The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-09-06
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Wednesday Morning, sept. s, 1865.
THE STORMY NIGHT.

February on a sofa in our drawing room at
the Grange, the name of our place. Our
neighbourhood was an exposed one on the
coast, and the country had looked particularly
gloomly on the day speak o as it always did
in bad, misty weather, Yes, it did seem very
dreary that day, with its lowering heavy sky,
across whose dark horizon the seagulls were
squealing in numbers. The barometer had gone
down to nothing; everything and everybody
appeared to be in state of depression; and
an unusul and ominOus stiffness prevailed to-
wards sunset, if that can be called such which
left us scarcely darker than we were be ore the
atmosphere, remember, was unaccountably
warm for the time of year. The fine cedars
in front of our house, which had been sway
ing, moaning ana shivering all the evening
now becoming more demonstrative as the
storm commenced, began TO fling their beauti-
ful Ion green arms about, occasionally strik-
ing our windows and walls, as If wishing to
warn us of some coming catastrophe. Since
that time, there is something of tragic mean
ing conveyed to me in the way the dear old
trees throw their branches about, even when
stirred by the slightest breeze,-now bending
their graceful bonghs so low as to touch the
daisies nesting in the mossy swald beneath
them, now dancing joyously up TO brush the
roses which cluster in two and threeS along
and around our walls, and peep in upon us
through the panes Of the mullioned windows
of our drawing room looking on the lawn
Lying there and listening to the 6tful gusts Of
wind, and the hurried spattering of rain-dropS
againstt glass, i was thinking how comfort
able it was to be there by warm cheerful fire,
with bright lamp burning on the table, and
an interesting book at nand whilst all was so
miserable in the world outside our luxurious
home Ny husband had Tired early with
bad cold, and my daughter Mary, the eldest of
the nine chi dren, had just kissed me, and
wished me good night After her departure
had taken up my book, and soon became SO
much interested in 1t as to forget how COM
Portable was. AT last must have fallen as
leep, lullel by the rising sounds Of the night,
having read ON to a late hour-for was dream
ing of being in vessel at sea- IN a storm, too,
for the ship was tossing and rolling finely, the
booming of the waves deafening, and sea-
birds screaming over my head, It'll was sud
denly awakened by what imagined to be the
firing of great guns, and general rumbling
and grinding OF chains on deck Startiug up,
discovered that, though on terra ttrnsd, my
candles had burntdo almost to their sock
cts, and that there was verify a sound Of rumb-
ling and crashing and knocking about the
house itself. Hastily snatching up light,
opened door and reached the landing place
before it. There l was met by strong blasts OF
wind which gave me the impression that halt
the doors and windows were open, my candle
was at once rudely extinguished, and stood
in the dark listening to the alarming and
strange sounds mentioned, which were now
forming running bass accompaniment to
screams, wild cries, and exclamations OF Won
derment and dismay. What could have hap
penedl Gould thieves, taking advantage OF
the disturbance by the warning OF the ele-
ments, have broken into the house, and had
nv husband fired upon them, or worse, they
upon him, and-horrible thought Twas il
possible, was it probable, that some one had
been killed in the struggled Half wild with
fear and filed with the worst antieipations Of
danger, | groped my trembling way along the
wall, feeling as / crawled, with my hand
against it to guide me, when all at once some
thing came in contact with my fingers, ,-soine-
thing fieshy and warm. Good heavens what
could IL be? a hand. My blood began freeze
yes another hand. And Immediately l
felt myself seized by somebody, who must
have been advancing as stealthily as myself,
and as snoiselessly, owing to the, general up
roar around us. "Only spare me" gasped
with scarcely audible voice, sand you shall
have everything you want convinced FOR the
moment that was in the custody of some
r1bber. - ~ 9i-a ~ z4 ll-n' 3 i'..s
emily, dearest, only want to know that
you are safe,p to my inexpressible relief cried
the voice Of my husband, which never sound;
ed SO musical in my ears before, unless, in
deed, it was the time when he first proposed to
me- Come what would, he, at least, was ull-
harmed. In nay joy in finding that Edward
was all right, had actually forgotten the poor
chiIdren,-but only for an instant, for they
soon reminded me oftheir presence, and prob
able dan ger, by the numerous cries and ejac-
ulations on all sides. y Aa-s ~ a22 n g
Mamma, papa, where are you? Are you
both killed ?--wnere are we?' 5ll ssf sa sgo't Z.
The ciamor had awakened the baby, a boy
ofsix months old, possessing remarkably strong
lupgs. and who was, to make matters more
inteliigible, screaming his loudest in the arms
OF nurse, who was vainly endeavoring to quiet
him. .a,s.l -. :.
After some difficulty we succeeded IN col
lecting together the terrified little ones, and
more difficult still, in the dark we managed 10
count them.s They were all there and all
right, save one,--our second youngest, the dear
little pet of the family, and the "moon-faced
darling OF ailsN t4 As- sN4 rs ~ W
"Where, where is she," l cried, "where is
Annie ps demanding her of the others as II
they were "a wild tribe of sayages, who had
purioined and made away with the child.
20 mamma exclaimed Mary, who was quite
a second mother to the rest. "don't you know?
II you will recollect you said yourself that
she was not to sleep in the nursery with nurse
and baby, or indeed near any OF the Others,
AMI DIR. Brown said this morning that she was
to be kept apart from the fear of Infection"
1t was true; the fright had caused my for
getfulness of fact, the remembrance of Which
now filled me with more intense alarm. The
dear chlld was suffering from measles. and had
been removed TO sleep in an adjoining room 10
that in which our two other women servants
Silent. and which was in the new part of the
building. We soon perceived that it was from
this quarter that the sounds which terrified us
SO much were proceeding. After some trouble
and searching we found lantern in the kitch.
en-, which lighting, we all hurried to the part
of the house In question. Arriving at the ser
wants room we encountered the maids, who
wringing their hands, were standing IN mute
despair, gazing heplessly, and with almost su
pernatural dread to know the worst deplcteI
on their countenances, at the door OF the room
where the little girl had been placed lor tnt
night. They had made no attempt to open IL
and to our united efforts it would not YIELD
some heavy substance appeared 70 block IL up
and we could only get it sufficiently apart u
discover that the apartment was full OF falleT
rubbish, and that clouds of dust were whlrllnG
about in the hurricane that seemed TO fill it
Bad as the worst conjeetures might be, at Ieasl
suspense and doubt were worse to bear; and
rushing headlong down the stairs we reached
the garden, and fetching ladder from the tool
house, placed it against the wall. and climbing
70 the window, my husband first. then and
astly Mary, managed to get into what had
nee been a bedroom now nothing hnt fn,,y
YaLs, enclosing a jumbled mass Of scattered
hicks and mortar, plaster, broken chimney
tots, beams of wood and broken bits Of rafters
over all binding cloud of dust, which nre.
vented us from seeing more distinctly the ex.
act nature of the disaster. Where-wbere
should we search for our little one? all hone q
the possibility OF her safety had died away in