The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-04-11

4 JUL W OuA ASSphHS- OHdEllS cul
| fered great pain, but he complained not
His very submission smote our hearts
and though we could not think he wa.
to die, yet we thought he was too good
to live. Benny could no longer smil,
upon us, but watched by his brothers
bed without speaking or moving, unless
to do him some service. We felt anx
ious about Chares, yet forbore to speak
of our anxiety, though when he was
asleep we could no longer conceal oul
sprrow and fears. And when one day
the physician imprudcntly said, in hi:
hearing, that he feared Charles would
die, he looked at him in surprise, as If
he had not thought of that; and kissing
the fevered brow of his sick brother, he
clme and stood by his his mothers side,
and looking in her face as much as to
say you wont let brother die, he saw a
tear in the clear, blue eye of his moth
er, and he bbed aloud and Charlotte
could contain herself no longer, but
dropped hot tears on his face faster than
she could kiss them away. Then 1
feared-if Charlie should die lest Benny
should die too; and then 1 knew that
Charlotte could not bear all this, and 1
prayed in my heart to God for Charles.
And the next day, when the good ply
sician said the danger was past, we felt
to thank God that he had so chastened
our affections, and ever loTed him the
moro.
So We lived in love and happiness for
many years, and all that time not a
shade of discord passed between us; and
1 often thought what dreary world
this had deem to me if Charlotte had
never been mine. used to pity my
bachelop neighbor. and, as 1 thought,
[ could see the tear of disappointment
in his eye when he witnessed my happy
lot. I saw vision, and only the figure
of Margaret, my once loved and pretty
sister, who existed then but in the land
of spirits, and was before me.
And 1 told Margretof of the vision, and
could not repress sigh that it was not
reality; and musing long on what 1 was
and what l might have been had nature
dealt with me more kindly, until the
weston returned. Again l lived the life
of youths fancy.
Bat the boys now. began to mingle
little with tn, world, and we feared
we were not equal to the task of edu-
eating them. We trembled when we
thought of the dangers before them,
though we could not believe it possible
that they should ever do wrong. Alas!
what trouble was before US.
1 had carried home a box of straw
berries, and set them in the pantry, and
setting myself down in the library,
waited for Charlotte to come home from
shopping. saw Charlie come from
the pantry, but thought nothing at the
time, aud when Benny came in, bade him
bring them to me and divide them be-
tween them-they were gone; Charles
must have taken them, for no one else
had been in the pantry. L called him
to me, and asked if he had taken them
L asked without concern, for 1 knew if
he had, he did it supposing it to be
right. He said, No, SIR" "Ah,n
said 1, "you did," He then inquired
what ones I meant, and 1 tod him and
told him he must confess it, or l must
punish him. But when I talked so
serious of punishment, he seemed con-
founded. He turned pale, and only said
'' did not do it.' That was trying
moment; and when Charlotte came in,
we considered long and aniously what we
ought to do. Should we let the theft
go unpunished, and the falsehood to be
Again we urged him to con-
fess. The answer vas still the same,
There was no alternative but resort to
what I had prayed Heaven might spare
me. 1 punished him severity, but he
confessed not. [ wished 1 had not be-
gan but now must go on. still. in
creased the castigation, and it was only
when L told him that I would stop
when he owned the theft, and not before
that he confessed he had taken the ber-
ries.
After this cruel punishment he went
out and found Benny, who had been
crying piteously all the time, and then
my two boys went and hid themselves.
would have suffered the rack to have
recalled that hour. It was too late
On going into the kitchen shortly after,
I found poor moman of the. neighbor-
hood with the box, which she said her
thievish SOB had confessed he stole from
the pantry. Perhaps some parents i'm
agine the feelings Of Charlotte and my
self when we made this discovery. But
they are few The boys both summed
US, and we dreaded to see them. But at
last we sent for them to come in, and
they dared not refuse to obey. L took |
Charles in my armes. I asked hin to
forgive me: told him who tcek the
berries l shed tears without measure /
begged him to forgive me-to kiss me-
IS he was wont. He coulds4ot do it.
It was cold and mechanical His littlo !