Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-06-20

"Why you little Democrat Put my baby in
to the cradle directly" laughed Mrs Fessenden,
'lest you infect her with such principles, and
then come and tell me this DondrouS tale which
is to teach me not only the deep feeling of the
canaiUe, but give me due and holy horror of
opium in all its forms"
''You may laugh when Pve finished, dear
Clara, but if l do not begin soon your husband
will have come home to tea and your faithful old
nurse have returned from her visit to her daugh-
ter; so Just promise not to put me out by saucy
questions, and you shall hear
"Oh, I'll listen as demurey as do to Mr.
Fessendens lectures, and with as serious an in
tent to profit by it,
"Listen them" said Amy, with halfsad
smile 'You know mammals health failed so
rapidly after we reached Green Bay that she con-
sented to follow the advice of the regimental
surgeon and come to New England, in the hope
of recovering it. Father could not obtain fur
lough and the wealth of Crpsus would not have
hired suitable attendant for her; so l was OBJ
liged to do my best in the double capacity of
companion and nurse to mamma and nurse to|
little Louisa, then about six months old, whom
we could not leave behind The passage across
the Lake was very tedious; mamma grew weak
err every day, and the baby from confinement to
so small space, and from missing doubtless the
tossings she was accustomed to from father and
and the little plays with the other children, be-
came very uneasy and worrisome, so much so
that at times almost lost all patience, and could
| have transferred her to any one but mamma, [
should have left her to fret it out at her leisure
and betaken myself to the deck. One extreme
Ily warm y,'when the sun blazed down on us
in full glory and there was literally ono breath
of air to break the wave," Louise and | were
both so peevish, that mamma, who was unable to
leave her berth, desired me to take the child out
into the air and do something to quiet her" I
obeyed so far as taking her out, but to quiet her
was beyond my art A good natured Irish wo-
man, who kept her own two babies as quiet as
kittens, in the steerage, came up and offered me
F'jist taste of the Godfrey for little Miss, it
will make her Shape so nicely and rest your poor
arms bit, too" And she handed me a cup in
which she had prepared the dose for her own
little ones took it gratefully and was hastily
preparing to give it to my sister, when rough
hand seized the cup, and while it whrled fol
a moment on the surface of the lake, stentori
an voice babe me "take care how NEEDLE witt
poisons" Astonished and yexed looked ur
and saw the dark eye of Mr.. Thompson, the
mate, fixed Oh my face with an expression o
horror | shall never forget. He bent forward
and taking Louise from my arms, laid her low
ingly against his broad breast and began pacing
the deck, murmuring a lullaby the while, whicl
in few minutes soothed her to sleep. Present
iy he came and seating himself near my feet, h
sad Il ought to beg Your pardon for my rudeness
which hope has not offended you, but | cou
not bear to sec you do so wicked a thing as yo
were about When came home from the frs
= voyage | made after was married, Il went Ion
voyages then, across the ocean instead of tn
akes,) there were few men prouder than / Of
kind and loving wife and two beautiful lttl
girls about month old, who lay in cradle nea
her. She was in the habit Of giving them drop
of some kind, to keep them quiet, while she di
" her daily work and went here and there with m
- to see neighbor, or gossip with an old trien(
% for in the little village where we lived, was a
most the only man who had been dozen mile
"e from home; and my wife was as vain as myse
III of the knowledge had gained and was nevC
III tired of hearing Of the wonderful things | ha
o. seen in my voyages One day had been to tn
~ neighborng town on some business, and return
ed late in the evening, tired and wet with rail-
'u' and little cross too from disappointment at ne
ny meeting the persons l expected to see in ii
;" town. My wife was half crazy with tooth-acf
and the babies being, in consequence, turned OF
~ seemed to be trying which could scream the lou,
~ est and be most troublesome In vain rookie
~ the cradle and handled one after the other in n
= arms They only cried harder and my patienc
~ being at last quite gone, took down, as | SUI
~ posed, the bottle of drops and preparing it as
~ had often seen my wife do, | gave them eac
-" what thought pretty stiff dose. Present.
: their eyes closed and laid item side by sic
in their little bed and was soon fast asleep
~ and bye my wife walked me and wondering Il
-, babies had slept so long, begged me to see
y" they were covered and comfortable. | locke
: and saw them sleeping just as had lain ther
with their little faces close together, and was g
~ y. ing back to take another nap, when looking
:. the clock, said cit Is almost morning-th
- have indeed slept famously." | don't kno
III. 'ohat it was, but something seemed to tell
~; wife that all was not right, for she rose al
came to the cradle and bending over it, lift
first one little hand, then another, then the
= heads and then with loud scream, she fell dea
LII as thought, on the floor. In a few minutes
cD had laid her on the bed and called in XII
~ neighbor and it was not till | came back wi
she IL, ....s1. wi D I"''Iu
~ she found them cold and dead The quieti
.;ns drops l had so foolshly given had sent tho
: 7 both together to another world, leaving me wi
a weight upon my heart and conscience, viii
can never be taken off. 1t seemed that t
,y' neghbor, whom called to help US in our nee
~ had been that afternoon with my wife and fir