from bad TO
worse until at last he came to this. Mean
while she had so far kept up affair appear
ance by wearing her wedding dresses and
a beaming manner by acting well part
by one the city's clergy with plausible
stories and thus TO borrow money with
which. I'm her faithful loyalty she had been
able 10 keep that poor wretch in food ami
medicine. Such-such is the strength Of
| affection that hopes and endures and is pa
tient"
TRAGEDY OF SELFISHNESS.
I have in mind another tragedy wrought
out in this quarter of which 1 have known