Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-03-27
CHAPTER XIII.
WHEREIN WE MEET BERTA.

Mrs. Ravenswood went Immediately to her
dressing room, and removing her elaborate
dress, put on instead robe de chanbre ofruby-
co]ored silk with embroidered revers OF white
satin. She then removed her shoes also, and
placed on her feet velvet slippers of the same
hue as her dress, and embroidered in white
to match. Thus attired. she drew luxurious
chair in front of the glowing Goals, which
burned in the CRATE, and with an expert hand
began to unfriz.e and uncurl and unplait her
long, black hair. She had justgotit it again in
the shape in which nature created land was
idly brushing over and over the dark mass,
when there came gentle knock at her room
door.
"Corne in," she said, without turning her
head.
An elderly lady, dressed in plain mourn
ing, entered. 1t was Mrs. Edmunds, the
housekeeper, elderly companion, etc.
"Why, are you still up?" said Mrs. Ravens
wood in surprised voice. II thought you
would occupy my place by Berta' as usual
until came"
81 felt so uneasy about Berta, >" said the
housekeeper, II could not Sleep"
Uneasy about Berta p exclaimed Flori-
mond in astonishment, and arising from her
seat in haste; "there was nothing the matter
with her when I left here three hours ago."
"She awoke about an hour after you left,
crying and asking for you, and saying she
was sick tried to pacify her, and after
awhile she stopped crying and went to sleep;
but do not like the way she looks
Florimond was by this time in her bed
room, leaning in anxiety over her child. Ber-
ta's face was fearfully pale, and her hands
and feet cold. Though her mother kissed her
repeatedly, and called her in accents of terror,
and even shook her, she could not be aroused
from the profound stupor in which she lay,
like one dead The poor mother was almost
frantic with dsmay. She wtung her hands
in anguish, and taking up the child, pressed
it convulsively to her own wildly beating
heart; then she kissed and kissed the pale lit
tie face, from which every vestige of color had
disappeared, as if the intensity Of her love
must bring her back to life. But Berta gave
no sign, and sitting down with the child in
her lap, Florimond cried:
"a doctor Mrs. Edmunds, for the love of
God, send for the nearest doctor.
II do not believe there is servant on the
place at this time of night" said Mrs. Ed
munds, Except Eliza, and she is so thick
headed it will take an hour to arouse her"
"Oh for Gods sake do not wait to awaken
hers there no doctor near here-oh Lord
my child is dying"
"Nlrs. Sutherland's family physician lives
on Michigan avenue" said Mrs. Edmunds, IL
will run for him myself; it's but few steps"
Heaven will bless you for it" said the
half:crazed me ther; "run for your life"
In an incre IDLY short space Of time, Mrs.
Edmunds returned.
"The doctor came along with me, she said,
painting for breath; "he was just entering his
gate when 1 got there was it not fortunate p
The doctor entered the room.
"My child is dying, Doctor" said Flori-
mond, still with Berta on her lap, and never
raising her eyes from the pale face.
A tall form knelt beside her on the floor,
and two strong, shapely hands examined the
PROSTATE child. He felt the pulse, the cold
hands, the feet, and sprung from his feet in
second.
"There is congestion. want hot water,
brandy, mustard, Immediately. Give me the
child, Mrs. Ravenswood, and now there is no
time to lose; what we do must be done quickly,
urged the DOCTOR
The restoratves were obtained, and in 81
lence they went to work.
Oh what anxious moments succeeded for
the poor mother. Several hours elapsed
before there was any decided change. Berta
was enveloped in mustard, and the doctor
stood beside the bed administering, at stated
intervals, large doses Of brandy. Once he
put the bottle down, and left the room and
the house in haste, returning almost in five
minutes, with small vial in his hand, and
from this he administered dose immedi-
ately. Finally, in time which seemed an
eternity to the mother, Berta revived, looked
about her and murmured, Mamma" A
volume of love in a word ! Up to this
point, Florimond had behaved very bravely.
She had been collected, helpful, increasingly
watchful, only now and then with groans
wrung from tortured heart, with clasped
hands, she would murmur, "God in heaven,
be merciful to me-spare my child!' But
when she heard that one word, "mamma,"
from her child's lips, snatched as it were from
the jaws of death, her being dissolved in tears;
and kissing convulsively the poor, pale lips,
the little hands, the sweet brow, she cried,
kneeling beside the bed, doctor, she speaks
she lives-oh! my God, 1 thank thee"
Tears swelled up even into the doctors eyes,
which were so used to such touching scenes.
But he told Mrs. Sutherland the next day that
he had seen before strong and immeasurable
love, but never witnessed such moving evil
dence of the devotedness of mothers heart.
Berta being restored to consciousness, and
there being no longer, apparently, any neces-
sity for his presence, the doctor prepared to
leave.
"She must be watched carefully" he said
to the mother, "for 1 tell you, candidly, du-
ring the next few days her state is precarious.
She may be liable to another collapse, and she
could not weather through such another. I
will be back at daylight, aud in the mean !