Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-04-28
"Have some steaks"
uvtv -, att

| Now, thercwas no one To send but Amy,
and Mrs. james knew it, With sigh,
she put away her letter, and went into tho
nursery.
Amy. Mr.. James has forgotten tho
marketing. Iwish you TO run over 70 tho
provision store and order some beef steaks;
l will stay with the baby"
Amy WAS none too well pleased to be
sen, on this crrand. She rcInarkctl, ''shat
she must first change her Dress
BE as quick as possible, them" sand
Mrs, Jmnes, 'for lam particularly cngas-
ed this morning. -e Fea
| Amy neither obeyed nor disobeyed. but
managed 70 take her own time in reality.
though without any direct determination
to do 50. Mrs. James thinking she might
get a long sentence or two in the nursery.
took the German book in but 10 the ar
rangcment Charley would by no means
consent. Mamma must show him the kit.
tens in the book; whether there or not.it
was all one to him--bat amused ho must
be. Half her second days timc oftrial
was zone. when Amy came m; and, with
n sigh, Mrs james returned 70 her room.
Before one o'clock, she had bccn callod
down to the kitchen twice on some impor-
tant business rclatingto the dinner. and,tor
this day, not one entire page OF letter had
been written.
On the third morning she arose carly.
made every provision for dinner, and for
the comfort OF the family, which she deem
ed necessary, and. clatcd by success, in
good spirits, and with good courage, shc
entered her study precisely ut eleven o.
clock. Now, she was to have fine tirnc
oft. Her books We're opened, and hard
lesson summoned to the conflict. Scarce
ly had she read line, when she heard tho
door bell ring.
Somebody wishes to see you IN the par
lor, Mrs. james"
"Tel them am engaged. Bridget"
81 told them you were TO home, ma'uri.
and they give me their names; butl did
not exactly understand"
Mrs. James was obliged 70 go--to smile
when she felt sober, to be sociul when her
thoughts were elsewhere. Her friends.
however. seemed to find hcrugreeable, for
they made long call; and when they rose
to 90, others came. So, in the most an.
: satisfactory chit-chat all this morning
! went.
On the next day Mr.. James invited com
pany to tea, and Mrs James was obliged
. to give up the morning to preparing II.
and did not enter her study. On the next
day following, she was obliged to keep her
bed with sick headache; and on Saturday,
. Amy having extra work to do, the charge
!, of the baby devolved upon her. Thus
a passed the first week.
True to her promise, Mrs. James pa
tiently pcrscvcrcd for q month in her et-
forts TO secure to herself this fragment Of
, her broken time, with what success tho
weeks history can tell With its close,
closed the month of December. Being
particularly occupied on the last day Of
the old year, in getting ready for the NOR
rows festival, it was near the last hour oil
the day when she made her good-nighis's
call in the nursery. She Went 70 tbs CRIB
1 to look At baby; there he lay, fast asleep.
D in his innocence and beauty. She ekissed
n lis rosy check gently, and siroked softly
= his golden hair, and, pressing his ittlo
!. dimpled hands within hers. she drew tho
c warm covering more closely around him,
n carefully tuckingit in; then, stealing ona
@ more kiss, she left him to his slumbers.
$ and sat down on her daughters bed. She
: was also sweetly asleep, with her dolly
!; huggcd closed to her. Her mother smiled.
}. but soon it seemed as il graycr and saddcr
! thoughts filed her mind, as indeed they
r did. She was thinking other disappoint.
C ed plans. Toher, not only The past month,
hrf H., n.,1 ba. h.<...
one offruitlcss effort; it seemed to her bro
a ken and disjcintcd; even her hours Of re-
n ligious meditation had been cncroachcd
upon and distracted. She had accom-
plishcd nothing that she could SEQ. butkccp
her house and family; and, to her saddenod
thoughts, even this seemed TO have been
but indieerently done. Ycarpings for
something better than this, she was con
scious of.
What did she need, then! To see some
Of the resuHs ofhc lifc-work To bo
conscious Of some unity of purpose, some
weaving together ofthcsc lifc-thrcads, now
so broken and single !
/, She felt, she was quite sure, no desire to
shrink from duty, however humble; but
she sighed for some comforting assurance
: Of what oas duty. Her pursuits, conflict
n ing as they did with her tastes, seemed to
her frivolous. She felt there was some
better way ofliving, which she had failed
Of discovering. As shc leaned over her
child, her tears now fell fast upon that
: young brow.
ri How earnestly wished that mother that
!. she could shield her child from the disap-
pointmcnts and sclf-repronches and mis-
j takes from which she was then suffering;
that the little one might take up life where
she could give ii TO her, mendcd by all her
own experience. Il would have been q
! great comfort, could she have felt that she
could have fought the battle for BOTH
Yet she knew that it could not be so that
1--we must all learn for ourselves what are
those things which make for our peace.--
, With tears still in her eyes, she gave the
! goodnight 10 thcchild, md with soft step
, entered the adjoining room, and there fair.
+ ly kissed out the old year onanothcr chub-
: by cheek which nestled among the pillows;
. then she sought her own rest.
al Soon she found herself in singular.
/ place. She was traycrsing vart plain; no
trees were visible, save those which skirt
! Cd the distant horizon; on their tops rested
Il wreath OF golden clouds. Before her.
travelling towards that distant light. was
: a female. Little children were about her.
sometimes in her arms and sometimes Of
her side. As shejourneyed on, she busted
herself caring for them. Now she soothcd
: them when weary--now she taught them
E how totrayel, and again she warned them
! Of the pitfalls and stumblipg-blocks in the
xpay Size halpcd fbcu, over The onq and