Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-03-29

daughters Dy DOfOJned nOmes Onc
day, as they were passing, they heard
faint cry within the cabin, cry SO faint
and yet so peculiar that the three
stopped, and Achsah said:
"Papa, did you hear the kitty?"
The father looked at his daughter, and
seeing in her face the signs Of her pecul-
lar nervous fits, turned and hastencd
home with her. All day long she lay
PROSTATE upon her couch, the minister
kneeling by her side and praying:
When it became known that child
had been born to Egbert and Dorothea,
the minister lost no time in relating the
circumstances of Achsah's Illness, and
before evening all the gossips in the vii
Iage had made excuses to call upon the
Young mother and sec the baby that cried
like a cat. Children came to the win
dow, looked in and then ran away as
from a haunted place.
After few days Dorothea's insanity
returned, and it was thought best to re-
move the child from her. A month
passed, during which she lay upon her
bed, uttering the vagaries which came to
her beclouded mind. At last her memory
and her reason returned, and she asked
for her babe as if it had been absent but
On hour. This was toward evening,
and, after receiving the child into her
arms, she lay for an hour in deep silence,
as if absorbed in thought; but not mo-
ton was made she did not sec, and at
times, when the babe gave utterance TO
a low cry, the mother would raise her.
self upon her elbow and gaze upon 1t
with painful intensity. She refused
all offers of food, and now and then, as
the twilight deepened, hummcd drowsy
tune in the babc's ears OF whispered TO
it in sweet and soothing words.
After o time the babe fell asleep ana
Egbert sat down by the open door The
twilight passed into evening. The wind
began to moan dismally through the for
est, and the rain began to pattcr on the
cabin roof.
The moaning changed to wailing and
then to roaring, and the wind swept the
increasing rain against the window.
The day was done and a wet, wild night
had set in. Egbcrt sat for while and
listened to the dreary music, then barred
the door, and leaning back in his chair,
fell asleep.
The brief period of Dorotheas sanity
had passed away and the cloud upon her
mind began to settle with the falling OF
the night. The roaring wind, the sweep
ing rain, the beating upon the roof and
the child at her side, became, all alike,
creatures Of her imagination. Looking
upward, through the mist, she saw her
mother and was child again herself
The sound of the wind and the rain
passed away; but, as she gazed, tho
vision faded and, instead of the peace
brooding form of her mother,
appeared the child, which to her
distorted imagination, seemed to
rise, as did those other phantoms
months before, merely to hide from her
the one face she wished to see. She
changed her position on the bed, but the
infant still appeared. She tried to
brush away the face with her hand, but
could not reach it.
She could now hear the roaring of the
wind again and see the warning branches
of the trees outside the cabin window.
The wind and the rain and the trees
spoke to her. They were real. They
would help her. Had not all her lifd
been passed in intercourse with them,
and had not her father taught her their
secrets?
All else were mere phantoms. She
was child again, and this was her
fathers cabin! What was that strange
man doing in the great chair by the
table, and whose was this babe which
was lying by her side? Her past life
was almost wholly blank, but blank
blOtted by the faint recollection of life
long persecution. What could the child
be but some evil sprite left to worry her:
And the wind and the rain told her tC
kill it.
Once more she looked upward, but
could see nothing but baby face above
her in the mist. She turned her heaC
upon the pillow and saw the little sleeper
by her side. She watched it for nc
ment and then, as serpent creep:
through the bushes in search of its prey
she passed her hand slowly over tho
child. AS she did so, the wind seemed t(
die away and the rain ceased to fall upor
| the roof
She paused, and a low moan came
through the trce-tops in the forest. i
came like q moan from that blot in hcl
past life, moan grief-burdened anC
growing faint with despair.
1t strengthened her purpose and shC
touched the baby hand. 1t clasped hel
fingers convulsively, which caused her Il
look intently upon the little face. l
was the same which, a few moments be
fore had appeared in the mist above her
Still, with faint dawning Of intclli
gence, and perhaps of maternal feeling
! She paused to wonder if it might not bt
a real child. But at that moment th'
babe awakened and gave faint or,
which, even to the mother, seemed lik
the cry of cat.
There was no more doubt! The chile
belonged to the evil one who was still
pursuing her.
A fresh gust of wind came up with it
| long sough gathered from the depth
/ the woods, and her brain was Influence
by it. Again her hand, which had Oeel
withdrawn when the baby's finger
clutched it, was stretched out and thi
time touched the infants head. He
eyes were burning with excitement, bu
with nerves steady and hand firm a
iron, she passed her fingers down tn
little sleeper's face to its throat and fel
the warm beating from its heart.
All! fine wild night it was, and tn
wind came roaring and wailing thrOug
the dashing rain, and beneath the darl
storm cloud. A roll of thunder and on
in the forest tree had been Shiverc
with the lightning's strOkcl A hush TO
an instant and then the storm brok
forth afresh. The hand was resting OF
the infants throat. The finger
closed. No gasp! No sound! But tn
little hands tugged at the great on
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