Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1839-12-17

0tohu was dOSSHt III search OF employment |
--as they hoped, and light was held by |
the youngest child, who smiled as he |
watched the scene, as if it had been pa
geant got up for his amusement. That
light, feeble as it was, showed the strong
and varying expression of the countenan-
ces on which it fell in Welberg's there
was stern and fearful JOY, that she whom
they were laying to rest had been taken
from the evil to come, in that of Ines
there was grief mingled with something of
horror, at this mute and unhallowed cere-
mony. Her daughters pale with griefand
fear, wept silently but their fears were
checked, and the whole course of their
feelings changed, when the light fell on
another figure VINO appeared suddenly
standing among them on the edge of the
grave-it was that of Welberg's father.
Impatient Of being alone, and wholly I'M
conscious Of the cause, be had CROPPED and
tottered his way till he had reached the
spot; and as he saw his son heap up the
earth over the grave, he exclaimed with
brief effort Of reminiscence, sinking on
the ground, Me To-Day me there, the
same spot will serve for bothr His chill
dren raised and supported him into the
house, where the sight of Everard, with
an unexpected supply of provisions, made
them forget the horrors of the late scene,
and postpone the fears Of want till to-mor-
row. No enquiry how this supply was
obtained, could extort more from Everard
than that it was tho oft Of charity. He
looked exhausted and dreadfully pale-and
forbearing to press him with further ques-
tons, they paltook of this maHna-meal
this food that seemed to have dropped
from heaven, and separated for the night.
9Estls4Ss.s s1sAs.-
"Ines had, durii ais periou OF calam.
ity, unremittingly enrorced the application
of her daughters t. those acctTtp lishments
from which she still .Io~ived the hopes of
their subsistence. lteyer were the
prvations and disappointment of the day,
their musical and other exercises were
strictly attended to; and hands enfeebled
by want and grief piled their task with as
much assiduity as when occupation was
only variation of luxury. This atten-
tion to the ornaments of life, when its ac-
tual neccssaries are wanted-this sound
of music in house where the murmu.s
of domestic anxiety are heard every mo-
ment-this subservience oftalent to neces-
sity, all its generous enthusiasm lost, and
only its possible utility remembered or val
ued-iS perhaps the bitterest strife that
ever was fought between the opposing
claims Of our artificial and our natural ex-
istence. But things had now occurred that
shook not only the resolution of Ines, but
affected her feelings even beyond the
power Of repression. She had been ac-
customed to hear, with delight, the eager
application of her daughters TO their lnu-
seal stu les now when she heard them,
the morning after the interment of their
grandmother, renewing their application
---She felt us if the sounds struck through
her heart. She entered the room where
they were, and they turned towards her
WITH their usual smiling demand for APP
probation.
The mother, with the forced-slnlle of a
sickcning heart, said she believed there
was no occasion for their practising any
further that day. The daughters under
stood her too well, relinquished their in
struments, and accustomed TO see every
article of furniture converted into the
means ofcasual subsistence, they thought
10 worse than that their guitars might
be disposed Of this day, and the next they
hoped they would have to teach on those
Of their paTis. They were Mistaken
Other symptoms of falling resolution-of
utter and hopeless abandonment appeared
that day. Welberg had always felt and
expressed the strongest feelings Of tender
respect towards his parents--his father
particularly, whose age far exceeded that
f his m )thcr. AT the division of their
meal that day, he showed akind of wolfsh
and greedy jealousy that made Ines trem-
be- He whispered to her, how much
my father eats--how heartily he feeds
while We have scarce a morsel And
lie: us want that morsel before your father
wants oner said Ines in a whisper-H
have scarce tas'ed any thing myself. 'Fa-
Their father 7 cried Welberg, shouting
in the year of the doaling old man, you
are eating heartily, while Ines and the
childrea are starviDgp And he snatched
the food from his fathers hand, who ga
zed at him vacantly and res gned the con-
tested nlorsel without a struggle. A mo-
ment afterwards the old man rose from
his seat, and with horrid unnatural force
| (rendered still more dreadful by the air
Of evident unconsciousness with which il
was accompanied, tore the uutasted meal
from his grand-chlds lips, and swallowed
it himself, while his shrivelled and tooth
less m ruth seemed to grin at them il
mockery, at sonce infantino and mali
cIous.
"Squabbling about your SUPPER criet
Everard, bursting among them with ;
wild and feeble laugh; "why, here i
enough for tomorrow and tomorrow.
And he flung, indeed, ample means 70
two days subsistence on the table, but h
looked paler and paler. The hungry
family devoured the hoard, and forgot t
ask the cause of his increasing palenes
and obviously diminishing strength.
"They had long been without any do
mestics, and as Everard disappeared mis-
teriously every day, the daughters wer
1 / sometimes employed on the humble er
rands ofthe family. The beauty Of tn
{ elder daughter, Julia, was SO conspicuous
that her mother had often undertaken th
most mental errands herself rather thai
send her daughter into tie streets unPro