The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-02-08
RIGHT OR WRONG?
feoNCfFDrp |

ferring, he said, to spend the time in iuspect
ing IN" adjoining asylum for the blind, whic
the benevolent doctor had instituted. Their
Were not many inmates there ana finding h
had still some half hour to spare, he stroii'
into small neighboring cemetery, iistIess
reading the names of the humble dead tina
rested there. pn one OF the simple blac
crosses, he started TO see the name never Ion
absent from his thought, "f.ina Hansm;nn' =
a common name, he knew but the drops stoo'
thick on his forehead, and his knees knockev
one against the other There was no age, m
date of death given but the paint was fresh
and several fresh-iooking garlands hung upoi
the cross. While he stood there, little girl
with a shade over her eyes, came slowly AM
nnsteadiiy along towards il. She had iittl
white garland 10 hang there, too. The chill
started, as Fred addressed her in "A broker
voice. ''Who was the Lima Hausnann burie,
there %
to her. Once her parents though she, too woai.
be blind. Now, Gott lob the doctor said sh
would recover. But even ifshe We're blind sh
could earn her bread Lima had taught he
10 knit SO fast, so fast, faster than her sister
who had two strong eyes. "
Fred drew long breath for relief s'Ant
this good Lima, where did she liyry When di,
she die Was she old or youngr'
''Sne lived in the asylum. 1t was not Quit
Il month since they laid her there :: aud tn,
child began 10 cry, and then stopped. Lin;
told me once she said, when she was quit
weli-before the cruel fever came-that il sh,
died. l was never to cry for her, but to be glad
and TO thank tIod that he mad called her home
Bat l cannot he glad, Tor have no one TO te.lci
me now, and 10 sing TO me rs she did; and
loved her everybody loved her"
- Was sue young?' Fred asked again, with
An iudeseribabie throb OF terror, which he tried
10 dismiss absurd.
The little girl thought that she was old: bat
her mother had wept much that one so good
should nave died 50 young.
Placing a Iorin ia her little thin hand, Fred
took the white garland nnng II referentiy on
the 0oss lifted the child. that she might look
quite close at IL there with her poor suffering
eyes and then he slowly walked away to-
wards the doctors house. When Sir Georyt'
and his Il tugn ter Joined him, they Were in the
highest possible spirits. DIR. e had eX-
pressed most decided and most fayorib BILE
opinion rest 20 the eyes, fresh air, and Il sim =
pie course of treatment were alone necessary,
he had said, 10 insure perfect recovery. Fred
rendered his ngrltulations. 'Dr. d.
continued the baronet, advises me to go in a
lesnreiy way mp the Rhine, and then to return
here, ana let him judge what progress my case
MS made an very glad OF TINS, for Iind
my little Carrie has quite set her heart upon
seeing Heidelberg. Perhaps, Mr. Biount, We
may be fallow-tr1velers Il little longer"
Carrie stole rapid glance at the handsome
face before her, and then blushed, bat with
mortificati on not pleasure there was so little
response 10 be read there 10 her ia Their sugges
ton. She turned the subject with an admIra-
bic imi tati0n of perfect indifference. 'Oh, by
the way, Mr.. Blount, have something quite
w
with DIR. Cd into his consulting room, WAS
left alone in a rather bare sutton, with only
German books on the table, which l very
slightly understood, SO was compelled TO take
an inventory of all the furniture and prin Is -
And what do you think found? In IL corner
of the room, a bust quite strikingly, startling
ly like you. l do assure you, il is your very
counterpart l wonder what great German
philosopher or poet you have the honor of
strictly resembling. But you are ill what is
the matter? What shall L do? Here is the
carriage; shall we wait, or drive back at once %
and she looked into his pale face with genuine
anxiety.
at is nothing of any consequence" gasped
out Fred "but l cannot return with Won |
must speak To this doctor. Yes l Will Join
You again; you shall hear" And, having
helped her INTO the carriage he turned abrupt
ly away.
''His hand is cold as death he must be i'll
sighed the poor girl.
Nonsense my dear Carrie said her IA Their |
willing in his own immense mental relief to
take cheerful views on all subjects. MIR. |
Blount is much interested in all scientific mat
tiers, know, and wants TO talk some of them |
over with this excellent doctor. But l II VEN |
iure to predict we have HIM back again with |
us before the evening is ever And so Sir |
George and his fair daughter Whiried AWAY |
The interview between the benevolent doe |
Tor and Fred Blount WAS long and a painful |
one In after years, DIR. G-'s eyes would |
moisten whenever he referred to it. A mans |
transport OF grief is a narrowing thing TO wit |
ness. nor Is it often yielded 10 in the presence |
OF another man. But when he saw again that |
bust, on which, when he saw ii last, Lima |
hand had rested--on which her dying hand |
rested he was told, one short month ago
when he erstood, for the first time, the |
meaning OF those few farewell words the full |
ness OF the love that prompted the step she |
had taken-when he pictured her TO himself |
alone with strangers, blind, desolate, thinking |
OF him to the last, while he had often strug- |
gled TO blame and to forget her--he fairly broke |
han IN hIg
gret. When he was able 10 listen, there was |
much ofconsolation in what the doctor had to |
tell him, though he could not then feel, and |
perhaps never felt, its full force. Lima had |
come TO DR.. c., n suppliant for a lifelong |
asylum, in return for the sum of 81 800 with |
which she wished to enGow his es tablishment. |
This was an unprecedented step; but hearing
that she was an orphan, unmarried, and with
put any near relatives, lie did not feel called
upon to reject the proposition on which her
mind seemed bent. Struck by her beauty and
sadness. and by refinement OF manner that
was the more striking, owing 10 the extreme
OF the black dress she wore, he was
anxious to provide her with MANY comforts
beyond those that could possibly fail TO the
share OF the other inmates but with the eY-
,eption OF a separate room she insisted upon
airing IN every respect they did. Some
months after her arri val, the doctor had been
ed by slight change OF symptoms 10 antci-
,afe possible recovery. During this period of
suspense, he had observed Il very painful ex-
itement in his patient S mind, and ne had Ii
lie doubt than she injured herself by her deep
repression ana constant weeping. Once or
vice he had heard her express Il dread lest
he had been precipitate, lest she had decided
wrongly but she seemed ayerse TO enter into
ny fuller explanation. When all hope wis | ,
ver, great serenity seemed to settle upon
rr. She spent less time III her own room
he kept thai bust there--and began TO devote ! {
erseif TO those around her. Having acq uired
With singular rapidity, an almost unprece-
skill in the different kinds of handiwork
tossiDis. the bind. she took nIpa in |
eaching the less dexterous OF her fellow-suf-
erers. DIR. O. had often marveed Ut her |
patience. Many of the children
lad been most deeply indebted to it, Her ex- |
uisite singing gave her great hold upon the
Elections OF all around her, and her inf uence
vas always used for good. She seemed 10 shed
0mething of her own perfect peace and resiy- |
alton on all the rest.
lyon do not, then, believe that she was un- ,
Apply 7" the young man asked-a strange
'alousy lest she should have forgotten him
Angling with his thankfulness. )
The doctor did not believe that she was He
ED il 10 be AN inyariable law, that beneyo- c
INT and energetic exertion in the cause of
theirs brought with it its own reward Her
.ee' oil iate years, he sud, was always calm,
nd generally cheerful. T.
Had she never revealed 10 him her past his
Dry :"
Never; but she had promised to do So
ome day, she had said, "when am stronger
! my faith and patience, when am resigned
} all my iosses--sone day, you shall know
II. But that day had never come A fever
ad broken out in the course OF the summer |
mongst the childrelt in the institution Lima
AID She had no fear Of infect ton, and she sat
am some Of the little creatures, soothing
iien, and singing 10 them TO the last. She
'as the last case, and amongst the adults the
my fatal one. The fever had run very high,
~ Iron the first the doctor had no hope
le, !, mao Deem good deal of wandering but l.
nappy KIND She seemed to be- reunited
Some one very dear. When consciousness.
..aann, sue had asked 10 have the bust t.