Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-02-10
The Chorister's Last Hymn.

els my boy beginning 10 feel tired "
Tired, oh, mol not tired The child
spread his weak fingers out upon the cover
lid and turned his dark, wistful eyes TO his
mother as he spoke. am not nearly tired
yet mother ARE you 2"
"No, dear"
What a fragile little thing he looked, ly.
ing there in the evening twilight, so pale and
thin, with his golden curls all pushed away
from his temples, and his large eyes gazing
earnestly out Of the window
Everybody knew Claude Davcnel was dy-
ing he knew il himself and his mother
knew it as size sat there watching him. All
the villagers knew it, and many an eye was
wet as the name Of little Claude was whis-
pered among them.
lie was everybody's favorite lie was the
pet Of the schoolmaster, and of the boys too
he was the clergyman's fayorite, and not one
boy in the choir envied him his sweet voice.
Claude had taken his illness on chilly au-
tumn evening, when the choir was practicing
in church One Of his companions, Willie
Dalton, complained Of sore throat so that he
could not sing, and he sat down cold and
sick in his own place. Claude took off his
comforter and wrapped it around his friends
neck. and when the practicing was over he
ran home with him, and then put on his
comforter again as he went back to his own
home.
Willie was sickening for the scarlet fever,
and poor Claude caught il too. Willie re-
covered but Claude had taken the disease
in its worst form, and though the fever had left
him, he had never been able TO recover his
strength, and he had grown weaker and
weaker and wasted away
And SO it was that on this calm Sunday
evening he had been drawn up close to the
window, 10 listen TO the church bells slowly
ringing out and calling people in.
Claude could from his window plainly see
the church he loved so well standing there in
the center Of the village and towering over
the cottages as il it would protect them
from every evil. lie could see the steeple RI
sing up to the deep blue sky, topped by the
law weatheroock. He could see the iyy-col-
ored belfry, with its tiny window peeping
out of the green.
The bell stopped, and Claude's eyes grew
more wistful as the sound of the organ fell
upon his ear That stopped too, aud then
all was still. lie closed his eyes until he
heard it again and then he opened them, lis
tening intently.
"lou are sure you are not tired Claude p
"Oh, quite sure, mother"
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,hinil ,ho dootar ,rnnid sooid me- r. he Sow
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Ita ,'nt an, l,is ,,os,o1 ltuo hand 10 t,le
hers, and gently stroked it.
"They are coming out now, mother" he
said, after minutes pause. Lift me up
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VOICES A.
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