This eBook was produced by Joel Erickson, Charles Franks, Juliet Sutherland
and
A True Story
Preface
I The Deserted Child
II Life in the Almshouse
III From Bad to Worse
IV Finding Friends
V Suffering for the Faults of Others
VI The Strange Visitor
VII Mysteries Unfolding
VIII Discovers the Existence of God
IX In the Home of a Witch
X A Contrast
XI Searching for Light
XII A Revelation on Eternity
XIII Puzzled about Prayer
XIV A Prayer-Meeting
XV A Star of Hope
XVI A Revelation on Tobacco
XVII The Camp-Meeting
XVIII Discovers the Existence of God's Word
XIX Devotion and Works
XX Called to Service
XXI Discovers God's Church
XXII Visits the Poorhouse
In this wide world the fondest and the best
Are the most tried, most troubled, and distressed.
—Crabbe.
"Why, woman, you are not thinking of leaving that child in this place forus to look after, I hope! Our hands are more than full already. You saythat the child is scarcely a month old. How do you suppose that we couldgive it a mother's care? More than this, the board that governs the affairsof this institution has given us orders to accept no children under sevenmonths of age whose mothers are not with them. So if we should take thechild, as you say we must, you would be obliged to remain for that lengthof time, at least, to help us care for it."
It was August Engler, steward of the county poorhouse in one of the easterncounties of Pennsylvania during the sixties, that spoke these words, andthe circumstance that called forth the language was the appearance andrequest of Mrs. Fischer, a well-dressed young widow. The latter had come tothe poorhouse with the intention of leaving her infant child. To this planMr. Engler had objected unless she was willing to comply with the rules ofthe place.
Mrs. Fischer, the mother of three little children, had recently heard thather husband, a soldier in the Civil War, had been killed in battle, andimmediately she had gone into deep mourning as far as her dress wasconcerned. The care of her family, however, she felt was too great aresponsibility to assume alone, and she had decided that the best thing forher to do was to give her three small children away and that the sooner itwas done the better it would be. It was not hard to find homes for the girland the boy, but with baby Edwin it was different He was so young thatnobody cared to be bothered with him, and although she had tried hard, shehad not succeeded in finding him a home.
In her perplexity she rushed to the infirmary. So confident had she beenthat it would be the duty of this institution to help her out that she hadnot thought of asking the privilege of leaving her baby as a favor.
As steward and matron of the poorhouse, Mr. and Mrs. Engler did what theycould to keep things going smoothly and in order, but the work was toolarge for them to handle it properly. At that early