Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1851-02-06


swan out to where the lilies grew, and Vice
she was hid from our sight by tie flags and
other water plants. Presently we heard her
barking and whining, as though in great dis.
hess. We called TO her again and again, bit
she did not come out for some minutes At
last, she came through the flags swimming
slowly along, dragging something byher teeth.
As she swan near, we saw it was child
title Charlie Allen We then waded out as
tar as we dared, met Cora, took her burden
from her, and drew it to the Shore AS soon
as we took llllle Charlie in our arms, we knew
thal he was dead. He was cold as ice, his
eyes were liked in his head, and had no light
IN them. His hand was stiff and blue, and
sui held tightly three waer-liles, which be
had plucked. We suppose The poor child
slipped from log, on which he had gone out
for The flowers, and which was halfunder wa
ter,
OF course we children were dreadfully fright
ened. My brother was half beside himself
and ran screaming up home while my sister
almost flew for MIS-. Allen.
q, lnever shall forget the grief ofthat poor
woman, when she came 10 the spot where her
little dead boy lay-how she threw herself on
the ground beside him, and folded him close in
her arms, and tried 10 warm him wilh her tears
and kisses, and tried to breath her own bfealI,
into his still, cold lips; and tried to make him
hear by calling, Charlie, Charlie, speak TO
mamma speak TO your poor mammal
by this time, nay parents and number of
the nelghbors had reached The SPOT, and they
carried Mrs. Allen and her drowned boy home
together. through the twilight. Poor Cora fol-
lowed close to the body of Charlie, whining
piteously all the way. That night, we could
not gel her out Of the room where it was
placed but she watched there until morning.
All, how sweelly little Charlie looked when
he was laid out the next elay His beautiful
face had lost the dark look that it wore when
he was first taken from the water! his pretty
brown hair lay in close rnglets all around his
white forehead. One hand was stretched at
his side, the other was laid across his breast
still holding the water-lilies. He was not
dressed in shroud, but in white trousers, and
a pretty little spencer of pink bingham. He
did not look dead, but sleeping, and he seemed
to smile softly, as though he had pleasant
dream in his heart.
Widow Allen had one other child. a year
younger than Charlie, whose name was Mary,
but who always called herself Little Mary
", II would have made you cry TO have seen
her when she was brought TO look on her dead
brother She laughed at first, and put her
small fingers on his shut eyes, trying to open
them, and said, wake up, Charlie wake IN.
and come play out doors, with little Maryi'
But when she found those eyes would not
unclose, and when she felt how cold that face
was, she was grieved and frightened, and ran
TO hide her face in her mothers lap, where she
cried and trembled; for though she could not
know what death was, she felt that sometime
awful had happened in the house.
But Coras sorrow was also sad 10 see
When the body of Charlie was carried to The
grave, she followed close to the coffin. and
when it was let down into the grave. she lean
I'd In and laid down upon it, and growled and
struggled when the men took her out. Every
lay alter that, she would go to the grave. new
Pr missing the spot, though there were many
other little mounds in the old church-yard,
She would lie beside it for hours, patiently
waiting, it seemed for, her young friend to
awake and come out into the sunshine, and
run about and play with her as he was used
to do. Sometimes she would dig little way
into the mound, and bark, or whine. and then
listen forthe voice of Charlie to answer, But
that voice never came, though the faithful Co.
ra listened and waited and pinned for il. THROUGH
many days. She ate scarcely ANYTHING: she
would not play with us now, nor could we
persuade her TO go into the pond
.hal laii Sweet CHIC, pale and d lp-
ping from the water, was the last lily she ever
brought ashore. She grew so thin, and weak,
and sick, al last that she could hardly drag
herself to the grave. But still she went there
every day. One evening, she did not come
home, and my BROTHER and I went down for
her. When we reached the church-yard. we
passed along very carefully, for fear Of trcading
on some grave, and spoke soft and low. as
children should always do in such places
Sometimes we stopped to read the long in.
scrlpllons on handsome tombstones, and to
wonder why SO many great and good people
were taken away. Sometimes we piied the
poor dead people who had no tombstones al
all, because their friends could not afford 10
raise them, or because they had been too wick.
Ell themselves to have their praises printed in
great letters, cut in white marble, and put I'M
IN the solemn hurying ground, where nobody
Wouid ever dare TO write or say anything but
Inc TRUTH When We came in sight of Charities
grave, we talked about him. We wondered
Il ne thought OF his mother, and cried out any
when he was drowning. We thought that he
must have grown very weary with struggling
N. The wafer, and we wondered if he was rest
ing now, sleeping down there with his lilies.
we SAID that perhaps lis soul was awake all
the time; and that, when he was drowned, il
did not fly right away 10 Heaven, with tile an
gels, 10 sing hymns, while his poor mother
was weeping, but stayed about the place, aud
somehow comforted her, and made her think
OF God and heaven, even when she lay awake
IN the night 10 mourn for her lost boy.
so talking, we came up TO the grave Cora
was lying on the mound, where the grass had
A Ut