Daily national era., 1854-01-12

/ VIII tnaC lamD answer you WHcH you Sponh
to it?" ] asked, pointing to the nearest and
whitest of the flock.
| "Frisky? No how curious y She laughed
| But it has mouth larger than yours WHY
| ean yost talk. and understand what il said Il
Won while the lamb calnoif"
| She fixed her eyes on the lamb, then dropped
them to the river. Suddenly they dilated, and
she exclaimed Frisky doesn't kaow anything
and DOR
But what ia it in you that knows? Is il
your mouth--vour eyes--your hands,"
A silent shake of the head was given to each
of these queries, and her eyes were still peerine
into the clear water as though the solution lay
beneath it.
"What as il, brother Ralph 20 she at last
asked in a low, earnest tone, drawing closer
TO my side.
Q 1t is your soul my dear child. You have
4 soul that thinks, and is glad and merry;
have one, and your papa had one before God
took it from his body to Heaven"
had not cleared up the difficulty for, after
a moments mnsing, she said, 81 never saa,
papa's soul ~
iHark ~ exclaimed, as a sweet strain stole
over our heads II was the hymn of the con.
gregation at the grave succeeding the prayer
Of the pastor
''Unveil thy bosom, faithful tomb"
The child listened, with hushed breathing
until the last solemn echo died Then, with a
Ugh Of delight, she laid her hands softly to.
gether.
"Did yon see the singing Lule E" She lift
cd her head to glance toward the churchyard
81 do not mean, did You see the peopie-but
did YOU see the anging2 You have heard
singing What does it look like?N
ut doesn't look at all,' she replied, after
meditating
"Well, my little sister, listen to me now.
The soul does not look ut all' 1t goes away
up from the body, and you cannot see it. The
body is put in the ground, and kept there, but
the soul Of q good man lives and is happy far
out Of sight
~ know! know and she clapped her
hands again.
But on our return to the house she astonish-
ed Nancy who came to put her to bed, with
the information that her papa's singing soul"
had gone up into the white clouds, and she was
going to hark for it all the next day.
Heaven save us, Missy! Your mas crazi-
ness is turning your head!" was the maids
only reply to such heresy.
II was a painful thought that the child must
be taken from her mother, when saw her
nestle lovingly into that mothers lap, kiss her
passive lips, and sink contentedly to sleep with
the rocking Of the ever-swaying chair. Again
tried, but hopelessly as before to win one
word of remembrance and love from those in
different lips
another one good. night blessing !" plead,
bending my face to hers
aHush the baby sleeps They all sleep
well-well!o ~
Z. kha nc rknl. - he
wreck Of reason Thank God the soul is.im-
mortal; and in some hours of its endless exist
ence must burst these letters in which bodily
feebleness has bound it /! With this conviction,
I at last closed my eyes, after hours of painful
thinking.
II must have been two O'clock, when started
from halfformed dream, at the sound Of q
low chuckling laugh not far from me, so pecu-
liar that it would have aroused me at onoe even
had not the long streamers of smoke which
poured through the assures Of my door warned
me of our imminent danger. threw open the
door, and saw. to my horror, my mother stand
ing opposite the threshold OF the room which
had held my fathers remains. She held a
lighted lamp in her hand, whose spark was
dim beside the fearful confagration it had
kindled! The room was sheet Of flame! Bed.
hangings, window-curtains, and the papers Of
a large library at the farther end, blazing as
though fred at the same instant! A volume
Of smoke turned upon and nearly stiied me.
Mother, for Heavens sakei" cried, seiz-
ing her arm.
Ha, hal y she laughed, "Pve warmed
the room 1t was 30 cold and dark in there 2
The maid, aroused by this time, flew scream
ing In But she was bereft OF all presence of
mind and added to instead Of relieving my
perplexity ] dared not leave my maniac
mother by the blaze she had kindled, to summon
the help that must soon be at hand to avail
anything To calm her into the proper use Of
her muscles, and despatch her screaming to the
village, was my first task my second, quick
as thought, was to drag my half lfsufocated
mother outside the gate, and lay her upon the
damp grass with the halEawakened child at
her side. Holding her there, ! listened in
agony for the footsteps that should come, with
my eyes fixed on the glare that crept every
moment higher.
II burst through the low roof wedge Of
solid flame, ut the same instant that the trebled
cry Of Z Fire. FIRE." close at hand, told Of
succor.
A crowd Of neighbors were soon ut my door.
Organisation in that crowd would have saved
the burning building. But every mans hand
was turned to the work his own head had
planned, and every head seemed equally con-
fused. A day dawn looked over the hills, the
walls fell in with crash The furniture, in
general, had been saved hut heap Of red
and black embers was all now left me Of " the
home ! had toiled TO give my parents
TO BE CONTINUED.