The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-08-04
a NIOTIIIGIs'S IDOL,

tiSEIste ~
In a luXurlously furnished room, with
q soft, rich carpets, curtains, draperles,
and dainty knick-knacks, such rs are
only seen in the dwellings of the wealthy,
the light was carefully shaded, and in
the centre of the apartment, in a child's
crib, the rich lace curtains and blue
hangings Of which were drawn and f;s-
tened back to admit the air, lay a boy of
two or three years in the delirium of
fever; his lovely face was flushed, his
blue eyes wide open, and his rounded
limbs were tossed necessarily from side
to side, while incoherent means and
cries occasionally came from the poor
sufferer. Several servants and attend
ants passed noiselessly in and out Of the
heavy p0rtiere Of dark blue which fell
across the doorway, and an oval ivory
framed mirror set in a panel of the same
color was reflected in shadow on the
wall. The sweet face Of the "Madonna
Of the Grotto,' and her boy, and a
pretty marble Psyche, yelled, with her
lover Cupid by her, shone in the dim
ness. Everything that could bring COM
fort and beauty was there-but, alas
these were vain to ease the little pain
tossed limbs, or still the throbbing of the
brain-anguishcd, curly head SO ,neasily
rolling on the pillow.
The mother bent over her boy in an
agony of gpief. She was young and
beautiful, and her whole life and being,
8 aye, her very soul, was centered on him.
"Oh, my God, spare himl l cannot
give him up! Spare him! will not
live e!wlthout him"'
ES<<$ No prayer for patience, for submission
to higher will than hers, passed her
.llps, but only the agOniZed cry to spare
him to her, to save him for her love.
4 She had never learned in all her life to
bow to another will than her own. and
now, when her idol Was stricken, she
! had no other hope, no other cry, but
Spare him! let him live!"
The doctors had said, eff he sleeps
there is hope; but if this restlessness
continues he cannot endure it long.'
Everything had been done, every
soothing influence tried, and still the
blue eyes We're wide open, and the child
moaned anu tossed on his weary bed,
and still the one wild prayer went up,
"Oh, let him livel Spare me my childP'
Unlike Isabel in Mrs. Browning's
beautiful poem, 10 vision came to ell
treat her to release her child's soul and
let him find ease and peace.
Her prayer was answered.; gradually
the child's tossing became less freQucnt,
the lids closed, aud Il death-like silence
fell upon the darkened room. The
watchers held their breaths, and the
OyerwrOught mother sank back upon a
couch which had been drawn near the
little crib; but still she watched every
rise and fall of the covering which had
been at last permitted to remain over
{ the restless child.
yGradually the flush faded, the labored
breath became low and gentle-so low
! that several times the mother bent over
him In anxious dread. He slept until
the sun was high in the heavens. lie
aWOke, and stretching out his arms to
his weary mother, shaped that first sweet
word, "mammap' And she clasped her
darling to her breastanu had no thought
but that he would live, and was all her
own. Wrapt i'll her precious idol, no
her answered petition.
Ton years had glded away, and the
Same mother was seated on a low chair
\ before bright wood fire which burned
#cheerfully in an open CRATE. 1t was the
same room, but the baby's crib no longer
stood there. Long ago it had been re-
e moved. The pictures and ornaments
( were the same, and the fire cast rosy
\ CLEANS on various other beautiful things,
and on the warm draperies in that lux
uri0us chamber. Still her boy came
sSjls0t. He was out on the darkened street.
The quiet, loving beauty of his happy
q nome had few attractions for him, and,
young as he was, he had tasted those
tempting sweets of early dissipation
4 that, like the adder, coil themselves
around their victims bodies and crush
their lives, and rendering soul, body and
brain one mangled, mutilated mass, pass
3 onto others already entering their
sheeny snare.
at last he came, and throwing his
arms around his mothers neck, coaxing-
e lys excused himself for his truancy. a
boy of about fourteen, with strong,
straight limbs, curly chestnut hair, and
large blue-gray eyes; but there was evi-
dence Of youth undermined, of phys ical
energies dwarfed, and the large eyes
lacked that brightness and beauty SO
surely found in the orbs of the youth of
that age.
Young as he was there were stories Lf
his ungovernable temper and evil pro-
pensities; but they never reached his
mothers ear; if they did, she turned
from them. Her life was a lonely one
save for him; an early marriage, a
neglectful husband, who had died soon
after their chiId's birth; she had wealth
secured to her; it would one day be her
sOn's, and if even now he demanded
sums which were far too great for boy
81 like him to spend on his own amuse~
ment. his weak mother thought boys
must alnuse themselves, and gladly sup
Il Piled his exacting wishes. And 50 was
fuel applied to add flames to the fire
4 that3Was already under way in it's dead
lyw0rkof devastation and physical ruin.
Ten years again had been numbered