The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1878-10-31

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doubtful He was a wreck-mOralll
and physically Tuined-all honor anC
I virtue had fed. He had but one VIRTUE
left, and il is the last which vice car
eXteIminate from the human heart
! viz: the lOCe q son bedTS 10 q beiOUeC
mother He may De haSe-an outlaw
degraded-the most SeTyile slave I,
Yice-an apOState to his God: hui
amid all this wreck Of pure principle
and pure intellect, one virtue re
IInains. until the drop scene of deati
falls; that is ones love for the mother
who gave us birth. In his incOhereni
rawlings, ne called for that mOther-be
lseeching her to visit him. There wa!
lucidity In this but in nothing else
Ny pity was greatly moved, and con
cealing from her the real danger which
existed, | wrote to her to come TO Lon
don Immediately. and aid me at hi:
bedside Rapidly as travelling could
accomplish il she responded TO my
call, and i received her at my house
reluctant that she could not see this
idol of her pureSt affection, without
much careful preparation. But all q
mothers love and tenderness dWelt in
her eyes and on her lips.
a mothers Iovel
II there be one thing pure.
! Where all besides are Suliled
That can endure,
When all else pass away
II there be aught
Surprising human deed. or word OF
! thought
Its mothers love 20
4 small twO-StOry house, in Foley
/ street, was occupied by a lady, who
| eked out her pension, as the widow of
a deceased officer, by taking a few gen
| teel bGarderS. 1t was here that Young
| Seymour had found the accommodation
he needed, when illness and a wasted
/ frame forbade his more gay and fash
/ iOnable haunts. Here he was cared for
and nursed with tenderness, for Mrs.
/ Miriam had known, earlier in life, the
bitterness of grief, in the loss Of an on
/ ly child, Of SeymOur's age, and whom he
much reSelnbled. lie occupied a small
| bedroom in the upper story, looking
| into tiny flower garden, which was
I cultivated by Mrs. Miriam herself, and
| her only servant, and situated in the
rear of the house. The furniture was
simple and plain, but kept in perfect
order and neaJneSs. 1t was at the close
of a lovely day, when | accompanied
! Mrs. Seymour to see her ruined child.
! The parting rays of 4 glorious sun Just
| gliding into the west, lent a dull, sOmbre
effect, as they passed through the win
dow curtains, which had been dropped
TO exclude the too great glare of light.
On his toilet table Law his watch
and guard-chain, formed of mothers
hair, and given him as 4 parting gift.
His pencil, purse, and a ring. the latter
the gift of cousin, who was much at
tached to him) lay about on a small
table, placed near his bed; and inter-
spersed with these were several Vials
Of medicines, which had from time to
time ordered for him from the apothe-
cary. All betOkened the chamber Ofan
invalid. As we approached We found
he slept. The mcurtained bed was
placed with its side opposite the eli
trance to the room, and the clothes
wore turned down., sylAile ono orz.a,
with the loose shirt sleeves, open near
ly to the shoulder, lay extended out
side; the other supported his head
denOting reStleSSneSS in the patient.
There was a solemn, nervous stiffness
in the room, and our cautious tread
scarcely awOke an echo from the floor
beneath.
All who have any knowledge of tine
physical formation Of man, know that
continued dissipation eXhausts the
vital powers and energies, eneTvates
the mind, and induces fermentation and
prOStratiOn of the mental and bodily
powers. In the case of this unhappy
youth, | soon discovered its worst fea-
lures, and the extent Of my alarm L
dared not express. All its cerebral
signs were there developed; confusion
of the jutlGment-and loss of control
of the will over the faculties and i'm
pulses; and the clear unmistakable
signs Of lassitude, langOur, prOstratiOn,
emaciatiOn, atrOphy, marasmuS, and
vital exhaustion.
The once blooming boy was now con-
yerted into Il pale, shrunken anatomy,
the Tuddy cheek and bright eve were
no longer seen, and but for the fine in
tuitiYeneSS of a SnOther's heart, Mrs.
Seymour could never, in the wretched
object before us, have recognized the
child Of her dearest affections.
We approached cautiously, and could,
as we came nearer to his bed, just de-
tect that slow, uneasy breathing, incl
dent to that condition. | had warned
her not to he alarmed at his changed
tAAN AllfAD ftlGCs ,llt oAODh
at his side and hent over his form to
kiss his pale cheek. alarmed me. There
was no expression from her lips-nO
exclamation of wild horror, which
might have relieved the pent-up agony:
but there she stood and silently gaZed,
with no WOrd-nO tear-nO Sighl The
look was one of inward, indeScribable /
agony. As | watched the movement
of her eyes. and the cOnvulSiYe motion /
of her lips, | could fancy all the inward |
struggle Of fond, alasl too fond, and |
mother. Her memory
seemed to rush back to the past, and |
call up the infant which had slept in |
her arms, and drawn its first nOurish- |
ment from that pure fountain of ma |
ternal love. Then it accompanied the |
SpOTtive boy in his childish gambols, |
when all was careless glee and mirth |
and sat beside him III advanced youth, |
and was the companion of his walks, |
and his studies, and listened with rapt /
delight To the daWnings Of that wisdom 4
which she hoped would one day mature 1
to distinction. One, too, could fancy 1
that the then sealed future still lent |
its golden hues to hope; and fame, re- /
nOWn, virtue and distinction, had cast |
their broad shadows before, as coming /
events" Long, and earnestly, and tear |
less, did she thus gaze. l dared not /
speak, for 1t seemed Il mOckery to such /
grief, TO offer the hackneyed cOnsOla- |
tons in sorrow, at such a moment. /
Then gradually, her eyes fell from the |
which had so long fixed I
their attention, and she calmly sank |
upon her knees at the bedside of that |
son so loved, and claSping her hands, |
seemed fixed in deep and silent PRAYER.
My own feelings were too much moved |
TO be longer a witness of this solemn
scene, and | retired into an adjoining
room, there to wait until some move
ment would indicate that the patient
awOke, or the mother had ended her pi-
Gus SupplicatiOn to Heaven.
Nearly an hour had passed. and vet
the quiet Of the tomb seemed to reign
in the sick chamber. / then quietly
stole TO the door and beheld Mrs. Sew
mOuT living at the bedside where | had
left her kneeling. She had tainted
The noise incident upon the removal
Of Mrs. Seymour, awOke George from
the sleep of StupOT, he had for hours
repOsed i'm. and as he half raised him
self upon his elbow, 10 watch the retiT-
ing form of his mother, as she WAS
borne SenSeleSs from the room. l no
-iced look Of intelligence in his eye,
which ] had not witnessed since his
illness; and as he sank back languidlv
ln the pillow, he family muTmered
the words Dearest mother"
This was too clear an evidence Of re-
turning reason to keep from his dis
,racted parent, and 50 soon as she was
herself sufficiently recovered To bear
l mentioned it to her.
Then, for the first time. her feelings
sought expression. She claSped her
hands. and uplifting her ewes to beay-
an, My God. | thank thee: thou hast
indeed heard my feeble prayerr and
tears of JOY flowed down her checks
Her next impulse was to rush to the
room of her son; but she at length list
ened to my earnest persuasiOns, and
on my pledge 10 sit at
Georges bedside all night; TO retire to
rest, and defer her visit until the fol-
Owing morning.
L faithfully redeemed my pledge. In
Iced, 1 was anxious To watch the
gradual development of that reason