The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-10-28
der if he's dead jet. I WONDER if abe knows
I" WhstI Did he not die fn - - :

| .rflzVA6StF LIN nc nOt Ole . eat4s
j" How shonh know They Carried him
look on, of course, With them all elo.erinr
round me, and tsuntipg me, too" y - =
~" Had they. . snrgeon 2" - - 49,.
s." No; gslloped a. fast ~ could to Bayern 8
quarters, and begged him to 20 as never beg.
ged q brother officer 70 do me q favor, before.
de woullnt bulge IN inch. BE said twas no
usee y - =. .,.-.' rs - -
!" Where is the man. !" cried Herman, start
ing np. ~ ! ..,.si.,'.s :, - =
awhatI are you going . God in heaven
bless you I never thought of you. Do you
think you could save him Hare, put on my
uniform great coat for a passport. The coun
try is swarming still with those bandits.D' 49,.
cannot; it ia stained" -
/" No, it isnt. Where? 2" ~ ~.
No matter. Lend ma your pistols.
There. Why won't Jon take the coat2"
Thank you. like mine better. Pm going
among Free State man, rsmembsr."
Bless you They wouldn't lay q finger on
it. D5n't you know they'rs very careful how
they NEEDLE with lawfal euthoriies ?"l
good reason" thought Herman, % Why
lawfol authorities should be very careful how
they NEEDLE with them" He hastily received
Marshalps hurried directions, and Get ID, prom.
ising to bring or send him good news, if he
could, as soon as he could.
There were no more good news to be brought
or sent from poor r ,bbins in this world, except
that his suffsfings we're over. He lay on some
straw in the shed into which he had been car.
ried. His friends, having taken off their coats
to cover him, in vain effort to keep out the
chill of death, stood in their shirt sleeves around
him, looking helplessly and hopelessly on. At
his feet and staring immovably with her bright,
{ao IL,
tortions of limb and feature, which he could not
suppress, crouched little black haired, white.
skinned creature, in whom Herman had no diff.
Guilty in recognising Sophy.>
AS fearless, as unsmiling, she, like medical
student in hospital, gravey, composedly,
intently, observed and studied the agonies of
her husband. seeming not to let a motion nor
look escape her, but catching each one with
curious kind of grsediness She did not stir,
except now and then slightly, with q sort of
unconscious mimicry, to copy some grimace or
writhing Of his. He gazed ct her with much
more apparent terror than she at him.
NY God groaned he, in q deep, dull
voice, like dead man speaking ont of tomb.
poor Sophy how she looks take her away"
The blood frothed at his lips as be spoke. She
blew bubbles from hers, like baby, put her
fingers to them, looked ct her fingers, seemed
surprised that they we're not red, and looked
"Come, Miss Robbins" said an elderly man,
soothingly, You come home along with me.
Abby and Msrthy have got something mighty
pretty to show you-some little baby socks,
blue and yellow, they've been q knitting Come,
your husband don't like to see yoa here, ali
among the men-folks. Well take the best o.
care OF him, and guess he'll feel some better
oy and by. Come, and we'll 60 down to your
place, and get q bed in the team, and come
back and fetch him."
She did not stir, nor seem to hear, but kept
watch, still with the same passionless intensity,
while Herman busted himself in the mean time
with her husband. ~ am physician" said
he, stepping within the ring, " let me see if
canuot do something to relieve you"
The man looked up wistfully and gratefully
into his face but "No use" he said; and it
injured, that ex amination could be only added
torment, and the last cold drops were already
on his brow. Only take care of her," gasped
ne, sits enough to kill her. Take her away,
for PHYS sakel Oh kiss me, Sophy, and
co. She rose, sank again, crawled to him
on her hands and knees, put her lips towards
his, and then stopped midway, as it seemed, by
his deathly look, and forgetting the kiss, re.
sumed her trance like watch. Herman took
her hand, and spoke to her but when be would
have led her away, she resisted him with all her
passive strength, though without q word, or
turning her eyes for an instant from her hus.
band
Here, Atkins" said the man who had first
addressed her, reckoning to another, like him,
somewhat advanced in life, but hale, hearty,
and respectable looking, {" she don't know what
she's about. This is awful for him, and enough
to craze her for life. I'll get behind her, and
tobo hA.o 49, IL L
feet, ard we'll see if We can't get her off quietly
into my team, and down TO my house. Wen
get the girls to put her to bed, and maybe
she'll sleep it off. We're such old friends,
guess she won't mind u.s."
They tried it, and tried it in the most COM
passionate and confederate way; but, as soon
as the, little fragile creature understood what
was intended, her apathy gave place to the
most phrensied rage. She flaw at their faces
with her nails, = and scratched and bit like wild.
cat at bay. 1t was too surely and sadly true.
She was already maniac.
Hold onl" smoaned the grooming voice
through her screams. Don't vex her. There,
there, Sophy. You shsll stay"
They set her down. She threw herself upon
him, and clasped her arms 80 tightly round his
mangled form, that he cried out il his turn. She
loosed her hold, and raised her head to look at
him once more. She saw corpse, and with
another wild CRY fell into strong commissions.
So, most miserable wife of q most misera-
BILE husbsnd," thought Herman, 81 would rather
even be 10 your place than Marshall'sl What
shall say TO him? 1t would be happier, ten
thousand times happier, i suppose, for you to
die but for his sake, pray God, may save
you'll"
He could not save her NOR could the best
physician of the neighboring towns, who was
brought in, in the course of the evening, BY one
of her husbands friends, after they had got her
home in ON OK cart. With Herman, he did
what could be done for her through the night
In the morning, all hope was gone and he was
Obliged to go to his other patients, and leave
her to Herman. Herman stayed by her till
noon, when he gave her up to the undertaken
He wandered through her little cabin. Rude
as it was without, it looked neat and tasteful
within, and cheerful, ali excepting the chamber
where the two young corpses lay, side by SIDE
Between them on their bed lay another, look
ing like a stranger 70 the daylight, the little
waxen baby, that was never to see the light of
the sun, that neither Of its parents had ever
seen, dressed in q tiny white robe, which the
women had found in its mothers work basket,
with the needle still sticking ia the last stitch
The flowers, fresh still, which she had gathered
the day before, were taken by the sobbing girls
from the vase, in which she had put them in
her ample parlor, to strew her shroud.
Better So" said Herman, As, these arrange
ments completed, be came back, and stood
leaning against the doorpost, to take his parting
lock; s"poor harmless peopleis Since man
must neede have the life of one of you, i See
the mercy Of God in this, that he took you all
togetherl III -
1t was already near sunset when he set out
nm, ~ - . r. Il
slowly, for be dreaded his meeting with Mar.
shAll and viahed In di,ro-e; o. L.; .k4a for