Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-11-19

with a loud voice, called out that he had been
sent express with a letter to Gilbert Ainslie,
al the same time rudely, and with an oath,
demanding a dram for his trouble. The eId-
est son, a lad of eighteen, %fiercely seized the
bride Of his horse, and turned his Tread away
from the door. The rider, somewhat alarm.
ed at the flushed face of the powerful strjp.
ling, threw down the letter and rode off. Gil
bert took the letter from his sons hand, cast
ing, at the same time, a halfupraidinr look
on his face, that was returning TO lis former
color. 81 feared said the youth. with a
tear in his eye-"I feared that the brute's
voice, and the trampling OF The horse's feet,
would have disturbed her." Gilbert held
the letter hesitatingly in his hand, as if afraid
at the moment, 10 read il; at length he said
aloud to the surgeon, g Yeu know thai | am
a poor man, and debt, if Justly incurred. and
punctually paid when due, is no dishonor."
Both his hand and his voice shook slightly
as he spoke; hut he opened the letter from
the lawyer, and read it in silence. ) AT this
moment his wife came from her child's bed
side, and looking anxiously at her husband,
told him "not to mind about the money. that
no man, who knew him, would arrest his
goods, OF uthim into prison. Though, dear
me, it is cruel TO be put to it thus, when our
bairn is dying, and when, if so it be the
Lords will, she should have a decent burial,
poor innocent, like them that went before her."
Gilbert continued reading the letter with a
face on which no emotion could be discover
ed; and then, folding it up, lie gave it to his
wife, told her she might read it if she chose,
aud then put it into his desk in the room, be-
side the poor dear BARN. She took it from
him without reading it, and crushed it into
her bosom for she turned her ear towards
her child, and, thinking she heard it stir, ran
out hastily TO its bedside. 4rr
Another hour of trial past, and the child
was still swimming for its life. The very
dogs knew there was grief in the house, and
lay without stirring, as if hiding themselves,
below the long table at the window. One
sister sat with an unfinished gown on her
knees, that she had been sewing for the dear
child, and still continued at the homeless
work, she scarcely knew why; and Often, Of
ten putting up her hand TO wipe away a tear.
I" What is that :" said the old man to his eld-
est daughter; What is that you are laying
on the shclf" She could scarcely reply
that it was a riband and an ivory comb she
had brought for little Margaret, against the
night of the dancing-school ball. And, at
these words, the father could not restrain a
long, deep, and bitter groan; at which the
boy nearest in age 10 his dying sister, looked
up weeping in his face, and letting the latter
I'd book of old ballads, which he had been
boring on but not reading, fall out of his
lands, he rose from his seat. and poinp into
us fathers bosom, kissed him, and asked
iod TO bless him for the holy heart of the
10Y was moved within him, and the old man.
S he embraced him, felt that in his inno-
ence and simplicity, he was indeed a COM
orter. "The Lord giveth, and the Lord Ia
,eth away" said the old man, " blessed be
he name of the Lord"
The outer door gently opened, and he,
whose presence had in former years brought
,eace and resignation hither. when their
hearts had been tried, even as they now were
ried, stood before them. On the night be-
lore the Sabbath, the minister of Auchindown
never left his Manse, except, as now, to visit
the sick or dying bed. Scarcely could Gill
bert reply to his firsr question about his child,
the surgeon came from the bedroom,
and said, Margaret seems lifted up by Gods
hand above death and the grave | think she
will recover. She has fallen asleep; and,
she wakes, | hope-I believe-thnt
he danger will be past, and that your child
will live." u
They were all prepared for death, but now
hey were found unprepared for life. One
wept that had till then locked up all her tears
within her heart; another gave a short palpi-
lating shrek and the tender-hearted Isabel,
who had nursed the child when il was a ba-
by, tainted away. The youngest brother gave
way 10 gladstone smiles and, calling out
his dog Hector, who used tn sport with him
and his little sister on the moor, he told the
tidings to the dumb irrational creature, whose
eyes ii is certain, sparkled with a SORT of ioy.
The clock, for some days had been prevented
from striking the hours, but the silent fingers
pointed to the hour of nine; and that, in the
of Gilbert Ainslie, was the stated hour
of family worship. His own honored minis
ter took the book
He walled a portion with iudicious care:
And, Let US worship God, he said, with SOL
emn air.
A chapter was read--a prayer said-and so,
too, was sung a psalm, but it was sung low.
and with suppressed voices, lest the child's
saving sleep might be broken; and now and
then The female voices trembled, or some one
OF them ceased altogether; for there had been
irlbulalion and anguish, and now hope and
faith were tried in the Joy OF thanksgiving.
The child still slept; and its sleep seemed
more sound and deep. 1t appeared almost
certain that The crisis was over, and that the
was not to fade. "Children," said
Gilbert, g our happiness is in the love we
bear 10 one another; and our duty is in SUBJ
hitting to and serving God. Gracious, in
deed, has he been unto US. Is not the reco-
very OF our little darling, dancing, singing
Margaret, worth all the gold that ever was
mined If We had thousands of thousands,
we not have filled up her grave with
The worthless dross of gold, rather than that
'he should have gone down there with her
sweet face and all her rosy smiles 2" There
vas no reply, but a joyful sobbing all over
he room.
"Never mind the letter, nor the debt, IA
said the eldest daughter. We have all
iome little thing OF our own-a few pounds
and we shall be able TO raise as much as
will keep arrest and prison at a distance. Or
{ they do take our furniture out of The house,
except Margaret's bed, who cares! We
Aill sleep ON the floor; and there are pota-
.oes in the field, and clear water in the spring.
need fear nothing, want nothing; bless