Year: 1860

AN HOURS STRUGGLE WITH POls.


ON.


l was spending some days, not many
years ago, il beautiful little country
village, and in family that had more
than common attractions to one who
loves domestic life as we'll as myself
The little circle had more in it of real in
tercst than have often seen developed
in the same number of persons


The father of the family-almost too
young to feel yet that he was entitled to
that honorable appcllation-was a fine,
frank hearted mechanic, with wide
world of life bounding in his veins an
energy that, when fully aroused, drove
everything violently before him; end a
W, ,rmth Of disposition that won him more
friendship than it had then given him
the goods Of this world.


His wife, to whom he had been mar.
RED for four years, was singularly beau
tiful. They had two chiIdren-the one
laughing brown-eyed and brown haired
little fairy Of three years. Her name
was Eveleen. The second was a crow.
ing, laughing, blue-eyed, plump little
beauty of less than a year, promising to
have all the charms of the elder at her
age.


l was sitting one afternoon in quiet
little room, with my feet on two chairs,
reading pleasant little book, in a state
between sleeping and waking-my host
away at his shop a hundred yards of,
and my pretty little hostess was engaged
in her household labors-when l was
thrown out of my Incidence by u scream
that brought me to my feet like an cleo.
trio shock. 1t was a woman voice, and
had in it an excess Of agony that cannot
be indicated in words; so loud that it
rang over that quiet village, and brought
every one forth to ascertain the cause


sprang to the door that separated the
sitting room from the dining depart.
ments, and saw the whole at glance. -
The young mother stood at the door with
her first born-our darling Eveleen-in
her arms, dying. A brief ard hurried
word from the servant girl told me the
sad story.


The little girl had accompanied child
up stairs, and while the attention of the
older child was for a moment turned
away, she seized a bottle of corrosive
sublimate of alcohol, and had taken
enough to have taken away twenty such
lives. The little thing had tottered
down stairs, and her mother had met her
at the landing with the empty bottle in
her hand, and poison oozing from her
mouth, and the child all unconscious Of
the fearful thing she had done. Was it
any vOnder then that, tant ,iaSs ter5bs s shEsk ga
already the occupants of every house near
were rushing toward the spot where the
mother stood.


But a few moments could possibly have
elapsed since the poison was taken, and
yet the effect was already fearful After
the first shrek of terror the mother had
quieted to calm despair for the mo-
ment, and stood with the child in her
arms, making no effort for its relief; and
indeed, it seemed hopeless, for already
the subtle poison seemed diffused through
the frame the brown eyes had lost their
lustre; the face was blackened as in after
death and the teeth were tight set in
a convulsiye spasm that evidently would
not pass away / examined the little
lost darling for moment, saw that it
was hopeless, and then turned away,
unable to hear mothers agony. The
little room was already half filled with
villagers and sobs, and means, and la
mentations over the fate of the dying
child were heard in every direction,
mingled with quick and hurried ques-
tions as to the manner Of its occurrence,
and vain attempts at answering, which
added an expressing confusion to the
sadness Of the scene.


The little playfellow's uncle, who had
been up stairs with the child, had run
instantly to call the father, and but few
minutes elapsed before he sprang into
the middle of the group, He had been
told all, and asked no questions. ! had
time to remark that his eye was very
stern, and that his lip was firmly com
pressed. Others, too, remarked it ]; and
l knew afterwards that a murmur ran
round the circle of how strange it was
tn at he betrayed no feeling.


He reached out his hands and took
the child from its mother Its eyes were
now closed and white ooze coming
from between its blackened lips. Was
ever death more assured? l saw him
open the eye-lids and give a sigh Of relief.
He told NE afterwards that the eye was
not shrunken, and SO death had not be-
gun. He then attempted to open the
mouth, but the teeth were tight set,
and they resisted his efforts. But with
. force that seemed almost brutal, he
wrenched the teeth apart and opened the
mouth


"Shame cried one of the bystand-
ers.


| The father did not heed him, but mo-
toned to neighbor to take the child in
his arms. He did so.


"Bring me the egg basket" he spoke
very sternly, almost without opening his
teeth, to the servant.


! "What do you want of it," "What
can you do with itW "He's crazy"
and many such remarks followed; but
the basket was there in a moment
| He seized one Of the eggs, broke it,
inserted his fingers again between the
teeth and wrenched them open by force,
though they shut with so convulsive a
motion as to tear the flesh from his fin-
gers, ,and poured the albumen into the
throat. There was slight struggle,
nothing more, and the spectators stood