American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-12-28

: ence with Philip; tne lesson had laugh
! him to what lengths an evil temper mig h
: lead, and got all her faults and gibe
could provoke him to reply. But III
mischief was done, and the temper tina
: she could not rouse teciuse she was lIl
: derstood, was ready, fostercd and devel
oped by her, for its opportunity.
, He ii not have to make the exertiol
long in Alice's regard though, for en-
morning she did no. come down to break
fa-t-thc house-maid said she had no
slept in her room. A note came by tn
mornings mai. saying she should return
: no more. and signed Alice Roberts. n,
iurther information was given. and Mrs
Hamilton was LETT 10 onjecture wheth
Roberts hal ut last procured a torturc o
his own fit 10 marry on, whether il ha,
taken zen years of correspondence to max,
Alice's charms outweigh her poverty. OF
whether she had met him in recent visit
ut her cousins and renewed her old cap
tivations. But that day Mrs. Hamilton
divided her husbands prOnerty into tire,
portions, and sent Alice. through her law
vers. the deed of one.
| Now it began TO seem to Mrs. Hamilton
as if she might have some comfort of hel
life once more. She gave herself up t.
Philip: she played with him, she studied
with HIM, she all but abandoned her few
friends and acquaintances for him; sh,
made his schoolmates welcome round heI
fire and her table; she rode with him
walk, d with him, sketchj d with him
| when she sang he turned the leaves. whei
he practiced at a mark she loaded his pis-
tolls. Well, he appreciated it all; he
was discovering what mother he had
just on the verge of manhood, she began
| to seem to him the ideal of wOmanhoOd.
| There would have been something too
sacred and holy about her if she had not
been so tender and so sweet to him; he
felt as if he could not lavish enough love
upon her, and his gentle consideration,
| his Sayety, his devotion. were growing
daily and hourly hers. She was so hap
py she dared look neither before nor be-
hind, knowing the envious fates that lie
| in wait for those that are too happy. The
only glance at any future she allowed her.
self was, just before she fell asleep at
night, to picture the man he was so sure
to make, the brilliant work that he must
do, the noble purpose that he must serve,
and then she was half-cOnscious of APP
plauding crowds, vague phantOms of the
future who were applauding him.
They had but one trouble in their lives
at this time, an absurd and petty trouble.
which they magnitied because they had
no other. 1t was the recurrence in a
walk they We're fond of taking, of insults
from parcel ofyoung men and boys who
haunted the region, and who, with the
assumption that Philip and his mother
| felt above them, made themselves Often
sive. Tive or three times Philip had con-
| frOnted them angrily, but his mother had
| begged him to take no notice, but to hast
en- with her, and he had obeyed. Once.
| indeed, when they had been especially
| troublesome, and had even gone so far as
to hurl his mother an opprobrious epithet,
| Philip turned and snatched from his vest
| the little pistol that he had been using at
| hi target. ''DO you see that?' he cried.
1.-The next cur you that darcs to open
his mouth shall have its lOad in his face"'
Fortunately there was not one that did
| dare before his mother had her little hand
| upon it, and had persuaded him away.
Then they began their derisive boots at
the lad who was led by woman. But
Philip did not care tor that, though they
followed him to his own gate with it :;
only the two quietly deserted that walk
for aoC.ner.
1t came the Christmas of his seventeenth
year at last. He was to enter college with
the New Year, having been delayel in his
studies by the time wasted when Alice
was at home, but now being ready to join
the present class and take up their studies
with them. The house was lively with a
| cluster of young people assembled for the
Christ mas merry-making; evergreens and
brig hit berries made it spicy and beautiful,
fires and lights make it warm and rosy.
The youths and maidens were laughing
and chatting over the vestry wreaths, the
Christmas tree was kindling its tapers, a
gOung girl at the piano was singing a
Christmas carol and-suddenly an up
roar at the gate. the door bursting open
and shutting behind Philip. who had run
down to the station to meet and bring
friend, and then the house was full of a
mob, and the only thing that Mrs. Ham
ilton saw was Philip covered with blood
and bruises. the only thing she heard was
his agoniZed cry of ''MOther! mother"
before they arrested him for murder.
For murder The rabble of young men
and boys. lettering here and there about
the rambling old country town that was
bright with festal windows and forest
gree ms, hatbseen him issue from the light
ed house. had waylaid him, had ieered
him, had stoned him had showered shame
full names upon his mother. had craZed
him, and he had turned against them with
his pistol, and one of them had bitten the
dust. Popular feeling ran against him at
the trial in one of its virtuous paroxysms
horrible circumstantial evidence was found
that to the eyes of his mother who knew,
meant nothing. but to strange eyes meant
everything; the judge leaned to the side
of the humble; the jury would demon
strate that wealth could not buy them
the boy went to the siate-prisOn for life,
and so wild was the public sentiment. SO
hard and hopeless a complexion did the
case assume, that his mother felt it for a
little like an interpOsition of Providence,
that her brilliant, her brave and noble boy
was not to swing strangling at a ropes
end.
She was sick after the trial : she beg
ged to die, and then she was beside her
self and in an asylum for some years, emp
ty and forgotten years, but just enough
for her property to go almost to ruin ere
they passed. When her reason returned
she went and stayed within stones
throw of the prison. going in to see the
child in his living grave as often as she
might, not daring to go too often, lest
she should be warned away altogether.
She found him always serious, but try
ing, for her sake, not to seem unhappy;
always noble in word or thought, blan-
ing no one that for one hasty moments
work his lot was cast forever with thai of
the perpetrators of bloody butcherinS
with ravishers and thieves. She learned
to look at free and contented people when
she came out of those cruel gates, with
the burning sense that Iphigenia's mo-
Their might have had-her child was the
sac ifice to the laws that gave them their
freedom ard content.
One day a letter came to her from Alice;
from Alice, whom the years had brought
face to face with sorrow until she had
been laid low by her husbands sins and
perfidies, by his neglect and waste, and
who now lay i'll and wre.ched, hllmbled
and fOrsakcr, in poverty.
You must go to her, mother" said
Philip at their last interview for the
warden of the prison was kinder to this
mother than the laws. and YOU must
not come back to me. lam glad to be here.
| am eXpiating the blood | she'd | am
working it off my hands. l do very well;