Year: 1860

awoke and set up famished vail, startling
the despairing mother like a serpent's
sting


I'VE have no food, James-haye had
none for two days. | have nothing for the
babe. My once kind husband, must ace
Staroe p


That sad, pleading face, and those
streaming eyes, and the feeble wall of the
child maddened me, and I-yes, I--struck
her fierce blow in the face, and she fell
forward upon the hearth. The furies Of
hell boiled in my bosom, aud with deep in
tensity, as | felt that | had committed a
wrong. | had never struck Mary before,
but now some terrible impulse bore me on
and | stopped down as well as | could in
my drunken state, and clinched both hands
il her hair.


God of mercy exclaimed my wife, as
she locked up in my fendish countenance;
you will not kill US, you will not harm VIII
lie as she sprung to the cradle and grasp.
ing him in her embrace I caught her
again by the hair, and dragged her to the
door, and as [ lifted the latch the wind
burst in with cloud Of snow With a
yell Of a feEd | still dragged her on, and
hauled her out into the darkness aud the
storm. With wild ha, ha, | closed the
door aud turned the button, her pleading
means mingling with the wall Of the blast
and the sharp cry of her babe But my
work was not complete. I turned to the
little bed where lay my older son, and
snatchcd him ftor his slumbeIs, and
against his haii-awak enad struggles, open
ed the door and threw him out In agony
Of fear he called me hy 4 name | was no
longer fit to bear, and locked lis little fin
gers in my side pocket ] could not
wrench that frenzied grasp away, and with
the GOODNESS OF a devil as I was, shut the
door upon his arm, and with my knife sew
cred the wrist


The speaker ceased moment, and buri-
ed his face in his hands, as if to shut ont
some fearful dream, and his deep chest
heayed ike a storm swept sea My father
had arisen from his seat and was leaning
forward, his corntcnaEca bloodless. and the
large drops standing out upon his brow
Chills crcpt back TO my heart, and wish
ed | was at home. The old man looked up,
and | have never since bcheld such mortal
agony pictured upon human face as there
was on his


It was morning when j awoke, and the
storm had ceased, but the cold was intense.
| first secured drink Of water, and then [
looked in the accustomed place for Mary
rs | missed her, for the first time, shad-
owy sense Of some horrible nightmare be-
gan to daEn upon my wandeging mind !
thought | had dreamed fearful dream, but
involuntarily opened the outside door with
shuddering dread.


- tie door opened the snow burst in,
followed by fall Of something across the
threshold, scattering the cold snow, and
striking the floor with hard sharp sound
Ny blood shot like red hot arrows through
my vei4s, aud | rubbed my eyes to shut ont
the sight 1t was-it-God, how terrible!
it was my own injured Mary and her babe,
frozen to ice! The ever true mother had
bowed herself over the child to shield it,
and had wrapped all her own clothing
around it, leaving her own person stark and
bare to the storm. She had placed her hair
over the face of the child, and the sleet
had frozen it to the white check The frost
was white in its half open eyes, and upon
its tiny fingers. [ know not what became
Of my brave boy,


Again the old man bowed his head and
wcpt, and all that were In the house wept
with him. In tones of low and heart-bro-
ken pathos the old man concluded.


L was arrested, and for long months I
raved in delirium awokc, was sentenced
to prison for ten years, but no tortures
could equal those endured within my oNn
bosom. Oh, God no. am not fanat-
ic; | wish to injure no one. But while
live, let me strive to warn others not to en-
ter the path which has been so dark and
fearful one to me. world see nv angel
wife and children beyond this vale Of
tears


The old man sat down, bat spell as
deep and strange as that wrought by some
wizards breath rested upon the audience.
Hearts could have been heard in their beat
ings. and tears to fall. The cid man then
asked the people to sign the pledge. My
father leaped from his seat and snatched at
it eagerly. I had followed him, as he hes
itated a moment with the pen in the ink :;
tear fell from the old man S eyes upon the
paper.


Sign it, young man, sign it. Angels
would sign it. I would write my name ten
thousand times in blood, if it would bring
back my loved ones


My father wrote MORTIMER HUDSON


The old man looked, wiped his fearful
eyes and looked again, his countenance al
ternately flushed with red and death-li like
paleness.


'Itis-no, it cannot be, yet how strange,
muttered the old man. Pardon me, sir,
but that is the name of my own brave
boy