Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1860-01-14

gown which was lying on it and rolled it up,
she hr. 1t il eagerly Ia her breast to the right
side. We could see her eyes bright with sur
prlsiug tenderness and joy, bending over the
bundle cf clothes. She held il aS woman
holds her sucking child; opening ont her
nshtgown impatirntly, and holding it close
and brooding over it, and murmuling foolish
little words, aS over OHc whom his mother
corufprtcth, and who is sucking and being sat
>Iicd. II WINS pitiful and strange to see her
wasted, dying look, keen yet vaguc-hcr i'm
mcnSc love. "PrrScrve mel" Kroancd James,
giving way. Aud then she rocked back and
forwards, ns if to make it ''lrcp huShing it and
was wasting on it her Infinite fondncsS..-
"Wac's me, doctor; ] declare she's thinkin'
it's that hairn" "What BARN :" "lhe
only BARN We ever had our wee Mysit, and
she's in the Kingdom forty years and mair.'
1t was plainly true; the Pain in the breast,
telling it, urgent story to Il bcwildcrcd, ruined
brain; it was mi,icad and mistaken; it sug-
gcs,rd to her the uncaSincsS of breast full Of
milk, and then the chi;d and so again once
more they were together, aud She had her ain
wee My lie in her bosom.
This was the close. She sank rapidly. The
dcrium lett iirr; but aS she whispered she
was clean silly; 1t was the Lightning before
tiine lain still her eyes shut, she said,
James lie came close to her, and lifting
~ her calm, clear, beautiful eyes, She gave
him n long -lunk, turned 10 Inc kindly but
shortly, looked for Rah, hut could not see
him, then turned to her husband again, us if
she would never leave of looking, shut her
eyes ard composed herself She lay for some
time breathing quick, and passed away so
gently that when we thought she was gone,
James. in his old fashioned way held the mir
ror to her face. After IL long pause, one small
spot of dimncsS was brcathed out it vanished
away aud never returned, leaving thr blank,
clear darkness IT the mirror without n stain.
What is life it is even vnpor which aIE'
pcarcth lUr Il little tine aud then vanisheth
away
Rab all this time had been full awake and
mntinnlcsS; he came forward beside us
Allies hand, which James had held, WINS
hanging down; it was soaked with his tears {;
Rab licked it all over carefully, luokcd at her
and returned to his place under the table
James and sat, don't know hoH long, but
for some tinc-Sayirg nothing; he started up
abruptly, and with some noise went to the
table, and putting his right fore aud middle
finger each into II shoe pulled them out, mud
put them on, breaking one Of the leather latch.
rs, and muttr'ing in anger, =" ! never did the
like o that aiorc!"
| believe he never did, nor after neither
Rab! hr said roughly and pointing with his
thumb to the bottom of the bed. Rab capt
up and settled himself, his head and eye to the
dead iacc.-="M "MaiStcr .Inhn, yell wait for ilr :"
said the carrier md disappeared in the dark
nc>S, laundering down stairs in his heavy
shoes. | ran to front window; there he
was, already round the house, and ont at the
gate, tlcctng like a shadow.
was afraid about him, and yet not afraid :;
80 sat down hrsid, Rab, and being wcaricd
i'll asleep. i awokc from Snddcn noise out
side. 1t was November. aud there had been a
heavy fall of snow. Rab was in Stata guo !.
he heard the noise too, and plainly knew it,
but hcvcr moved. looked out, aud there at
the gate, in the dim mWning-tor the sun was
not up-waS jess aud the cart-a cloud of
steam rising from the old mare.
did not scc james; he was already Mt the
door, and cnnc up stairs and met me- twas
less than three hours since he left, and he must
have posted Out-who knows how ITO How
""tr, full nine miles OH, yokcd jess, and tlriv.
rn her aSt"nl>hcd into town. Tie had an arm
lul "i blankets, aud was streaming with per-
>'irati"n. lie nodded to me- spread out ON
the floor two pairs of clean blankets, having
, at their conrrS. "A. g., l7o4," in large let
tcIS in red worstcd. These were the initials
of Alison t;ramc, and James may have look
cd in at her from without-unSrcn but not
unthouGht ot-whcn he was swat, wat, and
weary, and had walked many mile over
the hills and seen her sitting while "a the
lave were Slrcpin'; )" and 10y the freight put.
ting her name on the blankets of her min
/ Il hn1 la I, 4.
king his wife in his arms, Ia d her in the blan.
kctS, and mapped her carefully and firmly up
leaving the face uncovered; and then. lifting
her, he nodded again sharply to me, and with
II resolved but utterly miserable face, strobe
along the passage and down stairs, followed by
lsah. also followed with light; but he
didn't need it. went ont, holding stnpidly
the light in my hand in the frosty air: we
were soon at the gate. could have helped
him, but | saw he was not To hc mcddlcd
with and he was strong and did not need il;
lie laid her down as trndrrly, "aS safely, aS
he had lifted her out ten days hclorc-aS ten
derby aS when he had her first in his arms
when she was only" G."-Scatrd her, lcav.
Ing that beautiful scaled face open TO the hvav-
1nS; and thrn taking jess by the head, he
moved away. lie did not notice me, neither
did Rah. who presided alone behind the cart.
! | stood Til they passed through the long
shadow of the college, and turned up Nichol.
son street. heard the solitary cart sound
through the streets, die away aud come again /;
and returned, thinking of that company go
, ing up l.ibcrton Brac. then along RoSn Muir,
! the morning light touching the Pcntlands and
making them like on.looAing ghosts; then
down the hill through Aurhinlinny woods,
past "hauntrd WoodhouSrl,c;" aud as dav-
break came sweeping mp the bleak I.ammcr-
muirS, and fell ON his own door, the company
would stop, and James would take the kew,
and lit Allie up again, laying her ON her own
bed, and having put jess up, would return
with Hab and shut the door
James buried his wife with his ncishbors
mourning, Rah inspecting the Solcmnity from
distance. 1t was SNOW, and that black, rag
sed hole would look strange in the midst of
the swelling SpolleSS cushion of white James
looked after everything; then rather suddenly
hell i'll aud took to bed; was insenSible when
the doctor came, and soon died. 4 sort of
low fever was prevailing in the village, and
his want of sleep, his exhaustion and his mis-.
cry, made him apt TO take it. The grave was
not difficult to re open. A fresh fall of snow
had again made all things white and smooth !;
ltab once more hooked on and skunk home to
tho stable
And what Of Rabp I looked for him next
week at the new carriers who got the good
Will OF James business, and was now master
of jess and her cart. "How's Raby" lie
put me of, and said abruptly, "What's your
business wi the dOwgP" | was not to be so