Year: 1862

| never looked SO pretty. lie WAS IuIi
animation, for he was old enough TO know
what it meant to go riding and he clap
ped his hands aud laughed aloud nt the
horses, as they were driven up. hand
ed him 10 his new mother, (the chldrer
supposed that he was TO come back soon,
and he never even looked at re. Oh how
jealous was my aching heart!


"When l came back into the house
tho first thing my eye fell on was his era
die. ] could only throw myself on il, and
sob aloud. Then came the trial of tell
ing the whole truth to the children. None
of them seemed reconciled, and felt that
tho worst was to come when the two old.
est should como from school. almost
dreaded to meet them, especially Willie;
he was like his father, so quiet and calm
outwardly, but hiding beneath his appa-
rent coldness the strongest, deepest feel
ings. But the others went TO meet them
as they came home, and i was pleasantly
disappointed in the way the Oldest took it.
He seemed to feel that I had done for
the best, and that he must hide his own
sorrow for my own sake. He was more
thoughtful for my comfort, gentler than
ever, only very still and grave.


"The day ended, as the longest will at
last, and it came time to 90 to bed. |
had taken Willie to sleep down stairs near
me. Since his fathers death, the other
children slept just above us. Well, when
l came TO lie down, there was the empty
piyow! Baby had always laid his little
rosy face as close TO mine as he could get
it, and slept with one little warm hand on
my neck. All my grief broke out afresh
when l thought of him. Willie raised
up at last, and said, earnestly:


Mother it's Charlie you are crying
for, isn't itg


eyes l answered, 1 know it's for
the best; but oh it's SO hard TO give him
up ea


Mother, continued the child, 'when
father died, we knew il was all for the
best, because God took him from us but
| have been thinking ever since VIC laid
down how poor little Charlie must be cry
ing for you, and how God gave him TO us,
to love him and keep him; and now you
have given him away. If He had meant
him to be Mr.. and Mrs. Lortimer's baby,
wouldn't he have given him TO them at
frst?'


"Thc child's words carried moro weight
with them than all the arguments of my
rich neighbors. After considering mo-
nent, | said, impulsively:


"Oh, if l only had him back, he sho'd
never 60 away again, no matter how poor
we might be.


Mother, it's only half mile across
the fields, and they won't go to bed for q
long time at Mr.. Lorrimer's; let us go
and get Charlie. Why, mother, | seem
to hear him crying now


"Urged by the chld's entreatics and
the fond promptings Of my own heart, |
consented. / think never walked n half
mile so quickly in my life, and neither of
us spoke until we reached the mansion.
Then we stopped moment for breath,
and sure enough we could hear baby
screaming at the top of his voice. We
went round TO the sitting-room door and
knocked. They seemed half frightened
when they saw who it was, but asked us
in politely. A hired nurse was walking
with the child up and down the floor, try
ing to pacify it. Mrs. Lorrimer had wca-
ried herself out, and was lying on the
lounge.


"ICome to MOTHER Willie said, and
he brought the little fellow to me at once.


"How lie clung TO me, still sobbing,
yet smiling all the while to find himself
in my arms.


al cannot give him up l said, at
last, when could get my voice clear
You must let me take him home


"They evidently thought me the sllli-
est Of women; but their cold words only
made me the moro determined, and we
started back in less than half an hour af-
ter we came, carrying the baby; Willie
offered to help me, but felt as though l
could carry him in my arms forever.


"Wben laid him in the bed, now fast
asleep, but still sobbing, and reaching out
his little hands 10 feel if | was there,
said, God helping me, come what will,
| will never part with one Of my living
children again. and I never did.


81 need not tell you how wild with
JOY the rest of the children were when
they found the baby in the bed next
morning; they almost fought over the lit
tie fellow, and from that day forth it was
their greatest pleasure TO amuse Charlie
and have him with them.


"When the affair came to be generally
known many blamed me, and many "a
vors that my rich neighbors might have
done me they withheld, l think, for my
folly, as they called il. But few poor
women like myself, that had always nurs-
ed their own children, said / did right
We had many trials, and often scarcely a
crust of bread in the house; but our hard
ships bound us the more closely together.


"All my children proved comforts and