Year: 1861




and when it was complete / purposely


left it in the child's way. then hid
myself near the pool at a spot that he


must pass by, in case he came to see the
little toy aAoat on the water. But he
came neither on that day or the following
Still felt certain he was in my tolls, for
| had heard him pirate about his toy which
he had even taken to bed with him ]
waited patiently, and on the third day
could see him from my hiding place come
running along joyously, with his silken
locks streaming in the wind, and singing
poor child, a merry tune, though he could
scarcely lisp the words. ] stole behind
him, beneath some bushes, that grew near
tie bank, and the Evil One knows how
( ], a strong, grown man, trembled in every
limb, as ! followed the footsteps Of this
| little child, while he approached the wa
ters edge. l was close behind him,
crouching on my knees, and was raising
my hand to push him in, when he saw
my shadow in the water and turned
round.


His mothers spirit cleaned forth from
bis eyes. The sun now burst from be-
hind a cloud, turning the water into a sea
Of molten gold. Everything sparkled as
if all nature had eyes. don't know
what the boy said, though so young he did
not lawn upon me nor try to soothe me;
all that l recollect was that he screamed
out, not hat he loved me- but that he
" would try to love me- and then he ran
back to ihe house as fast as he could.


The next time 1 saw him my sword
was in my hand and he was lying stiff and
cold at my feet. tool, him up into my
arms and laid him gently in a thicket.-
My wife was not at home that day, nor
was she o return until the morrow. Our
bedroom window, the only one on this
side Of the house, being but few feel
from the ground, resolved to get through
il in the middle OF that night, and bury
my victim in the garden. had not the
slightest idea, at the moment, that had
frustrated my own scheme, and that when
lhe pool would be dragged and nobody
forthcoming, the property must remain in
ubey ance, as meant to confirm the belief
that the child was lost or had been stolen.
For the present all my thoughts were cen
tered on the necessity Of hiding clue to
my crime.


What l endured when the servants
came and told me the child was missing,
and when the messengers I dispatched in
all directions, returned to inform me that
heir search had been in vain, no words
can possibly describe, That same night
I hurled him But now the worst re-
manned to be done, and that was to face
my wife, and give her hopes that the child
would yet be found. This l continued
to 10 with such a show of sincerity, as !
believe, that no suspicion rested upon me.
The next thing that did was TO seat my
self at the bedroom window, from whence
| could watch all day long, the spot where
lay my dreadful secret. It was plat Of
ground which had recently been dug up
ready for laying down fresh sods, and l
bad chosen it as the one which the marks
of my spade would be least likely to at
tract attention. The workmen who were
laying down the sods must have thought
me crazy. was continually calling out
to them to get on faster, and occasionally
running out to them, and stamping on the
ground while | kept urging them to still
greater haste. The task was finished
before night, and | now felt comparative
ly secure.


1 fell asleep at last that night, but what
a troubled sleep it was, and what fright
ful dreams were there / fancied | saw
now hand, now head, rising out of
that unhallowed spot of ground. And
each time | awoke out of this horrid night
mare, | crept to my window to convince
myself it was only an idle fancy of the
brain. Then | sunk back to bed, only to
endure the same torments over and over
again. Once ! dreamed that the child
was still alive, and that | had never at
tempted its life; and the waking from
this dream was more dreadful than all the
rest.


Next morning again took my place
at the window and never turned my eyes
off the fatal spot, which, though now
turned into a grass plat, only presented
to me the appearance of an open grave
If one of the farm servants passed l ex-
pected him to sink in; ;f bird alighted
upon the grass, dreaded lest it should
become the instrument that was to bring