midnight
This portrait , the last of her family possessions , was the young sailor 's parting gift to her when he sailed in the _ Ida _ , leaving her a mere girl , with his son upon her breast . The picture hung above the lowly door , the bolt whereof was never fastened in that serene society , and seldom is to this day . Mrs. Dennis knelt upon the bare floor , and raised her branching arms , white as her spirit , to the lover of her youth : `` Oh , thou I have adored since God gave me to feel the beauty and strength of man in my childhood , if I have ever looked on man but thee with love or wavering , rebuke me now for the offence I am to do , if such it be , in choosing another father for thy boy ! '' A low wail seemed to be breathed upon the midnight from somewhere near , and a sick man 's cough seemed to break the perfect silence . The widow 's hand instinctively covered her bosom as she listened , and , deep in the spirit of her prayer , she continued : `` Oh , Bowie , if thou livest , let me know ! May I not live to see thee come and find me in another 's arms ; thy look would kill me . If thou art detained by enemies , by savage people , or by foreign love , no matter what thy errors , I will still be true !