El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-11-07
CBy E. Burrowes)

Z FAfa to be transt Ormed from a strug-
= n Cling general practitioner. with
hardly any capital and a wretchedly
/ diEgy lodging, in a mean street. into a
I rising young pnysician-WitI q capital
; cI roughly oGUOO pounds at my back.
I And all this because Dame Fortune
! waved ner magic wand over the head
J or an uuSpspecting and eccentric old
cousin Of my fathers, who. bethinking
/ himself that he had never made a vi,
and having no one very near TO leave
/ his wealth 10, suddenly remembered my
name put II into his viii, died a week
I later, and there il was
other things came my way, too
| ctaI pleasures, pleasant friends, an en-
largement Of my circle OF acquaintance.
And then, into the midst of my busy.
| well filled life, there came that wet
October night 1t was late, and horribly
cold, with a thick, binding rain. AS
turned on to Westminster bridge Big
Ben began TO strike the hour OF mid
night Very few people We're about I
What was that2
It sounded like a cry, half strangIed.
I half blown away by the wind.
caught sight of a dark figure fore
ing its way up the parapet. In an in
slant had made q spring at it, shadow
or substance I knew not till my hand
caught at a wet uuttering dress, a thin
arm-a WOman's form.
A husky ChOl1ed dice said:
Let me go Let me go, say.
Not a Bit of it, Why do you think
ming below US? It's mistake"
it?' --''' ''O " A'iO" lpOu'
Fhe face was refined. so was the
voice. A poor young slip of n girl
thinking to end her miseries in the
river.
Il know you were about to make
mistake which could not be put right
YOU don't know what il is to be
hungry, homeless, alone, despairing-''
The hOarse little voice broke 1 felt
nlma MHeHesr n IN b 10
She was quite unconscious.
In an Incredibly short time I had the
poor Waif in a swift taxi, going TO nurs-
ing home not Tar off kept by a friend
OF course. it wes a perfectly clear
case Of complete collapse due to star
With an easier mind I left her in
good hands Her name was all we knew
about her
CIarissa Crodel
The name haunted me until press
OF work drove her from my mind for
Q time. / looked in now and again at
the nursing home, to be told that she
was regaining her strength, would be
soon fit to go out into the world again.
But where2 That was a problem We
still had TO solve-Clarissa and L
Miss erode. sir. would like to see
you. If possible
NO one of that name down. Morgan;
but-Oh, yesi Show Miss erode in"
/ turned round to confront Clarissa-
But such a changed Clarissa- Color
now shOne in her cheeks, the look OF
anguish was gone from her soft, dark
eyes, she was neatly dressed, she was
enchanting.
Il am very glad to see you well
again said in my most formal man
ner- Please sit down. Are you wise
to be out alone2"
.Oh quite. / cannot be in leading
strings any longer They told me ii was
good to walk, il j dldn [ go TOO far 50
Q I too
for all you've done for me. and TO tell
you I have found something to do At
least. the matrOn Of the home has
found me place. / viii do my best TO !
deserve all your kindness to me-Y Cd
YOU saved me from death, and worse
than death. I don't know why you
were so kind You knew nothing about
me"
T knew enough to be sure YOU would
some day be glad to be saved I said
4 should like to tell YOU why near
y did it, she said, in a low voice
1t was a very ordinary little story,
as you can perhaps imagine 1t was the
sort of thing one reads of in the papers
very IOften. Mad speculation on the
part OF John erode. country gentle
man ending in ruin and a bullet
through his brain His only child
thrown on a world OF which she knew
nothing. and where she Jared badly
The slow draining away Of her slender
resources, the impOssibility of her find
ing work, the insults and the sOrdid
prfvations which by degrees broke her
fine spirit and drove her in the end to
Westminster bridge.
Now it appeared that the matrOn Of I
the nursing home had found her a place
as companion to an invalid woman
place where she would have a good F,
home, a kind friend. and easy work.
II can't pay you all / must owe I
you now, but I VIII some day"
/ laughed
you owe me nothing"