M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1860-06-21

mad been absent from the country
many yeas. 90
"WheHI leftit,s said be to me, 81
meant never to revisit the shores that
had been accursed to me. Host there
my wife and child under the eruelest
circumstances, and Icould not remain.
| thought then ! conld never see again
the spot that had been so fatal tome.
And yet | return now, impelled by
some feeling which ! can neither ac.
count for ner resist. ! dream that |
am going to see my child; sometimes,
even in waking moments, am fully
convinced that Ishall find her."
"How9 2" | interrupted, in spite Of
myself. SIS not your child dead 7"
"Alas don't know"
"You do not know. Did she not
die before you left America ?"
"No. Three months ago ! should
have said Iwished she had, rather
than live lost to me, exposed to iates
| shudder to think OF. Now l am
hopeful. More-trustful. 1t seems
to me she, has been kept pure, and that
/ shall know her. And YETI and he
oighed heavily, 81 haven't the shad-
ow ofa reason for such hope and
trust.o
| was excited-I compared the re-
membrance of the miniature on "my
baby'sp sleeve,chain with the figure
before me. | made him explain all.
lie told me of the child's birth, the
delicate health Of his wife'afterward,
his taking her to Cuba, leaving the
child in, as he supposed, trusty care,
the death ofhis wife in Havana, and
while he was still in the first anguish
of her loss, news from his child's nurse
Of its death, and Of her speedy return
to Ireland. He came to New York
too late to find her, and left America
at once-as he supposed forever. In
Europe, years afterward, he had met q
servant who had been with him dur
ing his brief married life, and who de-
clared to him positively that his child
was not dead at the date on which the
woman had written him; but further
than that he could not say, as he
had followed the fortunes of another
master. The unhappy father sought
vainly' for the woman, and now re-
turned as last means to America. -
He described tue child's nurse
1t was the woman who had abandon
cd the child in my arms, and the face
was the changed aged one of Perdi-
da's miniature. Not many days there
after | restored to ny friend his early
lost child, and gave up "my baby" to
her rightful father.
Without a pang? Yes. Did l
console mysel! with the pretty cousin
aforementioned She hadn't had pa.
tiencc to wait, that l might-a hus.
band aud several olive branches pre-,
.cluded that. How, then | saw
"my baby" a stately, radiantly beau.
tiiul woman. She called me Major
-, she treated me in the most pre-.
else and formal w8y--the utmostfavol
she bestowed upon me was the slight.
est possible touch Of the fingers as she
bade me good, night or good morning,
and | saw her hourly in her idolizing
fathers arms, lavishing the tenderest
caresses upon him. Would | have it
otherwise? No. There was q dear.
er delight in the reserve with which
was treated-the faintest flush that
colored her cheek when / was near her
or addressed her, had for me All inex-
pressiblc sweetness that | would not
have bartered for aught on earth short
ofwhat eventually obtained What!
You don't mean that you, a Scared old
veteran of between thirty and forty,
dared. Didn'tI9 Hum! And this
was the way Of it. In my military
capacity | was invited to West Point.
went, and my friend and his daugh-
ter accompanied me. | sat beside her
in the cars. The happy old gentle.
man, at a little distance, read diligent-
ly. | said:
"Perdida, you have travelled this
route before with me; do you recall
this scenery at all z"
: She blushed scarlet, and looked al
me beSeechingly. went oh.
: "To think what a hungry, heavy,
: unpacifable baby that | carried on
that day, and the way that poor ca.
det's humanity was ridiculed |"
The tears started, and the young la.
'Idy at my side bowed Lcr naughty
head.
"And the worst feature in the case
is that he has never had any suitable
recompense. A good deed is its OWL
reward, to certain degree, Of course;
but in this case every feeling of my
soul, every fibre ofmy heart demands
something more and a great some
thing more. 'Perdida, my darling
these seventeen years, | have lost yor
to your father; but cannot bear it
Be generous. Here, here where
found my baby give, oh, give he
back to mel"
L