Year: 1859

"James Cleve, said she, Though yol
have embittered my whole life though
you have blasted my joy and turned the
gall Of hatred, with which your own hear
runneth over, into mine though you have
made me an outcast and beggar upon
the earth, yet scorn and detest you still
Begone and know that mine is no servile
spirit to be crushed by your cowardly
treacherous scheming. My father though
you have estranged him from me, will not
see me starve. ] will go home; | will
AK for bread, that and my child may
not die, and he will give it me.


Cleve smiled a cold derisive smile.


Julia, to night met your father, and
told him of Benton, where and how I
had seen him last apd then l spoke Of
you, and he said


Tell me-" said Julia, leaning eagerly
forward, "did he say might come home
and bring my babe? Did you come to
take me home? Oh my babe, we shall
not starve; we will soon be warmed and
fed once more" and she caught the child
to her bosom and kissed it. ave will go
now; we will not keep you waiting"
/ "Fool !" exclaimed Cleve. "He said
your child he was willing to receive and
bring it up as his own, but you he never
wished to see from the hour you left his
door with Charles Benton you have ceased
% be his child, and his curse should fol-
bw you forever p


The rapid transition Of thought and
feeling from one extreme to the other was
greater than Julia, exhausted as she was,
could endure, and she fell upon the floor
in deep faint Cleve summoned lodger
from another room, and telling her to in
form Mrs. Benton that he would call again
in an hour, left.


Fifteen minutes later Mrs. Mention
opened her eyes and gazed around. Her
attendants thinking her looking for Cleve,
delivered the message


"Comirg again y said she, ~ don't
recollect; and she raised her hand slowly,
painfully to her head. 80, yes remom
Der now "Yes," said she musingly, "it
must be-" And as soon as she was strong
enough she got up and arranged the babes
dress as best she could, and laid it down
again ; and then she stood and gazed upon
it, and the soft tender lines about her
mouth went all away, and her features as
sumed stony, determined look, and her
eyes were cold and bright as the diamonds
light.


At the expiration of the hour, Cleve
returned.


"Ah you ale willing to let the child
go" he exclaimed, as his eye fell upon it,
at is the best thing you could have done;"
and he drew from beneath his cloak a
child's cloak and hood, land laid them up
on Mrs. Benton's arm she put them on.
and giving the child to him, caught up her
own ragged shawl, and followed him out
Of the house, and was fairly upon the
street before Cleve noticed her presence


Julia, said he, stopping, "yop must
not come-you can not come y


81 only want to see you take it in, and
then III trouble you no more"


She spoke sadly, mournfully, although
Cleve did not notice it then yet, in days
bllowing, those words, that tone, often,
too often for his own peace Of mind, re.
erred to him he only told her to fall
b,hind, to follow at distance; and as he
opened her fathers door, far down the
steet, he saw her standing in the clear
cod, moonlight. Half an hour later a
female form glided rapidly among the
tres that grew upon the banks of the
Mississippi a short distance below the city,
a mment, and its turbid waters flashed
and parted, and, far down in the deep
dark waves one of lifes weary ones found
rest