Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1874-08-01
ByrOn's Mother.

incarnation of all reason. She was
ignorant, she was silly, she was pas
sionate; in her ragas she was uncon.
trvllable. She would indulge him to
excess one day, and the next he was
"a lame 'br.t." When they were on
good term, he would call her kitty
Gordon, and whom they were in their
theatrical RACES he would throw open
the door of the drawing room and say,
Enter the Honorable Kitty" She
was fond OF him in her wild, foolish
way, and was generally at war with
his guardian and his teacher. He
was allowed, while at school, to spend
Sunday with her but that did not
satisfy her, for she frequently kept
him 4 week and would not send him
back. When his teacher refused to
let him visit her she vent to the school
and abused him SO loudly that the
scholars and servants could not help
hearing her. byron; Your mother Is
u fool" said one Of hi. schoolmates.
Il know it" he answered, gl,omily.
Whether Byron loved his mother
may Le doubted but it is certain that
he treated her with respect and def
crence. lie repaired Newstsad Alb
hey aud placed her in it when he
went abroad, and he frequently wrote
% her, addressing her rs the honora.
bic Mrs. Byron, title to which she
had no c..iln. She was proud of
hi. genius, and read with esgsrness
all that she san about him in print.
When he returned to England after
his Two yr,rs travel she was anxious
r,usee him. He wrote from his hotel
ia London that he would soon see her,
and iii the postscript Of his note sand:
You will consider Newstcad us your
house, and not mine, and ms only AS
~. vi.itcr. )" Sgpcrst'lions at"li times
she remarked to her waitins-woman
" hen sh. read the note: III should
b- dead before Byron comes down
Mat strange thing it would be. '
The strange thing came to pass, and
vas bruu, ,h. abont BY y fiji Of rage into
which she VAS thrown by reading over
her II k,ho.ster.ls bills. byron re.
c.iyel notice If her illness, and started
instantly to her, bat arrived too late.
She hud Lre.thed her last.
My poor mother died yesterday
he wrote ,v lis friend Pysot, "aad |
AIN on my WAY from town to attend
h-r to the family vault. ] heard one
,iav Of her illness, the next OF her
death. Thank God, her last moments
were most tranquil. l am told she
was in little pain, and not aware Of
| her situation. Inow feel the .truth
, Of Mr. GrAys observation, that we
can only have one mother.
Byron wa, deeply touched by. his
mothers death, and the night after
h. reached Newstead, was heard by
her waiting: woman slshlng heavily
ia the room where her body lay. She
entered, and found him sitting in the
dark beside the bed: When she ex-
postrilated with him on the weakness
OF giving way to grief, he burst, into
tears, anl exclaimed: ."Oh! Mrs. By
| I had but one friend in the world,
and She is gone.: On the NOR ming Of
the funeral he would not follow the
body to the grave, but stood looking
from the Abbey door or'until the pro-
c.ssion had moved Oft. Then he
turned to his man. Rushton, who was
WAS the only person remaining, and,
asking him to fetch the 'p.rring.lo gloves,
he proceeded to take his usual exers
els. with him. Silent and abstracted,
! he threw more violence into his.llows
than was his habit as if to get the
better Of his feelings. At last the
struggle was too much for him: he
fling away the gloves, and ret.re.l to
HI. room R,churd Henry Slodda/d,
l., .ScriJncr's for August. - ...,..