My Life: or the Adventures of Geo. Thompson: Being the Auto-Biography of an Author. Written by Himself.Thompson, George
General
My Life: or the Adventures of Geo. Thompson: Being the Auto-Biography of an Author. Written by Himself.
Thompson, George
Authors, American -- 19th century -- Biography; Thompson, George, 1823-
out and exhausted by the fatiguing journey which I had performed. Having
called upon some kind Quaker ladies of whose goodness I had often heard,
I told them my sad history, which aroused their warmest sympathies. They
placed me in this apartment, paid a month's rent in advance, purchased
for me the articles of furniture which you see, and obtained for me some
light employment. I worked industriously, and almost cheerfully, my
object being to earn money enough to carry me to Pittsburg, in Western
Pennsylvania, where, I have reason to believe, the villain has located
himself.
"In my moments of leisure, I longed for some means of recreation; for I
saw no company, and was very lonesome. So I wrote on to New York, and
through the agency of a kind friend, had my harp sent out to me here,
the rest of my poor furniture being presented to that friend. Then did
the divine charm of music lighten the burden of my sorrows. One
circumstance rather discouraged me: I found that with the utmost
industry I could not earn more than sufficient to pay my rent and other
necessary expenses, although I lived frugally, almost on bread and
water, except on Sundays, when I would manage to treat myself to a cup
of tea. You may smile at these trifling details, my dear friend, but I
mention them to show you the hardships and privations to which poor
women are often exposed. My landlady, who keeps the grocery store down
stairs, is a coarse, vulgar, hard-hearted woman; and, when I was thrown
out of employment in consequence of the hardness of the times, and could
not pay her rent, she not only abused me dreadfully, but annoyed me by
making the most infamous suggestions, proposing that I should embrace a
life of prostitution, and offering to procure me plenty of 'patrons.' I,
of course, indignantly repelled the horrible proposals--but, would you
believe it? she actually introduced into my apartment an old,
gray-haired and well-dressed libertine, for a purpose which you can
easily imagine. The old villain, however, decamped when I displayed a
small dagger, and declared that I would kill myself rather than become
his victim. This conduct of mine still further incensed my landlady
against me; and I expect every moment to be turned out into the street.
It is true that I might raise a small sum of money by the sale of my
harp, which is a very superior instrument, but as it was the gift of my
first husband, I cannot endure the thought of parting with it, for there
are associated with it some of the fondest recollections of my life. I
am sure that if those kind Quaker ladies had known the character of this
house and the neighborhood around it, they would not have placed me
here. Heaven only knows what I have suffered, and still suffer. I live
in constant dread that some ruffian, instigated by my landlady, who
wishes to gratify both her avarice and malignity, may break in upon me
some time when I am off my guard, and make me the victim of a brutal
outrage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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