The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-03-19

AN AFFECTING ScENE.-The following affect
ing description is extracted from Bulwers latest
production, 'sNight and Morning"
"In a miserable grabat, or garrett a mocha
mic, yet young, and stricken by lingering ma
lady, contracted by the labor Of his occupation,
was slowly passing from that word which, for
the mass Of inhabitants, the curse Of Cain is
everlastingly at work. Now this man had mar
ried for love, and his wife had loved him !; and it
was the cares of that early marriage that had
consumed him to the bone. But extreme want,
il long continued, eats up love when il has no
thing else TO eat. And when people are very
long dying, the people they fret and trouble be-
gin to think of that too often hypocrtical prett-
ness OF phrase called "a happy release So the
worn out and half-iamished wife did not care
three straws for the dying husband whom a
year or two ago she had vowed TO love and
cherish in sickness and in health But still she
seemed TO care, for she moaned, and pned, and
wept as the mans breath grew fainter and
fainter.
'Ah, Jeann said she sobbing, what iriH be-
come OF me, poor loan widow, with nobody to
work for my bread 2 And with that thought she
took on worse than before.
i am sitting said the dying man, rolling
round his CHASTITY eyes. How hot it is Open
the window; should like to see the lght-day-
light once again.
Mon dieu! what whims he has, poor man 2
muttered the woman without stirring.
The poor wretch put his skeleton hand out and
clutched his wife's arm.
Il shan't trouble you long, Mare Air-air!'
Jean, you will make yourself worse; besides,
shall catch my death of cold. | have scarce
rag on, but | will just open the door
pardon me, groaned the sufferer; leave me,
them
Poor fellow perhaps at that moment the
thought of unkindness was sharper than the
sharp cough which brought blood at every pa
roxysm He did not like her so near him, but
he did not blame her. Again | say, poor fel-
low
The woman opened the door, and went to the
other side Of the room, and sat down on an old
box and began darning an old handkerchief The
silence was soon broken by the means Of the
fast diving man, and again he muttered, as he
tossed to and fro, with baked white lips, lem
metoufe! Air!
There was no resisting that prayer, it seemed
so like the last. The wife laid down the needle,
put the handkerchief round her throat, and open
ed the window. Do you feel easier, nowp
BLESS you, Marie-yes; that's good--good. 1t
puts me in mind of old days, that breath Of air,
before we came 10 Paris ] wish could work
for you nom, Marie
Jean! my poor Jean said the woman; and the
words and the voice took back her hardening
heart to the fresh fields and tender thoughts of the
past time. And she walked up to the bed, and he
leaned his temples, damp with livid dews upon
her breast
4 have been sad burden TO you, Marie; we
should not have married so soon; but thought
was stronger. Don't cry;w have no little ones,
thank God. II will be much better for you when
am gone. And so word after word gasped OUT
he stopped suddenly, and seemed to fall asleep.
The wife then attempted to lay him once more
onhis pillow-the head fell back heavily--the jaw
had dropped-the teeth were set-the eyes were
open and like stone-the truth broke on her Jean
jean My God, heis dead and was unkind
to him at the last ? With these words she fell
upon the corpse, happily herself insensible."