American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-12-30

were required to tackle more collect
than i good for . child of six or seven.
and perhaps we did not quite under
stand the bearing of that shorter cate
chism which bench of thoughtful
bishops had prepared for the express
use of very young children. Even
Nurse Stark. q high authority on all
points Of church controversy, never
succeeded in placing its meaning quite
beyond all question. But Nurse Stark
had special Sunday frame OF mind
which discouraged close questioning,
and on that day Of the week she was ex-
ceptionally short and sharp in her re-
plies. She bafiled our interrogatories
by pointing out to us that there was
nothing so unbecoming as a tendency
to ask questions, which seemed to us a
little inconsistent when we considered
the inquisitive character of her share in
the catechism. f
believe I liked going to church,
though am sure Joe Paulby did not.
That rugged boy never looked SO hot
or SO rumpled as he did during divine
service. As look back upon Joe in
church. am always reminded of the
appearance of restless decorum pre-
sented by Christy minstrel Bones
during the singing of q plaintive ballad.
Joe occupied himself during the service
in laying the foundations of series Of
pains and penalties which usually lasted
well into Thursday, for Nurse Stark
had = quick sYs for piad smaap9 Ssn And
mont. Poor little MIN was too delicate
to 60 to church, and used to sit ct home
in theological conference with Jane
Cotter, whose picturesque and highly
dramatic ideas of future rewards and
punishments had special interest for
the poor little lady lEsa !
For MIN had been told that even
children die sometimes, and both Nurse
Stark and Jane had long catalogue of
stories in which good little people were
cut OF in their earliest years, and bad
little people lived ON to an evil old age.
MIN was often weak and ailing, and at
such times the recollection of these
stories came upon her. Nurse Stark's
grim, hard manner relaxed when she
was speaking to the little sick child.
and her kindness TO MIN. gaunt sand
grudging as It was, Seemed to Increase
with the trouble the child gave her
. never-ceasing source of wonderment
to Joe and myself, who were only in
favor when we ceased to occupy Nurse
Stark's attention. Nurse Stark had
= brother, boy of II or Whereabouts.
(though we believed him to be eight
and-twenty at least, Who was . page
1t > doctors in Charlotte Street and
Nurse Stark, as q great treat, used to
allow this young gentleman to spend
the afternoon with us, and entertain us
with his varied social powers. Gaspar
for that was his unfortunate name
was = talented boy, with taste for
acrobatic conjuring. killing flies, and
putting lob-worms down Minis back;
bat. notwithstanding these powerful
recommendations, we looked coldly
upon him, and, on the whole, discour-
.ged his visits. He had way of chal-
lenging Joe and me to fight him with
,ne of his hands tied behind his back,
~ way Of q handicap, which was not
What You look for in . visitor, and,
compromised our reputation|
or valor in Minis eyes. On the whole
le was not popular with us, and evil
iently he was prescribed by Nurse
stark herself, on a charge of filing the !
nursery candle with gunpowder, which |
'xploded and burned poor little Minis |
eyebrows and eyelashes. Gaspar
'ventually got into trouble about Some
lraughts of his own composition, which
le supplied to his masters patients as
ealing waters made up in accordance
nth that gentleman's prescriptions,
nd spent several years in reforms-
DRY. sse5
Ihave . dismal impression Of the
vretched afternoons that MIN and Joe
nd l used to spend together in our
reat bare play-room. We were locked
n by Nurse Stark At about every af-
srnoon, and not released until z, when
re had supper; and as the shadows
eepened and the fire got lower and
'wer, we crowded together in corner
and told each other strange
tories about princes and noblemen who
'ere tortured by cruel and vindictive |
with an occasional touch II
ON Joe Paulby upon caverns, demons,
ampires, and other ghostly matters,
NTH poor little MIN screamed aloud
She was . pretty, fragile, sweet-tsm-
ered, clinging little soul, far too deli
ste for the coarse. inconsiderate treat .
lent to which she was. subjected, in 1
'mmon with ourselves. So at last she /
scame seriously ill, and. we noticed /,
lat the poor child grew thinner and
aler in her cot, day after day, day after {
~ She was very cheerful, although &
weak, and when the tall, grave, kind /
1ofr,v &c. H. | !