The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-06-29
Rirhmunn pispafth.
EDN EsDAY MORNING JUNE 2s, is5s.
ELEVEN O'CLOCK
A MONG THE. FIR II J.. l.. = !,

DAe after had put my baby TO bed ana LETT |
housenaid iii the nursery 10 watch 1t, | /
kat OUT 10 get a breath o: air in the kitchen
Een and about the htck-ways behind The !
bheries. Every thing was very STILL except i
a soft hrCeke went soughing and whisper. /
= Through thu great fir piaGtauons, and j. /
s4fte alone and feeling my head grow lighter /
- better as / walked kept listenin to the (
sc( ld and thinssn, remember, NJ the time, /
NK b. nice sound il would be- 10 send n baby /
81 kacep With. As listened, presently heard /
soleas. AT first they were hardly louder than |
Ne fir whispers, but, gradually, heard my
psesl dear ladys voice answer some low words, |
TO low for me 10 catch, aloud, in tone of
E0ny
COZ no :" she cried Gerald, do not tempt
|aes-for Heavens sake do not tempt nae to
kea9e my little chad p Her voice. though not
Il hagh one rang through tho stiffness with
inch echo that l trembled lest any one
[Aotid hear il beside myself He seemed to
{lEsh her. and 10 Try to soothe her, ~ / gather
I'd ffom the few words could overhear
Il Knew il was the handsome gentleman. for
Afrald was his name, and oh, what horror
)x1t of him.
II had never played the listener on purpose
Iffore in my life, but now l was determined 10
|Sear all could, and / stood still as death
klmost. in my place beh.Jd the strawberries
for was l not her maid when she was little
|nore than child !-didn she love me. and
might L not try 10 save her Besides, l was
Fer own babys nurse. Anyhnw. i stopped.
heard but very little m ore except just At
i he last They appeared about 10 part. and
{hen, in his voice, heard THESE words " To-
borrow night, then, my ow.l, whether you
ONE or not, at eleven O'Clock / shalt be here
knd after that, only the sound of stealthy
footsteps carefully going over the fallen leaves,
nd of a low weeping that broke out between
kTiilcs when the footsteps were gone
4 j waited, perhaps. half an hour, perhaps not
ate so long. l hardly knew. l was in such
kkcnor. Then / Went IN by the kitchen pas
Z.age door, and np the back staircase round TO
Ny tiariins nrrsery, in the front of The house.
Next to my fady's dressin room. There was
i door through it into the nursery, and in
Hoout On hour so | heard my mistress come
U ID there and as it was bedtime, l knocked
|NHfNSent in TO help her 10 undress,as was al
ay@ used 70 do.
STE was sitting before her glass, washing her
eesNith some rose water, and she started
9Neaed the door. Sine didn't need to Try and
egfse me, poor thing into linking that she
IuHt beer crying,
HOY you startled me, muse F. she said.
nnswered. : But knocked, ma'am-didn't
| uAe;r me knock -
| s1enpposc / was not thinking about you,
tr&.'' slte said. huTriedly.
katE. - don't think YOU are i'll spirits this
r4ni&E maam. You'll feel it lonesome to-
slt& iiout master. Shall leave the doors
sH Trough 10 the nursery, SO you can hear
al the baby -
8 VI ted her 10 think about the baby. But
ges4<d, soBro~-tully.
thank you Mary. I'm used TO being
- wanted her to think about the baby
L x. l.
khrOugh Tie open door into the nursery
a&1 oment, and after pr, ending TO sootEc
a bed her 10 look q II.
Qtiear, ma am L said, :. do come and look
~ dear child. | don't know that ever l
- look 50 pretty in its innocent sleeps
hf came in her white dressing gown, which
M loosely put on, but her face, that had
+t-<5cd TO Il deep red as she first looked ar the
~ NiN grew almost winter than her gown,
tHR4 she stood silent by the little bed.
| Nlr me- ua'am,' said, what is SO limo
Fen aad br,,ttflil TO look at as little Sleeping
Ftfst | can mink how any one can ever hurt
+ eng / 10 .hinl, if l was 10 hurt baby
| nrsftgA crg,rlty or passion. l couldn't never
EtxIiy prayers again hardly"
rs lady stopped over the child until her |
~ hair, which was all fclngin loose, fell |
1rr / Is tace and her own and quite hid them !
l I'll from nay sight AS she answered some |
i{ng that l couldn't hear.
hooking at lie nursery clock, l said
rl3It dear me, ma am, you must be tired |
tsas now upon the stroke of eleven"
AT the mention OF the hour she half started |
|11iler low posture, no doubt remembering |
when she had last heard a mention OF eleven !
clock and. in the start she gave she aWoke |
he baby from its sleep Throwing ont its little
lrms. the child caught at some of her bright |
long hair rs il iloated away from her. and be-
gan TO cry.
wouldn't quiet it. left it all 10 her And |
Oh. how hoped the ehilds voice might call
ler back 10 what she used 10 be, before that |
lark handsome face had been seen i'll our
house She might not have been happy, but |
she was innocent then!
THE baby will always leave off crying best |
for You, ma'am," said. u will just go and |
but out some WatcP for YOU in Ito the basin, and |
bnfold your night-dress ready
She could not but take the crying baby, and !
left her hushing il 10 rest. When l came |
back the child was asleep in her arms. but the |
(eirs We're raining down from my ladys eyes t
bpon its little night dress. l thought | heard |
her crying.
Taking the child from her. laid it into bed, |
Il 81 a
her tears
sOh my dear mistress, | am sure you can't |
te well. What can do for you -
Nothing, Mary, DEAR she answered. 60 No |
- Shall | send for my master - l asked 81 /
sure he would grieye dreadfuliy You was |
slaIy = she exclaimed rcproachfully.
Ipd went on:
- ma am you may not think so, because !
eEas SO quiet like, but ! know he would |
1917 much, i'll his way, II anything hap I
Mstrong tried 10 speail those words
Is tond OF the baby. too,' sad, though |
lftom notices ii, for when l took it 10 the |
e. ~ indoW the other day, when [ WAS uut |
wi IN the garden, H. took ii III his arms
bliAyed with il Il long time"
UPON upon her To seem quite naughty all |
Hfs IA she rose and told me that l need not |.
Dry more; but didn't MIND, only said,
1eaf mis- tress, you surely WON'T be Offend
"A me, who have waited on you so long!''
tired, Mary" she answered, ''and shall |
~ poW." And she shut her drcssin-
EAN saying that L need not come in |
Dip her IN undressing, for that the |
s>not quite sonnd.
vi Went to sleep that night, and l got |
ghes, several times to listen ut her door,
b Rhen heard her SO through into her
-, had set alar. She was always STIR
tm1 Her still. And i'll the middle of the
II heard her crying as she had done
fG2 he fir trees III the shrubbery She
Pd&40 sleep Tor short time. but !
ke Merself IN calling out, Gerald, do not
a54ie ~ in nighma dream.
Il TIE IN orning rose with Il feeling as if Il
sst III ight We're upon me which must re-
d some great endeayor before the night |
81 sl4Aen O'Clock came. / wanted, if possible,
sn1f dear mistress should take il of her.
1NHhout my having 10 show her that / |
IfMhat had passed i'll the shrubbery the
IN fore. | said 10 myself "Surely she viii
kMany times before she Will go out from
~ rs Tonight. Perhaps she will think
IL. Perhaps she has never meant To
ia u how, know the time appointed and
&Rtch, and nj the last, can but speak,
My spent almost all day in her dressin'-
HS3d ! flneied she was writing. l was
% kept there Because il was next the
D. and made the baby crow merrily,
an in her pretty way continually, so as
IA pc dear little creature in her mind
IN had learned to say Z" Mamma - quite
IA ID, going UP the dressin'- room door
80 little uncertain footsteps, many times
u the day she called To her ~ come in,
~ sweet tender little VOICE MY lady
~ home, however, but kept her own room
iN and began 10 think that she was |
d. look al The dear baby any more-that |
ally meant to leave it,
Getiay Wore on. My mistress, who had !
kklsted upstairs, only went down TO dim
81 five O'clock aud she remained i'll tho
"a. room afterwards instead of coming
almost TINES did, 10 bid the baby good
lad see me undress and put il into bed.
I'd cry regular household, and, by ten
III l.8 fl.e servants Were settled for the |
- NJ ila'v, looking into the nursery with
u,rrta gown on Cor she had been in her
I41 II some llile limel. told me that might /