Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-02-19
TIL E HIDDEN HA N D .
BY EMMA D. Z. n soUTHwORTH.
AUTHOR OF THE BRIDE OF AN EVENING"" THE DEsERrEr
.. WIFE," ETC., kTc., Krc.
(Continued.)

(Contnued0
"sHave YOU got through?' asked the mar
at the door, rapping impatiently.
"'No no. said l, as directed.
"He resumed his tramping up and down
and / went back to my patient. She beck
| oned me to come close, and whispered
"'Save my child the living one I mean
hide her! oh, hide her from him When ht
demands the babe, give him the poor little
dead one-he cannot hurt that And he vii
not know there was another. Oh! hide and
save my child "'. '1-
Master, was used to queer doings, bni
this was little the queerest. But if l was tt
conceal that second child in order to save it, il
was necessary to stop its mouth, for it was
squalling like wild cat. So took q vial o
paragoric from my pocket and gave it a drop,
and It went off to sleep like an angel. Iwrap.
ped it up warm and lay it along with my
shawl and bonnet, in a dark corner, just
| then the man raped again. 10 r-..a:lr.'a
"' Come in, MASTER said H. .f 1a". p.
".No, bring me the babe he said.
81 took up the dead infant. Its mother
kissed its brow and dropped tears upon its
| little cold face and I carried it to the man
| outside.
"'Ts it asleep2' the william asked me. u n
"'Yes, MASTER said /, as l put it, well
| wrapped up, in his arms, very sound asleep
! $3.50 much the better said the knave,
walking away. ''.-.. 80. .. .-s'y .'-..s
| 81 bolted the door and went back to my
patient. With her free hand she seized mine
and pressed it to her lips, and then held up
her left hand, pointed to the wedding ring on
her third finger. .s..-.. .t.ig
| "'Draw it off and keep it. she said !; CON
ceal the child under your shawl, and take her
with you when you go; save her and your
fortune shall be made ,~..u,......... ,..a, ...
81 declare, master, hadn't time to think,
before / heard one of them wretches rap at
the door. n. ... ~.
"'Come get ready to co. he said.
"She also beckoned me-. Ihastened to her.
With eager whispers and imploring gestures,
she prayed me to take her ring, and save her
child. '.,a:..
"'But you,' said I-'who is to attend YOU
"I do not know nor care! Save herr
"The rapping continued. ran to the cor
ncr where had lett my things put on
my bonnet, made a sort of sling around my
neck of the silk Handkerchief, opened the
large part of it like hammock and laid the
little sleeping babe there. Then l folded my
big shawl around my breast and nobody any
the wiser. The rapping was very inpatient.
81 am coming said 1. 49,. .
Remember! whispered the poor girl. Il
"T WILL said I, and went and opened the
door. There stood t'other william with his
head covered with black Grape dreamt of
nothing but black headed demons for six
months afterward. ... ...; ,...
"'Are you ready?' says he.
eyes, your worship says l. .....
"'Come along, them u. r.. Ind
"And binding another silk handkerchief
round my eyes, he led me along.
"Instead of my mule carriage stood near
the horse block. .-... .....
"'Get in,' says he, holding the pistil to my
ears by way of an argument. . yrm.....
got in. He jumped up upon the drivers
seat. and we drove like the wind. In another
direction from which we come, in course, for
there was no carriage road there. The car
riage whirled along ut such rate it made me
quite giddy. At last it stopped again. The
man in the mask got down and opened the
door.
"'Where are you taking me?' says I.
"'Be quiet say he 'Or - and with that
he put the pistil to my cheek, ordered me to
get out, take the bandage from my eyes, snd
walk before him. did so, and saw dimly
that we were in a part of the country that
was never at before. We were in dark road
through a thick forest On the left side Of
the road, in forest, stood an old house dim
light was burning in lower window. y, .....
$50 in there said the villain, putting the
pistil to the back of my head. As the dssr
ajar, went into narrow, dark passage, the
man all the while at my back. He opened q
door on the left side, and made me 20 into q
dark room. Just then tine unfortunate child,
that had been moving restlessly began to wall.
We'll it might, poor starved thing!
'What's that ?" says the miscreant, under
his breath and stopping short. ~ 49,.
"It aint nothing, sir says I, and 'hush-h'
to the baby. But the poor little wretch raised
aisquall. .-.s'.
"'What is the meaning of this p says he.
Where did that child come from? Why the
demon don't you speak?' and with that he
seized me again by the scruff of the neck and
shook me. :.' @ .ss r .:g
"'Oh, master for the love of heaven don't
says l, this is only poor, unfortunate infant
| as its parents wanted to get out the wav, and
hired ME to take care on. And have had it
wrapped up under my shawl all the time 'cept
when was in your house, when put it to
sleep in the corner --.F J..
'liumph! and you had that child conceal
ed under your shawl when firststopped you
in the woods?' e. -.
"'In course, MASTER saysI. .s.-
"sWhose is it?' - 49,. ... -o
"'Master,' says I, 'its-itsa dead secret.
for hadn't another lie ready. L .... -
He broke out into a rude, scornful laugh,
and seemed not half to believe me, and vet
not to care about questioning me too closely.
He made me sit down then in the dark, and
went out and turned the key on me. wet
my finger with the paragoric and put it to the
baby lips to quiet its pains of hunger. Then
l heard whispering in the next room. Now
my eyesight never was good, but to make up
for it believe had the sharpest ears that
ever was, and I don't think anybody could
have heard that whispering but me. saw
little glimmer of light through the chinks that
showed me where the door was, and so /
creeped up to it and put my ear to the key
hole. Still they whispered SO low that no
ears could O heard them but my sharp ones.
They was talking about selling some woman
and child. should have been Uneasy if they
hadn't called the woman Kate. My villain
offered 'em for fifty dollars, but t'other will
| lain wouldn't give cent. He told my william,
as he called Captain, that he'd take 'em of
his hands and no more. And then they
threatened each other, and went out o my
hearn'. And in the mornin' the new villain
came and took me and the child off in shay
and drove down long way to the beach, and
hailed a vessel on the river and took us
aboard and sold US to the captain right before
my eyes, and then went ashore, and we was
carried off out to sea, though cried, and
| 'splained, and postulated all the time.
SNOW, sir, come strange providence,
which the very thoughts Of it might convert
a heather! We had been to sea about five
| days when dreadful storm riz. tell YOU,
marster, that looked like the wrath of God /!
hugged the baby to my breast-and went
to praying as hard as ever could pray.
"Presently felt an awful shock, as if