Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-02-29
Richard FASTENED of, full of wonderment, to

| obey her commands.
Meanwhile the usually placid mistress Of
Mansfield Park was suffering from very
singular attack of nervous and feverish excite
ment and impatience. The moments in her
fancy appeared ages until the arrival of Dr.
Crosbie, who presently made his appearance
on his sober-looking brown mare, who had
brought him at reasonable pace, he having
learned from the messenger that there was no
illness at the Park.
"Well, my dear madam, what's to do now p
he exclaimed as he entered the drawing-room'
doctor, pray come with me into the libra
ry, where we shall be less liable to Interrupt
ton than in here. I have to consult you on
subject of the greatest Importance"
And she led the way into the designated
apartment, where for an hour and more they
we're mysteriously closeted together.
At the end of that time the library bell
summoned a servant, who transmitted to Rich.
ard a message requesting his presence. Ac'
cording he proceeded tbither, and found Mrs.
Mansfield leaning back in her arm chair look
ing flushed and fearful, and the doctor sitting
near her with his arms folded, cycling her in a
professional way.
"Here you are, young man." he said nod
ding to Richard. 'Take seat. This excel
lent lady here desires you to hear the relation
of narrative which, it seems, may possibly
concern you, and has chosent me to be the
narrator. Whether I shall accomplish my
task intelligibly or not remains to be proved"
Richard took seat near him, and the doc.
tor, without farther preface, commenced.
"It is just twenty-seven years ago this sum-
mer since Mrs. Mans6eld's sister, Mrs. Albert
Beaumont (Marian Harcourt that was) went
to America with her husband, who was desir-
GUS of establishing mercantile firm in one of
the Southern States. The young couple had
been married eighteen months, and car
ried with them an infant, a boy, who at the
time Of their leaving home was scarce six
weeks old. Beaumont was one Of the younger
sons of a large family, and though talented
and well-born, was of a rowing, unsettled dis
position, which inspired him with the idea Of
trying his fortune in the New World. Mari
an was sensitive, delicate creature, averse to
the idea of leaving home, but her husbands
will was her law, and she made no resistance
to it.. His father, old Mr.. Beaumont, we'll
to.do lawyer, had established them in COM
Portable house in London, but nothing would
suit my gentleman but to break up the estab.
lishment and set off for new country, every
thing at home being too slow and impromising
to suit his fancy.
"They reached New York in safety, after a
fair passage, and here Beaumont left his wife
and child, and went on South. Heproceeded
to New Orleans, and wrote Marian promis'
ing account of the place, and expressed a
strong idea of making it his abode; but a
fortnight after his arrival, she received infor'
nation announcing that he was dangerously i'll
with yellow fever, and summoning her pres
ence without delay.
"The distress and terror Of the poor young
wife at this intelligence may be imagined.
The fever had just broken outin New Orleans,
and her husband was one Of the first cases, as
it had not yet become epidemic. She had no
fears for her own safety, but she would not
venture to take her infant with her, not know.
ing that 80 young an infant would not be
liable to the infection and she decided, with
many doubts and fears, and much heart-reud.
ing anxiety, to leave it under the care Of its
nurse in New York, which sheaccordingly did,
setting out for New Orleans the day subse-
auent to that on which the information had
been received.
"On her arrival in that city she found that
the news of her husbands illness had been
exaggerated, and that it was by no means so
serious as she had been led to suppose; it was
not very long beforehe was sufficiently recov'
cred to be removed to some other city, for
get which -"
"Mobile, Alabama" interrupted Mrs. Mans.
field.
"True. He decided to 60 to Alabama, as
the taste he had of New Orleans climate did
not precisely suit him. His wife, strange to
say, did not take the fever, and on their arri.
val in Mobile, she wrote Immediately to the
nurse, in whose care her infant had been left,
to bring it at once to Mobile. In addition to
considerable sum of money which she had
left in the woman's hands to be employed for
the use of the child, she enclosed by her hus-
bands direction, check for still greater
amount, to defray the expenses of the journey
"Some time passed, and the woman did not
arrive, nor could she gain any information OF
her whereabouts. She wrote to the persons
with whom she had stayed in New York, and
learned from them that the woman, whose
name I think was Howland, or something
similar, had left there with the child on the
appointed day, but that they had heard moth
ing Of her since.
Every available means was employed
to gain information, but in vain, and from
that time the mother never saw or heard Of
her child more, until after it was too late fol
her to reclaim it.
"Months passed away; Beaumont estab
lished himself in business, and began to dc
we'll, but his wife dropped and dropped, and
it was evident that the shock she had received
had undermined her health, and that it was
gradually, though surely, failing. Being ab
sent, too, from home and spending all her hus
bands business hours in solitude, she had
nothing to divert her from the contemplation
of her grief, and it preyed continually and
fatally upon her mind.