PERKINS FINDS IN LIZZY GLENN HIS LONG LOST EUGENIA.
AFTER Eugenia Ballantine, for she it really was, had removed to thehumble abode of Mrs. Gaston, her mind was comparatively more at easethan it yet had been. In the tenderly manifested affection of onewho had been a mother to her in former, happier years, she foundsomething upon which to lean her bruised and wearied spirits. Thusfar, she had been compelled to bear up alone--now there was an earopen to her, and her overburdened heart found relief in sympathy.There was a bosom upon which she could lean her aching head, andfind a brief but blessed repose. Toward the end of January, herfather's symptoms changed rapidly, indicating one day more alarmingfeatures than ever, and the next presenting an encouraging aspect.The consequence was, that the mind of Eugenia became greatlyagitated. Every day she repaired to the Asylum, with a hearttrembling between hope and fear, to return sometimes with feelingsof elation, and sometimes deeply depressed.
On the day after Dr. R--had promised to go to Lexington to lookafter Mrs. Gaston's little boy, the mother's anxious desire to seeher child, from whom she had heard not a word for nearly threemonths, became so strong that she could with difficulty composeherself so far as to continue her regular employments. She countedthe hours as they slowly wore away, thinking that the moment wouldnever come when her eyes should rest upon her dear boy. As thedoctor had not said at what hour he would return from Lexington,there was no period in the day upon which she could fix her mind asthat in which she might expect to see her child; but she assumedthat it would not be until the after part of the day, and forward tothat time she endeavored to carry her expectations.
When Doctor R--parted with her, as has been seen, on the dayprevious, he was exquisitely pained under the conviction that thechild he had met with in Lexington in so deplorable a condition wasnone other than the son of Mrs. Gaston, who had been put out to Mr.Sharp at his instance. Hastily visiting a few patients that requiredimmediate attention, he, very soon after parting with Mrs. Gaston,started in a sleigh for the town in which Henry had beenapprenticed. On his arrival there, and before he had proceeded faralong the main street, he observed the child he had before met,toiling along under a heavy burden. His clothes were soiled andragged, and his hands and face dirty--indeed, he presented anappearance little or nothing improved from what it was a short timebefore. Driving close up to the side-walk upon which the boy wasstaggering along under his heavy load, he reined up his horses, andcalled out, as he did so--
"Henry!"
The lad stopped instantly, and turned toward him, recognizing him ashe did so.
"Don't you want to see your mother, Henry?" asked the doctor.
The bundle under which he was toiling fell to the ground, and hestood in mute surprise for a moment or two.
"What is your name?" Doctor R--asked.
"Henry Gaston," replied the child.
"Then jump in here, Henry, and I will take you to see your mother."
The boy took two or three quick steps toward the doctor, and thenstopped suddenly and looked back at the load which had just fallenfrom his shoulders.
"Never mind that. Let Mr. Sharp look after it," said Doctor R--.
"But he will--," and Henry hesitated.
"Jump in, quick, my little fellow; and say good-bye in your heart toMr. Sharp! You shall never go back there again."
The child sprang eagerly forward at this, and clambered into DoctorR--'s sleigh. A word to the horses, and away they were boundingtoward Boston. When Doctor R--arrived there, his mind was made up,as it had been, indeed, before he started, not to take Henry home tohis mother that day. He saw that it would be too cruel to presentthe child to her in the condition he was; and, besides, he feltthat, after having procured for him the situation, he could not lookthe mother in the face with her abused child in all the deformity ofhis condition before them. He, therefore, took Henry to his ownhome; had him well washed, and dressed in a suit of comfortableclothing. The change produced in him was wonderful. Therepulsive-looking object became an interesting boy; though with apale, thin face, and a subdued, fearful look. He was very anxious tosee his mother; but Doctor R--, desirous of making as great a changein the child's appearance and manner as possible, kept him at hishouse all night, and until the afternoon of the next day. Then hetook him to his eagerly expectant mother.
Mrs. Gaston had waited and waited with all the patience andfortitude she could summon, hour after hour, until theafternoon had advanced far toward evening. So anxious and restlesshad she now become, that she could no longer sit at her work. Shehad been standing at the window looking out and watching eachapproaching vehicle for some time, until she felt sick fromconstantly awakening hope subsiding in disappointment, when sheturned away, and, seating herself by the bed, buried her facedespondingly in the pillow. She had been sitting thus only a minuteor two, when a slight noise at the door caused her to lift her headand turn in that direction. There stood a boy, with his eyes fixedupon her. For an instant she did not know him. Suffering, andprivation, and cruel treatment had so changed him, even after allthe doctor's efforts to eradicate their sad effects, that the motherdid not at first recognize her own child, until his plaintive voice,uttering her name, fell upon her ear. A moment more, and he was inher arms, and held tightly to her bosom. Her feelings we will notattempt to describe, when he related in his own artless and patheticmanner, all and more than the reader knows in regard to histreatment at Mr. Sharp's, too sadly confirmed by the change im thewhole expression of his face.
While her mind was yet excited with mingled feelings of joy andpain, Eugenia came in from her regular visit to her father. Her stepwas quicker, her countenance more cheerful and full of hope.
"Oh, Mrs. Gaston!" she said, clasping her hands together, "my fatheris so much better to-day, and they begin to give me great hopes ofhis full restoration. But who is this? Not your little Henry?"
"Yes, this is my poor, dear boy, whom I have gotten back once more,"Mrs. Gaston said, the tears glistening upon her eyelids.
After a few words to, and in relation to Henry, the thoughts ofEugenia went off again to her father, and she spoke many things inregard to him, all of which bore a highly encouraging aspect. Forthe three or four days succeeding this, Mr. Ballantine showedstronger and stronger indications of returning reason; his daughterwas almost beside herself with hope and joy.
Earlier than usual, one day about the second week in February, shewent over to the asylum to pay her accustomed visit. She was movingon, after having entered the building, in the direction of theapartment occupied by her father, when an attendant stepped up, andtouching her arm in a respectful manner, said--
"This direction, if you please."
There was something in the manner of the attendant that seemed toEugenia a little mysterious, but she followed as he led the way. Hesoon paused at the door of an apartment, and half whispering in herear said--
"Your father is in this room."
Eugenia entered alone. Her father was standing near the fire in anattitude of deep thought. He lifted his eyes as she entered, andlooked her inquiringly in the face for some moments. She saw in aninstant that he was greatly changed--that reason had, in fact, againassumed her sway over the empire of his mind.
"My dear, dear father!" she instantly exclaimed, springing towardhim.
"Eugenia! Eugenia!" he ejaculated, in turn, as he held her from himfor a moment or two. "Can this be my own Eugenia? Surely we are bothdreaming! But it is! It is!" and he drew her to his bosom, and heldher there in a long-strained embrace.
"But what does all this mean, my dear child? Why are we here? Whatplace is it? Why am I so unlike myself that I doubt my own identity?Why am I so changed? Surely! surely! I am not Hubert Ballantine!"
"Be composed, dear father!" said Eugenia, with an instinctivefeeling of concern. "We will go from here at once, and then we willtalk over all that seems strange to you now."
As she said this, Eugenia pulled a bell, and requested the attendantwho answered to call the principal of the institution. He cameimmediately, and she had a brief interview with him in regard to thepropriety of removing her father instantly. He acquiesced, andordered a carriage to be brought to the door. In this she enteredwith him, and directed the driver to take them to the Tremont Housein Boston. There handsome rooms were ordered, and every effort wasmade by her to cause external circumstances to assume a charactersimilar to what he had been accustomed to in former years. But herown appearance--her plain, worn, meagre garments, and above all, herchanged face, so pale, so thin, so careworn, so marred by years ofintense suffering--sadly perplexed him. Still he had a faint glimpseof the truth, and as his mind's eye turned intently toward the pointfrom whence light seemed to come, he more than suspected the realfacts in the case--at least the leading fact, that he had been outof his mind for a long time. He could remember distinctly theburning of the vessel at sea, and also the days and nights ofsuffering which were spent in open boats after leaving the vessel.But all from that time was dim and incoherent, like the vagaries ofa dream.
After satisfying her father's mind, as far as she dared do so atonce, in regard to the real position in which he suddenly foundhimself placed, she left him, and going to the proper representativeof the asylum, procured a transfer of the stock held for the supportof Mr. Ballantine, and then placed the certificates in the hands ofan agent for sale, procuring from him at the same time an advance ofone hundred dollars for immediate use. This was all accomplished inthe course of a couple of hours. After this arrangement, she paidMrs. Gaston a hurried visit--explained the happy change in herfather's state of mind, and promising to see her again in a littlewhile; had her trunk sent to the hotel, to which she herselfreturned, after having purchased various articles of clothing. Whenshe next saw her father, her external appearance was greatlychanged. This seemed to afford him real pleasure.
The next two or three days she spent in gradually unfolding to himthe whole history of the past five years. At every step of herprogress in this she trembled for the result--like one traversing anarrow, unknown, and dangerous passage in the dark. But on the thirdday, after nearly every thing had been told, she began to feelconfidence that all would be well. The agitation and strongindignation exhibited when she related the treatment she hadreceived in New Orleans, especially from Mr. Paralette, alarmed hergreatly. But this gave way to a calm and rational consideration ofthe right course to be pursued to prove his identity and claim hisproperty, to do which he was well aware would not be attended withany real difficulty, especially as with the return of reason hadcome back a distinct recollection of every particular connected withhis business and property in New Orleans.
In the mean time, Mrs. Gaston was looked after, and temporaryarrangements made for her comfort. As soon as Mr. Ballantine fullyunderstood the position of things in New Orleans, he insisted uponan immediate return to that city, which Eugenia did not oppose.Preparations were therefore made for their early departure, andcompleted in a very short time.
It was nearly four o'clock on the afternoon of the day fixed fortheir departure, and when they were about leaving for the cars, thata servant came to the door of their parlor and said that a gentlemanwished to see Mr. Ballantine. The servant was requested to ask himto walk up. Eugenia was in the parlor, and could not but feelsurprised that any one in Boston should wish to see her father. Shewaited, therefore, to see who the individual was. He soon made hisappearance--entering without speaking, and advancing toward her withhis eyes fixed intently upon her face.
"William!" she ejaculated, in a quick, low, astonished voice, andsank instantly upon a chair, pale as ashes, and trembling in everylimb.
"Eugenia! Can this be, indeed, my own long-lost Eugenia?" saidPerkins, for it was he, springing eagerly forward and taking thehalf-fainting girl in his arms.
It needed no words of explanation from either--no renewal of earlyvows--no new pledges of affection--for "Love hath wordless languageall its own, Heard in the heart---"
"My dear children!" said the father, coming forward, as soon as hecould recall his bewildered senses, and taking both in his arms,"the long night has at last broken, and the blessed sun has thrownhis first bright beams upon us. Let us look up to HIM who chastenethhis children for good, and bless him not only for the present joy,but for past sorrow--it was not sent in anger, but in mercy."
The departure of Mr. Ballantine and Eugenia was deferred for somedays, during which time, at the urgent solicitation of Mr. Perkins,the nuptial ceremonies, so long delayed, were celebrated. He thenaccompanied them to New Orleans, where a summary proceeding restoredto Mr. Ballantine all his property. He did not resume business, butreturned to the North to reside with his daughter and her husband.
Nothing more remains to be said, except that Mrs. Gaston was neverafter compelled to work for the slop-shop men. Mr. Perkins and hislovely wife cared well for her.
THE END.
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