The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-01-09
BILLY BUTTONS.
BY NORMAN MACLEOD. D. D.
CHAPTER ibis NURSING.

hand, and feebly. with broken accents
and great effort, said, L expected to
be home-long before this-and TO
have saved my babe. Then she
broke down and tainted. Being re
covered, she said, Be sure and give
and give-my desk with all in it
to Mr.. Thomson, Writer, Elgin.
Write to my husband at Valparaiso
his name is William The tears
trickled down her calm and sweet
countenance. God forgive him
tell him-tell him | dol
His name?" eagerly inquired the
the Captain.
Battens-"
Buttons, did you say?' asked the
Captain. Cheer up. dear lady; God
may yet preserve you. Steward
little brandy-quick! and the Cap
tain, holding her hands, leant over
her, while the tears rolled down his
honest face, like the first drops Of
thunder shower. But there was no
response save the feeble cry Of the lit
tie boy from the blankets, which his
dead mother had wrapped around
him.
But why such an event as this? 1t
marriage of Annie EOrdyee with
William Battens was not happy
one. She was one of those sweet
creatures who are. here below, called
| angels. Early in life she was lett an
orphan, and went to Valparaiso to
keep a brothers house. The brother
died, and she married Battens, his
partner, who turned out very differ
1 II r. L. fn
her sweet, trustful nature. He was
vain and selfish. and latterly- But
the less said about his character the
better for the reader. [ need not dis
play the evil which exists IN society.
All men believe in that. Rather let
| it be forgotten over Annie face, calm
/ and sweet, as if the spirit which once
animated it remained while to IL
lumine the palace where 1t had so
long dwelt.
Annie had heard of a small proper
ty which was left to her. n her own
right, but which her husband was re-
| solved to lay hold of to squander on
his pleasures. She hoped to be able
to reach thehome ofsome near friends
| before her confinement. But the
slow sailing of.the ship and the pro-
longed gales made this impossible;
and what her thoughts and anguish
were-with her hopes and fears and
uncertain feeling women
alone can tell.
tits not easy to comprehend what
| that death and birth were to the Cap
tain and crew of the ship! They
could dispose of the dead body with
out difficulty. Whatever feelings Of
pain they experienced, and these were
very real, they had been too familiar
with death tie be much struck by it.
They had heaved many a comrade
over in his hammock; they had often
seen a man at one moment beside
them, and in the next floating like
speck in the boiling surge, when the
terrible cry of " A man overboardl'
was vain to bring relief. But a ten
| der babe, without a woman near,
without nurse of any kind, and men
skilled onlyln the rough usages of
the wild sea, was something very diff
ferent. The Captain was a father,
and loved his children, and he and the
steward, also father. put their heads
together and consulted about the
babe. The two were seated in the
Captains cabin, the child, still
wrapped in the blanket, on the Cap
tain's knees.
I" Beautiful boy" said Wauchope.
A jewel," said Watson.
Frail bark, Watson"
God can steer it into port, Cap
tain"
st prey God he may do it, Watson"
Thank We, Captain. have been
long thinking and continuing what to
give it. [ may tell you confdentially
that | have tried-beg pardon for the
liberty-biscuits soaked in weak tea
and | kept-unknown to you, sir
| AK pardon again, sir some pres arv-
ed eggs for his poor mother, and I'll
beat them up beautiful, for the bless
ed little angel"
"All right, my hearty-try-tr
try" And somehow or other, they
got it to swallow the nourishnlent;
and the Captain vowed with a gin of
Joy that he saw the child lick its lips
as a spoonful descended his small
throat. The hope. however faint, that
the boy might reach land, cheered
them up.
:, We have all been great sinners
said the Captain to Watson, : but He
won't, l hope, punish the child for
this. but preserve him" And there
and then the Captain vowed in his
heart that he would swear no more.
When the Captain came on deck to
arrange with the carnenter for the
lady's burial, he observed a great
change for the better in the weather
The burial was in the evening. All
the men, not excepting the watch,
petItiOned the Captain to lay the ship
| - L. IL. Al. IL l.. IL