Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1837-03-10

horse, which itself snufs the danger. -
Soon o couple Of The strongest aud mos,
hungry Of the beasts appear at her side,
and seem disposed to stop the way
Through their intention seems 10 be only
| to attack the horse, We: the safety both OF
the mother ard of the children depends on
The preservation Of The animal. The dam
ger raises lis value; it seems entitled to
claim to its preservation an extraordinary
sacrifice. As the mariner throws over
board his richest treasures to appcase the
raging waves so here has necessity reached
height at which the emotions of the heart
are dumb before the dark commands Of in
| stnct; the latter alone suffers the unhap
| py woman TO act in this d stress. She sell
yes her second child, whose bodily infrmi-
ties have often made it an object Of anxious
care, whose cry even now offends her car,
and threatens to whet the appetite OF the
blood>thirsiy monsters-she seizes it with
an involuntary motion, and before the mo-
Their is concious Of what she is doing, it is
cast out, and--enough of the horrid tale
The last cry Of the victim still sounded in
her ear, when she dls covered that the troop,
which had remained some minutes behind,
again closely pressed on the sledge. The
anguish Of her soul increases, for again
the murder breathing form are at her side.
| Pressing the infant to her heavlng bosom,
she casts look Oh her boy, four years old,
who crowds closer and closer TO her knee {:
but dear mother, am good am not | !?
You will not throw me into the snow, like
the bawler ?"-"And yet! and yeti" cried
the wrctched woman, in the wild tumult Of
dcspalr-"Thou art good, but God is mer-
ciful! Away!" The dreadful deed was
done. To escape the furies that ragged
within her, the woman eXerted herself,
with poweress lash, to accelerate the gal.
lop Of the exhausted horse. With the
thick and gloomy forest before and behind
her, aud the nearer and nearer tramping
OF her ravCnous pursuers, she almost sinks
under her anguish; only the recollection
of the infant that she holds in her arms
only the desire to save it, occupies her
heart, and with difficulty enables it to bear
up. She did not venture to look behind
her. A II at once, two cough paws are laid
on her shoulders, and the wide open bloody
jaws Ut an enormous wolf hung over her
head. 1t is the most ravenous beast of the
troop, which having partly missed It's leap
at the s'edge, is dragged along with it, in
vain seeking with It's hinder legs for a res
ting place, to enable it to get wholly on !"
the iral vehicle. The weight of the body
Of the monster draws The woman back
war2>--her arms rise with the child bali
torn from her half Abandoned, it becomes
the prey Of the ravenous beast, which has
tlv carries it eff into the forest. EXhaus
ted, stunned, senselcss, she drops the relns
and continues her journey, ignorant wheth'
er she is delivered from her pursuers.
Meantime the forcs, grows thinner ant
an insu'a, ed farm house. to which a side
L. road leads, appears at moderate distance
: The horse, LEFT to itself, follows this new
, path il enters through an open gate pan
ting and ioamlng It stands still and amldo
circle Of persons who crowd round will
. good natural surprise, the unhappy wo
man RECEIVERS from her stupclaclon, t
!, throw herself with loud scream of an
gnish and horror, into the arms OF the near
# est human being, who appears to her as
= guardian angel. All leave their work
o the mistress Of the house, the kitchen, tn,
!. ,hre>her in the barn, The eldest son Of thu
S family. with his axe IN his hand. the woot
g which he had just clcit-lo assist the IN
fortunate woman and, with mixture o
5, curiosity and ply, to learn, by hundrct
G Inquiries. the clrcumsan Of her slngu
e lar appearances. Refreshed BY whateve
i. can be procured at the moment, the slran
e ger gradually RECEIVERS ia" power of sPeecl
y and ability to give an lntelhglble accoun
= Of the drradinl rial which she has under
4, gone. The insensibl,ty with which fea
r and distress had stceled her heart, begin
to disappear : but new tcrrors seize her
the dry eye seeks in vain IA tear she is o
the brink Of boundess misery. But he
narrative had also excited conflicting feel
ings in the bosoms of her audl,ors thong
. pity, commseratlon. dismny and abhorrenc
; imposed alike on all the same involunla
i ry silence. One only, unable to comman
+, the overpowerlng emotions of his hear
/, advanced before the rcst--t was the y0un
% man with he axe, his checks were pal
# with afi'right-hs wildly rolling eyes hashe
! llI.Cmened fire. "What !" be exclaimed
" "three children-thy own children! the in
@ noncent, the imporug boy, the lnfan, sick
Il sucking, all cast out by the mother to b
devoured by the wolves Woman, tho
~ art unworthy to live !" And at the sam
"a instant. The upliled steel descends with r
h sistless force on the scul of the wrctche
woman who falls dead at his feet. Til
perDetrator then calmly wipes the bloc
off the murderouS, axe, and returns to hi
n work.
IS The dreadful tale speedily came TO tn
d knowledge of the magistrates, who cause
5. the uncalled avenge to be arrested an
d brought to trial. He was of course sen
e fenced to the punishment ordained by tn
l. laws; but the sentence still wanted tn,
o sanction of the Emperor. Alexander
" The splendour of whose virtues is only rem
d Tered more consplCnnns BY The Throne