Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1858-06-24


youthful passion.
Before year was out the two children had
doll to put in the baby house, and to play
with from morning till night. They nursed it
alternately, and worshipped it, and had mo-
ments of jealousy about it, and wondered over
it, and found it miracle of genius aud intellect
when to stranger eyes it was capable Of nothing
but sleeping and sucking aud stretching its
toes before the fire.
When it should walk O when it should
walk, and when it should speak it mothers
name When it did, the child mother lay in
her grave in the Protestant cemetery at La
Rochelle, and the boy father took it there to
strew flowers on the turf
When first awoke from the stunning effect
of the blow, was like the ship that, struck
full by tremendous breaker stands for mo-
ment paralyzed and grieyiug, then staggers
bliudly on without rudder or compass, both
swept away in the general ruin
The wild spirit within me- which the peace
ful and innocent happiness Of the last two years
had Scothed aud stilled, broke forth again and
my first impulse was to rush from the scene Of
my lost felicity, and in q life of reckless adj
venture seek to lose myself and all the recol-
lection of oil | had won had been bereft Of
in that short space
Thank God ! l had the child that saved
NE.
And now at twenty-one when most men
have hardly made their first start in life, /,
father and widower, had passed the first sta
ges of manhOOd's career, and was about to
gather up the scattered fragments of my youths
hopes and prospects, and try to patch them to-
gether to carry me through the rest of it.
At first my father, now oil affection and
sympathy, Sluce the change my marriage
had brought, urged my returning with the
child to England. But this,a strange feeling,
partakng perhaps more Of jealousy than any
thing else, made me decline doing On Ma
bel" Ma BELLE" as SuSanne used to call her,
halfbeeving that that was really the transla-
ton of the name-had now concentrated all
the love aud interest Of my life Here she was
all my own | was all hers nothing, nobody,
could lay any claim to the love, the time, or the
attention of either, SO as to distract it from the
other. No one could exert influence or author
ity over either, to the exclusion or prejudice,
in however slight degree, of the other.
Ny child had no mother no one else, there
fore, however near or dear, should in any de-
gree, supply her place but myself l would he
all and everything to her and if she never
missed her mother, to me alone should she
owe it. ! foolish thought, perhaps perhaps
a selfish one-yet who shall say, seeing from
wha it has doubtless saved me
Happily the child was healthy sweet-tem-
p:red, aud really, all paternal illusions apart,
singularly beautiful and intelligent. My baby,
my little Queen Nab l see her now, as in
hon nd bn, I 4
her forth at first in the still warm evenings,
when the glow aud the glare Of the day had
passed by, and the sea-breeze stirred the roses
IN the garden
With her did not feel quite so lrightfully
alone her signs, her attempts at Speech her
wilfuuess, her caresscS her ccascless claims on
my aid and attention. withdrew me as moth
ing else could from constant broodng over my
loss. Later, when could bear it could
not for a long time-I used to take her to the
chataiFnerac, where | was wont to watch for
Susanne, and sitting there as Of old leave her
to play on the grass beside me, while with
haf-shut eyes, | gazed on the glowing spot at
the end Of the green walk, dreaming, dreaming,
with a gnawing at my heart, OF. the shadow
that used to cross it, of the foot-Sep that used
to come along that shaded alley, of the pause
with the hand on the wicket Then remcm
bered that now all the yearning and craving of
my soul could, rs | fancied it did Of old, bring
her one step nearer to me ana then my grief
and dcsolatOn would fad vent in passionate
tears, and the child, who was too we'll used to
see me weep to be alarmed, as children mostly
are, would climb upon my breast, al.f diaw
my hands from before my face, aud kiss and
soothe me with her sweet baby caress.
1t was great though secret joy 70 me, that
though gentle and tractable to all, she could
be said to love no one but me. | think the
excellent pastor guessed the existence OF this
feeling for fond he was of the child and strong
and natural were his claims to her affection,
he ever avoided to put them conSpicuously
forward, or to attempt in way, to interfere
with her management For this, even more
than for his many other proofs Of regard and
kindness, was deeply grateful. | encouraged
the child to be familiar with him. But though
she showed Difference and duty and even re-
turned his caresSes, | could see with secret tri-
umph that her heart was not in ber acts. and
that as soon as she thought she ought without
offence, return to me, she would glide from his
knce, and stealing to mine, nestled on my
breast, content to rest there till we were alone
again, Then the repressed spirits would break
forth, aud she was once more gleeful aud JOY
Gus.
Early in the morning l would awake, and
behind the halfdrawn curtain watch her play
ing silently, lest she should disturb me, in the
dewy garden. Wandering to and fro, with her
hands crossed behind her, now pausng before
this or that flower, smelling it, sncking the
pearled drops that lay in its cup then racing
away suddenly, wild with strong young life,
prancing aud plugging in imitation of a high
mettled steed, or chasing the kitten that was
not more graceful or 1.-THE Of limb than she.
And SO on, till the opening of my lattice all
nounced that ! was astir O. the sunshine of
the radiant face She had her mothers
wondrous eyes. but with fine fair Englsh