The Litchfield County post. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1826-1829, 1828-10-23
THE MOTHER.
BY Mrs. HARRIET MUzZY.

very nedft, ana whose QUICK nedVlhS
breath seemed TO prelude approaching DIS
solution. No words can describe The an
guish of the mother. This infant was her
idol, and it was about to be taken from her
1T was her all and slie must resign IL
Now, with cldsped hanas, and streaming
eyes, raised to Heaven, now bending low
that she might hear if 1t YET breathed, tfle
miserable mo;her had passed many hours
in intense agony. She dropped upon her
knees and breathed forth prayer to hea-
ven--SuCh IA prayer as none but mothers
heart can lnsplre-that the God OF mercy
would spare her chlld--thai the terrible
malady might be removed, and his lovely
eyes once mole open on The light OF day
The mothers prayer was heard. 1t was
the will of God 10 restore the child. The
crisis of its illness was past, and the moth
er, wild with joy, and deeply impressed
with gratitude, again looked upon it with
hope.
Years glided away-lhe boy grew in
health and beauty, and the widowed moth
er rejoiced in her son. She boarded her
scanty pittance for his use, that the idol OF
her bosom should feel neither privation OF
sorrow. For his sake she tolled. She
procured for him the means of instruction,
and neglected no counsel to inspire his
young mind with sentiments Of religion q
virtue. Other own wants she thought Ii
tie. Her pleasure consisted in seeing him
happy: for his sake she would willingly
have died. AS time rolled on, the moth
er's heart had not been free from anxious
fears and fsreboding on account Of her
son. The boy loved her, but he was We
ry wild and reckless. He would escape
from the vigilance of her careful love; &
she knew that gay society had more
charms for him than the solitary home Of
his mother. She feared, but as yet knew
not all.
Twenty years had passed since thatter-
rble night she had kept an almost hopeless
vigil by his cradle, when her prayer of ag-
ony was heard and the babe restored to
her hopes. I, was again midnight again
the mother kept her fearful vigil, but not
by The bed of sickness. Her boy had be-
come very irregular in his habts-he did
not heed the counsel or tears of his mo h.
err, and night after night, she awaited his
return with trembling fears. These watch
ing cares were more dreadful than those
which she had feared would be the last in
his cradle. Her prayers were still offered
up to Heaven that he might be restored
that he might be saved not from death
from wickedness. A knock came to the
door; the mother few to admit her boy.
There was his lifeless body, borne by two
| of his companions. She fell senseless to
| the ground. Her maternal anxieties were
hushed for awhile in death-like insensi-
bility; but she recovered to hear the aw-
full tale-that in quarrel with his dissolute
associates, her son had received blow
which caused his death! What tidings
for a mother She saw him laid in the
grave, where she shortly followed him.
Grief for his untimely fate shortened the
life which had been devoted to him who
had brought her with sorrow to the tomb.
| How many mothers have reason (although
from different cause) to use the exclama-
ton which Miss Moore puts in the mouth
of the Jewish ma,ron, why was my pray
{ or accepted Why did heaven in anger
hear me when asked a son?'
UNHEALTHlNEss.- prevails in
many parts Of the country----on Long ISL
and, in New Jersey, on the borders Of lake
Ontario, sc. The inhabitants of Roches-
ter, N. 7. have made abundant donations
for the relief of the sufferers in that vicinity
! and have sent several wagonloa of -four,
bread, meat, fish, tea, coffee, sugar, butter,
&c. to the towns of Greece, and Brigh-
n,other places near the shore of the lake.
The editor of The Anti-masonic Enquirer
accompanied the wagons. He found FAM
lies sick, and destitute of medicine, fond,
and attendance. In one family nine were
down, one had died, and the only person
to assist the sick was girl, who had the
ague every day. A at one house the mo-
! Their had died leaving children most all
sick, to the sole care of the father. AT a
house containing two families, not an in
/ dividual could rise from the bed, but an old
IMAM 70 years Of age. Between a father
and mother confined to bed with burn
ing fever, was an infant whose sources. OF
slfbssstance were dried up; and upon the