Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1868-01-18

pocket. | could not wrench that frenzieC
grasp away, and, with the GOODNESS of /;
devil as l was, shut the door upon hi:
arm, and with my knife severed the
wrist"
The speaker ceased q moment, and bu
rled his face in his hands, as if to shut
ont some fearful dream, and his deeE
chest heaved like a storm swept sea. My
father had arisen from lis scat and was
leaning forward, his countenance color
less, and the large drops standing out
upon his brow. Chills crept back to my
heart, and | wished | was home. The
old man looked up, and never since be-
held such mortal agony pictured upon a
human face as there was on his. He con-
tinued
"lt was morning when awokc, and
the storm had ceased but the cold was
intense. | first secnred drink of water
and then Hooked i'll the accustomed place
for Mary. AS | missed her, for the first
time shadowy sense of some horrible
nightmare began to dawn upon my wa:.-
dering mind. / thought | had dreamed
a fearful dream, but involuntarily opened
the outside door with shuddering dread
AS the door opened the snow burst in,
followed by fall of something across
the threshold, scattering the Geld snow,
and striking the floor with hard, sharp
sound. My blood shot like red hot ar
rows through my veins, and | rubbed my
eyes to shut out the sight. 1t was-it-
God, how horrible! it was my own in
jured Mary, and her babe, frozen to ice
The ever true mother had bowed herself
over the child to shield it, and had wrap
ped all her own clothing around 1t, leav-
ing her own person stark and bare. She
had placed her hair over the face of the
child, and the slect had frozen it to the
white check The frost was white in its
half opened eyes, and upon It's tiny fin
gers. ! know not what became Of my
brave boy"
Again the old man bowed his head and
wcpt, and all that were in the house wept
with him. In tones of low, heart-broken
pathos, the old man concluded:
81 was arrested. and .tor long months
raved in delirium. l woke was sentenc-
Cd to prison for ten years, but 10 tor
turcs could equal those in my own bo
som. o, God no! ! am not a fanatic !;
wish to iniure no one But while live,
let me strive to warn others not TO enter
The path which has been so dark and
fearful ore 10 me- ! could see my an
gel mother, my wife and children beyond
this vale of tears"
The old man sat down, but spell rs
deep and strange as that wrought by
some wizards breath rested upon the au-
dience. Hearts could have been heard
in their beating, and tears to fall. The
old man then asked the people to sigu
the pledge.
81 fy father leapcd from his seat and
snatched at it eagerly. | had followed
him as he hesitated a moment with his
pen i'll the ink tear fell from the old
mans eye upon the paper.
".Sign it, young man, sign it. Angels
would sign it. / would write my name
ten thousand times in blood, if it would
bring back my loved ones"
Ny father wrote his name, '1lortimer
Hudson"
The old man looked, wiped his tearfnl
eyes, and looked again, his countcnance
alternately flushed with red and death
like paleness.
at is-no, it cannot be, vet how
strange" mnttercd the old man. Par
don me, sir, but this is the name of my
brave boy"
My father trembled AMI held up his
left arm from which the hand had been
severed. They looked for a moment into
each others eyes, both reeled and ex-
claimed
"My own injured boy ~
"My father ~
They fell upon each other till it seem
ed their souls would grow and mingle
into one. There was weeping in that
church, and l turned bewildered upon the
streaming eyes around me.
"Let me thank God for this great bless
ing, which has gladdened my guilt bur
thened soul," exclaimed the old man, and
kneeling down poured out his heart in
one of the most melting prayers ever
heard. The spell was broken, and all
eagerly signed the pledge, slowly going
to their homes as if 10th to leave the
spot. The oil man is dead, but the les
son he taught the grandchild on the knee
as his evening sun went down without a
cloud, will never be forgotten. His IA
naticsm has lost none of its fire in my
,,,o,boo1-s hoort