The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1869-02-25

anxiety was to discover something
about Nelly's child, forifit could not be
found, what would be said of her, and
what would be done to herY The pO-
licsman on bis beat past the school
house always looked sharply Az our
windows with an evil eye, as ifhe was
eager to pounce down upon his prey;
and every time / saw him, ! turned
eagerly to the poor light-headed girl
who fancied she was tossing a baby in
her arras, and / longed for some sensi-
bic moment when she could give US an
answer to our questions.
"Doctor," said, towards-the end of
the month, Smelly is getting stronger,
she will not die. When will her reason
come back, so that she can talk sensibly
TO US 3"al s5 .r .'.
The Doctor looked me full in the
face, and laid his beautiful white hand,
with the diamond ring on his little
finger, upon my brown one.
",Hannah," he said, "the world would
be hard upon poor Nelly, and there's
no knowing where her troubles would
end. But God is going to take her out
of the world for while. 1t is best SO.
1t will be months, perhaps years, to
come, before Nelly will recover her
reason. Hannah, Nelly is mad"
Oh (! the poor, clever, pretty, darling
Nelly. our Youngest, that / had nursed
il my arms and been so proud of; and
now it has come to this! She must
hide her shame and trouble in
madhouse. DIR. Romaine said an
awful thing in trying to comfort me-
1t was better to go there than into Jail!
But everything he could do land in
Ludford DR.. Romaine was more like
king than anything else) he did for US;
and when Nelly was taken away, still
playing with her dream baby, to the
asylum, l turned my back upon the
hateful town, and went home once
more to the toll-gate. r.. s.s
1t was a dull, foggy night when l
reached the gate, just like New Years
Eve, and it was little wonder that my
mind went back at once to the time l
stood there listening to the cry Of
little child ] began to fancy that it
had been fore%arning of our coming
misfortunes, as well as the surly strang-
er's curse. The curse had fallen upon
US heavily. There through the window
could see father sitting by the fire,
but his head was sunk upon his breast,
and his grizzled hair had turned as white
as snow. The pipe lay untitled upon the
table at his elbow, and the newspaper
had dropped from his hand Upon the
floor; and he looked as he cared for
neither pipe nor paper All the house
place was wretched and untidy, and
the CRATE was choked up with ashes.
Nelly's troubles was plain to see upon
everything but it was my duty to turn
to and do what DR.. Romaine said he
was doing. sit was not like Chris
tian,p he said, "to make things worse
by idly moaning and lamenting, when
by bestirring ones self we could make
those about us happier and more COM
Portable"
Twas just going to hearten up father,
and set the houseplace in order, when
a tax-cart coming up the road brought
him to the door, looking so weak and
shaky that he seemed scarcely able
to do his work. We had only just
time to shake hands, before the trav-
eler came up,-an :; old acquaintance,
living in an out-of-the-way village,
sixteen miles off, upon a. Cross-rOad.
He had ticket from our old toll-gate
at Hopwood, where he had turned
into the highway, freeing him of our
gate. But he drew up and spoke cher
lily to father.
"Good night, Burgess" said he,
show are your girls getting on
Either of them married, eh %
"No," said father with sigh like a
groan.
ave been ready to die with laugh
ingP said he with a chuckle, call the
way from HOpwood,gate. You've
heard of the New Years present the old
dame had left at her door? She and
her master are getting into brangle
about it.; he wanting TO send it to the
poor-house, and she wanting to keep
it, 1t will have to go in the long run,
/ reckon"
"It," said, coming forward, for all
of sudden l bethought me that the
child's cry that / had heard was neither
a fancy nor forewarning-"itH What
is it,"
"Why, havn't you heard p said he.
"A newborn child was left at Hop
wood-gate, on New Years morning
early, with a fve-pound note in the
! basket. The old lady is 10th to send it
to the poor house, reckoning upon
more notes. Well, well! I've had a
good laugh over it," te9 ny
He chuckled again, and we could
hear him still laughing as he drove on.
NV spirits went up with bound, for
surely this child could be no other
than Nelly's lost baby, and in spite Of
the shame my heart yearned towards
the innocent creature. l tided the
houseplace quickly and raked out the
fire, and set the kettle on the top bar,
and before an hour had passed, father
had his pipe lit, and his spectaces on,
and his paper in hand; but saw that
his hands shook, and there was a
A.ar..hl;nn In hia .annr ..h;4a had hat