Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-08-08

palanquin slips down in perilous confus-
on Now they descend the bank OF
>he other side. and as the conveyance
Uses almost perpendicularly in eirtl
downward steps, she can scarcely sup
1ort herself from sliding to the bottom
What gust of wind it has blown ou'
The torch; but it is lighted from the
other quick as thought Another gust
md both are eXtinguished She search
es for the lucifer matches. They were
left in the hurry and confusion, forgot
ten III the dark bungalow. Well, brave
Iy forward for the child is starting vio-
Iently, and its sobs grow convulsive.
Forward in the darkness, cropping,
stumbling, execrating their i'll luck, on
again they go!
All, mothers heart, trembling but
not yet despairing, struggling with
desperate hope
She held the babe tightly clasped to
her. but she did not attempt to look on
it. Indeed, now that the torches were
eXtinguished, not even mothers eye
could have traced its features, save
when at intervals burst of red sheet
lightning filled the dark cold midnight
skies.
But she felt its little head lying hot
upon her bosom, the pressure of It's
tiny hands sent a horrible fire through
her veins. Its meanings grew gradual
ly weaker, its breathing became imped-
ed. She opened its coverings with
cautious selfpossession, almost super
natural in that extremity of distress;
again she urged the bearers forward
it was useless! The little creatures
lungs refused their proper service; it
gasped, and shivered, and struggled,
she heard and felt this, she could not
see it; for as l said before, all was utter
darkness.
The bearers now stopped at her wild
cry for the ayah; the palanquin was set
down on the ground-but assistance
was too late; with a last shudder the
little child lay dead in the mothers
arms.
A light was procured from hut near
the path, but great was the horror Of
the natives when they saw that lifeless
little corpse. Then arose wailing and
bowling which reused the bereaved
woman from her stupor of grief. She
babe them seek European aid. They
assured her the nearest English dwell
lings were in the station to which they
were bound. They shrank from the in
nocent clay in horror of defilement from
contact with dead body; even the
ayah, who had SO loved the child, turned
from it with disgust
So the mother wrapped it in her own
shawl, with strange carefulness to keep
it from the cold and laying the dead
burden on her bosom-ah, how changed
from the infant soul that breathed there
but an hour back they set forth once
more.
That night alone in the jungle, with
that cold, heavy pressure on her breast
lifeless, moveless, appalling Never III
all her motherhood, short, alas ! it had
been-never had her boy shone upon
her imagination in the exquisite charms
that now rose up before her in that dark
and dreary journey. All his smiles and
all his tears, all the sounds that had
ever thrilled upon her eager sense, from
the first low wall of birth to the stihed
sob of death. His winning wiles, his
soft winding arms, his mouth dimpling
in mirth, his eyes dancing with
roguish playfulness, his elastic springs
of Joy, his creeping caresses, all, all that
make deep the well of a mothers love
came about her now, and about him
as he lay there, her first-born her be-
loved one
1t was strange the fathers sorrow
never struck her all sensation was con-
centrated in the idea of the boy him.
self; she had never seen the father
look upon his child, and now it seemed
as if there had been none to love him
but herself Meanwhile the night wore
away, and the day leapt suddenly, as
she is wont to do, from the arms of the
tropic sun, and they were now IN more
cultivated country.
There were fields and hedges of the
Towering aloe, and curious villages, and
passengers on foot, and a sort of road,
and travellers on horses and in covered
wagons and mosques, with people
shouting and playing hideous music
before the doors, and within, under the
searching eye of light, lay dead face
looking placidly up to the mother.
What heavenly smile how pale
and serene, the lips slightly parted as if
with happy thoughts, the eyes not star
ing, but half seen beneath the dropping
lids. All expression of pain Or even of
death had gone beautiful, spiritual,
smiling, it lay upon her lap. She looked
long on it, straining it in her arms, and
at last burst into weeping, which grad
ually subsidized into a lethargic sleep, the
babe still pressed to her breast.
Tramp-tramp with measured pace,
and sad whining chant, the bearers still
continued their way, till at noon they
reached large European station, and
entered the gates of handsome house
with lofty portico, under which some
ladies and gentlemen had gathered on
hearing the approach of visitor. One
young officer, with gladness on his
face, ran down the steps to greet her.
My wife! my darling Clara, see how
much better have been than l prom
ised! | have come hundred miles be-
yond our rendezvous. Here's joyful
surprise! Let me see my boyp'
The bearers set down their burden
Clara, at the sound of her husbands
voice, opened her eyes, gazed at the