New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-11-13
A REMINIscENcE OF THE 1sTHMUs.
LITTLE CHARLES DEATH.

tctive traits of adventurous life on the shores |
of the Pacific are described, in most graphic
aud unique manner From this sketch we ex-
tract the episode which follows. 1t is at once
touching, and, no doubt, truthful. The hotel
mentioned by the writer was at Palenquilla, |
and the night ON which the occurrences MARIA |
ted took place was as stormy as the most mer-
CHESS Spanish guerrilla, or unconsclonable inn
keeper, could have desired. The writer in the
midst Of the thick darkness, had reached a
building dignifed by the name of hotel, and,
scraping the mud from his boots, retired to
rest in the attic. What followed is thus mar
rated
must have been very tired and sleepy, for l
can only recolect one moment when the crack
ing of the cane floor beneath my step chimed in
beautifully with the pattering of the heavy
rain drops on the roof, and | think slumber
seized me even as | settled down upon my prim
tive couch. had hardly lost myself, as the
expression is, when | was again reused to con-
seriousness by voices in the apartment below.
The first was that Of woman, low and shrill,
impressing me as coming from. heart in Bit
terest warfare with its destiny, and curiously
Mt variance with the lullng sound of the rain,
and the dull, heavy, mournful gustiness of the
wind.
",Tohn," it cried, in tones of agony, do
not let him die-he is my little angel! John,
oh ! cannot let him die'
Hush, DEAR said another voice-the rough
and hard voice Of man-s' why should we ask
t. have him ,ared' Has our life been so very
pleasant that we should pray for like boon
for him p
The words, and the tone in which they were
uttered more than the words themselves, revealed
to me picture, suddenly illuminated as it were
by flash of heavens lightning, in which noted
all the details Of one of these unhappy lives SO
commonly led by the sensitive and poor 1t was
with no hope of turning back the tide Of hurrying
events, and yet certainly with no idle curiosity,
that crept along over the cane floor of my
chamber toward the aperture, where | could
leisurely inspect the scene below. Oh, what
would l not have given for the power and ap
pliances Of the painter, to have stamped its lin
eaments upon the canvas. even as l saw them
then man and woman had entered, and were
seated side by side on two rude boxes, stationed
in corner of the apartment which was possibly
the most comfortable locale, if such an epithet
may be applied to premises 30 utterly wet and
cherries. These two persons seemed in full pos
session of the house. The proprietor had either
gone out, or was called away to sleep in some
rner hidden to my view. second glance re-
vealel third person, a child of apparently not
more than five or six summers, whose emaciated
and spasmodic frame was almost wholly con-
cealed by the protecting arms of the man, evil
IDENTIFY his father This group of three was so
disposed, with the feeble candle light falling full
upon them, that, in my desire to read the story
in their faces, / almost Immediately saw their
eaCn 1ulnutpSL Inc. WIllle I'LL Tic NoIlu DeSlue
became nothing but the blacklist void, and my
ear ceased to take note of the rain and gusty
wind. and heard nothing but the outpourings Of
these forlorn and seemingly forgotten spirits.
The man was apparently rather under what
is termed the middle age, of small stature
wasted and thin, as if from long care and self
denial His attire, even in the abandon of that
out.of-the-w way spot, somehow bespoke the gen
tleman, and just as plainly, too the poor gen
tleman AS he sat holding his frail burden
every moment, alas! becoming frazier, vainly
trying to smoothe it to moments repose, ano
after each unsuccessful effort turning his be-
seechipg eyes to heaven, could read in his
sharp, pale face, his high, projecting, but moi
broad forehead, his quick, restless eye, flashing
with a certain fire withal, and the unsteady
working of his mouth, the plainly written story
OF high-hearted, disappointed man. There
was something in his whole demeanor which be
spoke the man of pride, Of principle, of genius
too, but also Of irresoluton-the most unhapp.
man Of all Gods images on earth--the man who
seeing the prizes with which life's lottery i
teeming, aud knowing the way to reach them
vet lacks the nerve to follow therein, becaus
the cowarlly doubt is still there, as to whether
after all, the highest goods thus to be obtained
The woman like the man, in one respect, a
least was IS not now that which she had been,
and yet there were traces of her former bette
self pickering occasionally in her face and mieI
Although no smile played upon her lips, whic
were once beautiful but were now thin, an
drawn tightly together. as if to shut out troI
her heart the atmosphere Of a world that ha
4 never seemed to love her, and no especial bril-
lance flashed upon you when the lids wei
raised from eyes around which were drawn dar
4 lines, and stood out in painful prominence frol
\ wasted cheeks and although her costume wf
of the simplest, suggestive Of dull routine
3 daily tasks, and nothing of the dashiness an
n bravery Of life, yet there was something, nj
-. Il ,,,,l, r-lt OH
I'D that this was not the destiny to which she W;
& born; else why should have seen her, as in
q mirror Of the past, sweeping with gallant graz
adowu glded drawing room, or rousing to wi
80 gayety, II sea-shore or hearth. side party, |
IA look. and tones fraught with ire-side electr
& sparks? Even now, and in that worn, slende
g@ compressed frame, there was secreted poss
r. blity of fascination, which needed only Il
s showers and beams of sympathizing hearts
awaken to active being. You rude ones OF t
world, ye who take pride in the scrupulous &C
59 recness Of your dealings in your business rel
,8% tons with other men, paying promptly your I
s7 cuniary debts even to the uttermost tarthir
n but who, in the calculating and unfeeling pr
's suit of your selfish ends, jostle the pure,
En- gentle, and the incorporating from their pat
of life, depriving them thus of those simple pl
4 sures which you know not of, because you CT
ID not enjoy them-thnk you that you will ne
4 I'll be called to q reckoning for this
Anu uuH IbtlU Cilltl, WHO was ONeTleuplnE
this WEAKNESS and misery of life, and was 81
- to be u little cherub-I actually found mys
3. chuckling over the idea that he was cheat
the old deceptive villain of world, and ,
n Guiding its clutches, even by stolen marcl
z. heaven No trittering away of the beauty
glory of has young life, by unmanly canker
cakes The lustre of his roguish little eye
not to be dmmed, the rosy fullness of his L
chievous mouth was not to be wholly was
his laughing curls were not even to be cut,
NJ he had lain them all in the bottom of the rot
earth, which was their mother. | have
that lie was child of some five or six SUNNI
There was none of the freshness of winter al
hinl-nothng even in his form, worn by disc
suggestive of cold or barrenness He was u
ts. licate summer flower, and now that he was b.
NJ crushed to earth, it was a summer storm
did ia rude gale, that might break his fra
Stock and scatter far and wide his fair
52 petals, but which would none the less certa
wait the essence of his fragrance and lowell
far beyond the clouds.
The father sat with the child in his arms,
with any hope Of keeping him from the graz
death, bnt gently rocking him, as if tryin
lull him off to slumber, ashe had often perch
s4 done after frolicsome days, when sleep c
with soft and welcome tread, bringing p
ant dreams and angel whispers in her II
Then the sweet sisisn Of shs nsrrew awake