Author Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1880 Excerpt:... God." With calmness then, born of the divine hope that was within her, Helen surveyed the future. It was not a bright one, as far as the worldly position of the orphans was concerned. In fact, it required a steady courage, and a fortitude, beyond the reach of many, to grapple with. Helen, as she stood thoughtfully before the fire, was revolving it in her mind. She had long been used to struggle with poverty; but if poor before, they would be still poorer now. An annuity, which had eked out their slender income, had died with her father. In fact, the merest pittance was left for the support of the orphans. How could it be made to do? "If I could keep the home," thought Helen, "it would prevent what few things we have from being broken up. I could work, and Dolores" She paused, and a dubious expression came into her face. For the first few days after her father's death the grief of Dolores had been something fearful to witness. She had lain on the floor, or sat rocking herself to and fro, her hair dishevelled, her eyes blinded with weeping. Her paroxysms of grief had been so violent that Helen trembled for her very life; and then she would lie exhausted, like one whose physical powers were giving way. Her gay light-hearted nature could ill sustain such a shock; and, amid it all, she kept repeating, in accents of the bitterest self-reproach--"I have killed poor, dear papa! He would not have died but for me!". It was as much as Helen could do to still the tempest. She told the distracted girl, holding her in her arms, and soothing her with caresses--she told her that the act was one of pure thoughtlessness--that the sad event might have happened just the same, as the hand of death was evidently upon him. It had come to a matt...