Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-04-09
THG LOST CHILD

have all been pleasant homes once, for love
can make any home pleasant. In one of
THESE castles, some years ago, there lived a
beautiful lady and a little girl. This lady s
husband was a soldier, and had gone away
to fight in a foreign war; and so She was all
alone except her servants and her child, little
Gretchen; that is the same as Margaret-it
means pearl, you know, and she was more
precious to her mother than many pearls, for
lady Gertrude, as the people called her, loved
that little girl more than her ownl life. Gretchen
had sweet voice, as many of the German
children have, and it made the old castle glad
as she ran about in the lonely rooms, singing
the ballads which her mother used to teach her.
One time her mother was obliged to go to a
distant city and leave Gretchen with her
nurse. II was the first time in her life that
she had left her darling for so long time.
Many were the commands which she gave the
servants, to look after and care for her child,
but they were careless, and Gretchen was left
to wander around at her pleasure, even outside
the gates of the castle. 1t was nearly sunset
one afternoon when a band OF strolllng players,
who had been hanging around the castle were
surprised at hearing a sweet baby voice singing
over their ballads, and at seeing Gretchen S
pretty childish figure among them.
Her love of their songs had led her to follow
these rowing players SO far that now it was
nearly nightfal and she could not find her
way home, and with fearful eyes she begged
the old woman who saw her first, to take her
to her mamma. 1t was growing cold, and her
little dress of thinnest lawn was but poor
protection. She casped her hands and cried
bitterly: "Iake me home, please take me
home. | am mammals pearl, and if get lost
she will die; see, that is my mamma" and she
al f,.,n, hr,, Al
Lady Gertrude. 1t was set with pearls and
brilliants; the old woman's hand grasped it
eagerly, but Gretchen's look Of agony stopped
her.
"We'll take you home," they said, "but
your home is a long way from here"
So they dressed her like gypsy child,
and led her with them, far away from the
Lady Gertrude, far from the castle by the
shining river, and far from all the pleasant
things which made up Gretchen home. And
when she would beg them to take her home,
they would always tell her that she was going
toward her home, but it was great way off
They took the miniature and broke off its
exquisite setting, leaving only the painting
and that she wore around her neck still, for
the picture was all that Gretchen cared for.
The lady Of the castle returned, and there
was mourning far and wide for the lost child
the darling Of the castle. They searched for
her for many weeks, but search was useless
and finally they said she must have been
drowned in the river or lost in the forest
but no one dared to whisper it to the lady of
the castle, for fear it would break her heart
And so the light of the castle went out for
Lady Gertrude, and all its beauty faded. The
roses clustered over the lattice and hung in
crimson wreaths around her window; and they
faded and the green pines were heavy and
white with the snows OF winter; but il was all
alike to her: the light of her life had faded.
and she faded, too.
Her harp was untouched in the hail. for the
only music which she could bear to hear was
the music Of Gretchen's sweet childish voice
as it sung in her heart forever. Years went
by, and her soldier lord came back from
battle, and tried to comfort her in her sorrow;
and she went with him to Gretchen's room for
the first time since her loss. The moon shone
clear and bright that evening on the little bed
and It's snowy covering, and on the pillows
whera she had Sc often watched her darling
IN her rosy sleep; and the mother lluelt by the
little bed, and prayed earnestly that God would
give her back her darling in his own good
time, and help her to say, "Thy will be done"
They went out together, the knight Siegfried
and his lady. And all the land was full of
her life seemed to be that she might comfort
all who were in SORROW, even as she hoped
that God would one day comfort her But
her sorrow took away her strength and health,
and they went at last, the knight and his lady,
to seek Ter both in sunny Italy. Her sickness
was such as no change of climate could cure :;
not even the sweet blue skies Of Florence and
the breath of its thousand flowers. Yet there
was always in her heart faint hope that one
day her darling would come back to her. 1t
grew tjnnter every day, and she never breathed
1t to any one. She was thinking about it one
pleasant afternoon in early spring, as she lay
on couch by an open window. They had
taken her there, for she was scarcely able to
walk through the room, She lay watching the
busy crowds in the streets, for it was feast
day, and the flower girls went in and out among
the crowd, bearing their fragrant burdens.
Take these flowers" lady, said q sweet
voice by the window, and a fair-haired girl. in
a testal dress, looked pityingly at her and laid
a spray OF snowy japonicas upon the window
seat. She spoke Italian. bat not SO as the
natives speak; and although very sunburnt.
yet her golden hair and blue eyes looked
strangely out of place among the dark-eged
fIorentlnes Something in her voice sounded
strangely familiar to the Lady Gertrude
something like the echoes which had long
fingered IN her heart. The flower girl had
gwen the sweetest flowers in her basket TO the
SICK stranger, and fastened away, trilling, as
she went, few notes of a little song, the same
that used TO echo through the halls in the old
castle by the river. The lady called her back
and asked her all about her home. Was she
a tlorentine2 She could remember but little
about her early life. She had not always lived
IN Florence. 1t was long, long ways off:
CHI
mother She had her mothers picture with
her, and she drew from her bosom the little
broken miniature.
1t was there, just as she herself had clasped
it, on Gretchen's neck, so many wears AGO
and as the lady looked at it, she scarcely re-
cognlzed 1t for her own picture. That was so
bright and beautiful, and she herself was worn
and faded with long watching and sorrow.
She spoke In German, and called her by the
cndeaung names that she used to at home
until at last the lOwer-girl became conscious
of the truth, and as it all flashed on her mind.
she sunk beside the couch and buried her face
in the folds of her mothers dress; and they
two wept together for the very Joy Of their
hearts. The sunset died over the river and
the stars came out in the sky, while mother
and child sat together in happiness to deep
for words. And health and strength came
back to the mother, and before many weeks
we're passed they went back to Germany, and
Gretchen, their own daughter, went with them
to be the light Of the castle, the sunshine OF the
Lady Gertrude's heart, as she had been in the
years gone by. In that Italian city there is a
little church a perfect gem of architectural
beauty; a grateful mother had lavished upon
1t all that wealth could procure or the most
perfect taste devise. The altar cloth is of pure
white velvet, the Lady Gertrude's bridal dress
and in It's fringes are woven with cunning
artitice, the richest of the jewels which had
long been the pride Of Lord Siegfried's family
and her own. In the floor of the church there
Is set little tablet, telling in few German
words, IN antique characters, the story of Lady
Uertrude's life: II have found my child"
Joseph Mazzini has been elected mem
Der OF the Italian Parliament for the city of Naples
lie was also voted for in his native town of Genoa
nut was defeated there by small majority. Heis
however an exile from Italy, and cannot return TO
take the seat to which ne has been chosen unless he
should be pardoned and relieved from hi, disabilities
by the King.
Commodore Vanderbilt is seventy. but
active as ever. He has built and paid for one hun
dred steamers, and is now the largest owner of rail-
road stocks in the United States lie controls both
the Harlem and Hudson river roads, while his in
terest in the New York Central is not less than half
a million.
Orders have been received at the Brook