The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1852-10-13

the sake of your child have pity upon mel"
NJ, Dupont glided behind the minis
ter.
slime presses" whispered he; "evcry
moment costs us a vote"
Maurice pressed his lips to the forehead
of his wife.
81 shall soon come back" said he.
The notary made his escape,
She rose and placed herself in front of
the door.
You shall not GO" said she, "or if
you do, You must first tralnple under foot
II dcspairing woman, the mothc Of your
dying child. She has no hope but in you;
and would you forsake yourson :"
Il have no need of any one to teach
me my duty" said NJ. Fraussen, harShv,
for he WAS disgusted at his own meanness;
and being angry with himself, sought, as
Is too often the case, to find cause of anger
with another, in order to Escape from the
reproacheS of his own conscience. IF
acknowledged the necessity of remaining
with the child, do you suppose it would be
nccdful for you to urge it upon me! Nv
assistance is useless here; urgent calls
summon me elsewhere, and obey them."
"You shall not go" cried Bertha, scarce
Knowing what she said, and clinging to
her husband.
lie sought to put her aside.
mo no Stayl Stay2"
He disengaged himself from her hold,
not without some violence, thrust her aside,
closed the door behind, hastened to rJoin
the notary, to take his place beside him
in the west-chaise, and to call to tho pos
h!llon to drive on as fast rs his horses
could gaIlop.
"Oh, sir stop my mistress has tainted
away" cried the voice of the terrified maid
form the window of Bertha's room. But
the sound of her voice was drowned bv
the rattleof the wheels; the minister did
not hear it and NJ. dupont, who did, took
care to say nothing on the subject to bis
companion.
When Bertha saw her husband forsakc
her and his child, when he thrust her SO
unfceingly asi lie in order to follow Du-
p"nt, and sacrifice his duty to his family
to the calls Of ambition, she went and
resumed her place in silence, by the era
die OF her son. She felt and understood
from that moment that it was all over With
the poor little child, and that she ,ntlsejay
aside every shadow of hope. The eeun-
tenmlces of the physicians, during The
-sisita which they paid pyars hslf issllf ID
the little sufferer, confirmed her in this
terrible conviction. Bertha no longer
questioned them, no longer impIorcd them
to sIve her child. With feelings of an
gnish, which worls are inadequate to
describe, she waitc,l there in silence. How
fearful for II mother thus to await the
death of her chill. Her eyes fixc. upon
the c"untcnancc once so bright and
joyous To watch the gradual extinction of
life. Poor little fellow his lips were parch-
ed, the breath ratified in his throat, his
features were stitfening beneath the cold
grasp of death. The physician no long
cr ateptcd to atfor.l relief, all was useless
n"w-thcy gazed with compassion upon
th" mourntul scene, and Withdrew without
utt"ring word.
The child's breathing became fainter
AMI fainter, until at length complete ST.
lcncc reigned in the room His mother
bending over him could scarcely detect, at
i"iervals, an almost imperceptible breath
upon her cheek, which proved to her that
the strugglce was not yet over.
At length she felt nothing more. She
sank down upon her knees, cIasping her
hands in almost delirious agony.
When she was raisel from the ground,
covering had been drawn over the corpse
and two persons were kneeIing and pray
ing beside her. They were Madame de
MattlieSen and her husband.
She exchanged n rapid glance with
them, AMI then turning to the cradle,
raiSch the veil which concealed the corpse
and stool mournfully contemplating it
III silence unhrokcn by her friends, the
only witnesses of this painful scene, from
which the servants bad respectfully with
drawn.
Suddenly she appeared to awake as if
from paidfui dream.
He is now deadR surely he is not dead"
she murmured. 81 must he sleeping
tormented by fearful dream. My child!
oOu' surely hbNC
him from me. He would not take child
from his mother |"
She took the little corpse in her arms,
laid it on her lap, and began rocking it
gently. The ciild's limbs We're already
stiffening, and its cxtremities had become
icy cold.
"He does not novel, cried she; "he is
cold! he is deadlhs is dead"
NJ. de Matthiasen and his wife endeav-
ored to take from her the remains, and to
remove her away from sight so painful
But she resisted all their efforts, and re
sumed:
"He is dead and his father might have
saved him, "a he had already done once
before. He is dead and it was his father
who trampIed him under foot: he forsook
him without hesitation. His power, his
position, or know not what was at stake!
and what matterd It If the child died
What are mother aud child when
"a.