The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-01-25

pad come TO you, replies the Kat, cos
you was good to her when she was sick.
Two nights ago heard Phil Wood and
his crowd talking about robbing ship
of specious. They sed they was going
to 'tice all the men ashore with drink,
and there'd be only one man forward be-
sides the cap'n. There was to ha' bin
one put at the cap'ns door to knock him
on the head if he came out didn't
know for sartin it was your ship, and 1
was a-coming to ask if you had specious
when the p'liceman chevied me.
! "Who was it that shot you ?"
! "Don't know. When l see the p'lice
L crawled away to where you found me.
was skeard they'd think belonged to
t'other crowd"
! The Rat is skin and bone, and nervous
| as n cat. He has lost more blood than
he could spare from that slighter wound
on his arm. He had SO constitution to
| fall back upon, and to hold him up while
nature fights the shock and the fever
which follow his more grievous hurt
Grievous, indeed though the ball did
not quite pass through his body better,
perhaps, if it had. 1t has pierced the
/ lower lobe of his right lung, and is
/ lodged somewhere in the muscles of his
back. If he could sleep, OF even be
| brought to remain quiet, he might have
chance. He cannot be quiet whether
it be pain, or whether it be surprise at
such wonders as being famed, having
lemonade to sip, and so on, 1 cannot say.
He IS necessarily on the turn and on the
watch nor will any drowsy syrup in the
doctors chest quiet him.
When the lady comes early in the
morning, the Rat is sinking slowly. His
face brightens up as he sees her, and he
begins to ask about Charley.
"Oh, my poor boy" she says, "let
us talk of better things. Let us talk of
God"
"God ?" he repeats, with look of
wonder.
"Can it be that you have not heard of
God?"
I've heard" Dick replies, you bet p
The lady stands aghast before this
awful ignorance. He only knew the
name OF God in curses
"Wicked men take his name in vain,
Dick, she says. "God made this world,
and all that is in it; God is all that is
good and merciful. God sent his only
Son to save us"
"He didn't save me much," is the
Rats commentary.
He will save your soul, Dick He
called little children to Him, and well
I coined them to heaven"
"Was that afore the war ?" asks Dick,
gravely.
"Long, long before the war;
"WeI, things has got mixed since
then. Amt He coming no more ?"
cts no use, Jennie" says her hus-
band, who had followed her into the
cabin and overheard Dicks struggles
with his first and only lesson in divinity.
"these things cannot be taught all at
once"
ooh. but it seems so terrible" she
cries; "anI he dying If could only
teach him to say prayer
"And do you really think that re-
peating a form of words which he would
not understand, could do any good p"
asks her husband. "No. Let me try
if can rouse a thought to work upon. J"
SO Mr.. Austen takes his wife's place at
the head of the cot.
"Dick," says he, "the doctors tell
Inc that unless there comes some change
and they don't much expect any-be-
fore night, you must die"
"Will it hurt bad ?" asks the Rat, a
spasm Of fear passing over his pinched
face.
"That I cannot say. Some people
die quite quietly-go off in their sleep,
as it were. Well, Dick what do you
think happens then9"
"The funeral" replies Dick. prompt
ly. "Some has tireman's funeral, aud
music; and some gets took off in the city
van. Shall L be took off in the city
van ?"
"No, my boy; I'll answer for that.
But let us go back to the death. Where
will You go when you die 2"
Into the coffin.'
"Your body will-but your soull"
"Wot's that ?" asks Dick.
"Pray for him, DEAR" says Mr.. Aus
ten to his wife, down whose face the
tears are streaming, " that is all you can
do"
4 =
81 say--don't you cry like that" says
Dick, when she resumes her seat by his
side. Childlike, he puts up his hand to
withdraw hers from her eyes. He touches
it with awe. It does not break or fly off,
and nothing is done to him for his dar-
ing. Encouraged by such immunity, he
ventures to give it little pat, and then
the face which he is watching intently is
lit up with a smile through it's tears.
Into his unloved life-into his half saw
age mind, dawns the first idea of O caress
He clasps the lady's hand and draws it
down upon his heart. He draws it down
and presses it there with both of his lit
tla brown ,,u1s Tben ba 1eaDS l,onl- WI n
a long drawn sigh and shuts his eyes.
Three years have passed, and Capt.
Gilbert's steamer is again at her wharf.
and again Mr.. and Mrs. Austen are go
ing to lunch on board. AS the lady is
stepping down from the gangway, a well
grown, handsome boy, in blue flannel
knickerbocker suit, and straw hat with
the ships ribbon, comes shyly forward.
"Why, this is never Dick! !" she ex-
claims.
"Dick all over" says the captain,
proudly.
"Oh, Dick, how you have grown, and
how improved !"
"There was plenty of room for that, u
laughs the quondam Rat.
Then the captain takes her aside and
explains. "He's been at school ever
since he got well, and he has learned
more than other boys do in double the
time. Oh, he's smart I'm educating
him now for my own profession, and ]
believe he could pass for mate to-mor-
row."
"What name have you given him p
Il ~