San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-08-19
This story was commenced August TEL
copyrighted. Al Rights ReScrred)
ATRAGEDY;;
OR
THE STORY OF THE CHAIN PIER.

was 10 DO with the babyy can re-
member how the great drops Of anguish
stood on my face, how my hands trem-
bled. how my very heart went cold with
dread.
The newspapers which | took daily,
to read the advertisements for govern
esses, lay upon the table, and my eyes
were caught by an advertisement from
some woman living at Brighton, who
undertook the bringing up of children.
l resolved to go down that very day. |
said nothing to my landlady of my in
tentiOn. | merely told her that | was
going to place the little one in very
good hands, and that | would return
for my luggage.
~ meant.-sO truly as Heaven hears
me speak, meant TO do right 10y my
little child. Imeant to work hard to
keep her in nice home. Oh. | meant
WE'LL
Il was ashamed to go out in the
streets with i:Ite baby i'll my arms.
"What shall | do if it eries?' / asked
the kind landlady. You can prevent it
from crying she said; give it some
cordial What is cOrdial?' ! asked,
and she told me. Will it hurt the lit
tie One?' | asked again, and she
laughed.
mo she replied, certainly not.
Half the mothers in London give it to
their children. 1t sends them into a
sound sleep, and they wake up none the
worse for it. If you give the baby just
little, it will sleep all the way to
Brighton and you will have no trouble
| must say this much for myself, that /
knew nothing whatever Of children,
that is, of such little children. | had
never been where there was baby so
little as my own.
Il bought the cordial. and Just before
started gave the baby some. |
thought that | was very careful; |
meant to be so. | would not for the
whole world have given my baby one
half drop too much.
ut soon slept calm, placid sleep,
and noticed that the little face grew
paler. Your baby is dying said a
woman, who was travelling in the third
class carriage with me. 1T is ding.
am sure laughed and cried; it was
so utterly impossible | thought; it was
well and smiling only one hour ago. |
never remembered the cordial. After
wards, when came to make inquiries.
| found | had given her too much. |
need not linger on details.
You see that if my little one died by
my fault, it was most unconscious on
my part; it was most innOcently, most
ignOrantly done. make no excuse. |
tell you the plain truth as it stands. |
caused my baby's death, but it was
most innOcently done; | would have
given my own life to have brought hers
back. You, my judge, can You imag-
inc any fate more terrible than standing
quite alone on the Brighton platform
with dead child in my arms2
II had very little money. l knew no
soul in the place. l had no more idea
what to do with a dead child than a
baby would have had. L call it Dead
she continued, for believe it to have
been dead no matter what any doctor
says. 1t was cOld,-Oh, my Heaven,
how cold!-lifeless; no breath passed
the little lips! the eyes were closed
the pretty hands stiff. beLicrcd IL dedd.
| wandered down to the beach, and sat
down on the stones.
"What was | to do with this sweet,
cold body? cried until | was almost
blind; in the whole wide world there
was no one so utterly dcsOlate and
WfeLCneu. l CTled aloud 10 Heaven 10
help me-where should bury my little
child? | cannot tell how the idea first
occurred to me, the waves came in with
a soft murmuring melody, a sweet sill
very hush, and | thought the deep,
green sea would make grave for my
little one. 1t was mad and wicked |
know now; | can see how horrible it
was; it did not seem to be so then. |
only thought of the sea then as my best
friend, the place where | was to hide
the beloved little body, the clear, green
grave where she was to sleep until the
Judgment Day. l waited until-it is a
horrible thing to tell you! but | fell
asleep-fast asleep, and of all the hor-
rors in my story, the worst part is that,
sitting by the sea, fast asleep myself,
with my little dead babe Oh my knee.
"When woke the tide was coming
in full and soft, with swift-running
waves, the sun had set, and a thick,
soft gloom had fallen over everything,
and then | knew the time had come for
what wanted to do"