New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-08-20
THE CHILD IN THE GRAVE.
BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERsEN.

| There was sorrow in the honse-tbere was sor-
row in the heart; for the youngest child q little
boy Of four years of age, the only son. bis parents
! present Joy and fnture hope, was dead. Two
daughters they had, indeed older than their boy
the eldest was almost old enough to be eonfrmed-
| amiabe sweet girls they both were, but the lost
child is always the dearest, and he was the young
| est, and son. 1t was heavy trial. Tire sisters
! sorrowed as young hearts sorrow, and were mnch
| afflicted by Their parents grief the father was
| weighed down by the affection, but the mother
| was quite overwhelmed by the terrible blow By
night and by day had she devoted herself to her
sick child watched him, lifted him up, carried him
about, done everything for him herself. She had
I felt as if he were a part OF herself She could not
\ bring herseK 70 believe that he was dead.that ne
should be laid in q coffin and concealed in the
| grave. God would not take the child from her,
! o mo- And when he was taken, and she could no
longer refuse to believe the truth, she exclaimed
in her wild grief: God has not ordained thisI
| He has hearfless agents here on earth. They do
| what they lss--they hearken not to a mothers
pfayers!''
i She dared in her woe to arraign the Most High;
! and then came dark thoughts, the thoughts OF
death everlasting deatl-that human beings re-
turned az earth to earth, and then all wac over.
Amidst thoughts morbid and inpious as these there
conld be nothing to console her, and she sank into
the darkest depth Of despair.
In these hours Of deepest distress shseould NOT
\ weep. She thought nos Of the young daughters
who were left to her her husbands tears fef On
her brow, but she did not look up at hirrl--her
thoughts were with her dead child her whole
heart and soul were wrapped up in recalling every
1 infantie prattle.
| The day of the funeral came She had nossseps
| the night before, but, towards moaning, she was
overcome by fatigue and sank for short time into
repose During that time the coffin was removed
into another apartment, and the cover was screwed
down with as little noise as possible.
| When she awoke she arose and wished to see her
child. Then her husband, with tears in his eyes,
told her, We have closed the coffin 1t had to be
done!'
when the Almighty is so hard me,v she
| exclaimed, why should human beingsbe kinder ~
and she burst into tears.
The coffin was carried to the grave. The incon-
| solable mother sat with her young daughters. She
4 looked at them, but she did not see them her
thoughts had nothing more to do with home; she
gave herself up to wretchedness, and it tossed her
about as the sea losses the ship which has lost its
helnasrnan and its rudder. Thus passed the day of
the funeral, and several days followed amidst
the same uniform heavy grief With fearful eyes
and melancholy looks her afflicted family gazed at
i her. She did not care for what comfofted them.
What could they say to change the current OF her
mournful thoughts!
II seemed al If sleep had fed from her forever
it alone would be her best friend, strengthen her
frame and recall peace to her mind. Her family
persuaded her to keep her bed, and she lay there
as still as If buried in sleep One night her hus-
band had listened to her breathing, and believing
from it that she had at length found repose and re-
Lief, he clasped his hands, prayed for her and for
them all, then sank into peaceful slumber. While
sleeping soundy he did not perceive that she rose,
dressed herself and softly left the room and the
house, to go-whther her thoughts wandered by
day and BY night-to the grave that hid her child.
| She passed quietly through the garden out to the
4 fields beyond which the road led outside of the
town to the churchyard. No one saw her, and she
sew no one.
i It was fine night; the stars were shining
4 brightly, and the air was mild, although it was
/ the first of September. She entered the church
yard, and went to the little grave it looked like
one great bouquet Of sweet scented MOVERS. She
| threw herself down and bowed her head over the
grave as if she could through the solid earth be-
hold her little boy, whose smile she remembered
so yivdly. The aectionate expression OF his eyes,
even upon his sick bed, was never, never to be
A forgotten. How speaking had not his glance been
i when she had bent over him, and taken the little
hand he was himself too weak TO RAISE. As she
had sat by his couch, SO now she sat by his grave
but here her tears might flow freely over the sod
that covered him.
aWouldst thou descend to thy child q said q
voice close by. g rE Y
1t sounded 30 clear, so deep, its tones went to her
' heart. She looked up, and near her stood a man
. wrapped in large mourning cloak, with hood
= drawn over the head; but she could see the coun
tenance under this. 1t was severe, and yet en-
couragng his eyes were bright as those of youth.
Descend to my child! n she repeated; and
9 there was the agony Of despair in her voice.
s.Darest thou follow me2' asked the figure. 81
am Death ~
She bowed her assent. Then it seemed all at
once as if every star in the heavens above shone
with the light Of the moon. She saw the many
colored flowers on the surface Of the grave move
, like luttering garment She sank, and the figure
o threw his dark cloak round her. 1t became night.
:
spade could reach. The churchyard lay like ROOF
above her head. s75s4s
The cloak that had enveloped her glided to one
side. She stood in immense hall, whose eX-
tremities were lost in the distance. 1t was dusk
Q around her but before her stood, and in one mo-
5 nent was casped to her heart. her child, who
smiled on her in beauty far surprising what ne had
possessed before. She uttered cry, though it was
scarcely audible for close by, and then far away,
i and afterwards again, came delightful music.
Never before had such glorious, such blessed
4 rnanhed her THEW from the
t other side of the thick curtain-blaok as night
4 that separated the hall from the boundess space
of eternity 81
My sweet mother! my own mother:n she
heard her child exclaim. IL was his welsknawn,
, most beloved voice; and kiss followed kiss in
raptuous joy. At length the child pointed to the
!. " There is nothing so charming up yonder on
d EARTH mother. Look mother look at them ALI
!. That is felicity Y
S ton to which the child pointed, except darkness
t. like that of night. She saw with earthly eyes,
She did not see as did the child whom God had
i. music but she did not understand the words that
in were conveyed in these, exquisite tones.
It ~ can fly now, MOTHER said the child q
t. can fly with all the other happy children, away,
u even into the presence of God. wish much to
10 go but if you cry you are crying now,
v cannot leave you, and yet should be SO glad to
g go. May not? You will come back soon, will
n aOh, stay! oh, stay.o she cried, " only one
t moment more. Let me gaze on you one moment
It longer; let me kiss you, and hold you moment
longer in my arms.a
d And she kissed him, and held him fast. Then
!, her name was called from above--the tones were
4 those of piercing grief. What could they bet
IS Hark y said the child, 1t is my father call
is ing on you.
q And again, in few seconds, deep sobs were
it heard, as of children weeping.
10 ..These are my sisters voices said the child.
E. "Mother you have surely not forgotten them?h
d Then she remembered those who were left be-
/ hind A deep feeling of anxiety pervaded her
Q mind she gazed intenty before her, and specters
i seemed to hover around her; she faneied that she
e knew some of them; they foated through the
h Hall of Death, on towards the dark curtain, and
n there they vanished. Would her husband, her
IS daughters appear there2 No; their lamentations
e. were still to be heard from above She had nearly
W forgotten them fortne dead.
Il s.Mother the bells of heaven ringing said
the child Vow the sun is about to RISE"
e. And an overwhelming, binding light streamed
around her. The child was gone, and she felt her
), self lifted up. She raised her head and saw that
she was lying in the ohurehyard upon the grave OF
10 her child. But in her dream God had become a
is prop for her feet ahd light for her mind She
se threw herself on her knees and prayed =, forgive