The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1832-12-04

long in the condition in which she now
lay. Every thing that medicine could
do, had been ,ried-in vain. and if the
evenings experiment-our forlorn hope,
failed-we must, though with a bleeding
heart, submit to the will of Provide nee
and resign her to ths grave. l looked
forward with intense anxiety--with al.
ternate hope and fear-to the engage
ment Of the evening.
On returning home, late in the after
noon, / found poor Mrs. p had ar
rived in town, in obedience to my SUN.
mons; and heart-breaking, l learnt, was
her first interview, If such il may be
called. with her daughter. He. shrieki
alarmed the whole honsc, and even ar
rested the attention of the peighbors.
had left instructions, that in cnse Of heI
arrival during my absence, she should
he shown at once, without any precsu
,ions. into the presence of Miss P
with the hope. faint though it was, tina,
the abruptness of her appearance.
and the violence Of her grief, might op
crate as a salu,ary shock upon the
stagnant energies Of her daughter. my
child my child my child" she OK
claimed. rushing up to the bed with fran
tic haste, and clasping the insensibls
form other daughter in her arms, where
she held her till she fell fainting into
those Of my wife. What q dread con.
trast was there between the frantic ges,
passionate lamentations OF
the mother, and the stony silence and
motionIessness Of the daughter !! One
little but affecting incident occurred in
my presence. Mrs. P, (as yet un.
acquainted with the peculiar nature OF
her daughters seizure, had sna,ched
Miss Pc hand to her lips, kissed
it repeatedly, and suddenly le, it 60,
20 press her own hand upon her head, as
if to repress rising hysterical feeling.
Miss P-'s arm, as usual, remained
for moment or two spendcd, and on
ly gradually sunk down upon the bed.
1t looked as if she voluntarily continued d
il in that position, with a csutioning air.
-Methinks / see at this moment the
affrighted stare with which Mrs. P
regarded the ou.stretched arm, her bo-
dy recoiling from the bed. as though she
expected her daughter were about to do
or appear something dreadful i learn
ed from Mrs. P, that her mother,
The grandmother Of Agnes, was report
ed to have been twice affected in q sim
liar manner, though apparently from a
di ifferent cause SO that there seemed
something like hereditary tendency to-
wards it, even though Mrs P her
self had never experienced any thing OF
The kind.
As the memorable evening advanced,
Ihe agitation Of all who were acquainted d
with, or interested in the approaching ng
increased. Mrs. P,
need hardly say, embraced the proposal
with thankful eagerncss. About hall
past seven, my friend DR., D, arrived
pursuant I. his promise and he as soon
followed by tho organisi ofths
neighbouring church-an old acquain.
tance, and who was constant visitor Al
my house for the purpose Of performing
and giving instructions on the organ.
him to commence playing
Martin Luther's hymn-the fayorile one
Of Agnes-as soon as she should he
brought into the room. About eight o.
clock the Deans carriage drew up.
met him at the door.
"Peacs he to this house, and to all
that dwell in it !" he exclaimed, as soon
As Gs entered. ! led him up stairs and
without uttering a word, he took the sea,
prepared for HIM, before table on which
lay bible and Prayer book. After a
moments pause, he directed the sick
person to be brought into the room. |
stepped up stairs where found my wife,
with the nurse, had finished dressing
Miss P. thought her paler than
usual, and that her cheeks seemed hol-
lower than when had last seen her,
There was an air of melancholy sweet
ness and languor about her, that inspired
The behOlder with the keenest sympathy.
With a sigh, gathered her slight form
into my arms, a shawl was thrown over
her, and, followed by my wife and the
nurse, who supported Mrs. P i car
ried her down stairs, and placed her in
an easy recumbent posture, in large
old family chair, which stood between
the organ and the Deans table. How
strange and mournful was her appear
ance Her luxuriant hair, was gathered
up beneath a cap, the witness of which
was equalled by that Of her countenancc,
Her eyes were closed and this, added
to the paleness of her features, her per-
feet passiveness, and her being enveloped
in long white unruffled morning dress
which appeared not unlike a shroud, al
first sight--made her look rather corpse