Year: 1860




young girl with want and misery in that
great wilderness, New York.


Some two years ago young English
girl, of perhaps fifteen years, with refined
manners and a pretty, though pale face,
presented herself at our office, and ner-
vously asked for some place in a family in
the country, and we only observed that her
hands were very thin and bony, and her
cheeks hollow, and that on being assigned |
to an excellent home by Mr.. Macy, her
eyes filled with sudden tears of thankful |
ness. Something was given her to eat,
which she received quietly, and on the
next day went to her place. Lately, on a
revisit to the city, we learned the particu-
lars of her history. She had been in En-,
gland in good circumstances, as her man
ncrs and language showed; had come over
on the death of her father, and oil the
wasting of his property to seek her fortune
in America, She sought at once to enter
some trade, and to earn living for herself
| but without friends, and with the crowded
competition of the city, she could find no


opening. In the same way at the intelli-


gences, after waiting many days, she dis


covered no chance for herself. Each day


her means were being exhausted, and she


was forced to pawn all the ornaments and
| 4, ,arl L., Il


finally to living in a small attic room of a


tenement house, sleeping on some straw in


one corner. Hour after hour, through the


weary day, her little feet were traversing


the streets as she followed advertisements
for chance to work. At last she reached


the point at which every evailable means


had been sacrificed, every penny spent, ,and


hunger stared her in the face. She de-


scribed her feelings then most touchngly


One day she could get through quite COM
fortably without anything to eat the sec


ond she says, she crouched herself in her


bed, "and, do you know, sir, what | found


the best stop to hunger! Why, l drank
water, and then prayed, and somehow l
always felt better and stronger after it. -
The third day, when it seemed as if sh e
f could not hold out much longer, she would


70 fainting down stairs to woman she
knew in one of the lower rooms, and this
woman would offer her something to eat,
which she would take carclessly, no one
ever suspecting the poor creature was be-
ing saved from starvation.


In this mode of life she grew so weak


she could scarcely walk, and as thin, she
r says as any skeleton. She was attacked
too, with terrible headaches, and some
days, she is sure, she was delirous, fol
q she now remembers how she seemed to Sc,
! angels and spirits in the little room, bring
r ing her food


Once or twice she determined to beg
though she felt she would rather die ant
4 she went into store and said gaspingly
+ "shc was hungry" The people were very


kind, and sat her in chair, and gave hel
9 food, once she recollects a cup of tea.
Then as she lay on her heap of straw
] thinking of her dear old English home and


the comfort there, the mother and the day:
~ that were gone, she would sometimes say
"What have l done to deserve this? Why
4 should God pick ME out to make me suffer
d so! Why should be deserted?.
One day she had gone down into the
q lower room, and sat there weak and des
pairing when gentleman entered, whom
d she described as very grand and wealthy
d in his appearance. He spoke to her kind
d ly, said he had watched her 60 in and out
d and said she must be in misfortune tina
If he had SO much admired her-yes, ant
). loved her. She answered, gasping Will
# weakness


/ "Why do you come here to insult M
because | am poor ~


Then, as she described it, he replied tina
he did not mean to insult her, that he trul,
u loved her-and in various phrases he off
: cred to her to live in a splendid home witt
him, but not as his wife.


/ The poor girl crouched down with he
, head in her hands, confessed that for
u moment the thought crossed her mind


what if she sh hould do this No one vii


know it. Where is comfort and home
7 an escape at length and on the othe
}, side, long, weary struggle, and starva
d ton But in the midst Of this-she almo'
|, believes it was real there seemed to CON
,e up before her figure of her mother-sf


saw the face and the warning gesture a


most as distinctly as she ever saw any oil
a She seemed to call her away-and the
IN she thought of all she had told her of hea