p gloom over our household. The death of
our dear mother has almost broken our hearts. I hope in God you will
be enabled to endure the severe affliction. Call upon Christ, and he
will assist you to bear up your weight of sorrow. It is some comfort
however to know that mother died the happy death of a Christian. I
trust her spirit is now reaping the heavenly harvest of her spiritual
labors upon earth. Father is terribly changed since her death. I
thought he would assuredly die under the heavy affliction. No doubt
your absence has had a tendency to augment his grief. He has become
fearfully melancholy, and of late has had recourse to drinking. I
dread the consequences; therefore I intreat you to come home as soon
as possible. Perhaps your influence may have a soothing effect upon
his mind; and prevent him from further indulgence.

"Oh, how glad we shall all feel, even in our sorrow, to see you
again, dear brother. Richard has turned out to be a fine boy; you
will be happy to see him. Cousin William has acquainted you with
other facts. Trust to God for the consolation of your mind. We all
join in love to you. With a heavy heart and in tears I have written
these few lines. I am, dear brother, your affectionate sister.

"Eliza Charlston."

"These are sad news indeed," said I, returning the letter to Frederick.

"Very, very sad, indeed, almost insufferable!" said he.

Having paused for a few moments he continued. "My dream has been
forcibly verified. How overwhelming is the reality that my poor mother
is no more. Had I been present when she died it would have given some
consolation to my soul. But, oh! to think of the manner in which I fled
from her presence, and also from my happy home: to think of the
sufferings both mentally and physically she must have endured: to think
of the unfortunate circumstances of her death; to think that I, her
favorite son, was absent in her dying hours, without an opportunity of
confessing my errors and asking her forgiveness: to think of these
alone, is sufficient to break my very heart. Nor is this all. She to
whose loving heart I pledged my affections as a bond of an eternal
union, has become the life-companion of another. But I reproach her not
for so doing. She was faithful; I alone was false. She had hoped against
hope; and not until she had despaired of my return did she seek out a
help-mate and home for hers