St. Landry democrat., 1881-09-17
sometimes falling asleep hin this midst

sometimes falling asleep hin tins midst
HOY it.
.'But. one day my babe ad been very
cross hand my husband ad been uncom-
mon sick, so with the care o them bOUh
| felt a most worn hout by night. hand
| said, Il 'ope | shall not be disturbed
! in the nj ght, for ham most dead for
want O rest But scarce al my cad
rested hupon my pillow, wen Polite
"' Daddy, please give Polite ha drink
O water,'
''But e was too sick to ear er, so l
j got hup hand gave it 'er. Three times
harose hand gave 'er water. and was
Just settling myself to sleep wen | was
! haroused by her little voice crying:
"'Daddy, please give Polite ha drink
| O water!'
This time called bout, veXed like,
'Ush now, | can't be getting hup every
minute to wait hon you; 90 to sleep
I hand let's ear no more about it. [
were so drowsy nodded in spite of 'er
| calling, but aroused hat last BY 'er:
DADDY, please give poor Polite ha
! drink O water
Il gave it 'er in no gentle mood,
! hand with the threat that hif | were
! again disturbed | should w'ip 'er. All
was quiet, has near has could tell, for
habout an 'alf our, then with Il gasp,
has if some will nor 'er own ad forced
'er, she called bout:
"' Daddy, please give poor Polite ha
| drink O water"
.Oh. Mrs TeaIe. 'ad | only been
gentle with mg poor Polite. hand a-giy-
! en- it 'er, | would not ad burden to
carry for thirty-tive long years.
II struck mr poor Poilie
/ Il wonder hat myself hOften Wen
, think hov hit, low | ever could a been
! so cruel; but in those days | thought
/ obedience was to be taught first, hand
hif i threatened anything | must do hit,
be the consequences WateSer they
might. Many's the time | wished my
+ and al been parayzed before | 'ad
a given the blow with hit. but [
thought she was honly willfu, and 'av-
ing taken childish notion she wanted
s,lmmat, nothing would do but she
must ave it -
+ In her agitation Mrs Himsworth use d
the dialect Of her girlhood.
For awhile there was no sound save
that O the ship has hit struggled to
keep hits mastery hover the hocean;
but soon there was one sob. then han
other, then one word hat a time; Dad
dy'-ha sob. Daddy always Daddy
please - give poor PolIie-ha-
drink water ! hen hall was
! quiet. What with the tossing O the
snip. hand the worry hon my mind, |
slept but little. So rising early, was
fain to 90 see my Polite to know if
aught allied 'er. for | loved 'er dear,
for hail were SO strict with er, and |
said Polite could not a bin well, or she
never would u bin so bothcrsome
But YOU may be sure was cart sick
! wen | saw 'er, for 'er face was as red
as an OF coal. and Wen | spoke to er
she did not know me. Aye. but were
! frightened and so was 'er father. f
forgot e was sick. and oh! 'ow we
nursed er that day and night. The
| doctor hon the ship said she 'ad scarlet
/ fever, bat e could give us no 'ope.
/ Oh! | could not let err die, my poor,
| suffering Pollle said, Almost crazy
| like, IN find somebody that'll 'elp
'er.' 'ad seen very fine hold gen
] tewoman with 'er two sons a most
| grown; hand they 'ad been so careful
hoy 'er, scarce leaving 'er ha moment
halone. SO said, she as raised such
nice bows, she II know wat to do formy
poor Polite
s.She 'ad just finished 'er breakfast,
hand one OF 'er sons was a sitting not
far of, a reading.
'.Please. UNI, said I. can you tell
me wat to do for my poor Polie9
'.she looked ard at me for few
minutes, then said, 'She Il die, let 'er
! die. let er d e.
! ut was has if ha knife 'ad gone
say that; don tell ME my Polite won t
get we'll She honly tore 'erself haway,
/ saying:
$. Let 'er die! let er die'
Words fail me to describe the mis-
! cry HOY those moments for | ad been
! 'eld up by an 'ope that there might be
turn for the better: but the unhind
ness of this hold lady, wen al gone
to er for sympathy, halmost unsettled
me. IF lad honlv known at the time
wat | afterward learned from the Cap
tain, | should not minded 'er actions.
learned she 'ad lost er honly daughter
and hat. times 'er mind was deranged
SO 'er sons were travelling with er in
'opes that new scenes hand new faces
would cause 'er to forget 'er trouble.
s.Be sure we 'ad no lack O friends
wen the passengers learned of our
/ trouble, and Wen my poor Polite, still
unconscious, ad left this world and
gone ware she would never thirst
again
By this time we were both crying. AS
for myself l was almost sobbing for the
dead babe whose years would have out
numbered mine, had she been living, so
it was some moments before Mrs. Hims-