American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1855-05-24

room with her babe, and soon re-appeared
wrapped in the same coarse garments they
had worn on that frosty night of their
arrival.
Give her one kiss, grandma, and you,
grandpa said she, holding the child first
to one, and then TO the other wrinkled
face; 'and now, father, mother-do let me
call you so this oncel give the unwedded
mother one and we will go; and wherever
we go l will pray for you, and she shall be
taught to = and she rushed wildly to the
door. They stopped her,caught her child,
and pleaded with her to stay. BE to us
still, what you have been so long, our
daughter, and do not take from US our
darling baby +; we should die without
her.
Great drops gathered on the still pale
brow, and while tears rushed down her
cheeks, and her lips quivered with fearful
agony. She wrung her hands, she beat
her heart, she lashed her limbs-she seem
ed like one who is half mad. Give me
the child moment, she exclaimed, and
claspin @ it wildly to her bosom, she bath
ed its smiling face with drops wrung from
her keenest woe, then kissed it passionate
", and held it out TO them. Both stretch
ed their hands, and the little one, with an
equal love, gave to the one its right, and to
the other lis left hand, and upheld be-
tween their, crowed and screamed in baby
glcc.
She is the child of sin, said the moth
er, with solemnity that awed, for mo-
ment. tie carol of her babe ; 'the child of
sin, but herself pure and holy as the off
spring of welded tic. VIII yol keep
her so if leave her? If she goes with
me, she will not long be an argel unless,
indeed, God takes her; would he had tai en-
her mother when she was as young! If she
stays with you she may ever be one. Will
you keep her?' and 81 10 screamed the
words in their ears, as though she would
have made their inmost nerves awaken.
we will, will! said they; and more! we
will keep you, too. Stay with us-stay !;
you shall be to us daughler-replace the
one we have lost ; we will be parents 1t
shall he home to us four i cannot, said
she wildly. Your daughter was stainless
girl. l am dyed in SIM and she shook with
agony.
Andso did those she spoke to, and
tears as those that had scaded her face now
flooded them. Awhile they wcpt though
their hearts would break; then gathered
calmness, and while the old lady claspcd
the hands of the Magdalen, tie old man
placed his hand upon her head and spake.
Our daughter fled from us while in the
beauty of girlhood-hed with ranger,
who wooed her by false words to a fearful
sin. The child Of our old age, it almost
broke our hearts and we came here, far
away from the haunts Of early years, to
spend the remnant Of our days in strug-
gle to forget We cannot forget, but we
long since forgave; aye, before we heard
that she was dead. We have learned TO be
happy, even with the memory Of that trial
ever before us. But we miss the hopes
that were born with her, & we would cher
ish you and your babe as we should her
and hers, had she come back ere repented,
as they told us, and died.
The old man S voice was hushed. There
was no sound but that of sobs, save when
the babe cooed its little love-song. A cry
of agony burst from the white lips of the
stranger as loosening the hands that held
her, she fell at the feet of those WHO had
been so true,-a cry, and then words:
Father! mother! she did not die,-she
lives! lam she-your Lizzie-your lost, found
child !"
Let the curtain drop, 1t is a scene toe
holy for any but the sight of God and an
gels.
Yes said the old grandmother, 1T was
their long lost, and as they thought, dead
Lizzie. She herselfhad forged the story
of her death; to secure herself in tic
sin she lad learned to love. But
when, after years OF wretchedness ant
crime. she became herself, when she fell
the touch of pure and holy lips--then she
became herself again. and felt how much
how deeply she had sinned, and she long
ed to have her babe nurtured as she haC
been. 1t was long ere she could escape
from her sinful associates; but she a
length succeeded and reached, as have
told you, her fathers house. She mean
to conceal herself till they were asleep ant
then leave the babe and go away; for she
had no hope they would cherish her agail
for, D, she was very vile. But the colo
was SO intense she dared not leave thu
child, but was forced to keep it to hel
breast; and worn and wearied with her lonl
and tedious struggle with the drifts, a
length became benumbed, and could nC
longer still the cries of her little one; ant
thus was brought back to love, to home, tc
Christ, by the voice of the angel in he
heart
The old lady ceased her story and there
was no word spoken for long WHILE
Then the young maiden broke It, saying
And what became of them all?'
The two aged parents lived near seor'
Of years, happy in the love of their re
stored ctild and in the caresses and tende
care of herlittle one. They lie buried il
the old church yard The grandchild lv
ed to be blessing TO her mother for FIVE
and-twenty years; then passed away leav
ing little one to make good her place
Motherless ere it had seen the face of hel
who gave it birth, it was fatherless ere th'