The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-02-13

! white teeth and say Husband or child,
! which p Then quickly replied Illus
band, oh the husband y
''But it was so queer, for just as soon as
he was with me again, my spirit for teas
| ing returned, and l would say
4 think it is the child, after all
Then he would take the boy from my
breast and dance him joyfully up and
down, and say You are right
Then he would give me a good kiss,
and thus our little innocent Jars were
never quarrels, and ended in perfect con-
| tentment.'
She gazed for moment silently before
her, while Thomas sat nodding his head
! silently.
'You see," she continued, sit is neces-
sary to tell you all this, If it does seem
| foreign to the real subject, it belongs to it.
for 1t became matter of most heart-rend-
ing thoughts to us afterward. This ques-
tIon asked in joke became frightful fact
| The woman was SO overcome she could
scarcely continue, and her eyes turned a
mute appeal for help toward her husband,
| but he Only shook his head mournfully,
| making motion with his hand as if to
| bid her speak on, looking into her eyes low
ingly, as if to cheer her.
! ''Well, the story told at the time OF
/ the accident was true in every particular
! up to the time of our arrival at the railroad
! track. There it was little different, and
we hesitated in giving The exact manner
| of the horrid occurrence. We have never
! fully understood ourselves why. 1t would
| have beer better, | think, if we had not
made secret of it; much of this weary
| shadow that has clouded our lives would
have worn away, had we talked it over
with another person. That's why we give
you our confidence now, hoping an intelli-
| gent, right-minded man like yourself, will
| advise and judge as | have erred.
sit happened thus AS my Anton and
! led father toward the track, | imagined
| heard the locomotive. but | could see
nothing, as heavy fog lay on the ground,
and l supposed the monster was far away
from us, and the moments were precious.
My poor Thomas was suffering terribly,
saying his foot was burning like caustic.
and it was only q step and would be
over, and had Thomas not had the misfor-
tune to stumble, we would have crossed
safely.
''They both lay in the middle of the
road, Anton to the right of me and Thorn
as TO the left, and in that instant their
startled cry and the shreking roar of the
IRON monster fell on my ear, and through
the dense fog, | saw his burning, greedy
eye fastened on my dear ones, while the
fiery sparks were thicl>ly scattered about,
as if he'll itself had opened to devour them
''Oh if [ live thousand years, the
H.. ii
realized L could save one of them, only
one
''Ah sir! human nature may be subject
to a million different distressing heartaches
and mental struggles, but heap them all
into lifetime, it is as nothing compared
to what | endured in a few seconds.
Il have often wondered since how it was
possible the mind could comprehend so
much while subject to such intolerable
suffering and fright, as now thought after
thought flashed across my brain in so short
time.
''My mother heart yearne6 for my child.
and seemed to grasp it, while the hand
of God Himself seemed to hold me toward
Thomas. ! thought, was he not thine be-
fore the child ? Did you not swear at the
altar never to fOrsake him? 1t seemed,
then, as | loved him best ; he was r2ore
useful ON earth. Then thought. oh hor-
ribe raviug mother! to desert your child
But the thing was upon us. l heard mems
voices warning through the mist. 1t was
5 as if they tried to stop it, but failed. Ii
cut the darkness and rushed toward us
= with one bound [ turned from my child
grasped for my husband with the strength
of a giantess, raised him off the track
} turned, but the awful monster had passed.
leaving me the crushed remains Of my
: child.'
{ She stopped short. as if suddenly frozer
III DOuy ana soul. I16I nuSDtnU JremDleU
? in every limb, .lutching al his beard as il
t it could steady him. | sat a speechess
, witness of ehis fearful grief. My synpa-
l thy had no words my eyes must have told
them how deeply | entered with them int
this touching history.
J Thomas recovered himself first. Going
2 to his wife he tenderly placed his arm
around her. She started with the mag
S netic touch, looked up at him and then al
for mo tN, infry a,,t
| could only take her hand between my
own and say:
''Poor, poor mother Noble woman
n Righteous wife ~
: At this, her eyes beamed as if suddenly
i relieved of a dark veil, flash of genuine
happiness covered her face the whole
Q countenance of the woman changed from
a sluggish horror to an Incompatible relief
/ Thomas stretched his hand toward me
2 his eyes flashing with joy, his head erect
ed with manly PRIDE and for the trsttime
y in years his broad shining teeth appeared
b through a smile once more.
4 God reward your kind heart and gooG
, words, sir" she cried. sit seems since
e hearing You as If we dared be happy again.
: She embraced her husband, looked low
4 ingly up to him, and softly asked
= s'Do you think SO, Thomas"
''Just so, just SO, wife" He coulC
:, scarcely articulate the words for the emo
i ton that conquered him now. Hot tears
|. fell on his wife's hands and face she too
a sobbed and wept with him. They were
G the first tears. None were shed during
i that horrible time.
: 'sYou see what it was that changed mt
@ so. all these years, sir. The question con
stantly appeared before me Have yo,
| not committed an objectionable sin againS
9 your own flesh and blood? could find n,
u rest. My peace was gone forever, and
d told Thomas never again would dare be
come a mother"
A A deep blush mantled her face and sh,
q paused. l thought here was the time T.
| advise and restore harmony to the dis
Ii tressed family. / said reproachfully t.
d her: ''YOu appear only to think of your
d self. Frau Thomas. Do you not suppos
, your husband has also suffered all thos
1t wears the same as yourself?" She looket
], at me astonished, and rather abashed, re