Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1857-07-03

Ipra.yerswss .JIe answered. The pulse grew
stronger beneath her touch. the breath
came faster through The parted llps;--7-a
faint moisture was ,percepible beneath
the yellow cnrls,. and when Che sun. was vas
set the soft eyes Of Eddie Hastings IN;
closed and turned. with a look of recogni;;
ton upon his mother who, clasping him aim
in her arms. wept for jogs but returned
no word or thought or gratitude towards
Him yholhad been thus mercifpl TO her,
In small brown cottage in e distant distialn I
part of the same village a another was
watching beside her first, born, only sol son,
They had been friends in their ,giirihood,
she and Lima Hastings. lTogeeher. n they
conned the same hard tasks1togetheS
they had built .play;houses. beneath d the
same,old chestnut tree-togetner, hand
10 hand, had they ! wandered over the
rocky hills and thrqugh' the, shady woods
of New England, and at the same, altar
had they plighted their marriage VOWS, the
one tc, the man; she loved, the other to, the
man she tolerated for the sake Of bis sur. r'
roundings. From this point their path
diyerged,nLina moving in the sphere to
which, her husbands wealth had raised
her, while cMable Parkman one morning
awoke from her sweet dream of bliss to
find herself welded to drunkard Onr
y, they who like her have experienced q
similar awakening, can know the bitter
ness, of that hour, and yet methinks she
was happier even there than the naughty
Lima, for her love was no idle passion,
and through veal and woe she chung to
her husband; living oft on the remem-
brace Of what lie had been aud hope Of
what he might be again. and when her. lit.
tie Willie was first laid upon her bosom,
aud she felt her husbands tears upon her
cheek as he promised to reform for her
sake and his sons, she would not have
exchanged her lot with that Of the prou-
dest in The land. That, vow, alas, was
ere long broken, and then. though she
wept bitterly oyer his fall, she felt that
she was not desolate. for there was mu,
sic in her Wilie's voice and sunshine in
his presence. tIl a-.
But now he was, dying, he was leaving
her forever, and as she though OF the long
dark days when She should look for him
in vain, she staggered beneath the heavy
blow. and in tones as Art-broken as
those which had fallen from Lima Hast>
ings' lips she prayed. +" If it be possible
let this cup pass GAom me-" adding. "Not
my will. oh God. but thine be done" ,s
~ will do all things WE'LL" seemed
whispered in her ear, and thus comtorted
she nerved herself to meet the worst
All the day, she watched BY her child,
cha6ng his little hands, smoothing the
scanty pillow beneath his head, ba.
thing his burning forehead and for
cling down her bitter tears, when in his
disturbed sleep hewouId beg,of his father
TO ''bring him an orange-he was SO dry"
Alas. that father was where the. song Of
the inebrate rose big on the summer air.
and he heard not the p!eadings Of his son.
Twas Il dreary, dcsolute room where Will
lie Parkman lay, aud when the sun went
down and the night shadows fell, it seemed
darker, drearier still. On the rude liable
by the window candle dimly burned,
but as the hours sped on. it fiickered
awhile in its socket, then for an instant
flashed up, illuminating the strangely
beautiful face Of the sleeping boy, and
went out
An hour later, and Willie awoke Feel
ing for his mothers hand, he said. Tell
me true, do drunkards 60 TO Heaven %
% There is for them no promise" was
The wretched mothers answer.
"Then l shall never see pa again
Tell him good bye. good bye foreyer."' !,
The next time be spoke it was to ask
his mother TO come near to him, that he
49, ~. ,Enoo onoo Che Al
so. bending low and sitting her own
great agony, lest it should add one pang
to his dying hour.
% cannot see YOU" he whispered. ''it
is so dark-so dark"
Oh, wnat would not that mother have
given then f9r one OF the lights which
cleaned from the windows Of the stately
mansion where Eddie Hastings was watch
ed by careful attendants. But it could
not be, and when at last the siivery moon
beams came struggling thtbugh the open
window and fell upon the white brow Of
the little boy. they did not rouse him. for
a far more glorious vision, even the light
OF the Everlasting.
In her tasteful boudoir sat Lima Has
tings. aud at her side on n silken lounge
lay Eddie calmly sleeping. The crisis
was past-she knew be would live and her
cup Of happiness was full. Suddenly the
morning stiffness was broken by the sound
of a tolling bell Twas the same which
but for Gods mercy would at that mo-
ment, perhaps. have tolledz for her boy.
and Lima inSqluntarily shuddered as she
listened to the strokes which at first come
far between. They then came faster, and as
Lima counted FIVE. She said abound.
"Twas child but two years older than
Eddie.