, 1883-11-17

on his prey into the parlor, where he
sat learning his lesson ona low stool,
beside my wife's knee.
| Close to our country house lay a
deep pool, but it was not visible
from our window. | spent several
days in carving rough model Of Il
boat with my penknife; and when
it was completed, l purposely left it
in the child's way. | then hid my
self near the pool, in a spot that he
must pass by, in case he came to see
the little toy ahOat on the water.
But he came neither on that nor the
day following day. Still felt GER
tain that he was in my tolls, for |
heard him prattle about his toy,
which he had even taken to bed
with him. l waited patiently, and
on the third day could see him,
from my hiding place, come run
ming along joyously, with his silken
locks streaming in the wind, and
singing-poor child-a merry tune,
though he could scarcely lisp the
words. ] stole behind him, beneath
some bushes that grew near the
bank, and the Evil one knows how
|, strong, grown man, trcmbled in
every limb as | followed the foot
steps Of this little child, while he ap-
preached the waters brink. ! was
close behind him, crouching on my
knees, and was raising my hand to
put him in, when he saw my shadow
in the water and turned around.
His mothers spirit cleaned forth
from his eyes. The sun now
burst forth from behind a cloud,
turning the water into sheet Of
molten gold. Everything sparkled
as if all nature had eyes. | don't
know what the boy said-thOugh 50
young he did not fawn upon me,
nor try to sOOthe me; all that re-
/ collect was that he screamed out, not
that he loved me, but that he "would
try to love me !" and then he ran
back to the house as fist as he could.
The next time | saw him my
sword was in my hand, and he was
/ lying stiff and cold at my feet.
took him in my arms and laid him
gently in thickct. My wife was
not at home that day, nor was she to
return until the morrow. Our bed
room window, the only one on this
side Of the house, being but few
/ feet from the ground, resolved to
/ get through it in the middle Of the
night, and bury my victim in the
garden. ! had not the slightest.idca
/ at that moment, that | had frustra-
/ ted my own scheme, and that when
the pool would be dragged, and no
body forthcoming, the property must
remain in allegiance, as | meant to
| confirm the belief that the child was
lost or had been stolen. For the
/ present all my thoughts were CEN
tered on the necessity of hiding ev-
cry clue to my crime.
What | endured when the SER
| wants came and told me the child
was missing, and when the messcn-
| gers dispatched in all directions re-
| turned to inform me their search
| had been in vain, no words can pos
sibly describe. That same night
/ buried him! But now the worst re-
manned to be done and that was to
face my wife and give her hopes
/ that the child would yet he found.
/ This | continued to do with such a
show Of sincerity, aS | believed that
no suspicion rested upon me. The
next thing did was to seat myself
at the bedroom window, from
whence | could watch all day long
the spot where lay concealed my
| dreadful secret. 1t was plot Of
ground that had been recently dug
up, ready for laying down fresh sods,
and | had chosen it rs the one where
the marks Of my spade would be least
| likely to attract attention. The
workmcn who were laying down
the sods must have thought me
crazy. | was continually calling
to them to get on faster, and occa-
siOnally running out to help them,
and stamping on the ground, while
/ kept urging them to still greater
haste. Their task was finished be-
fore night, and l now felt compara-
| lively secure. ~
fell asleep at last that nightAbut
what a troubled sleep it was, and
what frightful dreams were there
l fancied l saw now a hand, now
head, rising out Of that unhallowed
spot of ground. And each time that
| awoke out of this horrible night
mare | crept to the window to con-
vince myself that it was only an idle
fancy Of my brain. Then | slunk
back to bed, but only to endure the
same torments over and over again.
Once | dreamed that the child was
still alive, and that | had never at
tempted its life; and the waking
| from this dream was more dreadful
| than all the rest.
Next morning | again took my
place at the window, and turned my
eyes on the fatal spot, which, though
now turned into grass plot, only
presented to me the appearance Of
an open grave. If one Of the farm
servants passed by, l expected him
to sink in if bird alighted upon
the grass, dreaded lest he should
become the instrument that was TO
bring my crime to light and every
breeze that blew across it seemed to
whisper "murder." There was moth
ing animate or inanimate, ever so in