Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-02-03


inopportuus. .. ...
Does no warning dream haunt your pillow,
poor mother, bidding you awake at the ap'
proach of new dangerf Does no voice
whisper to you to rise; even in your weakness,
and fly with your best-beloved to some covert
of refnge2 Does no vague terror of an i'm.
pending shadow steal over your heart-a grim
gigantic shadow coming between you and the
waning daylight like prophecy Of evil, blot
ting out the last remaining ray of hope and
comfort from your already darkened life?
Dreamless, unconscious, she slumbers on :!
The shadow falls upon her, but she heeds it
not; there is stir in the chamber, low sud-
den cry, too low to penetrate her dulled ears,
and quickly stifed in its utterance; the shad'
ow passes, and is gone!
Picciola came up by and by, with shaded
lamp, which she placed in corner of the
room. "How quiet everything is" she MUIR
INJURED to herself as she glanced around. The
sefiora sleeps yet-ah, we'll, it will do her
good. And the little one too-he does not
stir. Holy Virgin! Where is the little one !?
The cradle is empty.
The cradle was indeed empty only tum-
bled pillow and disordered coverlet remain.
ing to show where its occupant had lain. An
irrepressible exclamation of terrified wonder
broke from the lips of the startled girl, as
hasty glance all around convinced her that
the child had actually disappeared. 1t woke
Esther, who raised her head, and asked con-
fusedly what was the matter.
"The baby, sehora-the babyp was all
Picciola could utter, as she stood wringing her
hands in fright and despair. .
1.-THE baby-my baby! What? Where? !?
Has anything happenedp cried Esther, now
fully awake, and hastily springing out Of bed.
II zee him not. Oh Sehors, he is gone !
He was sleeping here, the angel, so peaceful
", when went down stairs. Thought it no
harm to leave him for short while, since you
we're here-and now cannot find him any
where Oh Sehora, Sehorap
"God help me" muttered Esther, as the
comprehension of this fresh woe struck cold
to her heart. And she stood staring at the
cradle and clutching at table for support,
with fixed stony look upon her face, con-
vulsive shudder quivering throug gh her frame
from head to foot. Picciola was terrified at
her expression, and approaching her, she gent
ly passed her arm around her waist.
"Sehora-dear mistress !" she whispered,
imploringly. "Don't look so strangely !!
Perhaps shall find perhaps"
"No-no-now said Esther, in hollow
tone "You will never find him. He is gone
forever. I feel and know it. I have been
robbed by my enemy, while I slept-Oh! God,
and l did not know it! Now, indeed, my
heart-my hearts, broken"
x sort 81 sPasm passed over her face. At
the same instant her eyes closed, an ashy
pallor whitened her lips, and she would have
fallen, but for Picciola's encircling arm. The
latter, with strength born of the emergency,
managed to lift her unconscious form and
place it again upon the bed and for while
she thought that death had laid his hand
upon her, to blot out the memory Of her
griefs, so white and rigid she lay, and so i'm.
perceptibly faint was the slow beating of her
heart and pulse. But life, though almost
suspended for the time, fingered yet within
her, and by and by slight reviving tinge of
color in her face, and one or two agitated,
gasping breaths. showed that she was return
ing to consciousness-the dreadful conscious.
ness which Picciola almost feared to witness,
since it was but the awakening to torture
almost unendurable in its keenness. She gave
way, however, to no violent outbreak-it was
not her nature to do that At first she was
totally crushed by the weight of this fresh
calamity, which seemed to petrify her senses,
as limb or any part of the body would have
been numbed by the pressure upon it of a
huge stone, or the descent of heavy blow.
The reaction was to come when this species Of
stupefaction should pass away, and the keen
edged agony of full realization Of the truth
assail her.
When that time came, succession of dread
full hours followed, which Picciola never for
got. Esther suddenly lapsed from her pas
sive state into a species of frenzy. Now wild.
ly pacing to and fro; now casting herself
down and tearing her hair; now shrieking
aloud, in impotent despair, calling frsntically
upon her lost child, and praying Heaven to
strike with its vengeance the foe who had
blighted her life and robbed her of her sole
remaining joy-for that Alasquez was the
author of this cruel blow, she did not for a
moment doubt. Then she would drop down,
exhausted, and moan and wail-long, pitiful
groans bursting from her overcharged heart !;
yet no tears coming to her relief, for their
fountain seemed dried up. Then the parox-
ysn would seize her again; and so it went
on, until she was too worn out to give farther
utterance to her feelings, and death-like
lethargy once more wrapped her in its en-
brace.
From this she awoke in a more tranquil
condition. The temporary insanity-for it
was nothing less-was over, and she was able
more clearly to review her situation, and to
make some sort of effort to decide upon the
means best for her to pursue.
(To be Continued0
CARE OF THE EAR.-In his treaties on
Physiology, Hinton gives US to understand
that the passage of the ear does not require
clearing by us; nature undertakes that task,
and in the healthy state ful6lls it perfectly.