Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1880-03-25
A MOTHER,S VISION.

baby for her waiting arms the mOthel
passed into sleep. 1t was brie
Sleep. When she woke her husband
came to her side. Perceiving Strange
ness in her face, he bent over her will
look of surprise. "What's the mat
terP You look like 2 materializeC
angel" he said.
"Where issthe babyR'' she asked
"The little thing isn't quite riggeC
yet" he answered, trying to speak
lightly; he did not like the Weirdnes2
in her face
Eyes, she's all ready" the nurse
amended, and the baby breught
andtlaid in it'smother' s bosom. Va, EF
'sLucyp' she said, with indescribable
tenderness, cuddling her baby close.
''Lucypn repeated the husband: ftgou
have said all along that if a girl it was
to have your name. ~ ..~S& = @la.A-t
Sci know L did, but her name is
Lucy" rf.a'a. tra.t
"Why, what put Lucy into your
headP There's not q Lucy in your
family or mine. Do you like it better
than MabelP" Z ,aosaaal 1si
"Mabe1 is prettier, butAFll tell you
about it some tiDae," she said, in tone
which dismissed the subject.
The next morning, after she had taken
her breakfast, she told her husband
this: a M ls##htH
When Ifell away last night 1T was
not into a sleep-I had vision. There
was one instant of darkness, and then
I was in a sunny cemetery. 1t was
in the spring-time, for over the fence
beyond the grass-plats | saw fruit trees
in bloom and the red-bud. 1t was our
cemetery, Mount Hope Cemetery. 1
knew the gentle slopes and the winding
roads and the memorial with
their familiar inscriptions. And there
was one, marble headpiece, standing
under small Norway pine, and on this
/ read, Lucy, second child of Marcus
B. Golden and his wife Mabel, and
then the two dates, February IA, 1885,
and five o'clock p, M, April 20, 1897
The first is the day Of baby's birth; we
shall keep her three years, two months
and fifteen days; she will die at five
O'Clock" Yttgn F.nty4H
go, nonsense!" said the husband,
laughing. 81 couldn't have believed
you to be such goose as to be fright
ened by q dream" .,,
" But, Marc, she said, in solemn
remonstrance, 'it was no dream;it was
all as vivid as the day There was
no indistinctness; everything was as
defined as your face id this morning.
1t was q vision, Marc-a revelation of
the future. know 1 shall see it again.
IsshalI some day see my shadow On the
grass lying beside the shadow of the
Norway pine and of the marble head
piece, Just as l saw them in the vision,
and,I shall read those TWO inscriptions.
and shall feel the agony of a mother
bereft Ofi her child1I o. Marc! ithis'ag-
ony is something indeseribablel it has
gone from me now, but the memory
stays. When it comes to me in reality
it WiHnot be strange; LshRll recognize
Again the husband smiled. .,4
She got hold of his hand. I" Marc!
Marc!" she criedy "you must not treat
this with incredulity. In three years,
two months and fifteen days we shall
lose our LucyyI know it. Now, if Cod
had appeared yisibly to us and warned
us of this, what would be our courseP
What would you doP You would be- |
gin at once to get all the Enjoyment
possible out of the loan; you would
make it your study that the little life
should be happy, And this is what we
are to do, Marc. We must see to it'll
that she never has pain if we can
help it, and we must get all the good
we can from her stay. Now, Marc, you
must not look that way,H she contin-
ued, in earnest entreaty: 81 cannot
have you slight the warning" 541
"Why, Mabel, in the insecurity of
our hold upon any earthly good we
have a constant warning to make the
most of it."
Yes,1 she said, "but we do not
make the insecurity real; it is vague to
us; it is doubtful; there are more
chances for us than against us. But /
now we are warned; in three years two
and half months God will take our
baby; know it. Be persuaded, Marc,
and let us do with the child as we shall
wish we had done when we stand be-
side the little grave. Now, bring her
to me; 1 must keep her always with
me-"
With a grasping, tender awe, as
though the little life was already slip
ping from hers, the mother received
the child. She studied the face with
long, steadfast gaze, such as we give to
a face we may never see again. 81
want" she said, Z" to stamp itupon my
memory, the face with which she came
to me.
-" Here's Tommy, come to see his 'itty
sister" said the father, in cheerful
tone; he hoped to exercise the ghostly
fancies from Mabel's mind.
Tommy was a burly fellow, with the
Judgment usual to boys of three and
theTeabouts. With laughing shout
he pulled himself up BY the clothes on
to the bed, and in purely animal de-
light threw himself on the baby and