Year: 1868

night when the clock strikes twelve.
NV name is Ezra Steel, and /
was at different places then from
what is now, and people walked
in the Bowery for fresh air, and
through Pearl Street pretty far
up town.


Our home was almost out OF
town-nearly where Canal Street
is to-day. We had a garden
about it, and our garden touched
that of a neighbor, who was a
German by birth, and fond of his
flowers as German can be.


He had beds of great gaudy
tulips and wonderful roses and
enormous double poppies, but |
used to think the sweet white Ill
les the prettiest of all, and | al
ways thought little Gretchen just
like one of them.


She never had much color, but
her forehead was like snow, and
her hair, long and light, curled
down to her waist.


She used to come to her side of
the fence and look over it, and
talked about such things as we
were interested in. Sometimes
she came in to play with me, but
my mother never would allow me
to go into neighbor Werner's gar
den for fear that l should injure
the flowers, through which | could
never learn to walk, quietly and
reverentially, as Gretchen did.
Indeed neighbor Werner was
not fond of children, and not one
to tempt them into his garden or
his home, or anywhere where they
would be apt to meet him; a gruff
oldish man, who had lost his wife
years before and had no one in his
house to care for his little girl, who
was quite left to herself, and had
womanly way with her at the
age of ten that some have not at
sixteen.


She knew even then how to
make her fathers soup and coffee,
and how to put the buttons on his
shirts. Work which was too
much for her little hands he must
have done himself; but the house
was very clean and bare and tidy,
not a carpet on any floor, and not
a blanket, for-as my mother said,
who had seen-they slept between
feather beds, as though they wan
ted to smother themselves.


But such as the house was lit
tie Gretchen took more and more
care of it as she grew older, and
helped her father with his flowers
and knew each individual bios
som. 1t used to seem to me that
they knew her.


While I was very young, mere
child in years, | used to say that
Gretchen should be my little wife;
nv mother always answering,


II couldn't wish you a better, if
she grows up what she is now"


When I was older Istopped say.
ing this out of shame, but
thought SO more than ever.
knew before I was old enough te
be called a man that / should
never love any one but Gretchen
Werner. She never thought about
it at all until I putt into her heac
by making love to her.


For a while she was very shy
and would not listen to me, .bu
at last she told me that she liket
me better than any one else In tn
world. AID let me kiss her.


/ had not known her beior'
since I was ten years old. Thel
I was one .and-twenty. l hav'
seen young men kiss the girl
they love in light, careless way
I felt that night as though L wer'
touching something holy with m.
lips. ~.
her a plain gold ring with ou
names upon it, and date OF tn
day on which she had told me sh
liked me, and it seemed as thoug
that bound her to me.


Twas not as good as l Nigh
, have been, and did not go to churc
always when my mother wante


me to do so; but prayed that nigh
, as earnestly as ever man praye
that l might be worthy of Gre