The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1888-09-14

On the delicate marble arm was the
bInck-and-b blue mark her cruel hand
had made. A choking sob rose in her
throat rs she caught sight OF Il.
"Ah.I was cruel TO you. cruel 70 you. |
God forgive me! / struck you. baby
May" she groancd. but open your
eyes and look At me, darling. Say You
hate me, but only speak. just 70 show
you are not dead"
No moan Of pain answered her fran
tic appeal. or eased her remorseful
heart. All that could hear and feel
and see were gone. She gave a wild
cry a. the truth forced itself upon her,
and fell at the feet Of the mother she
had bcrcft. Forgive mel she cried.
I" for Gods sake forgive me! ] did not
mean TO hurt her. Icall God to wit
ness that l did not mean TO hurt her.
I pushed her. but / did not know she
was SO near the edge Of the bank; l
swear l did not know IL; ! perlled my
life In trying TO save hers. remember
that. Be pitiful, would lay il down
now gladly. gladly, II that would bring
her back. and ] would do more than
that" she went on wildly; ITO lay her
I in your arms alive, ! would give my
baby's life"
/. In her passionate remorse, she was
, cllnging TO the knees OF the
! she had wronged. the tears that were
. running down her face were falling on
her feet.
r :ssay you forgive me!'' she cried in
3 an agony Of ~supplication. Tell me
J. you will try to forgive me or ! shall 60
e madr'
But without one CLEAN Of pity, the
h cold. set. relentless face Of the woman
a to whom she prayed looked down upon
her. Mrs. Bruck was not hard-hearted
! or rcvengeful, but her baby lay dead be-
fore her. dead, from this woman's fault
a and she was In the first shock and pas
r. sion OF her grief; and cast in &c
i different u mould, she could not under
C stand the stormy, impassioned, undis
/ ciplined nature Of the one PROSTATE a
v her feet. or know the frightful risk y
a both OF the course she was taking.
,e Il never will forgive you. never,
she said, at last. in cold. slow tones.
You don't mean it," shrieked tn
half-dcmented suppliant, still clinginI
to her despairingly. you can't meal
n it, and see me suffer 50. You don
81 know what you say"
= Striving to tear herself from tn
al strong clasp that held her. and spur
n ing the PROSTATE figure ut her feet, tn
" woman to whom she prayed sale
,e sternly: II do mean it. II makes m
lie worse to see you there. Get upand 9
I'd away"
Of Mrs. Bray ceased her supplicatioi
ID For a moment she neither moved nc
spoke. The silence Of utter despal
ID fell upon her. Then she rose to M
"a feet with a dazed.~ uncertain, distraugl
IN air. Staring at the woman to who
n she had prayed in vain with a strang
r. stony. terrible face. she burst into pc
al after peal Of mad. discordant laughte
be "Merciful powers" cried the docto
~ and s~pringing forward he caught M
in Bruck by the arm. He 50 far fore
Is himself that he shook her. Woman
rs he said, sternly. Edo you know VII
A. you have done?"
X Mrs Bruck did not feel the vise-lil
e. grasp upon her arm. She did not he
ev him. In a horror SO great that for
m moment even her dead baby was Il
ia gotten, she looked on the ruin she h
ell wrought. The wild laughter ended
al a wilder cry. and throwing up b
ID. arms Mrs. Bray fell to the floor. Tn
ad raised her up and laid her on the DC
he A burning fever was upon her. and 3
wo muttered incoherently
on doctor, is there any hope?" gasp
on Mrs. Bruck. as she bent over her.
IRE .One chance out Of ten for her life
In, said the doctor, grimly.
aid In an agony Of remorse that cxccs
te. ed. II il we're possible. the remorse
The the woman who had prayed TO her
the q lew moments previous. Mrs. Bru
emit hung over the PROSTATE form upon !
OPP bed.
me She took her place by the bedsi'
the and from that moment she hardly
OF IL. She knew no rest; she scarcely
Irs. or slept. Night and day she kept
tireless. unceasing watch TO bri
her the woman she had wronged back
ing life and reason. II IL were possible. u
her was the task she had set herself, a
OF health and strength, her very life
and self. were offered up upon this altar
ere atonement. She left her dead baby
be cared for by others, and when
me, time came TO bury IL from sight, u
.ar- brought her child to the bedside
The hardly Quilted for q last kiss, an
the last look.
He The dreary time crept on, with
she one ray OF hope or comfort, while
lid. woman she watched tremblcd bctw'
n life and death. How long II lasted
ask. could not tell; TO her tortured hear
the seemed an age Of suffering. But 81
ling illumed this night Of anguish.
cad. dreams that visited her brief sleeI
her clorified, radiant little being came !
) OF called her mother, bringing with