Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-07-05

life.
A few DAYS after this, and when she could
not sit up any more, she called me TO her bed
side, and talked Of all the household affairs
giving me directions for the management OF
things, as if she were going long journey
Hetty stood close beside her. half in fear and
half in wonder and when my mothers advice
was ended, she laid her thin hand on the child's
head, as If invoking Gods blessing but she ut
tered no words My dear, good mother, if you
ever come about me now, what do you think OF
me strayed so far from the example OF meek
and quiet beauty--fallen no infinitely below the
hallowed radiations Of true life.
MY father knew how good she was, and how
wise she was, yet the grass had not grown over
her blue eyes, when her place was filed by one
who did not love us-by one whom we could
not love-a woman without heart or intellect
sort of machine, that wound itself up in the
morning, and ran till night She had inherited
or acquired certain notions and these were
fixed facts, with her; outside OF them there
was not much to know. IL might be that one
or two great men in the world know one or two
things which she did not, but it was not proba-
BILE. don't mean to blame her--her mind
was filed to the limit Of its capacity
She had lived in city, and we children had
not she had once been to q boarding-school,
and we had not and she possessed in her own
right, bureau, a bedstead, o cow, some silver
spoons and teakettle; and, beside these, five
hundred dollars Indeed, it was rumored
among the noghbors that my father had mar
ricd for the sake of fortune.
In my own estimation, her fortune, as the
five hundred dollars were termed, was her
greatest attraction. She possessed an iron con-
stitutiOn, and was little charitable to those who
could not endure as much as herself In truth,
never knew her to suffer from any ailment, or
readily to believe that any one else did. But
now and then death admonished her that we
wero subject to Affections, though her faith in
the conviction that she possessed as much
money AZ anybody, was never shaken, that
know Of
In person she was tall and straight, with dark
hair and complexion, and vacant gray eyes,
that looked into space, mostly, and If ever an
object fixed them, seemed not to comprehend
it, Long past youth, she appeared whitening
gradually, but without suffering any diminu-
ton Of any faculty she had ever possessed.
Her nose was the prominent feature of her face.
and disease or nature had placed her mouth
little on one side always felt that che was
made of dry dust, and that if she chanced to
fall she would crumble to pieces. In character
she was unyieldiDg and unloving; and though,
for the most part, she did that which she
| thought her duty, it was in hard, uncompro-
| missing way, and many persons faultier than
she, might have won more of our love.
4 She brought with her, together with the bed,
tcakettle, bureau, ETC., boy, twelve years old,
| perhaps, whom she called Doke. Where born
| or bred never knew, but a more unlikeable
specimen Of humanity never saw. Ugly as
he was and alien to all good as he was, she
gave him her highest regard, next that which
chung to the five hundred dollars and the COW.
Yes, may safely say the COW stood before the
| boy in her affections. She was an animal that
had seen her nine or ten years at least, before
| saw her, and her original beauty had been
abridged by the loss Of one horn and her tail
Doke and the COW and their mistress made q
separate family, and after their introduction
among us there was no union, no oneness of
interest as in the pleasant old times. We
were like streams that flow in one channel, but
mingle not their tides
Spoons beds, and dishes, were all kept
| apart; even the one-h0rned cow ran in little
pasture close TO the house. She did not other
wise threaten, but things wore the aspect of
being ready to be gathered up and removed at
any moment.
How well | remember the day she came to
our house-how she sat, stifly upright, gazing
into vsoarcy-heedless of the saucy pranks of
Doke and Of poor little Hetty, who stood about
in corners, her hands crossed behind her, and
the tears almost falling from her great mourn
full eyes. remember how my father seemed
half proud and half ashamed Of the new wife,
He remained most Of the time, out of the
house, as If he did not feel at home any more.
He had made an unhappy selection, and think
he felt it the moment il became fate.
Of cos,raa che dioa ood tho houaa n our
mother had been used TO have it and this she
did without any attempt to reconcile us; it was
her will, and that was all
Precisely at nine o'clock, VIC children must
go TO bed and precisely at four we must rise,
summer and winter, for breakfast was prepared
and eaten by candlc-lght always. We had
not been accustomed to early rising and were
sleepy but of this she was inconsiderate, and
having called us once, obliged us, If we failed
TO rice, to remain hungry till the next meal.
Our father she usually spoke Of as though but
slightly acquainted with him--calling him
Mr. Halstead, and indicating by her general
bearing that the marriage bad been no affair
OF her seeking that she was victim in some
way, but that, having bcen forced into her
present position, shc would endesvor with all
her powers to do her duty Whatever we had
was quite inferior to anything she had been
u5cu Va, hbu WuuttNtE sue couiu nppIopFthsc w
her special service, which belonged to us or our
father, she seemed TO regard as clear profit.
She never laughed aloud-seldom smiled,
indeed but sometimes have seen her do 80,
when Doke accomplished some unusually cum
ming feat; nor did she scold much, but what
she did in that way was for the benefit Of
Mr.. Halsteadn She avsiled herself Of every
opportunity of calling herself our mother, which
we resented by not calling her mother at all,
cvading the appellation by calling her "Mar-
tha," which was her name, or by the use Of
she and her, and the like inelegant express
sions.
But what shall | say Of Doke, or how do
Justice to his peculiar merits He had lean
and hungry look, and went gliding from place
hands resembled claws and moved with won
dcrfnl dexterity from any eatable substance to
his month which. by the wny was always