New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-01-04

geney When Com. BigeIoE was notified Of the
necessity Of an armed steamer, the Vixen was
! u winter quarters, but in three houEs hs had
her in readiness, steam up armed, manned and
equipped for service There abe is as she was
tion.
The Household Sacrifices.
This story q and the cow told by that
"Ths Old Homestead. n
ss1Yell, as was . saying. when was q gaI,
my father and mother moved from old Connecti-
cut into the LaekaMana valley III Pennsylvania,
was They had Lost erythfng, and went ont
into that dark, piny region to begin life agin,
ell, they got patch of wild land, partly
on credit, built log house, and went To work
Before the year was out father died, and We
found it hard dragging to get along without
crops, and deep in debt We gaYe up every
thing TO pay store debts, and should have fslt.
as rich as kings, if we could only have raised
what the law allowed US. But Ws had NO bar
rel Of beef and pork, which even the Law leaves
10 poor family, but we lived on rye and iDjur,
with little molasses when we couldn't get
milk &c. :
t.The Law allowed Us two pigs and cow with
her calf. Our COW was . grand good critser,
capital for milk, and gentle as lamb-.-you
4OA Y AxiOW LIVE IOGk#E0 HGT. and
well they might-she more than half supported
them. 4
"Msrm did her best for the children, and I
worked as hard as she did, spinning and card
ING wool, which abe Wove into cloth on a hand
loom. 3s5 s$s@ @5$s5 5S55s4! EzE
g Well, in q year or two. the eaH grew intoa
hne helfer, and we calculated on having milk
ron nsr alter little, So We began to fat up
tine old COW, though ] hain't no idea thas Ta
/ should ever have made up our minds to kill
] her. 1 - ~ ,'$s-es1 80
4 = There vas some debts, still, but we had
Il given mp everything once, and neither marrn
nor thought Of any body's coming on ID agin.
i So We were proud enough Of our two cows. and
as long as the children had plenty Of milk,
never thought OF wanting beet, and the old COW
might have lived to this time for what kraW.
II If we'd been left to ourselves n n
Il Here Salinas voice became disturbed, and the
n girls settled themselves il an attitude Of uro-
a found attention. IA
Well, as I was saying, things began to
brighten with us, when one day in came the
town constable, with printed writ in his hand.
He'd found out that we had one more COW
than the law allowed, and came after IL. s552$ss
81 thought poor marm would a-gone cragy,
she felt SO bad and no wonder, with alI them
Ichildren, and she q Widder. It came hsrd, /
can tell you. 0 75=ss,
@ssBut the constable vas determined, ana
| what could abe do but give up. There stood
the little children huddled together on the
hearth, crying as if their hearts we're broke. at
the bare thought Of having the COW drove Of.
and there was poor marm, with her apron No
to her face, a-sobbing SO pitiful!
g couldn't stand it !; my heart rose like a
yeasting Of bread; determined that them
children and that hard Working woman should
have enough to eat, constable OF no constable.
sts Wait,' says to the constable, till Z 90
and drive up the COW j; she's hard to find
Il g He sat down, Marin and the children be-
gan to sob and cry again, I tell you, gals, it
i was cruel as the grave. :
81 went to the wood pile and Cook the axe
4 from between two logs: Across the clearing
and just in the edge Of the Woods Isaw the old
COW and heifer browsing on the underground
The old COW had q bell on and every tinkle as
she moved her head went to my heart 1 had
to think OF marin and the children before I
could get courage to go on, and With that to
encourage me, shook and trembled, likes.
murderer, all the way across the clearing.
ssThe old COW and the heifer were close by
each other, browsing on the sweet birch UNDER
growth that grew thick there When came IN
they both stopped and stood looking at me with
their great earnest eyes, 50 wSshfulIy, as if they
wondered which was AFTER
| Here Salina dashed hand acrossl her eyes,
and the color rushed into her face, as if she
were opposing @ pressure of tears with great
| bravery, II
''It was enough to break any one's heart to
see that old COW, with the birch tWigs in her.
mouth, coming toward me so innocent. She
| thought poor old critter-that I'd come to milk
her; but instead Of the milk pail had that axe
in my hand. She couldn't a-knoWn what it
meant, and yet, as true as live, it seemed as il
she did ii s-ss1.--s -. =
ssThere she stood, looking in my face, wonder,
ing, hsin't no doubt, why 7 didn sit down
on q log as usual, and fix my pail--and there I
stood, trembling, before the poor dumb animal,
ready to fall down on my knees and ask pardon
for my cruel thoughts, and there was the heifer
looking on us both--oh, gals, gals, hope none
that -, . -
The girls thus addressed were very still, and
sob or two was just heard while the tears
leaped like hail stones down Salinas cheeks.
@ My heart misgiye mel would Mt done it,
Those great innocent eyes seemed as if they
were human;I grew so weak that theaxe almost
fell. turned to 60 back ready to starYe Of
anything rather than look that animal in the
face again with the axe in my hand, Yes.I
turned away, but there half across the clearing
was the constable with the writ hyine out in
his hand: My blood rose-I thought Of the chill
dren with nothing to eat-I don't know what
didn't think Of He was walking fast, turn
ed--the COW was right before me. Oh, girls,
A~SSA
birch leaves, was like q baby, the axe wouldn't
rise from the ground, could not do it.
:" He called out, I heard his step in the UNDER
brush. Then my strength flew back. I was
Wild--strong as q lion, but my eyes seemed hot
with sparks Of fire. shut them, the axe swung
back--a crash, q deep wild below, and she fell
like log. had struck in the white star on
her forehead. When opened my eyes she was
looking at me, and 50 her eyes stifened in their
film. had to hold myself up By the aze-helve
with both hands 1t seemed to me as if was
dying too. =.
"sWhat have you been about, where is the
cow" said the constable, in o passion, as he,
came up. eF1
There said /, pointing to the poor mur-
dered critter with my finger, 'the law, you ssy,
won't allow us two COWS, but it does give us q
barrel of beef This is our beef-touch it If
you darer
''He skulked away and I fell down on nv
kaees by the poor oritter my own hands had
killed. 1t seemed as if my heart would break
There she lay with the fresh leaves in her
mouth, 80 still, and there stood the heifer look
ing at me steadily as if she wanted to speak,
and lcould'nt make her understand why il had
to be done Oh, gals, gals, it was fought I"
CAUSE AND EPFaer.-The Empress Eugsnie
expects to present the French nation with an