Saved From Starvation.


On the second floor of a rear house lived a lady well known once as

among the foremost members of a wealthy church. The first blow of

adversity opened a wide passage for a succession of disasters. She

passed through the whole sliding scale, until the missionary found her

in the poor, dilapidated tenement where, for two days and nights, she

had lain in bed to keep warm; or as nearly so as her scanty covering

would admit




It was Saturday, and the only food she had to keep her alive until

Monday, was two soda biscuits! She had sold everything comfortable in

the way of furniture; all her clothing but one respectable suit for the

street, and the only thing remaining, that pointed to the history of

better days, was a pair of gold eye-glasses, given her by her dying

mother. Within a few months her dire necessity had often pointed to the

glasses; but she could not see without them, nor could she sell the gold

frames unless she had means to have the glass set in commoner ones.

Moreover, the harpies who feed and thrive on the miseries of the poor,

would in no case have given her more than twenty-five cents for them;

and the short respite derived from that amount would not have

compensated for the sacrifice. She had looked at them that morning; felt

that starve she must and would, but that souvenir of her mother should

never leave her. She went back to bed and prayed fervently that the Lord

would show her some way of escape, or take her that day to himself. She

slept an hour or two, and then awakened, strong in the conviction that

he would show her some way before night, and though it was six o'clock

P.M., before the missionary called, no doubt had arisen to trouble her

mind; and as soon as he entered and introduced himself, she said--"You

are a messenger from the Lord, sir; I have been expecting you."



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