The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-07-28
CHATTER XXXII.

luSg uldue d grave lOE Tile llIjle IdlTN
Pearl at the foot of the tree where
Madge bad plighted her trolh in her
childhood to the man who had been,
under the law, and by the aid of
the deep-voiced parson, the cause of
all her misery.
Sam and Harry, obeying the mothers
orders, festOoned the open grave of
their idOlized infant niece WITH a per-
feet deluge of evergreens and flowers.
The casket was lowered to its last
resting-place. The neighbors were
gathered from a distance of many
miles.
Strong men, unused to weeping, shed
bitter tears as they beheld the blighted
bud of promise in the calm repose of
death.
Sara Perkins accompanied Madge to
the open grave, supporting her with
one hand, and with the other leading
her little boy, as radiantly beautiful in
his long curls and plaided blouse as the
little Pearl had been in her robes OF blue
and eider-down.
The casket containing the baby Pearl
was lowered to its resting place, and
twenty children, bearing bouquets,
marched i'm a circle around the open
grave, dropping their floral gifts upon
the precious remains, thus covering
them from sight.
"Let us go now," said Sara to the be-
reaved mother, her voice full of ten
derness.
"DOn't let any mans mummery be
preached or prayed or sung over the
dust of my darling, of whom mans
laws have robbed mer cried Madge,
addressing her mother authoritatively
at shall be as you wish, my
daughter" replied Mrs. Andrews. "Ja-
son will give the order. Go, now, with
Sara, to your roOm."
"Pve got fatal blow, Sara" she
said, sadly, as she threw herself upon
the bed. "The iron has entered my
soul. Henceforth 1 shall be feminine
Ishmaelite, with my hand against every
man, even as every mans hand is
against woman"
Don't talk that way, my poor, be-
reaved bird" cried her friend, soOth-
ingly. "You are in no mood now to be
responsible for what you say"
"DOn't preach to me, Sara. 1 shall
live to be avenged upon the laws of
men,"
"Rather say that you will live to
mend the laws, my darling. Ven
geanee is mine, 1 will repay, saith the
Lord"
"You are right, my friend Forgive
my hasty words. Leave me alone,
please. 1 would calm myself, that
may be fitted to commune with God
and angels"
Burying her face in the pillow and
closing her eyes to terrestrial things,
Madge soon passed into a quiet sIum-
ber.
Did angels visit her? Did an invis-
ible convoy of delegated intelIigences
hover over her suffering spirit, and
whisper to her quickened senses,
''Peace, be still ?''
When she awoke, she was surprised
at her sense of resignation.
'He giveth his beloved Sleep" she
said, earnestly, land, though 1 walk
through the valley and shadow Of
Death, will fear no evil, for Thy roo
and Thy staff, they comfort me-"
One by one the little garments Pear
had worn were tenderly laid away
The playthings that bore imprints o.
the little teeth, the tiny shoes, scratched
and worn at the toes, the picture books
adorned with marks from precious baby
fingers, were carefully arranged in hei
private room, where she could see then
oftenest.
"No law of man can interpose be
tween me and my darling now," wa
her constant solace, "and 1 shall NEE
her on the other shore"
" In that bright, happy land afar,
We'll find the loved and lost;
And naught our happiness can mar
When lies dull sea is crossed"
In little while the busy scenes O
society opened to her as before, and tn,
bereaved woman ceased to give fortl
signs of her great sorrow.
"She don't seem to grieve much owe
her baby's DEATH" was the genera
comment.
Good reader, why should she appea
to grieve, or even grieve at all
Wasn't it better so, even as she ha
said?
The lawyers of Molalla were scentin
new game. The ex-parson, and now ex
sheriff, had not forgotten Madge's Of
fense at that critical period in his OF
fetal career when she had struck hin
in the olfactory region when resistin
legal arrest. He had tried long an
earnestly to get opportunity to sue fo
damages, but the head of the woman
who was the man, not being get-al
able, he had thus far failed in redres:
ing his personal wrongs by due proces
of law. True, he might have prose
-cuted the protected <nd supporte
woman for criminal offense, as wome
may personally ex6iate such crimes q