The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-01-29

nenounce all abstruse thinking, all Day
dreaming, all sorrowful remembering, all
sentimental musing-lOOk upon application,
exercise, work, as duty and medicine,
and will answer for your expelling from
your mind that dreadful purpose that entails
upon you misery, and disgraces the nature
Of man"
"Your advice is excellent, replied he,
somewhat reused g but, fortunately, hae
got the same frae my ain mind and, what
is mair, l hae tried it-I hae tried it again
and again the medicine is worth nae mair
to me than bread I'll. My efforts to ex-
ercise my mind, when ft O sorrow presses
upon it, only max the sorrow the heavier,
by maxim the mind less able to bear it. My
soul is for ever bent on that question O. the
the necessity O. the will which you despise
and avoid. | will, God is my witness, argue
it with you, camly and reasonably"
"Unless you agree to renounce that ques-
tion," said l, " can do you no good"
"Then," replied he. with . grOan, l
am left to Heaven and my unavoidable fate.
May God have mercy on my soul!'
And be again relapsed into ct Of dejee-
ton, his head leaning on bis breast, and his
eyes fixed on the bed.
could, / found, make no more Of him
that day, and my other avocations required
my departure. / told him l would call
again, and bring or send him some medicine.
1t is an unnecessary VIZ 3 O. your
valuable time," he said, lifting up his head,
to call on a wretch like me. am much
obliged to you for advice but the only
medicine for me is-de1th."
He pronounced the fearful word with an
emphatic cultural tone, which gave it ter
rifle effect. opened the door to depart,
and was surprised to find that it would not
go back sufficiently to allow me to pass
freely. The probable cause Of the Interrupt
ton flashed upon my mind in an instant.
Without speaking word, edged myself
through, and saw, lying at the back of the
door, the BODY of the unfortunate young
woman, in a state Of insensibility. | had
presence Of mind enough not to carry her into
the room where her father lay y; but, seeing
the light Of the kitchen at the further end of
the long gloomy passage, snatched her up
in my arms, and fastened with her thither.
Having laid her on small truckle bed,
whereon, presume, she usually slept, |
found she was in deep swoon ; and, notwith
standing that it was getting dark, and my
time was expired, | waited her recovery.
As she lay before me, pale as corpse, and
as thought of the cause Of her illness, and
looLad rorrd - xo;r Co. am ora ~ r1uo har
assistance or consolation (the groans Of her
father, which l indistinctly heard, being the
only answer that would have been given to a
call for aid in house more like haunt for
ghosts and spectres than a residence for
human beings), felt the impression Of her
peculiar misery pass over me, makes me
shudder as if l had been seized with fit of
the ague. The frail, brittle creature lying
there, victim Of Mysteries, fit only to be
cherished and guarded by doting mother
placed in a large, empty, gousty mansion
doomed to guard alone a suicide and
father, and, perhaps, to wrestle with him
through blood-her pareHt's blood for
the preservation Of remaining spark of
selEtaken life She at length recovered,
exhibiting the ordinary precursors of return
ing sciousness-convulsive shiverings,
rolling of the eyes, and beating about with
the hands. On perceiving me indistinctly,
she articulated-
Death death that was the word he
spoke sae wildly. Ah | know it now -
James Haas lang tried to conceal it
frae me but / hae discovered it at last.
Can you save him, sir ?-cau you save the
father O her wha has scarcely anither
freend on earth p
A food of tears followed this ejaculation.
She tore her hair like a maniac. tried
everything in my power to pacify her but
terror had completely mastered her weak
nerves, and she shook as the successive
frightful images suggested by her situation
passed through her excited and still con-
fused mind.
rs there no one in those parts" said l,
''that can attend your father, and assist you
Who is the James H-you Just now
mentioned
He is my cousin replied she. He
lived with US for some time but my father
and he quarrelled about a razor, which he
said james wanted to steal from him. But
see it now. There was nae theft. James,
4 poor James, was innocent, and wanted to
save him but they concealed it frae me,
and my cousin was turned away"
The mention of the word razor made me
start. had left the instrument on the head
Of the drawers, and had even now heard
the wretched mans groans. | hurried to the
room, and entered softly He was in it of
detection, grOaning, at intervals, deeply,
like man in bodily pain. | took up the
instrument without being noticed, and re-
turned to the kitchen. 1t was now almost
dark. l had three miles to ride through
wild hill paths, and | heard some threaten
ing indications of a night-storm. The young
woman was still lying on the couch, with
her terrors undiminished but could do
nothing more for her, and to have impressed
her with the necessity of watching her
parent would have created additional alarm,
without increasing her zeal in cause that
concerned too nearly her own heart. l told
her, therefore, that required to depart, and
was in the act of leaving to 60 to the door,
when, in a paroxysm of terror, she started
up, and seized me, clutching me firmly, and
crying loudly
\" Will you leave me alone wi him in this
house, and through ut the dark night? He
will do it when you are gone. Heaven pre-
serve me frae the sight O fathers blood ~
l tried to calm her, and to reason with
her but it was in vain. She still clung to
me and found myself necessitated either
to use some gentle force to detach myself
from her grasp, or remain all night.
adopted the former expedient, and rushing
out, shut the door after me, mounted my
horse and proceeded home. She had come
out after me for l heard her cries for some
l. L.. l. Ahn dnrL