Year: 1863

DebliHS uuuSI WOIu cdiiCO uIe5o III 9


little room on Fourth st. Tears as warm


and grief-swollen as gush from woman:


eyes, crept down the cheeks a little way


paused, crept on little further, waited


trembled, and then swelling as the bo-


som swells with s g h S, ran down the


maiden's cheek, and then fell upon faded


chintz.


Through, and through, and through
again slipped the needle, shining with
the never-ending attrition of muslin, and


linen, and silk. The argus-eyed thimble
nothing better than steel, though worn
70 the polish of siver-clicked against
the needle, pressing it through the close
fabric into the calloused fnger-tip, fret
ted aud notched and blackened by many
another needle point, during many a
weary day and many a weary night.


A cooking stove, one chair, two beds,
few dishes on a shelf in the corner,
broom, large stone pitcher, bonnet
and shawl, few pieces of stove furni-
ture, half dozen plants, in rough wood
en- boxes on the window sill, four or five
books on the table-these comprise the
furniture.


The room was elevated far above the
noise and dirt of the dirty street-above
the usual flight of city pigeons, even inI
the fifth story; and the roof in soping
had cut off a corner of the ceiling. The
little low windows--a pair of staunted
ones-did the best they could with the
sunlight, but they were too much crowd
ed by the falling roof to accomplish much.


Had you slipped noiselessly in which
you could not have DONE in fact, for the
sagging of the door, and its heavy scrap
ing upon the threshold-you would have
been struck frst by the barrenness, and
then by the singular neatness Of the attic
room.


A lAte black and white kitten would
have glanced up at you from its bed of
soft.cotton in its own corner, or skipped,
frightened, upon the smaller bed of the
two; and still figure in the window
would have presented only bowed head,
but busy fingers, and faded print.


But if your step had been heard on
the stairs, and mistaken for that Of an
old man, just before you reached the
threshold, you would have heard a light,
springing step upon the attic foor-the
door would have scraPed open with
good-natured growl, and pair of black
eyes would have shone on you from a
face wreathed in smiles, and possibly, in
the shadow and haste, you might have
got pair of arms about your neck. AT
any rate, you would have followed tail
little figure into the room, and on taking
your seat would have found yourself Uis-
a-vis with as expressive and proud a
face as ever h on from voluptuous
plush, airy laces, rustling silk and spark
ling diamonds.


Indeed, while the tear drops were fal-
ling under the pressure of thoughts
which the heart could not possibly hide
under its lifting lid, a step was heard up
on the stairs, the staircase did creak like
the stage drivers horn, with the news of
coming the door did open, and pair
Of white arms were thrown passionately
around the neck of white haired old
man. Z


Jennie had been crying with thoughts
aroused BY a brief walk in populous
street that afternoon. She avoided these
better thoroughfares when she could, {
hurried along where the streets are mar
row and dingy-where the glistening of
silks and the trembling of plumes are sell
dom seen-where bright eyes and fair /
faces rsdiate only from faded and worn {
surroundings. But this afternoon her j
erTand TO the store had taken her thro'
one of these comely streets. Indeed, it b
was on the very corner of Main street, o
around which human tides swept, eddy n
ing every hour. She had seen poverty, c
comfort, wealth, plainness, comeliness, b
beauty, stupidity, sense, intellect.


Sitting at her low window in the dull '
unseemly room, worn, tired. discouraged a
with the labors and forebodngs of life, Il
Jennie's thoughts could do no less than II
bring tears. She was thinking of the a
happiness which floated about her in the n
crowded streets Of the laughing eyes &
OF faces brimming with careless merri- b
ment and conscious beauty. She had d
seen hundreds in one street-hundreds .
OF maidens to whom she was consciously r
superior And this was not egotism in
the weeping girl. Does the doe imagine f
itself snail, or the eagle fancy itself a h
blue jay? Was it wrong that all this q
beauty-all this innate refinement-alI v