The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-07-18

ma the tears fell bss over her pale
cbeek At this moment the child In
tbe cradle awoke, ana Bet up famished
wall. startling the despairing mother
like a serpent's sting:
"sWe have no FOOD, James-haye
had none for several days. 1 have
nothing for the babe. NY once kind
husband, must he stasFe?'
ssThat sad, pleading face, and those
streaming ewes, and the feeble wall OF
the child, maddenea sme and, It
YES. I struck hera fierce blow in the
face. and she fell forward upon the
hearth. The fires of hell boiled in nv
bosom, and with greater intensity as /
felt had committed a wrong, l had
never struck Mary before, but now
some terrible imp dse bore me on, and
L stopped down as sell as I could in NV
| drunken state, ana clenched both hands
in her hair.
"'God of mercy saes 7 exclaimed
my wife as .--ael ID - in my fiendish
! countenano1 u .SaS}{h'2Aot kill us =
yor wiil,iSE - sar'. ., - !. :
intvith Hcf0ud OF saow. With the yell
of hend dragged ,her on, and hurled
her ont into the darkness and storm.
With wild ha ! ha closed the door
and turned the button-her pleading
moans mingled with the wall of ithe
blast and sharp cry OF the babe. But
my work was not yet completed
:" turned to the little bed where lay
my elder son, and snatehed him from
his slumbers, and against his half
awakened struggles / opened the door
and thrust him out. In agony of fear he
called me by name was no longer fit
to bear, and locked his fingers into my
side pocket. l could not wrench the
frenzied grasp away and with the cool
ness of devil-as / was shut the
door upon the arm, and with my knife
severed it at the wrist"
The speaker ceased a moment, and
buried his face in his hands, as if II
shut out some fearful dream, and his
deep chest heayed like storm at sea.
My father had arisen from his seat, and
was leaning forward his countenance
bloodless, and the large dro0s standing
upon his brow. Chills orept back to
my young heart, and | wished / was at
home. The old man locked up, a-d I
never have since beheld such mortal ag-
ony pictured on a human face as there
was on his.
'' 1t was morning when | awoke. and
the storm had ceased, but the cold was
intense, 1 first secured a drink of
water, and then looked in the accus-
toned place for Mary AS | missed her,
for the first time shadowy scene of
some horrible nightmare began to draw
upon my wandering mind. [ thought l
had had terrible dream, but involun-
tarily opened the outside door with a
shuddering dread. As the door opened
the snow burst IN, followed by the fell
of something across tAe threshold, scat
tering the snow, and striking the floor
with a sharp sound.
My blood shot like red-ho arrows
through my veins, snd l rubbed my
eyes to shut out the sight. 1t vast
o God how terriblel It was my own
injured Mary and her babe frozen to
ice The ever true mother had bowed /
herself over the fae of the child to
shield it, and wrapped all her clothing
round it, leaving herown person stark /
and bare to the storm. She had placed /
her hair over the fac. of the child, and /
the. sleet bad 41se #nitS the white |
opened eyes, and Pon its tiny fingers. 7
know not what tecame of my brave /
boy"
Again the old nan bowed his head /
and wept. My iather sobbed like a |
child. In tones OF low and heart bro I
ken pathos, the old man thus ccntin- /
ued
"I was arrested, and for long months /
raved in delirium. I woke-was SEN
fenced to prison ten years-but no tor !
lures could have been like those | en- I
dured within my ogn bosom. oh, God, 4
no II am not fanatic. / wish to in /
jure no one. But while live, let me /
live to urge othersnot to enter the path /
which has been so dark and fearful /
one to me. / would see my wife and |
children beyond this vale of tears.
The old man sat down, but spell as /
deep and strong as that wrought by /
some wizards breath rested upon the /
audience Hearts could have been /
heard in their beating, and tears to fall. |
The old man then asked the people to /
his seat and snatched at it eagerly. / |
had followed him, and as he hesitated |
q moment with the pen in the ink, q |
tear fell from the old mans eye on the |
paper:
hOABA SlSh JOuliS
gels would sign it. would write my |
name there ten thousand times in blood |
If it would bring back my loved and |
lost ones"
My father wrote "Mortimer Hud
son." The old man looked, wiped his
fearful eyes and looked again, his coun- |
tenance alternately flushed with red
and deadly-pale.
&c ha rrat how I
strange" muttered the old man. ''Par- |
my brave boy"
My father trembled and held up his
left arm, from which the hand had been
severed.
They looked for moment in each
others eyes; both reeled and gasped-
My own injured boy p
my father p
They fell upon each others necks, un-
til it seemed that their souls would
grow and mingle into one. There was
weeping in that church, and / turned |
bewildered upon the treaming faces
:. Let me- hank God e. this freat.
bnrdeDed- b 81 exclsimsd he d ola ban. pan
ana-kneeled down, pouring out his
heart in one of the most melting pray
e / ever heard. The spell was then
broken. and all eagerly signed the
pledge ;-slowly goingto their homes,
as if loath to leave the spot.
The old man is dead but the lesson
he taught his grandchild on his knee,
as the evening sun went down with
cloud. will never be forgotten. HIS
"fanaticism" has lost none of its fire in
my manhood's heart.
The Snow Plant Of the Sierras.