Year: 1873

head mournfully, making a motion wit
his hand as If to bid her speak on, look


ing into her eyes lovingly, as if to chez


her.


"Well, the story we told at the tim


of the accident was true in every par


ticular, up to our arrival at the railroa,


track. There it was a little different
and we hesitated in giving the exac
manner of the hOrrid occurrence. w


have never fully understood ourselve


why. 1t would have been better,


think, if we had not made a secret of it
much of this weary shadow that ha
clouded our lives woIld have worl
away, had we talked it over with an
other person. That is why we give yor
our confidence now, hoping an intelli
gent, right-minded man like yoursel
will advise and Judge if I have erred.


cit happened thus: AS my Anton
and / led father toward the track
imagined heard the locomotive, but
could see nothing, as heavy fog lay OF
the ground, and supposed the monster
was far, far away fl, m us, and the mo.
ments were precious. Ny poor Thomas
was suffering terribly, saying his feet
was burning like caustic, and it was
only step and we would be over,
and had Thomas not had the misfortune
to stumble, we would have crossed
safely.


"They both lay il The middle of the
road, Anton to the right of me, Thomas
to the left, and in that instant their
startled cry and the shrieking roar of
the iron monster fell on my ear, and
through the dense fog saw his burn





ones, while the fiery sparks were thick
opened to devour them.


"Oh if live thousand years, the
horrors of that moment will remain, as
/ realized I could save one of them,
only one


"Ah sir, sir Human nature may
be subject to a million different dis
tressing heartaches and mental strug-
giles, but heap them all into lifetime,
it is as nothing compared to what en-
dured In few seconds.


81 have often wondered since, how
it was possible the mind could compre-
hend so much while subject to such in
tolerable suffering and fright, as now,
thought after thought flashed through
my brain in so short time.


"My mother-heart yearned for my
child, and I seemed to grasp it while
the hand of God Himself seemed to
hold me toward Thomas. I thought,
was he not thine before the child? Did
you not swear at the altar never to for
sake him ? It seemed, then, as if [
loved him best; he was more useful on
earth. Then I thought, oh! horrible
raven mother to desert your child
But the thing was upon US. [ heard
mems voices warning through the mist.
It was as if they tried to stop it, but
failed. It cut the darkness and rushed
towards us with one bound I turned
from my child, grasped for my husband,
and, with the strength of giant, raised
him off the track, turned, but the awful
monster had passed, leaving me the
crushed remains of my child"


She stopped short, as if suddenly
frozen in body and soul. Her husband
trembled in every limb, clutching at his
beard as if it could steady him. I sat
a speechless witness of this fearful
grief. My sympathy had no words my
eyes must have told them how deeply I
entered with them into this touching
history.


Thomas recovered himself first. Co.
ing to his wife he tenderly placed his
arm around her. She started with the
magnetic touch, looked up at him, and
then at me as if waiting for me to pass
Judgement


I could only take her hand between
my own and say:


"Poor, poor mother! Noble woman
Righteous wife !'' At this, her eyes
beamed as if suddenly relieved of a
dark veil; a flush of genuine happi-
ness covered her face the whole coun-
tenance of the woman changed from
sluggish horror to an Incompatible re-
lief.


Thomas stretched his hand toward
me; his eyes flashing with Joy, his
head erected with manly pride, and for
the first time in years his broad shining
teeth appeared through a smile again.


"God reward your kind heart and
good words, sir" she cried. "It seems
as if we dared be happy once morer r''


She embraced her husband, looking
lovingly up to him, and softly asked:


"Do you not think so, Thomas ?"


"Just so, just so, wife" He could
scarcely articulate the words for the
emotion that conquered him now. Hot
tears fell on his wife's hands and face
she, too, sobbed and wept with him.
They were the first tears. None were
shed during that horrible time.


"You see what it was that changed
me so, all these years, sir. The ques-
ton constantly appeared before me:
Have you not committed an unpardOn-
able sin against your own flesh and
blood? I could find no rest. Ny peace
was gone forever, and I told Thomas
never again would I dare become a
mother"


A deep blush mantled her face and
she paused. I thought here was the
time to advise and restore harmony to
the distressed family. I said reproach
fully to her: "You appear only to
think of yourself, Frau Thomas. Do
you not suppose your husband has also
suffered all these years the same as
yOurself?" She looked at me astonished,
and, rather abashed, replied


"Of course he was miserable to see
me so, but, as he could not help me, he
let me alone"


CHOW, Frau Thomas, we have the
secret, and that is where you have been
unjust, and wronged your husband.
You daily exhibited regret that his life
had been saved at so great a sacrifice to
yourself. It left him in more uncer-
tainty regarding your love for him, and
can you blame him if he did not think
his life too dearly bought? It was
noble in him not to reproach you for
saving his life at the cost of the one
deareT to you. Is it not so, Thomas ?"


Truly, you have read my feelings
better than I could have explained
them. Frequently my heart seemed
yeady to break when I realized what
rou have said, but could not blame
her, when she had done so much for
me-"
The woman's face was study. En-
regret, perplexity, all ap-
peared, until for very shame she cast |
herself on her husbands breast, beg
ging his pardon.
It was his turn to be embarrassed |
now. and it was really touching to see |
the man act as if he had done some |
thing very foolish.


left them confident in their future |
happiness, and so it proved. In time,
another child came to bless the sorely- |
tried mothers heart, but never again
the question, Husband or Child ?"


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