True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1855-11-21
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From friendships Offering.
THE 0RPHAN...A COUNTRY TALE
7qes BY THE HON. MRS. NORTON.


Lgg,s BY THE HoN.nMRs. NORTON.
.,Daf i ,syi 3nt Co.,, @,hs tH.i ~
"Cast thy bread upon the waters for thou
shalt mud it after many. days" ...
MANY years since, as farmer of the
name Of Somers was returning home late
one autumn evening on horseback, he
heard faint wailing cry as if from an in
fant, lie was kind, good man, and his
heart pilied the child who was left un-
Sheltered at such an hour; so he stopped
and listened, but he heard no sound ex-
cept The low wind sweeping by him, and
twas too dark 10 distinguish objects at
distance. He walked his horse up and
down that part Of the road from which
The cry had appeared to come, but it was
not repeated, and he was just turning
homewards, when he thought he saw
something like heap Of white linen ly-
ing close to the large iron gates of a palk
that opened on The road. The farmers
heart sank, for he thought murder had
been done in that lonely place, and for a
moment he hesitatcd whether he should
not first obtain assistance before he ad-
vanced; but the faint cry he had heard
Twas again audible; aud there was no one
near but an old deaf woman WHO KEPT
the gate of tile park and her daughter,
,whopwss hut child, He tied, his horse
.io'the iron railing, and knelt down by the
Iwhile heap, which proved TO be The body
VIA female, quite stiff and cold, and on
.herI bosom lay little infant in which
there was still life, though it was nunibed
by The bleak wind which must have
-blownSoveriit(o for many hours and again
th,moaned feebly as the farmer lifted il in
dis, arms. He knocked at the door of
-lhe7parklodge, aud begged of the old wo-
IMAM to- allow the body be carried in
-tberej1 bptshe was so terrified at the
Thought, ,-hhat he was obliged 10 think of
some o,heri plan. Having obtained a
.liglhg therefore FalId assured himself that
iihe,female was indeed dead, hesleft The
body andirode home. The first thing he
,didOn arriving. was Ia ordertwo laboring
men, TO goo and fetch The corpse. Then
stealing softly into the sleeping room
where his'wle sat, watching by the era
die of their youngest child, nd laid the
little, founding In her'lap, aud told her
where 'andhow he foundil. Sand God
will bless you for it, exclaimed the poor
woman; that God who tempers The wind
e the shorn lamb ! and she turned her
fearful eyes TO the cradle wheIe her own
pet lamb was lying in a swee, quiet sleep
All that night they watched over the frail
life thus committed to their care, Many
times illey thought its, sulrerings were
over, and that il had joined its unhappy
mother i, another and better world /; bu,
al length the shadow Of death passed
away from ils pale face; it moved i,s
lips as If asking for nourishment and,
after swallowing a few. drops Of warm
milk, opened is large blue eye, and faini-
" smiled on the good woman who tend,
ed i. Farmet Somers himself wept with
JOY on this occasion and leaving little
girlto watch che seePers, he proceeded
with with his wife 70 the room where the body
EYci saoisilg1 y 9gaGi Qia.'i lna hot.
J. was an awful sight to see by the
dim light Of a single candle, and lantern
which stood at the corpse's head, the
eager Expressions Of, fear, curiosity, llor-
ror, OF Pity, in lhe countenance of The
bysianders-and TO contrast these eviden.
ces of the human passion, with the e,er-
quiet scf The dead woman's face, and
the stilr unnatural reposc of her form.
Fhere was no mark of violence on the
Bda9,,botis Was 50 wasted and thin as "a, q
look almost like a skeleton e9'F''a' %
hVMyta Shmets assisted n :Js,;dJ IN ~, ,Iutal Il