The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-11-11

"Yes, my papa brought me here
and he said we were to have some
thing to eat; as / was to wait quietly
till lie came back. Very quietly, he
told me, and he should socn be back"
"Would on not like to have your
supper at once 2" said Laura. "Your
papa is taking a longer walker than he
Intended, and he will be yer. sorry
that you should be SO hungry. Shall
/ not ask that neutrality-suspicious.
to the landlord, who had come up 10
the tablc-"to bring you something
to cat Oncc::"
"NG l thank you: | must wait for
my papa"
Entreatics and cOaXing were all in
vain /; and Laura, fearful Of distressing
him still more, left him alone and re-
sumed her seat by INC.
Nearly another hour passed away.
| Laura insisted Oh remaining i'm the
room, and we l~istlcssly studied the
Livresdcs Etrangcrs.
By and by the silence Of the dark
corner was broken. The courage of
the gallant little mite had given way ;
he was sobbing as if his heart would
break. Laura had him i'm her arms in
a moment.
"Oh, papa! papa" he cried in his
bitter agony "Oh,papa! papa! how
could you leave me So long alone!
Oh, papa! come back, come back"
Above his low sad wall 1 heard the
sound of persons entering the hotel,
and then there was q busy hum of
voices /; and in a minute or two after
wards the landlord, with a strange
/ expression in his face, looked in at the
door and beckoned to me. l hastily
left the room. There, at the entrance
of the hotel, I found the walters and
other people gathered. Three peas
ants had just come in, bringing with
them something they had found
something which lay in a disfigured
heap Oh the ground.
They had found the body of a man,
| was quickly told, at the bottom of q
low cliff, about a quarter of a mile
from the hotel. Then they uncover
ed the face and I at once recognized
the man Laura and l had passed OIL
the ascent. Then, as a cold shiver
crcpt over me, | heard a cry within
the room ] had left.
any papa has come back | know
he has -. and before any of us could
interfere, the door of the Sallc-a-man-
ger was thrown open, and the pallid
weeping child tOttcred out. followed
hastily by Laura.
Where is papa? l know he is
thcre!" And, checking his violent
sobs, he looked eagerly at the solemn
faces around him.
"Why don't you tell HE where
papa is? oh, what's that upon the
foor?" Then, before anyone could
stop him he cast himself down and
| laid his check by the cold white lips,
! that v more could kiss him,
| breath q word of love into his N. or
Gentle hands raised him softly, and
bore him away TO the room the dead
man had prepared, and laid him down
upon the bed. He seemed to know
his utter desolation, and Laura re-
manned with him all night and when
the first red lights Of the rising sun had
bathed with deep splendor the silent
glaciess, and the snowy peaks, the
young heart had broken beneath its
burden, and the weary spirit fled
away.
Shortly aftcrwards-at Milan, l
think il was-I saw a copy of the
Times, and in the second column /
saw an advertisement for a man with
a red mark under his left eye; and
when I returned to England l learned
the whole story.
This man, who had ever borne the
highest character, had got into deep
distress; owing principally to the
shameful conduct of a friend for
whom he had become surety, and in
an evil moment he had fallen and had
forged a check for a considerable
amount intending, as such unhappy
men alwas intend, TO replace the mon
ey. lie failed in doing this, and o n
scious that his fraud must inevitably
be discovered, he fed from England,
taking with him his motherless child.
Whether in a fit of despair he had
thrown himself from the cliff or
whether he had simply missed his
footing it is impossible to say. Faith
er and son rest in n grave in a
c~hurchyard on that mountain height;
and on every anniversary of that aw-
full tragedy the good peasants place
wreaths of immOrtclles upon the sim
pie white cross that marks the name
less tomb. II.