The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1876-12-28

though / am sure Joe Paulby did not.
That rugged boy never looked so hot |
or so rum pied 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 a Christy minstrel Bones
during the singing of a plaintive bal
lad. Joe occupied himself during the
service in laying the foundations of a
series of pains and penalties which
usually lasted well into Thursday, for
Nurse Stark had quick eye for mis-
demeanors, and every crime had it's
appOrtioned punishment. Poor little
MIN was too delicate to go to church,
and used to sit at home in theological
conference with Jane Cotter, whose
picturesque and highly dramatic ideas
of future rewards and punishments
had special interest for the poor lit
tie lady.
For MIN had heen told that even
children die sometimes, and both nurse
Stark and Jane had long catalogue OF
stories in which good little people were
cut off 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 and
grudging as it was, seemed to increase
with the trouble the child gave her
a 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 "a
brother, boy of II or Whereabouts,
Though we believed him to be eight
and twenty at least), who was page
at a doctor in Charlotte street and
nurse Stark, as a 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 a talented boy, with taste
for acrobatic conjuring, killing flies
and putting lop-worms down Minis
back but Notwithstanding these pow
erful recommendations, we looked
coldly upon him, and, on the whole,
we discouraged his visits. He had a
way of challenging Joe and me to fight
him with one of his hands tied behind
his back, by way of handicap which
was not what you look for in visitor,
and, moreover compromised our char
acter tor valor in Minis eyes. On the
whole he was not popular with us, and
evidently he was prescribed by nurse
Stark herself, on charge OF filling the
nursery candle with gunpowder which
exploded and burned poor little Minis
eyebrows and eyelashes. Casper
eventually got into trouble about some
original draughts of his own compost
ton, which he supplied to his masters
patients as healing waters, made up in
accordance with that gentleman pre-
scriptions and spent several years in a
refOrmatory.
| l have a dismal impression of the
wretched afternoon that Min and Joe
and used to spend together in our
great bare play-roOm. We were locked
in by Nurse Stark at about every at.
ternoon, and not released until 7,when
we had supper; and as the shadows
deepened and the fire got lower and
lower, we crowded together in cor
ner for warmth, and told each other
strange stories about princes and
noblemen who were tortured by cruel
and vindictive page-bOys, with an oc-
casional touch from Joe Paulhy upon
caverns, demons, vampires, and other
\ ri Cf1xy until Efflo MIN
screamed aloud with terror.
She was pretty, fragile, sweet.
tempered, clinging little soul, far too
delicate for the coarse, inconsiderate
treatment to which she was subjected,
in common with ourselves. So at last
che became seriously i'll, and we no
ticed that the poor child grew thinner
and paler in her cot, day after day
day after day. She was very cheer
full, although so weak, and when thu
tall, grave. kind doctor came-day
after day, at first, and then toward tn,
last (for she died) two or three times
day-she would say, in reply to hi
question, "And how is our littl'
Etchel!" that she was much better
, and hoped in day or two to be omit
well again. After time she was re
moved to another room, which was al
ways darkened, and to which we wer
| seldom admitted, and OILY one at
time. An odd change seemed to com
, over us all.
J Nurse Stark was quite kind now, an
) used to read to her (but now abou
good children who lived and were yer
happy, and tell stories and make bee
, tea for her, and turn the cold side Q
i the pillow to her poor little fevere
i head. And the oldest part of tn
[ thing was that nurse Stark was kind I
us too. and used to come of her ow
, accord to tell US how MIN was, tsh
. was always little better). and of tn
, messages she had sent to us, and ho'
I she seemed to take new interest
the toy she had once discarded. An
+ then she would take US to the sic
) room, one at time. and we were a
t lowed to speak to her but afterwar
only to sit on the edge of the bed &