Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1844-03-15

the cold Friday Of December, lS3-; while
/ have especial cause 10 remember it, from
the occurrence Of such a scene as | trust it
will never again be my lot to witness.
Having hurried through my professional
visits, | fastened home, congratulating my
self on the prospect Of being able to spend
that evening by my own cheerful fireslde.-
/ was doomed to disappointment. The fro
zen boots ! had taken off were smoking on
the hearth, my coat, stiff with sleet and hail,
was spread over a chair before the fire, and
! had Just taken a seat at the comfortable
tea-tabie, when a call was made upon my
professional services.
The door opened to a poor woman, who
wished me to see her child. o Doctor
be quick" was all she had strength to utter
as she sank exhausted, into a chair. / has
tiIy drew on my boots and coat, while a feel
ing of ~vexation at being called out, was
changed to sorrow when / looked at the
poor mother.
An old pair Of thin shoes, and thinner
stockings, a threadbare cotton gown, a scam
", much worn shawl, and a rusty, black
lephorn hat. soaked and frozen with sleet,
made all her dress. What a m~ockery Of
clothing for such a night My kind-heart-
ed little wife, busting about to hide her feel
ings, brought out some Of her own warm
clothes, for which she insisted the half-clad,
shiverine creature, should change her drip
ping garments.
The poor woman's entreaties and prayers,
that we should set out to the relief of the
child, were d~isregarded until she was suita-
bly, clothed, and when dry stockings, stout
shoes a wooden gown, a thick hood and
warm cloak had been put upon her, (t
would have been murder to let her go with
Quit we started, | having, in the meantime,
put in my pockets a small bottle of wine and
such little articles of nourishment as were
at hand. While on our way TO her room,
which being but a short distance, in the
street adjoining that in which | lived, we
soon reached, | learned, from the short and
hurried answers of the trembling mother,
that her child had been gradually failing
since the commencement Of cold weather,
less from any actual disease, than from want
of proper food, clothing and shelter. Lite
rally dying of poverty, the only crime up
on which the world looks with disgust and
the only one which never goes unpunished.
We soon reached the house, an old tot
tering, half decayed frame building, in an
upper room of which the helpless patient
lay. A bottle supplied the place of a can
dlestick, in which was stuck a bit of tallow
candle, with long, untrimmed wick, she'd
ding a feeble light upon the nearest objects,
rendering the dark corners doubly gloomy.
The hearth was cold, the little invalid hav-
ing been too sick, this day, to be left by the
mother while she picked up the few chips
which had served to keep up a semblance of
fire. Through many a crevice in the floor
and sides, the wind came in chilling puffs,
while sleet and hail drove in at the half
stopped broken panes of the window
Carefully shading the candle, l advanced
to the side Of the bed, upon which the poor
woman was spreading over her child, the
cloak my wife had given her. AT a glance,
I saw that / was come too late. Death had
been there. All alone in that dark, cold
room, with no kind hand to smooth the pill
low for her aching head, or wipe the death
dew from her sinking temples, the little suf-
ferer had yielded up her spirit.
"There was no eye to pity, no arm to
save" Death had kindly released her from
the grippe of pain, had gently drawn her
pure spirit from its tabernacle of suffering
and sorrow.
Her little limbs were stiff, her features
sweetly calm, but pale and rigid as marble,
a frozen tear in either eye. The frost had
done its work, she was literally frozen to
death.
The mother, struck dumb with horror,
for a moment gazed upon her child with
speechless agony, then fell, as if struck
down by some unseen hand, across the lit
little frozen corpse.
HILL. .ol.~- .1on @rnA ~ thn no.-I
bors to assist, | labored for hours to endeav-
or to restore her, but in vain. AT intervals,
she would open her eyes for a moment with
a sort of dreamy consciousness, then in
stantly relapse into a death-like swoon.-
Her day was fast drawing to a close, her
sands were almost run, the silver cord of.
life was nearly severed, Finding it a hope
less case, / procured fuel in the neighbor-
hood, and employed an old woman to watch
her then, as it was long past midnight, !
returned nome to snatch a few hours rest
Early on the following morning, | stepped in
at this house of death, scarce hoping to find
my patient restored, but totally unprepared
for the scene which-burst upon me. How
was | horor-stricken at finding the door aiar,
the fire burnt out, the nurse gone away, the
mother stretched in death beside her child.
There they lay, the mother and her child,
both dead-both frozen hard as the neither
milestone.
Beautiful in death, they lay sweetly sleep
ing side by side. / could not feel unhappy
that for them 'sorrow and signing had flown
away"
Cold and hunger, starvation and misery,
had been their portion. They had not even
the crumbs which fall from the rich mans
table. Now their cares were ended. To-