The Portland daily press., 1872-10-26


and universal labor. And respect me too,
Tot, for conscientiously discharging the duty
that devolves upon me OF showing to the |
world practical illustration, in my own per-
son, of the excellence of my theory II should |
perhaps, say theories) by hard life of Sleep
ing, eating, shooting, hunting, aud sometimes
even dancing. What if | indulge in occasion
al flts OF madness? Surely life so given up |
to the public welfare should gain me forgive |
ness. Some would call me mad even now.
But GENE, Tot, we are close to the in
side.'
My lord speaks as to himself rather than to |
Tot. She, for her part, has no idea what ne
means; but she likes to hear him talk. Her
head is getting so far away that she Is AFRAID
of losing it altogether; everything is getting
far away. They go up some steps, ana every
white faced child and the tall, handsome
man. Some know him, and say, when he
has passed.
Tot feels weak going up the steps, but she
says nothing. She begins to doubt whether
it is not all a dream. She has dreamed of
policemen before-often but never of gentle
men talking to her. They walk some dis
lance along passage, one side of which is
all doors, and at last they stop at one of them.
My lord takes key from his pocket, places
it in hole in the door, gives little turn
and push, and it opens.
"Here we are Tot; only four steps, and
you may look at the inside till you are
weary"
A bright light comes from the open door.
Tot goes in and stands motionless, as though
suddenly turned stone; rigidly staring, her
eyes wide open, faint flush ON her cheek,
and her chin dropped. Oh! what wonder
full, place! So big and so bright! Brighter
even, she thinks, than the sun itself! All
the people are there, too; she can see their
| dresses ofred and blue, and gold and silver.
And
"You may sit down, Tot" says my lori.
He looks in her face, and sees there intense
| wonder and awe. My lord, tAereat, is sur
he says gayly,-
| Accustomed as you probably are, Tot, to
wooden chairs on first touching one of these
you may find its resistance to your frame
impact but feeble and fear it will not support
you. But don't be afraid Tot; you will find
! it will all come right in the end.'
Tot is very weak, and the flush in her face
has quickly died out, but the wonder and awe
are still there. She sits down, or falls rather,
on chair. Oh! how pleasant it is. If the
| other people are sitting on chairs like that
how happy they must be! And she can see
in every direction. The place is round, and
up high is a circle of lamps. But very thin
circle not enough to make it so light; and
Tot believes the people, who are all of them
so clean, must give out light themselves. So
| she looks at my lord but his clothes are black,
| so they cannot shine; but she is not sure
about his hair; she almost fancies she can see
| light coming from it, There is big thing
at one end Of the place, made of pipes and
| she would like to know what it is. But she
| is not qnite sure she could speak if she tried;
| there is numbness coming over her, not
bringing any pain with it though, not bit.
| The chair is very comfortable, and Tot is in
| state of the most perfect rest; never before
has she been so entirely free from hunger and
cold. Her wonder and awe at the vast place
too, decrease by degrees, till she is simply
| happy. My lord talks to her; what about
| she knows not-education, secular, denomi-
national, mutual obligation, class legislation
she never heard such words before. But he
wants no answer, only to talk, and perhaps
my lord has never before had so satisfactory
an audience.
Soon all the place, except near the big thing
with the pipes, is full of people, and then
| Suddenly great sound fills the air! Loud
now, and again soft, changing, and changing,
and changing.
The big thing with the pipes is getting far
Their away. all the place is getting bigger; the
circle of lights above is miles high, but Tot
does not mind now; it seems perfectly natur-
al; it is not quite SO light as it was, but she is
very happy.
The great sound ceases as suddenly as it
began, and my lord lays his hand on Tots
shoulder and says gravely. 'sNot word, Tot,
and you love me-" But there is no fear of
her speaking.
Suddenly again new sound comes through
the air, made up of all sounds there can be,
| Tot thinks. Sad at first, it swells and fall in
| notes deep and low; bright soon, it leaps from
| To in c1or,, nd Ax,I
every change, every swell and every fall,
notes deep and low, sharp and clear, all join
together in one great joyful noise that fills
Tots starved little body and soul with costa
sy. Oh! that it would never stop. Tot can
hardly make out the lamps now, they are
miles, and miles away; she can only just see
the big thing with the pipes, and the people
have turned into a distant mist of red and
blue and gold and silver. She looks up at my
lord. He is close to her! So close that if
she could move her hand, she could touch
him. She is very glad of that. She does not
know, and does not want to know, how it is
he has come so near. 1t is quite proper that the
other people should be SO far off, it does not
pain her at all; but she is very glad my lord
is near, and that she can see his face. The
| sound stops and Tot feels great shock. Oh
+ if it would go on again? She listens in an
agony for it to return; and will it never come?
AT last she hears it; very soft and very low,
and very regular, and she is happy. Soon,
above all she hears the voice of some one
singing The sound is infinitely pure and
sweet, it brings great comfort to the starved
little body and SOUL She can hear the words
plainly, and knows what they mean. She
cannot see the lamps now; only circle of
light, far away, high above her. The big
thing with the pipes is gone; she can see
nothing but the circle of light above and my
lord sitting by her. And still the voice sings
on, and Tot is full of happiness. Hunger
and cold, blows and curses must come quickly
if they would come at all, and time for action
is short; death, their unfailing antidote, is
near.
I If my lord had seen Tots face then he
would have been frightened. But he was list
ening, wrapt up in pleasure; forgetful of
everything but mans voice singing, and the
words were Comfort We my people, saith
your God; speak We comfortably to Jerusa-
lem, and cry unto her that her iniquity is for
given. The voice of him that crieth in the
wilderness. Prepare We the way of the
Lord, make straight in the desert a highway
for our God.''
Then my lord signs, turns his head and
looks at Tot
Tot is seated, white and motionless, in the
comfortable chair; her dirty little hands fold
ed in one another, and her dirty little head
thrown back. A change has come over the
face; there is no wonder, no awe IN it now,
only look, despite the dirt, gentle reader, of
Infinite calm and rest.
My lord is startled he places his hand fear
fully on her forehead, and suddenly, with a
SILVER, draws it back.
''God, how coldp' he whispers. ''She
has tainted" Then in louder tone, speak
ing that he may be heard by those around,
he says, SIS there "a docror here?''
Some catch the words and stare curiously
at him, but a grave man rises from his seat
and answers the call. He feels Tots pulse,
and puts his hand on her heart, then shakes
his head
''Quite dead, quite dead, ;" he says, land looks
at her shrunken face. ''Effuson of blood on
the brain, l imagine, caused by the want of
the necessaries of life and" with glance
round the mighty building bright with light
and color; 'possbly accelerated by unusual
excitement. Nothing to be done, nothing.
If you please will give you my card"
My lord, without taking his eyes off Tots
face, receives it and the grave man goes back
to his place; he is passionate lover of music.
For minute my lord stands in doubt, but
the British pu lie is beginning to whisper
and stare at him, it seems food for its curiosi-
ty; so, with a smile, he takes Tot gently in
his arms and carries her away At the great
door policeman, who seems unsettled in his
mind, as to whether it is not his duty to stop
my lord and examine his burden. But he is