Year: 1875

Yesterday" and the tears came again
/ inte.her eyes, which had been brigh-
tenAdg under the kindly and consoling
manner and words of the great true
hearted preacher.


Very singular was the difference be-
tween the operation going on IN the
two minds under the influence each of
the other. The actress had begun to
feel for the first time how very bad her
profession was; the preacher was be-
ginning to think that that profession
could not be very bad after all.


His sister and he inquired into the
whole story of Georgiana's life, and
found that she had told it truly. Then
be set about finding. some employment
for her which would enable her TO give
up the stage. But he found that no
occupation of the ordinary kind which
was open to Georgiana would bring
her ANYTHING like the sum she could
earn on the stage. He was greatly
embarrassed, and even distressed. AS
for Georgiana herself, she had been
seized with a genuine fever to get rid
of the theatrical life and enter on a
new and pure career. Joseph Shelton
had never supposed that his denuncia-
ton of the stage could have produced
such and so sudden an effect on such
a mind. Indeed, he had rather to
check than to stimulate the ardor of
J., his young convert. He had to bid her
to be patient, to assure her that she
might without peril to her soul con-
sent to play Little Pickles few weeks
or months longer, until some means
of living could be found for her. So
Mr.. Shelton found himself burdened
with the following perplexing pro-
!, blem: Given young woman who Is
nothing of u seamstress, who does not
, know music or drawing or French (or
for that matter very much English)
and who has ont of her earnings to
|. support her mother and herself-by
what means can any way of making a
decent, respectable living be brought
within her reach?


George Wilson attended every ser
.. vice at Mr.. Shelton's church. The
theatre became hateful to her; she
, went through her parts in mechani-
cal fashion; she began to grow unpo-
pular with the audience, and to incur
the rebukes of the manager; she shun-
ned her former companions, and was
sneered at by them; and the newspa-
, per critics, who had hardly ever taken
the trouble to notice her when she was
i. successful, began TO say harsh things
of her now that she was failing. Life
was becoming very cold and sad with
this poor little girl, and her only con-
ISOLATION was in attending the services
in Mr.. Shelton's church and hearing
the great dissenting orator preach
; She pined all the week through foi
the Sunday to come, and when the
was nearly over she shuddered at the
prospect Of the coming week. Hel
mother noticed the change in her man
ner and her appearance, and was IL
larmed by it, and secretly sighed ovel
it. Indeed George was sadly chang.
ed. Her face was always pale, hel
fingers thin, relish for food was gone
her enjoyment of her profession had
changed into detestation of it. In
truth the poor little pantomine actres:
had fallen wildly, incurably, hopeless
ly in love with the dissenting orator
Her love was alteration. 1t consumed
her. United with u sense, growing
stronger and stronger every day, OF
her own utter unworthiness, it was
eating up her heart. Meanwhile her
mother grew sick unto death. The
need of helping her, and earning
money to buy her comforts, gave Il
stimulus to Georgie's professional
power, and revived her interest in the
theatre. She said to herself: at can
not be wrong to do this now for the
sake of my mother. If she is taken
from me-when she is taken from me
IL will never again appear on the
stage or enter theatre.


/ She therefore played so spiritedly
and well that long engagement on
much better terms, was offered her
and she refused it.


The Sheltons were unremitting in
their attention to poor Mrs. Wilson,
Miss Shelton came every day; Mr..
Shelton sometimes came, but of course
his time was much occupied and Mrs,
Wilson was not even one of his con-
gregation. One day tall, handsome,
lady-like young woman came with Miss
Shelton who was kind and friendly in
her manner, showing an almost afiec-
tionate interest in George and her
mother.


When they were about leaving, Miss
Shelton took George aside and asked:


GLOW do You like Miss Willis.


"Oh, like her very much. What
a sweet, winning expression she has !.
| am sure she is very good"


"She is indeed. | have something
to tell you about her which you will
be glad to hear. My brother and she
have long been attached to each other
and they are to be married in May"
George stammered out something
about hoping they would be happy
knowing they would be happy-she
could hardly tell what, and she felt
as she would like to die.


Never in her widest dream had she
had the faintest idea that the great
preacher could care for her, and yet it
was death wound when she thus
learned that he loved and was about
to be married.


That night when performing at the
theatre, she had to dart across a bridge
of planks in some burlesque or other,
where she was mock Rolla or some
such hero, and had to flourish sword
and make her escape. Her mind was
all distraught and when she sprang
on the bridge the light swan before
her, her eyes grew dizzy, she stagger-
ed and fell to the stage. She was