Middletown transcript., 1868-11-21

to the cradle and grasped him in her arms.
1 caught her again by the hair and drag
ged her to the door and as lifted the latch
| the wind burst in with cloud of snow
With fendish yell still dragged her on
and hurled her out amid the darkness and
storm. Then, with wild laugh, / closed
the door and fastened it. Her pleading
means and the sharp cry of her babe
mingled with the wall of the blast. But
@ny horrible work was not complete,
II turned to the bed where my eldest
son was lying, snatched him from his
slumbers, and, against his his half-awak-
ened struggles, opened the door and thrust
him out. In the agony of fear he uttered
that sacred name I was no longer worthy
to bear. He called me-FATHER! and
locked his fingers in my side pocket. /
could not wrench that grasp away; but
with the cruelty Of fend, I shut the
door upon his arm, and, seizing my knife,
severed 1t at the wrist
1t was morning when I awoke, and the
storm had ceased. looked round to
the accustomed place for my wife. AS ]
missed her, dim, dark scene, as of some
horrible nightmare, came over me-. /
thought it must be fearful dream, but
involuntarily opened the door with shud-
dering dread. As the door opened, the
snow burst in, and something fell across
the threshold with dull, and heavy sound.
My blood shot through my veins, and /
covered my eyes to shut out the sight. 1t
was-O God! how terrible, il was my
own loving wife and her babe frozen to
death With true mothers love, she had
bowed herself over the child to shield 1t,
and wrapped all her clothing around it,
leaving her own person exposed to the
storm. She had placed her hair over the
face of the child, and the sleet had frozen
it to the pale cheek The frost was white
on the lids of its half-opened eyes, and
upon its tiny fingers.
al never knew what became of my
brave boy"
Here the old man bowed his head, and
wept; and all in the house wept with him.
Then in tones Of heart-broken sorrow, he
continued;
81 was arrested, and for long months ]
was raving maniac. When recovered,
I was sentenced to the penitentiary for
ten years, but that was nothing to the tor
lures l have endured in my own bosom.
And now desire to spend the little rem
nant of my life in striving to warp others
not to enter path WHICH has been so
dark and fearful to me.
When the old man had finished, the
temperance pledge was produced, and he
asked the people to come forward and
sign it. The son of the aged speaker re-
ferred to leaped from his seat, and pressed
forward to sign the pledge. AS he took
the pen in hand, he hesitaatted moment.
.. Sign it, young man, sign it, said
the venerable speaker. ANGELS would
sign it. would write my name in blood,
ten thousand times, if it would undo the
ruin I have wrought, and bring back my
loved and lost ones"
The young man wrote, /" Mortimer
Hudson The old man looked. He
Wiped his eyes, and looked again. His
face flushed with fiery red. and then a
death like paleness came over it.
cit is-no, it cannot be, yet how very
strange!" he muttered. g Pardon me,
sir, but that was the name of my brave
boy"
I The young man trcmbled, and held up
his left arm, from which the hand had
been severed.
They looked. for moment, in each
others eyes, and the old man exclaimed
my own injured boyP'
The young man cried out
"My poor, dear fatherP'
Then they fell upon each others neck
and wept tears of penitence and forgive
ness together.