Litchfield enquirer., 1873-02-06

ed, when he got home.
 'sWhen he got home!'' Poor girl, at
 the very bottem of her heart was coming
 the real anxiety, ''J he got home" Lau-
 "a knew Tom, of course, better than he
 knew himself, and she knew old Nipples
 too. So she knew,-as well as she knew
 that she was rubbing black-lead on the
 stove, while she thought these things
 ver,-she knew that they would not stay
 at Squire's two minutes after they had
 landed Jotham Fields. She knew they
 would do just what they did :: put to sea,
 though it blew guns. Nay, she knew that
 when they put to sea it did not blow
 guns, though now the surf was running
 it's worst over the Seals Back She knew,
 too, that if they had not missed the is-
 land, they would have been here, at the
 latest, before eleven o'clock. And by the
 time It was one o'clock, she could no long,
 CT doubt that they had lost the island,
 and were tacking about looking for 1t in the bay, if indeed, in that gale they dared to tack at all. No, Laura knew only too well, that where they were was beyond her guessing :; that only the good God knew, for that they, most like, knew as little where they. were as she did.
 ''Come here, Tom, and let me tell you a story. Once there was little boy, and he had two kittens. And he named one kitten Muf,-and he named one kittrn Buff
 Whang! What was that2
 ''Tom, darling, take care of baby,--do not let her get out of the cradle, while mamma goes to the door, Downstairs to the door, The gale has doubled its rage. However did 1t get in behind the storm-door outside? That '',ohang" was the blow with W hich the door, wrenched of its hinges, was flung against the side of the wood-house. Nothing can be done but to bolt the storm door to the other passage and bolt the outer window shut ters, and then go back to the children.
 "Once there was little boy, and he had two kittens, and he named one Min na, and one Brenda
 No mamma no, one Mutf,- aild | one"
 70 yes, my darling. Once there was little boy and two kittens he nam ed one Buff, and one Mnff And one day he went to walk"
 Heavens, the lanterns Who was to trim the lamps? Strange to say,- be- cause this was wholly out of her daily rou- tlne,-the men always caring for it of course, Laura had not once thought of 1t till now. And now 1t was after one o'clock. And now she did think of it. with a will. Come Tommy, come and help mamma" And she bundled him llp ln hls thlckest storm rig. Come up in to the lantern. Here the boy had never come before. He was never frightened when he was with her. Else he might well have been frightened, and he was amazed there in the whlteness drift of white show on the lee side and the wealth CT side, clouds of white snow on the southwest sides and northeast sides :- snow, snow everywhere. Nothing but wh1teness, wherever he looked round
 Laura made short shrift of those wicks, which had burned all through the night before. But she had them ready. She wound up the Carcels, for their nights work. Again and again she drew her oil, and filled up her reservoirs. And as she did so, an old text came over her, and she wondered whether father Spaulding knew how good text it would be for Christ mas: And the fancy touched her. poor child, and as she led little Tom down in to the nursery again, she could not help opening into the Bihle Parson Spaulling gave her, and reading:
 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarrled, they all slumbered and slept" Dear Tommy, dear Tommy, ,ny own child, we will not sleep, will we? "While the | bridegroom tarried"-O! my dear Father Ill heaven, let him come! ''And at mid | night there was a cry made. Behold the | bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him !''
 And she devoured little Tommy with kisses, and cried, we will go, my dar- llng, we will go, if he comes at the first hour, or the second, or the third. But now Tommy must come with mamma, ,and ! make ready for his coming" For there were the other lamps to trim in the other tower, with that heavy reach of snow be- tween. And she did not to like to leave the active boy alone in the house Lit tie Mattie could be caged in her crib, and, even 1tashe. woke, she would at best anly cry. But little Tom was irrepressible.
 So she unbolted the lee door, and rush. ed out into the snow. Then poor Laura, with the child, crept round into the storm. Heavens! how it ragged and howled. Where was her poor bridegroom now? She seiz- ed up Tom, and turned her back to the Wlnd, and rushed along sideway Side way,-the onl Y way she conld go; step Dy step, dld It ever seem so far before Tommy was crying ''One minute more dear boy. Tommy shall see the other other mas great scissors up the stairs Don't cry. my darling, don't cry"
 Here is the door, just as she began io wonder if she were dreaming or were era zy. Not so badly drifted in as she fear ed. At last she is under cover. ''Up a day. my darling. Up day. One, two. what many steps for Tommy. That's my brave boy" And they were on the lantern deck again, fairly rocking in the gale, and Laura was chopping away on her stiff wicks, and pumping up her oil again, and filling the receivers, ,+as if she had ever done it till this Christmas Eve before. And she kept saying over to her.
 linen those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps" l And Twill light them" said sine aloud. That will save another walk at sundown And know these Carcels run at least five hours. So she struck a match, and with some little difficulty coaxed the threads 10 take fire. The yellow light fared lur- dly on the white snow-fakes, and vet it iazzled her and Tommy as it flashed on hem from the refectors. "Wlu anybody see it, mamma ?" said l the child. sWil papa see it ?'
 And just then the witching devil who manages the flores of memory, drew from he little crypt in dear Laura's brain, where they had been stored unnoticed years upon years, four lines of Leigh Hunts and she saw, poor girl, that she 2 vas Hero:- t Then, at the flame, torch of pine she lit f And OCT her head anxiou7ly holding it. :. Ascended to the roof, and leaning there. Lifted it's light into the darksome air.. I If only the devil would have been satis- : jed with this. But of course she could : lot remember that, without remembering ! Schiller,
 ''In the gale hes torch is blasted.
 Beacon of tine hoped-for strand;
 Horror broods above the waters.
 Horror broods above the land.:'
 And she said aloud to the boy, Our orch shall not go out, Tommy; come town, come down, darling, with mamma" 3ut all thrOuOh tl9 dav aftor th;a xvl.r :