The national whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1847, 1847-07-17
NATIONAL WING.
THE CITY CT E R K.
nj MISS carHARISK NJ. srpsEwIcK.

BIZ MISS CAThAniNk n. skpuh"ASA
CA sisters love! dwell upon the theme
The only love on earth to which the earth
Has given no faint Of selfregardiul care.
HENRY WARE.
Concluded,
The days, as we have said, were at their
shortest. Mrs. Hathaway moved slowly,
the afternoon was very dark, and the sha-
dows Of the stormy evening were thicken-
ing, when the father and mother sat down
to their Thanksgiving meal. Mr.. Hatha-
ways grace was much longer than usual,
but there was no allusion to their affection.
He could not now trust his voice for this,
his body and mind were beginning to feel
the pressure. 1t was only half past three !!
he wondered it was so dark and again and
again he wiped his eyes. He suffered 6 mo-
ther" to cut up for him his favorite bit of
turkey. He took, according to our rural
custom, Ca little Of alp the various vege-
tables and condiments, and though he re-
marked, "there was never tenderer tur.
key,n there seemed never to have been a
tougher one in the chewing. AS to the
poor mother, she could not eat; she loath-
ed the sight Of the food and when her
husband, who had tried not to observe her
as she moved the dishes on the table, first
out of their places and then into them; and
turned her food over and over on her plate,
without tasting it, said, sc Poor mother,
there's no use in trying" she moved back
her chair, and took refuge in her little ad-
joining bedroom. There she sat by the
window, looking up the road as long as she
could discern fence or tree as Landmark
The night settled down on the earth as it
had on her spirit. The snow no longer fell,
but the wind rose and gusts came sweeping
down the hillside, and roaring in the Chin
ney, and penetrating every crevice OF the
slight tenement. She shook, as ii an sgue
were on her, as she returned to her hus-
band, and drew her chair close to him.
:" You had best light candle, mother,''
said he; Colonel Miles will want light
TO guide him through this driving storm
light two, and set them 10 the window y
She lighted and placed them, and sat down
again the table was left standing. A wo-
man accustomed to perform the domestic
Offices through all the routine Of life-to
60 steadily on, come what will, Joy or sor-
row, with the periodical preparations that
sustain and solace animal life, must be para
lyzed before she neglects them. And SO
was poor Mrs. Hathaway. The thought OF
her good, honest, true, ever-cheerful boy,
IN the convict's uniform, among the motley
gang OF culpFits and committed Migrants on
Blackweli's Island; such as she had heard
it described, with the neglect. misrule.
and wretchedness that prevailed there-the
thoughts Of her little Ruth, where was
she this cruel stormy night? No wonder
the poor woman had left the table standing
as it was when she and her husband rose
from it. No wonder she sat now leaning
on the arm Of her husbands chair, listen
ing for the aColonel's sleigh bells, and hear
ing only the bowling storm, and not heed
ing it, she Heard her husbands little conso.
lations dropped in every now and then, g il
the Colonel comes at all, he'll come soon .
and with sigh (most unwonted sound
from that bosom Of sunny cheerfulness -
it does not much signify whether he come
tonight, for it's certain no mail can come
through to-day. The Colonel's folks will
be expecting him. should not wonder il
he drove through, bad as it is ~ A long
long pause. Mercy on us! that is sleigh
bell ~ A breathless pause. |" They're gone
by! do wish the Colonel was we'll home
his people will feel dreadfully, and it,
all on our account. twas pity he staid
we might have known there would hav,
been nc news from them tonight" Ano
Their pause, and a bowling blast Of wind
and the poor mother asked, /" what will be
come of Ruth if she is on the road th
weather y;
Mother, look to Him who tempers TIT
wind to the shorn lamb. II she gets Char
lies pardon, she'll be paid for it alp
Pardon" exclaimed Mrs. Hathaway
in the only proud tone that ever came from
her; I'D not ask pardon for the innocen
boy"
sGood, mother, good keep to that brave
feeling, and we'll weather the Storm Blu
it seemed that all the mothers courage hat
spent itself in that one outbreak /; she agar
sank into desperate, rnotionless silence
" il is bad night" murmured Hathaway
and worse indoors than out ~ and sad i
was to see the miseries that belong only to
ill-doing, gathering over this little family
where patience and pious content had sc
long reigned
Suddenly Mrs. Hathaway raised her head
her heart again futtered. She dared mo-
speak, but as the wind for moment lulled,
she thought she heard approaching bells.
Her husbands slower senses heard them
too. She started TO her feet. "They have
stopped here il is the Colonel - she ex-
claimed in another instant the outer door
OF the little porch was thrown open, and
the inner door, and Ruth rushed in and
threw herself into her mothers arms, ex-