The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-05-03

sa; .sssss
q, q .s,Ri,A MAY s. 1872,
HHr IosT nABY--A STORI or = III
FRONTIER. is ssSae
TTe name OF our sfit le, one WINS Marble:
xste. but Nc called her Little Pear, Pn,aiE
md /. Sbewas eur 6rst baby the da,ntIest
s3ea.pss little thing that ever you set eyes
op--cheeks like half blown rnseb buds, nan
a1kc rinrs az sunsh ine, and ewes as Dltie =
AZ ssesths Of q June sky Darling Rltsie
Pear. how We loved Der. We saso sDe essl
,usarriesss fnst ii year and q hasf tswnea fnil!I
caught Inc western fever. IS. &
loved my Husband with an intensity
bordering on tdoiatrY. bht when he told mt
- his intention 10 leave our beautiful cat
ssee,,s or,f, GEEK his fortune In the far West y
nas n terrible blow to me. We had lived 81
RosasiaIe ever since our marriage. and J
.,sn.,id see no reason why we could not con
f:nre to live there. Truly, The place be
1oared 20 my uncle; but then 1t would os
ours as his death, and why should fhint
fret and chafe so under fooiisn sense =,
dependence? We had eyerytnlng--clsgaan ~
rooms, flowers, birds, pleasure gIo 'l.s :,
and servants enough 10 Keep oui maaI {,
from any thtrg Ike isbor ana uns'e aa, ,,a =
all ungrudgingly. stu my nu 81 '' was
~ .tl can't live this life. Belle" ne said /;
1.I wasn,t made for.it. My work awaits
x,,e somewhere in the world, and Il must
mint it up. My little ones won't respect
she;r father by-aDd-by II he Is nothing more
sg,.n drone 10 the. hive OF life."
was yexed and angry atifirst, and said
rTcat many things that were unWise ana
NnwomanIy, but Philip pursued the even
senor OF his way, all patience aud forbear
ance. our preparations We're SOON made,
tf,e few things we held most precious were
nscked nm, an bidding adieu TO our sunny
southern homo. we:started westward.
Tic excitement Of the iourney, iogethe!
with nv husbands constant tenderness ana
sucourac e,Dent, reconciled me 10 = measure
to the change oflife; and when We reached
our little western cottage my ImpulsiVe ma
xure, always rushing to one extreme or the
other, carried me Into an ecStacy OF delight
and antic patton. even beyondanythinS my
steadfast husband exhibited. He seemed
greatly relieved to see. me growing SO tho
roughly contented, and1we began our new
aife very brayely. I,
The cottage was comfortable enough, but
bare aud humble IN comparison to what we
had hitherto been accustomed; the square
xhitewashed rooms had a dreadfuliy for
Iorn look, and the little kitchen, with Its
one starring window, and the cooking
stoye standing in the middle OF the floor
tjlled me With shuddering disgust every
time entered it. But bad made up my
mind TO endure all and everything, and, a:
I have said, We began our new life very
.SxaYely. ~ !,
For the first two or three months had
selp, no, very efficient help, truly, but bet
Ter far than none. Philip entered at once
moon the practice Of law, and as his office
yEas some distance from bone be did moi
return until evening, so we bad no grea
amount Of cooking to do, and between US
we managed to keep the cottage tidy and to
take care OF Little Pearl.
Every afternoon we went to meet him,
taking little Pearl, through the grand and
gorgeous prairies, and as often as his happy
eyes caught sight OF us he would hasten
forward with fond embraces and approving
words.
..Ah, Belle,"' he would say, :" / believe l
an the happiest man in the universe and
YOU are growing coDtenied, too, dear; 1
can see 1t in your bright face"
The glory OF autumn faded, and the chill
November rains set in, bringing dreary,
sunless days, and changing the gorgeous
Urairie-bloom into endless leagues OF sod
den gray. My girl left me, and little Pearl
grew cross and fretful in her teethIng. IN
addition to his law business Philip had
gone into farming, and we had TWO or
three laborers to feed and lodge, which
greatly increased; the housework. Under
this accumulation Of trials my patience
- aSS.ou II TpnrEpH = lrto RI
early, but I grew morose and fretful. and
never had pleasant " ord for my husband.
But he never complained. ,-.y,a, ,..73;.3
"Poor Belle!'' he would say. "PoOr,
ovey-worked little wife, be az brave az you
can; better days will come by-and-by. just
AS soon as get off from. my business III go
to the city and obtain permanent help. 10
the mean time don't fret the roses. from
your checks .nnd the, brightness from your
But despite my husbands loving words
and constant help, for he took one hall the
household labor on his own hands, ] con.
tinued to murmur at my fate, an done morn.
eng the crisis came. ,..Stll: = - III
breakfast was unusually latej Little Pearl
cross to absolute fretiulness, and the slcs
satorer upstairs. in need nf constant atten'
zion; Philip obliged to. leave early, and at!
ter coaxing and. husbing Pearl to sleep
laid her In Der dainty little crib and went
about my mornings work.
felt wronged and injured, and while
worked away busting off the SCOT and ashes
zndScrubhingru up the mud the hot tears fell
so FIST as almost to blind me-. My husband
bad been crlei- heartless, I though t-to take
me from a home where all was beauty and
pleasure and bring me out to that dreadful
place 10 wear my liic out in hateful drudge
ny. Iweuld sooner be in.my grave than to
aive on so from year to YEAR., = 6 "a. :, :
In the midst Of this despair Isheard the
sick man calling from above and buried tc
him. His fever. WAS rising Lagain. ID
needed cooling draughts and, ice-clotbs tt
his head. i went to- work to prepare then
with nervous! haste, for 1.-THE morning wa!
slipping bysand the, noon meal mustbe ii
readiness for the farming hands. In 3tht
midst Ct my work and hurry Little Pearl''
sharp. imperative cry came piping from be
low. What should ! do?, I had Just spen
over, half an hour lnlling her 10 sleep, ant
here she was on my hands again.
at won't go down." Icried In real anger
- She may have her cry out. Oh, dear,
vlsh had no baby /"
But the instant the uuwomanly wish had
passed my lips I repented Of having uttered
1t. No baby, no Little Pearl! The bare
thought 6lled Inc with shuddering terror.
Hurriedly administering the sick mans no.
tiop, / fastened down, eager to compensate
Tor my unmotherly words by fond earesses.
There stood the little cradle in Its accus
toEed corner, the dainty lace. coyerlid
thrown back, the pillow. still damp aud
Warin from the impress OF the curly head