Year: 1859


to my bosom, and shelter, and protect and
cherish her, if necessary, till my dying
day.


That VOW | have kept as far as the
keeping of it was within the bounds of
possibility, though I did not then know
the nature of the responsibility I was as
not know that the beautiful
before me was an idiot, or some
thing very near it.


AT first thought she was deaf. But
no, her hearing, all her other senses were
perfect. 1t was the light of reason that
was wanting; and as the truth slowly
dawned upon me, it saddened me exceed
ingly. How inexpressibly mournful the
idea, that SO exquisite specimen of
heavens handiwork, in all bodily perfec-
tions, should have the light of the soul
shut out from it forever!


And yet do not know that she should,
strictly speaking, be called an idiot, tho
| know not what other epithet to apply
to her. Itseems to me as if the soul that
rightfnlly belonged to that beautiful body
had been diSpossessed and banished by
some mere mortal, earthborn spirit, and
that the original immortal occupant was
still lowering about its former abode, so
that tokens of its presence might occa-
sionally be seen flashing from those splen-
did eyes, or giving fitful CLEANS of ex-
preston to those exquisitely moulded
features.


why, Edward, what on earth is
that?


This is a new specimen, mother, that
I have just found in the woods, and a
very pretty one it is, too-don't you think
So?


'Pretty2 Shes the loveliest dear lit
I tie creature 1 ever saw in my life. What
curis! What skin! What eyes! She's
the queen Of the fairies, surely! She
can't be anything else. Do tell me all
about her.


That l would, mother, with all my
heart, if 1 knew anything. found her
sitting in a brlar bush, like a bewildered
rabbit; and that is the beginning and the
end of all I know about her.


Ny mother was almost as much shock
ed and disappointed as was when she
discovered the little creatures mental de-
fciencies, though it rather increased than
diminished the interest she felt in her
The more helpless the more interesting


for her.


Where she could have come from wa;


great mystery, certainly. The spo


where l found her was near the edge O


a very large tract of forest land, leading


to the hase of a neighboring mountain


which was itself a wilderness of trees


The nearest road that could be called {


public or frequented one was on the op


posite side of our house, at least six mile


off, and the whole surrounding countr,


was sparsely settled, and rarely. if ever


frequented by travellers of any descrip


ton.


My mother carefully examined the lit
tie girls person TO see if there was any
thing about her that would throw an,
| light upon her origin; but there was no
thing of the sort-nothing but the yer
coarse frock, and shoes without stocking:
! in which she was dressed.
You must write an advertisement an
takei it to town, Edward said my mother
, 1t is our duty to do all we can to di;
: cover her parents or friends, and to pull
lish description of her viii be the be:
2 way of doing If. Poor, lonely littl
t creature! 1t looks as if she had bee
! dropped from the sky
] And she looks as if she did, too.


cannot conceive of a celestial being MOI
i beautiful


: We did advertise. extensively. an
e used every other means We could thin
|, of to gain intelligence in relation to ii
: lonely foundling. But not the slighte
e clue could we get to what we sought, b
It any means or in any quarter
2 The disappointment was not hard
e bear. We needed no one to preach re
= ignation to US. To tell the honest trut
2, it was just the other way. 1t would ha1
/; been a sore afiiciion to US if we had be-
d forced to part with her. The poor lit
e thing had already so wound herself abo
l. our hearts that many a tendril wou
= have been snapped painfully if she hi
d been rldely torn from Us.


l had dearly loved the child from t
le first moment of seeing her. and eve
le hour since had deepened that affection,
N that my own beloved mother was hard
D. dearer 10 me now than the namele