Weekly Trinity journal., 1879-12-13
THE LOST CHILD.

GO home without him-without his little
child-his ;reasure-his most precious
thing on earth. He must go home and
tell its mother that the boy was not found
He would never be found now, the man
felt sure Of this.
All his life he had dreaded this--all
the little life of that baby boy. He had
been like man who wandered amongst
thieves with diamond in his possession
in full sight of all eyes. 1t seemed to
him that some one must rob him of it.
All the old stories of gypsies who stole
children had troubled him sorely; and
his heart had ached over The pitiful tale
Of the little chimney sweeper vino, more
than hundred years ago, while plying
his trade, came down the chimney of the
nursery from which he had been stolen
when timer fellow still, and recognizing
it and his mother, was restored to love
and home at last.
Often in the night had the thought so
overcome him that he had stolen from his
bed in the darkness to feel the little head
of his sleeping boy, on the pillow OF his
crib. Even his wife, the child IS mother,
who had loved him so, would have laugh
ed at is f3ncies. So he kept them to
himself. Only once-once he was forced
TO tell her. That was when he tattooed
the child's foot.
Right on the instep he had marked it
with little blue w. 1t was painful
every prick hurt him worse than it did
had been angry, and gricved, and then
he told her.
"If the child was stolen we should know
him, though his face were altered
though he forgot his name and us. That
is why l did it,"
And she said:
people have children enough of their
own. Children are only valuable to their
parents. You are so romuntic-so fool~
| ish."
Now it had come. The foolish fear
was realized. Lost or stolen, the boy
WAS gone, and Tint ;atoocd mark was the
only thing that comlorted him. Alive or
dead, they should know him, now or after
long years, for those marks are indeible
and no one else would mark his foot with
a tiny w. and the TIMER cross that fol.
lowed.
Alive or dead Could the boy be dead?
He cast up his hands in his agony and ut
tered Il cry that rang through the sleeping
street. People turned in their beds, and
said TO themselves that there must be "A
fight or that some drunken man was
making night hldeous. Some early risers
ended their sleep then and there, for no
one knew why The man cried out, or who
he was, or whore he went save the solitary
policeman, who gave him grave salute
as he passed. Neither asked the other,
"Have you found the chid?" They knew
the question was useless,
But at home, where the lights had
burned all night, the mother, who paced
to and fro, asked it, though she knew .he
answer would be mo"
"You have not searched everywhere, -
she said. "You have forgotten some
place-some ones house where lie may
have gone. Go out again-go. L will
go also. You told me you would bring
him back, or l would not Aave been ieit
at home. Got"
The man turned on his very threshold
II thought he might be here" he
said, "and l wanted to tell you-the tat
too mark-we shall be sure -"
Il Then he fell on his face. For twenty
four hours he had not tasted food, but
only his falntness told him that he was
hungry.
Then the mother remembered that she
was also wife. The wretched people
ate and drank-stones and sea water, Tor
aught they knew; but they looked for
their child in every direction. The river
was dragged, aad the hospital, even the
prisons, searched.
They spent their small means in adver
tising. They posted notices of their loss
on the walls. A! in vain.
After others knew that they had fol.
lowed forlorn hope, they still pursued
it as earnestly as ever. And so the weeks
rolled by, the months faded, the years
followed. Theirs was hard case. II
death had taken the boy it would have
been easier to bear; but they d id not be
ieve him dead; where was he? In whose
hands? Had he mourned for them and
far home? Had he been i'll Gsed-beaten
They knew nothing, and the suspense
wore their lives away. 1t was an old
story to Others very soon; it was always
terribly new to them. At any moment
il seems to them the door might open and
their child enter, and the patter Of the
little feet upon the stones set their hearts
beating wildly. This when the ten years
had passed, and the child Of four would
be child no longer, but youth taller,
doubtless, than his mother.
No other cb ildien came to these people
and they were very miserable. The man
seemed crushed-he had neither. ambi-
tion nor energy. The women went about
her daily toll in dali, listless manner.
Their hair grew gray, and their brows
wrinkled. very early. Friends we're
pitilul but grief does not invite-it rather
repels.
AT last they seemed to stand alone in
the world; I'D acquaintances and rela-
tives were gone, or had forgotten them.
They made no rev ones. Poor, lonely,
sad, they clung to each other, and shared
each others sorrJws aud trials. There
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