The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-08-27

mothers life.
My golden-haired Miriam! My
beautiful darling in her shroud. and
this unheeding infant wailing contin-
uously. II the child had only been
taken and the mother left. Kindness
did all that could be done, brought
the crying infant to be loved and
blessed. but couldn't love and l
couldn't bless 1t. It was ugly; It was
thin; It was hideous.
Garry It from me as far as you
can" was my furious cry. Never
will see It, never acknowledge It,"
1t was the brutal answer of a man
beside himself, and l was brutal, but
I was suffering. So they treated me
as man crazed by grief ought to be
treated.
The poor little crying babe was
cared for. but taken out of my sight,
and they left me alone with my
trouble.
Alone with my beautiful dead, her
shining eyes closed forever, her gold
en- hair blazing with light even under
the coffin lid.
After the funeral, while my fran
tic grief made scene of misery, they
bore the child away into the green
country. My mother took it to her
loving heart.
ut has neither father nor mother"
she would say, but will be both to
it. Honey, they shant have you,"
she would whisper to the child, "you
are all mine"
] was stupid fool so to mourn, so
to put out of my sight every reminder
OF my dead wife, but unreasoning
man will be stupid and at times a
fool. | loved my wife passionately,
but not wisely. So elated had / been
with my conquest that, like a man
who puts precious coin in hiding.
] tormented myself and l tormented
my poor wife. She would have seen
how jealous was from the first, but
she was like an angel and forgave
everything.
Absorbed in my sorrows / still ne
elected the child. ! would not see
it. From week to week sent money
for its care. but let 1t stay where 1t
was, let me stay where l was. My
work absorbed me. / had lost Mir
lam, henceforth nothing could COM
fort me. l would have died first.
Nothing could tempt me to go home
and see him. l dreaded the sight OF
him, as I would have loathed poison.
He grows so strong and pretty"
my mother wrote. ''He cries no
longer" That was all very well, but
when she added, Come and see
him." I rebelled. He might be beau
tiful; he might be wonderful; but he
nad lost me my pearl of pearls. There
would never be another Miriam for
me.
No, would not ever let them send
me the boys picture. l was icono-
clast enough to lave broken 1t IL
they had. Strange that love seemed
dead in my heart. i cherished SEN
timentalism to the extent OF feeling
that ] should never love again, in
sect, beast nor bird, woman nor child,
and glorified in my self-exclusion.
The time went on. l neglected my
mother. who was wearing out her
heart for me; would not even go to
see her because | wanted not to see
the boy, who had become an image
of hatred, as look at 1t now. Time
abated not the force of my grief,
rather exaggerated it. Still the let
ters came occasionally.
The boy had teeth, two, three,
six, seven, he smiled like an angel,
he was beautiful, he was growing
fast. Fourteen months old and you
have not seen him. And he looks
like you"
Then I'll never see him." / cried,
between my teeth, and l knew that
In my way was handsome man.
Dut for that eternal melancholy.
II she had said he looked like Mir
lam, or he has her eyes, her hair,
her teeth, her smile, l don't know
what l might have been tempted to
DO. but was stubborn. He had
taken my Miriam from me. He had
consigned her to the dark grave. No,
let him be anathema maranatha.
loathed him. believe l all but
oegan to loathe my mother for
tempting me. What did / want of
the boy? Why did need to be for
ever reminded of my loss, which was
ifreparable? So my heart in scrip
.ural language waxed harder and
harder and less human.
AT last shock recalled me to my
senses.
l mad been on a long journey. My
man had accumulated. Among the
,etters which | read on my return
nome was one announcing my moth
thers illness. That was dated only
lew days after my departure. What
might not have happened in the
meantime? Then there came
'honght of the boy. What had be-
sone OF him? Suppose my mother
should die? For the first time rill
sMahg up In my heart. tiny. but OF
pefhaps fatherly affection. The news
was weeks old and no letter had
some IN the interim. | was actually
.o'ceu TO a determination to go home
CONSCIOUS OF what was to meet me.
me car wheels seemed leaden. The
tt1auutui prospects of my old coun-
ny ny nome were almost forbidding.
,n"iniy the old we'll came into sight,
~ ,S" .ne rose gardens. then the house
"rose square outlines nothing
!, s"ed TO be missing. How brown