Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1853-01-28
morning" Lev. 10 chap. 18th

| verse.
The husband Of Phoebe was day labor
er; when not intoxicated he was Kind bu,
this was Of rare occurrence, for most Of his
earnings went for ardent spirits, and the
labor of the poor wife and mother was the
main support of herself and four children
the eldest nine years, the youngest on
ly eighteen mouths old. As she neared
the wretched hovel she had left carly IN
the morning, she saw the faces Of her four
little ones pressed close against the win
dow.
"Mother's coming, mothers coming"
they shouted, as they watched her approach
ing through the gloom, and as sue unlock
cd the door, which she had been Obliged
to fastcn to keep them from straying away,
they all sprsug to her arms at once.
God bless you, my babes!' she ez-
claimed, gathering them to her heart, "you
have not been a minute absent from my
mind, this day. And what have .you suf
fered," she added, c!aaping the youngest,
a sickly, attenuatcd-lookiug object, to her
breast. "Oh it is hard, my little Mary,
to leave you to the tender mercies Of chill
dren hardly able to take care ofthcmselves."
And rs the baby nestled its head closer 10
her side, aud lifted its pale, implorng face,
the anguished mothers f'rtitGds gave way,
and she bust into an asony Of tears and
sobbings. By-,hc-by, do some mothers,
as they sit by the softly-lued cradles of
their own beloved babes, ever think upon
the suferinss Of those hap!ess little ones,
many times !efs with scanty supply Of
food, and no FIRE, on a cold winter-day,
while the parent is earning the p;ttance
which is to preserve them from starvation !,
And lest some may suppose, tina. We are
drawing largely upon our imagination, We
will mention, in this place, that We knew
of child left under such circumstances,
and half.pcrishing with cold, who was near
ly burned to death by some hops, (for
there was no fuel to be found which it
scraped together in its ragged apron, and
set on fire with q coal found in the ashes
Pb0be did not indulge long in grief,
however, she forgot her weary limbs, and
bustling about soon made up fire, and
boiled some potatoes, which constituted
their supper-after which she nursed the
children, two at time, for awhile, and
then put them tenderly to bed. Her hus-
band had not come home, aud as be was
nearly always intoxicated, and sometimes
illtreated her sadly, she felt his absence
a relief Sitting over u handful of Goals,
she attempted to dry her wet feet; every
bone in her body ached, for she was not
naturally strong, and, leaning her head
ON her hand, she allowed the big tears to
course slowly down her checks, without
making any attempt to wipe them away,
while she murmured:
"Thirteen dollars year gone. What
is to become of u.s. l can not get help
from those authorized by law to assist tie
poor, unless l agree to put out my chill
dren, and l can not live and see them
abused and over-worksd at their tender
age. And people think their father might
support us; but how can l help it that he
spends all his earnings in drink? And
rich as Mrs. Percy is, she did not pay me
my wages tonight, and now l can no: get
the yarn for my baby's stockings, and her
little limbs must remain cold awhile Ion
ger and I must do without the -four, too,
that l was going to make into bread, and
the potatoes arc almost gone"
Here Pkmbe's emotions oyercame her, !
and she ceased speaking. After while,
she continued
Mrs. Percy also blamed me for being
so slow; she did not know that was ~
half the night, and that my head has aehed
ready to split all day. Oh dcar, oh. dear,
oh dear, if it were not for my babes, | |
should yearn for the quie, Of the grave"
And with long, qu:vcring sigh, such
as one might heavc at the reuding Of soul
and body, Phoebe Was silent.
Daughters of luxury. did it ever occur
to you that We are all the children of one
common Parent? Oh, lcok hereafter with |
pity on those faces where the records Of
suffering are deeply craven, and renen,-
Der g BE ye 1drmei and fLed," will not
suffice, unless the hand executes the proup-
tings of the heart. After awhile, as the
fire died out, Phoebe crept to her misera-
ble pallet, crushed with the prospcc: of the
days Of toll which were still before her, ,and
haunted by the idea Of sickness and death,
brought Oh by over-taxat;on of her bodily |
powers, while III Case Of such an event, she !
was tortured BY the reflection" what is !
to become of my childrcn!"
All, this anxiety is the true bitterness |
of death, to the friendless and poverty