The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-02-17
THE HID DEN HAN D.
BY EMMA D. 3. n. sOUTHwoRTH,
Author Of /" The Bride Of Erening" The Dsssrted
VIE" &c, &c, &c.


WDs," &c, &c DC
lcoMrNUED
Have You got through 2" asked the man
at the door, rapping impatiently.
"'No, no, said |, as directed
"He resumed his tramping up and down,
and | went back to my patient She beckoned
me to come close, and whispered
"' Save my child the living one, / mean
hide her oh, hide her from him When lie
demands the babe, give him the poor little dead
one-he cannot hurt that And he will not
know that there was another Oh hide and
save my child
Master, l was used to queer doings, but
this was a little the 9ueerest. But if was to
conceal that second child, in order to save it, it
was necessary to stop its mouth, for it was
squalling like wild cat. So l took vial of
paregoric from my pocket and give it drop.
and it went off to sleep like an angel. wrapped
1t up warm, and lay it along with my shawl and
bonnet, in a dark corner. Just then the man
raped again.
Come In, MASTER said /.
"'No, bring me the babe he said.
" took up the dead infant. Its mother
kissed its brow, and dropped tears upon its little
cold face; and | carried it to the man outside.
go Is it asleep?' the william asked me-
les, MASTER said /, as | put it, we'll
wrapped up, in his arms, very sound asleep
80 So much the better, said the knave,
walking away.
| 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 upon
her third finger.
So 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 he made
" declare, master, | hadn't time to think,
before l heard one of them wretches rap at the
door.
a. Come get ready to CO. he said
She also beckOned me. / FASTENED to her.
With eager whispers and imploring gestures
she prayed me to take her ring and save her
child.
90 But you said Il who is to attend you =?
90 do not know, nor carel Save her!'
"The rapping continued. | ran to the corner
where l had left my things. put on my bon
net, made sort of sling around nv neck of the
silk handkerchief opened the large part of it,
like a hammock and laid the little sleeping
babe there. Then folded my big shawl around
my breast, and nobody any the wiser. The
rapping was very impatient.
"' am coming, said |.
go Remember whispered the poor girl.
"'I WILL said l, and went and opened the
door. There stood t'other william, with his
head covered with black Grape. l dreamt of
nothing but black-headed demons for six months
afterward.
"'Are you ready?' says he.
Eyes, your worship says l..
"'Come along, then.
And, binding another sill; handkerchief
round my eyes, he led me along.
" Instead of my mule, a carriage stood near
the horSe-block.
SO Get In, says he, holding he pistil to my
ears, by way Of an argument
=" 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 carriage
whirled along at such rate it made me quite
giddy. AT last it stopped again. The man in
the mask got down, and opened the door.
"'W Where are you taking mel? says l.
"a Be quiet says he, or - and with that
he put the pistil to my cheek, ordered me to
get out take the bandage from my eyes, and
walk before him. / did so, and saw, dimly,
that we were in part of the country that was
never at before. We were in a dark road
through thick forest. On the left side of the
road, in clearing, stood an old house dim
light was burning in lower window.
Go on in there said the villain, putting
the pistil to the back of my head. As the door
stood alar, / went into narrow, dark passage,
the man all the while at my back. He opened
door on the left side, and made me go into a
dark room. Just then the unfortunate child,
that had been moving restlessly, began to wall
Well it might, poor starved thing
".Whats that?' says the miscreant, under
his breath, and stopping short.
50 1t amt nothing, SIR says l. and 'hush-h-h
to the haby. INT the moor littla wratcb
squall.
- What is the meaning of this says he.
Where did that child come from? Why the
demon don't you speak?' And with that he
seized me agaiu by the scruff of the neck, and
shook nae.
"'Oh, master, for the love of Heaven, don't.
says l this is only poor, unfortunate infant
as its parents wanted to get outen the way,
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
90 Humph and you had the. child concealed
under your shawl when first stopped you in
the woodsr'
"'In course, master SAYS /.
"EWhose is it?'
90 Master says J. 'it's-its dead secret
for | hadn't another lie ready
I" He broke out into a rude, scornful laugh,
and seemed not half to believe me, and vet
not to care about questioning nae too closely.
He made me sit down then in the dark and
went out and turned the key on me. / wet nv
finger with the paregoric, and put it to the
baby's lips to quiet its pains of hunger. Then
| heard a 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 don't think anybody could have
heard that whispering but me. | saw a 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
'av been Uneasy if they hadn't called the wo.
man Kate. My VILLAIN offered em for fifty
dollars, but tother villain wouldn't give cent.
He told my villain, as he called Captain, that
he'd take 'em off his hands, and no more. And
then they threatened each other, and went out
o. my hearin'. And in the mornin' the new
william came and took me end the child off in |
Q shay, and drove down a long way to the
beach, and hailed vessel on the river, and
took us aboard and sold US to the captain right
afore my eyes, and then went ashore, and we
was carried of out to sea, though cried, and
'splained, and 'spostulated all the time,
Nov, sir, comes strange providence, which
the very thoughts Off might convert heather
We had been to sea ABOUT 1--WE days when a
dreadful storm Fz. I tell you, marster, that
looked ike the wrath of God ! Rugged the
- II N v,p |