Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1859-06-02

/ l-A-Sot my WotuWS Htslc cClesoSS.
Il am sorry if my little Mary has been
naughty aud disobeyed her mother"
"She didn't say Mary musnt touch,
sobbed the child, "shs say, not trouble
mamma"
The tears were not easily checked til
time, and with all the fathers ingenuity,
they burst forth at every slight provoca.
ton during the evening. When the las,
little head was left dreaming upon its pill.
low, Mrs. Hall drew her sewing.chair to
the light with sigh Of relief, saying:
THANK forsune for the prospect Of a
few hours Of peace and quiet"
"You look very tired tonight have you
had hard day." inquired her husband.
Hard should think so. Charlie has
not slept fifteen minutes to-day, and I
never saw Mary so fretful and peevish."
II do not think Mary is well, she
seemed very peevish this evening. Mr..
Marsh has two children sick with scarlet
fever"
20, there is nothing the matter with
her, replied Mrs. Hall but in spite of her
words her heart beat little anxiously at
the thought. II think sometimes she
likes to bother me, and to day it has been
nothing but mother mother till l am so
tired Of it I almost wish | might never
hear the name again.
"Do not say SO, my dear, it makes me
tremble to think Of what might be. This
would be sad home il even one of those
merry voices should never say mother
again"
Mrs. Hall started she had no: thought
of such thing, and the serious construc.
tion that her husband had given to her
hasty words shocked her. She was an af
fec,ionate mother, and really loved her
children although she failed to enter into
their childish feeling with that apprecia.
tive sympathy that they needed, and often
administered impatient reproof and even
correction without stopping to determine
whether it was merited.
1t was generally understood BY the chill.
dren that to "bother mother" was the
most serious offence they could commit.
She was often quoted as model wife
and mother, and, indeed. she was, so far
as mere externals were concerned. No
household was better clothed or fed. no
home more orderly than hers, but she
quite forgot, in her anxiety to see her
children dressed with neatnes. and taste,
that the little ones had moral natures that
needed more careful training, affections
that should be cultivated, not dwarfed
and cravings for sympathy that should
meet an earnest return. Her husband S
words had startled her, and after sewing a
few moments uneasily she took up lamp
and wen. to look at Mary. The child was
sleeping unquietly, with the tears still
elinging to her flushed cheeks, and a
grieved expression about her mouth. The
mothers heart smote her as she looked at
the little helpless form before her. and she
bent down and softly kissed the dimplsd
cheek. where she fancied she could still
see the traces of her hasty blow. As she
did so she started at the burning touch
and uttered q cry Of fear that brought her
husband instantly to her side. 1t was
easy to see that Mary was in q high fever,
and after few soothing words to his wife
Mr.. Hall hastened to call the family ply.
sician, who decided at once that it Was .
case Of scarlet fever.
"IIave your other children ever had the
fever, Mrs. Hall ~ he inquired.
"Not one Of them," was the despairing e
reply.
"Then l would advise you to send the
older ones Immediately away; they may
possibly escape the infection, aud it will
be better TO have the house quiet"
The next morning Fred and Willie
were sent away several miles to the house
Of . relative, and the house seemed
strangely, awfully still to their mother,
who bent anxiously over the unconscious
Mary, listening to her delirious rawlings
when the fever was high, or shivering sobs
and moans when it abated. Little Char.
ley was closely watched to see if the fever
had tainted his blood, and for several days
they hoped be would escape, but he woke
ono morning with the crimson staining
his pure cheek, and before night the fever
crsps and glowsd ip every vein. l. is vs-
~ pitiful to see child So fer, especially
an infant that knows nothing of the nature
Of pain, and looks 90 pleadingly to those
it trusts for relief wondering much that
the mother love, which never failed before
should be go powerless now. There was q
love that was stronger yet, that did not
fail, and after many days and nights Of
painful watching, both children were pro
nounced out Of danger. Gu the night that
Mary's fever turned, Mrs. Hall sat by her
bedside, almost holding her breath lest she
should disturb the deep sleep into which
she had fallen, and looking on the pale,
wasted face Of her child, she thought OF
all the course Of sickness. She thought,
too, Of her own impatient words but few
weeks before, aud! remembered that dur.
ing her delirium Mary had not once spo
ken her name.
| There was slight movement in the bed