Year: 1859

stricken-was drinking in deeply and
deliciously its soothing influence; and
even while her pent feelings were over
flowing in the silent tears that half-blind-
ed her sight, an unconscious comfort was
gradually distilling itself as a dew Of
heaven into her soul. She had but b.eif
time indeed to linger there. but she
could not wholly withstand the tempta-
ton of that unsurpassed magnifcence Of
sunset. The dress was to be carried
home, to no small distance, and every
moment of light now lost from that yet
remaining duty was a moment of alarm
and danger to be encountered on her re-
turn by dark. .unfrcnded and unprotected,
through the streets. 1t was perhaps
we'll that she was interrupted in the alb
straction of her attitude and occupation.


The other female, her mother. was
sitting back in her chair. as she had been
for upward Of an hour, with her face rest
ing on her hand, in that fixed posture
and air of meditation which is often ha-
bitnal with those advanced in years,
whose lives have been crowded with SOL
emn and sorrowful memories. Abject-
ly poor as was everything by which she
vas there surroundcd--to point of
destituton to which even the pe1vading
cleanliness could scarce afford its won't
ed re lcemlns palliaton-there was that
about her which to the discerning eye
could not fail to speak the cultivated
and noble minded woman, and the true
ladv.


But there was third person in the
room. not yet alluded to. except in the
caution to silence contained both in the
mothers words and in the tone of their
utterancc. On the bed mentioned above.
as spread out on the floor in one corner
of the little attic, lay an Old man, asleep.
His head rested on one arm, being turn
ed sideways towards the room. a few
thin gray hairs struggled about fore
head deeply furrowel, AMI very sharply
defined in all its bony outline, whose
projection, increased by the grillled
thickness of his eve brows. gave a cavern
Gus appearance to the deep rcee~ses If
the eyes over hich the lids were now
closed. The CHASTITY paleness Of his
complexion, added to an extreme degree
, of emaciatian and evident feebleness, his
breathing being scarcely apparent either
by motion or sound, produced most
painful effect, as the old man lay there,
in hts double helples,ucss Of ase and
sleep. There is nothing lovelier, or
swcster to behold, than the sIumhers o:
4 child; | have never WATCHED that OF
an old man withaut-a peculiar ieellnI'
far from agree able though hardly per
haps easy to explain.


The old maa was insane, though
harmless. A sud len turn Of fortune,
followed by many troubles and truitlesS
struggles. had made him so. They
were strangers in New York, 50 far as
friends or even acqaaintanccs were CON
cerncl, havin. como severll years before
from one of the West India Islands,
Pride had kept them from asking the
charity of the almshouse hospital for his
reception, even ii the affections OF wife
/ and daughter. clingins only the closer
as the need Of their support and so!ace
increased, woull have permitted them to
cousign him to the treatment there to
be expected. Bad enough at this day,
the Management of the insane IN thai
hospital was worse them for the date
of the occurrence here related is about
seventeen years ago The care Of
him occupied the whole time, and even
overta>kel the broken health of his
wife. while the needle of the daughter
supported them all such a support as
it was--ls i, could be. This task was
cruelty increased in severity by the eX-
travas,nt requisitions constantly promp-
ted by the crazy f4ncics of the bcd-rId-
den old man, to the gra'iticatlon OF
which they sacrificed everything short
of the last nccessarie, of life for them
selves. Mary could never leave her
mother. to whom she WIS often lntiSpen-
sable through the course OF the day, tor
the care of their common burthen; to
the old man, too, 1t seemed Ike the
Withdrawing ofthe atmospheric air when
ever her absence was prolonged beyond
an hour or two; she could therefore only
do such work as she could carry home
that home ofwhich she was all the bless
ing and the brightness as well as its sole
support. The obligation OF carrying 1t
out herself, to the various destinations
where it was due often entailed an expo
sure 10 the weather which, in our severe
and variable climate. together with the
closeness of her contine nent and the ma
ture of her incessant tolls, had stamped
its very manifest effect on her health
Poor girl she would not probably be
long kept from that last repose, where
the wicked cease from troubling md the
weary are at rest About a couple Of
months before, she had had severe and
protracted attack of pleurltic intlamma-
ton, brought on by cold caught one
bitter night, which she had had double
reason to remember, from the dastardly
persecution Of a scoundrel in the streets,
whose lascivious eye had been attracted
by her pale but striking loveiness OF face
and person, in the glare of shop-win-
dow, as she was hurrying along laden
with bandbox. How much she had
had to suffer in this way, herself only
knew. as she never breathed syllable
of it to her mother.


This illness of hers had reduced them
to point of destitution much below that