The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1874-11-06

Is concerned. hefi i, better of than he
was BEFORE said Mr.. Wise. %'''. 80
=. :''No, he amt Mas Tom,'' said Joe
stoutly';; ''leas' ways, Kiah didn' 1 think
SO hisse' {, COS eff he had ajwanted9 to
die he could ha' done it long an merry,
ago. a, don't b'leeve in no such fool.
talk s ~ - dead folks bein' better Of dan
dey was befo' .'a,;.,. ~ :. -
rom was silent. and Little Joe welt
3on With renewed tears :'''.I come UP to
axyoui to gimme clean shirt an';a par
TO- draws to put on Ki:h. Yeu needn't
gimme l, socks, cos he amt rot. no
feet. Oh, LQrdy! oh, Lerdy =" sobbed
Little joe, "ef me an Kiah had jes'
had. feet like some folks, Kiah wouldn'.
hi Been idrowndcd - i~i'i ::,Hu'Eo1 -:
.'Take this'up to the house." said
Mr.. Wise. handing him a note, '.and
Miss Mollie will give you whatever you
want"
''rhanky; SIR said Joe. II know
you ain'tgot no coffin handy, but you
can gimme de money and l can git one.
l don't recon it will take much, cos
AA&A Warnt fDlg.
Then Mr.. Wise wrote a note for the
undertaken, ana directed Joe what to
do with it. g.
The next day was cold and dark and
misty, and the paupers' hearse that
conveyed Kiah to the graveyard was
driven so fast that poor little Joe the
only mourner, could hardly deep UP AS
he hoped along behind on his
crutches.
The blast grew. keener and the mist
heavier, and before Kiah was buried
out Of sight the rain was falling in tor
rents that drenched the poor little
cripple sobbing beside the grave, and
the driver Of the hearse, good hearted
1rishman, said to him, Gin wild ye. or
get up here e BY me, an yo're a mind to.
But Joe shook his head, and pre-
pared to hop back as he had hoped
out. "Thankee, SIR said he, 'but
I'd rather walk. / feels like I would
be gittin' 4 ride out O. Kiah' s funeral.
The wind blow open his buttonless
shirt, and tho rain beat heavily on his
loyal little breast, but he struggled
against tho storm, and paused only
once on his way home. That was be-
sides the goods box that he and Kiah
had for stall. Now it was drenched
with rain and tho sides despatched with
mud, and the newspaper that had
served for cloth had blown over ono
corner and was soaked and torn, but
chung to its old companion. though the
wind tried to tear it away and the rain
to beat it down. Little Joe stood a
minute besideit, and cried harder than
ever.
For several days Little Joe drsoped
and shivered and refused to cat, and at
length he sent for Mr.. Wise, but Mr..
Wise was out of town, and did not re.
turn for a week; and though, when no
got home, the first thing he did was to
visit Little Joe, he came too late, for
Joe would never again rise from the
straw pallet on which he lay, nor use
tho clutches that now stood idle in the
corner.
His eyes frightened and he smiled
family as Tom entered like breath of
fresh air-so stroug and fresh and Wig.
orous that it made one feel better only
to be near him.
"Why, Joe! how is this!''
The little cripple paused to gather
up his strength then he said: "Busted
agin, Mas Tom, and you can't nuvvur
sot me up no mo-"
'tOh, stuff! DR.. North can if can't.
Why didn't you send for him when you
found l was away
81 dunno. sir; nuvvur thought
bout it,
Turning to the woman with whom
Joe lived, Sand why the ID didn't
you do it :" said Tom angrily.
II didn't know Joe was so sick,''
said Sc. 'Tain't no use SEN in for no
doctor now. jess been tellin' Joe he
better not put eff making peace wild de
Lord"
II don't reckon the Lord is mad wild
me, Nancy. What is I done to him9
l didn't use to cuss, and l didn't play
marbles on Sunday, cos I couldn't play
'em no time, like the boys dat had
feet"
EFF you don't take keer you'll be too
late, like Kiah. A ain't a-sayin' where
Kiah is now faint for me to jedge,"
said Nancy, ''but you better be tryin'
to open de gate o Paradise"
Piping the words out slowly and
painfully, Little Joe replied, II don't
b'leeve I keor bout goin' less Kiah
can git in too; but I spec he's dar,cos
l don't see what do good Lord could ha'
had agin him. He oughtn't to thought
lard O. nothin' Kiah done,
cos he warn't nuvvur nothin'
but 4 free niger, an didn't hav no ole
mas to pattern by. Maybe He'll let
us bofe in. know Kiah's waitin' for
me somewhar. but dunno what to say
to him. You Ak Him, Mas Tom"
He spoke more feebly, and his eyes
were getting dull, but the old instinct
Of servitude remained, and he added:
"Ain't you got nothin' to spread on the
flo, Nancy, so Mas Tom won't git his
knees dirty :"
Immediately and reverently Tom
knslt on the clay floor, and as nearly
IS he remembered it, repeated the
Lords Prayer.
"Thanky. Mas Tom,' said Little
Joe, feebly. "What was dat-ole mis-
used tossing? oh, Lam o'-God--
I come--1-.'" The words ceased and
tho eyes remained half closed, the pu.
pils axed.. Little Joe was dead.
JENNIE WooDv1LLE.
1T isn't considered good manners
anywhere. exceDt in Chica1O. for a 1adv