The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-04-07

Im0Ionouoty Wutno " too ooBs - sV
| 10 which her litils one bad Sooe, vas "a.
visible from where abe steod ibs Ses,a
lsppsehsnsions took possssiou lof hesl 'ana
| s6e rushsd ftan,ically toward, the sheref
shieking,-"My child, my child, OIL
God, 10 my child 10 be lost ioo.n 80 il1 q
For, In ruth, she had been MI the mcn-
ing, In q state bordering on disifsot!e1:
Her husband, who was u fisherman, oaa
been absent Sos two days. . period iaf !oag.
or than he had intended and the hsghiiul
| gale, which had nged for the last twenty
four houn. rendered ths cause Of ihs de.
lay only TOO clear. During tho preceding
night che had no, slept moment; indeed
had not eveu undergone tho mockefy o.
going 10 bed I; but kept light burning q z
window that oouldlbe seen outsi ses, and bad
watched and prayed through all tho weary.
houp. Often, M the momsniasy lulIs Of
the gale, she had cheated herrelf into the.
fancy that she heard the halo Of her hus.
band; and more than once had actually
flown 10 the door to admit him. Bot when
morning broke ai last, without bringing
him, she had given up the hope OF eyer
seeing him again. q He will never, never
come back, % she said. aIf his boat bad
lived, he would lave been here belore
|,his.O As she thus spoke, her child, woks
by her heari.broken accents, began 70 cry.
She snaiched il from its cradle, covered Il
with kisses, and bursting into tears, sobbed,
{" poor orphan, you have no one but 'rsolh'
er now, no one else."
When she missed her child, therefore,
and heard the melancholy whine OF The dog.
lie conviction flashed ucross her that the
| little ono had wandered TO the beach, and
been carried away BY breaker. SO, with
The shrek and exclamation we have descri'
bed, she rushed TO The shore.
II took but q moment 10 traverse mo
space between her and The water, and 10
catch the boy in her arms. II was not un.
Ill she had done this, that she perceived the
water. -oaked ha, ut her feet, a, which the
dog wis now gazing, with low cry OF
giief aud recognition.
She almost let the child fall. Indeed,
only the instinct Of the mother saved the
boy, for she sank at once on the wet sand,
with a groan, her eyes liked, In q classy
s;sre, OIL The hat, and OH BIT Of boats
mast aud ssi, that had been washed up
with il. For well she knew the battered
hat 10 be her husbands, the very hat which
she herself had placed on his head, Two days
belore, when he had babe her farewell.
Sense and feeling leii her, indeed, for
while. How long she lay there, she never
knew. Blu, che was reused, a, last, by tho
cry Of her child, and recovered 10 find the
dog pulling at her dress, for The advancing
tile was almost al her feet. She rose, and,
taking up Tho ha, reveren,ly, moved slowly
toward the cottage.
! The day wore OIL. The sun finally sue.
ceeded in breaking through the clouds,and
NIL wilhor, doors was bright; bu! nollling
brought comfort 10 the heart OF the widow.
Seai, in low rocking chair, she remain.
ed, for hours, in a slate Of s'upor, from
which che was aroused only by The cries OF
her chilli, when the lille one woke rom
lis sIumbers. Or, with the boy in her
arms, she would pace The floor, murmurlng
wild words, 10 sooihe him TO sleep. Occa.
siouaIIy she would pause, and look out OF
TIE window. But she saw not The sunshine,
nor the br;gh, waters; all seemed TO her
black; for The blank despair Of her heart
communicated its own hue 10 everything IN
Nature.
The cottage was siiusted nearly a mile
from any other human habitalion, and there
fore il is no wonder that, for hours she was
alone. Blu, little village lay Oh q larger
bay, around the promOnlory, and ss her
husband w..s in habi, oivisilng il frequent
ly, she began to think, rs nigh, fell, that II
was singular his long absence was unno-
,iced, and that 10 one had come 10 inquire
what was The mailer. AT this thought,
which increased her feeling Of loneliness
and despair, she sat down, and began
rocking herself 10 and fro, weeping wildly,
and aposrophising by turns her dead hus-
band, and The child she held on her lap,
and who gazed up q, her, in terrified 81.
lence, with his large blue wandering eyes.
'TOh!" she sobbed, {" il I had but known
il was The last time was TO see him.
Father Almighty aud she raised her face,
in agonized pleadinr, 10 heaven, "gile
him back TO me but for one hour only for
one hour! Or, II that cannot be, lei me sec
his dear face, even though In death" Here
a gust Of weeping, that shook her figure as
a hurricane shakes a tree, conynlsed her
for while. When il had p sed, she sd-
dressed her child, but in the same frantic
train. "Poor ,,han, one" she said,
gazing sadly at him." you will never knew
what father is. Blu, you will recall 10 me-"
she added, pressing him 10 her breast, '"lhat
father; for you have his eyes, bless God
lor thai Oh darling, darling, you are the
snly comfort leii me. II il were not fof
y u, should pray 10 die. But must live
10 take care Of you, ,dear, dear little orphan"
And she almost smo,hered il with will
kisses. ,,n..
Lost in this, her first grief she had not
OBJ 'erved iha, somebody from the village
was nj last approaching. As she spoke
these l. I words, the visitor had even gain
ed the coit,-s door, and his broad shadow
fell directly across her, though wi,hou. her
bein, aware OF his presence. But The
chill, looking over his mothers shouldet
i,ohed the intruder and his face instantly
lost u half wondering, half terrified ek-
he stretched his little arms
out, aud springing Up, began 10 crow glee.
folly. simultaneously the dog, which had
been Numbering on The hearth, started up
as IL some mysterious influence had reused
him, and with n joyful bark, spIang, at
one bound, upon The intruder.
"Down Carlo, down. cried cheerful,
manly voice. .Ah Johnny, you know "a
,her, don't youi" "Why Helly, dea:es,,"
added The speaker, as the startled woman
sprang up with a wild shrek, drawing her
into his arms. "you didn't think was lost,
dill you, There, don't look al me as tho
were ghos, ,-you friyhten mel came
near being one, I know. Why, declare,
IL she hasn't gone off into dead faint"
II was indeed, as he had said. Amer one
long. almos, incredulous gaze into her hus.
hands face, her nerves, SO long strained 10
their utmost tension, gave way, and sne
would have fallen 10 the hoor IL his STOUT
arm had moi fortunately supported her.