The weekly ledger., 1857-06-27

tavern. one never complained yet she and
the children went hungry for bread.
One new-year's night returned late to
the hut where charity had given us a roof. -
She was yet up and shverng over the Goals
| demanded food, but she burst into tears,
and told me there was none. | fiercelv or
dered her to get some She turned her ewes
sadly upon me- the tears falling fast over her
pale cheek. AT this moment the child in the
cradle awoke and sent up famishing wall
startling the despairing mother like serpent's
sting.
We have had no food, James; | have
had none for several days. have nothing
for the babe. My once kind husband, must
we starveYn
That sad pleading face, and those
streaming eyes, and the feeble wall of the
child maddened me- and I-yes ! struck her
a fierce blown the face and she fell forward
upon the earth. The furies of hell boiled
in my bosom, and with deeper intensity as
felt | committed a wrong. had never
struck Mary before, but some terrible impulse
bore me on, and | stopped as well as / could
in nv drunken state, and clenched both hands
in her hair"
"God Of mercy James !" exclaimed my
wife, as she looked up in my fendsh counte-
nance, "you will not kill us, you will not
harm Willie" as she sprang to the cradle
and grasped him in her embrace. caught
her again by the hair, and dragged her to the
door, and as lifted the latch, the wind burs-
ted in with cloud of snow. With the yell
Of fend still dragged her on, and hur-
ried her out into the storm. With a wild
ha ha | closed the door and turned the
button, the pleading moans mingled with the
wall of the blast and sharp cry of her babe.
But my work was not complete
Il turned to the little bed where lay my
elder son, and snatched him from his sum-
bers; and against his half wakened struggles
opend the door and thrust him out In the
agony of fear he called to me by name /
was no longer fit to bear and locked his fin
gers into my side pocket. l could not wrench
that franzied grasp away, and with the cool
ness of devil, as | was, shut the door upon
his arm, and with my knife severed it at the
wrist"
The speaker ceased moment, and buried
his face in his hands, as if to shut out some
fearful dream, and his deep chest heaved like
storm-ike sea. My father had arisen from
his seat, and was leaning forward, his coun-
tenance bloodess and the large drops STAN
ding out upon his brow Chills crept back
to my young heart, and wished | was back
at home. The old man looked up, and
never have since beheld such mortal agony
pictured upon human face as there was on
his.
1t was morning when | awoke, and the
storm had ceased, but the cold was intense.
first secured drink Of water, and then
looked into the accustomed place for Mary.
As missed her for the first time, shadow
ing sense of some horrible nightmare began
to dawn upon my wandering mind. thought
had fearful dream, but | involuntarily
open the outside door with a shuddering
dread. As the door opened to the snow
burst in, followed by the fall Of something
across the Threshold, scattering the snow
and striking the floor with a sharp hard
sound. My blood shot like red hot arrows
through my veins, and | rubbed my eyes to
keep out the sight 1t was-O God, how
horrible it was my own injured Mary and
her babe frozen to ice The ever true moth
er had bowed herself over the child to shield
it, her own person stark and bare TO the
storm.
"She had placed her hair over the face of
the child, and the sleet had frozen it to the
white cheek. The frost was white in its half
opened eyes and upon its tiny fingers. |
knew not what became of my brave boy"
Again the old man bowed his head and
wept, with him. My father sobbed like a
child In tones of low and heart-broken
pathos, the old man continued:
II was arrested, and for long months
rayed in delirium | awoke was sentenced
to prison for ten years, but no tortures could
have been like those | endured within my bo-
som. 0 God, no-I am not fanatic
| wish to injure no one. But while live, let
me strive to warn Others not to enter the
path which has been 50 dark one to me-"
The old man sat down. but spell as deep
and strong as that wrought by some wizards
breath rested upon the audience. Hearts
could have been heard in their beating, and
tears to fall. The old man then asked the
people to sign the pledge My father leaped
from his seat, and snatched at it eagerly
| had followed him; and he hesitated a mo-
ment with pen in the ink, tear fell from the
old mans eyes on the paper
"Sign it, sign it, young man. Angels
would sign it. | would write my name there
ten thousand times in blood if it would bring
back my loved and lost ones"
My father wrote " Mortimer Hudson."-
The old man looked, wiped his fearful eyes,
and looked again, his countenance flushed
with red and death-like paleness.
at is-no it cannot be; yet how strange"
muttered the old man. Pardon me, sir but
that was the name of my brave boy"