The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1877-09-25

He would have no doctor until absolute
ly forced to call one in by increasing
pain and weakness, and when the long de-
layed examination was over, 1t proved to
have been made too late.
In Just one month from his first pain,
our uncle died, leaving n brief will, con-
ferring all his property, the house inclu-
ded, upon our mother, his well.beloyed
niece, Sarah Morton"
Bit where was the property? Not
shilling was deposited in the bank, not
an inch of real estate was held in his
name, save the miserable piece of land
on which the house stood, and which
barely yielded vegetables for the table.
We turned the house upside down and
inside out, but not coin rewarded our
search. Finally, we concluded that the
misery we had seen, the lamentations we
! had heard, were the result of real, down
| right poverty, ana not the mere preten
sions of miser. Aud We struggled on
somehow, mother sewing little, Meta
doing housewolk, and still at the mill
iner's We did not starvc That is the
record of the next four months--a strug
gle for mere bread, and the saving of &C
tual existence, nothing more. And to cap
the climax, came the fire.
1t was night in June--a clear, star
light highland I, though weary enough
was slccpless Meta lay by my side,
wakeful as myself, and told me, in soft
whisper, that she had met her lover, that
day, when on some household Grand,
and he had urged her sorely to marry
him, though his father had not relented.
81 don't know but / would,' | said,
:" ltcr all he is but man, and must be
able to care for you somehow This life
is killing you.
As ! spoke Meta cried, 81 smell
smoke J"
Smell it p l cried. starting up. AZ
see it
There it was, coming in at the cracks
Of the worn-out door, lsltle threads at
first, but filling the room rapidly. We
caught mp some clothing and rushed to
the door A VIC opened it the flames
burst out on the landing and staircase
forcing us to retreat
Mother and Freddie slept in rooms be
You'd ours, on the other side, and We
rushed across to them, and we all four
scrambled, hali-dresscd from Freddie
window to a shed, and SO to the yard.
BY this time the neighbors were wax
cned, and the houses about us were glow
ing in the flames shooting up from oul
old house to the sky Fancy, if you can
the group we formed, as we stood hud
died together in the yard, and watched
everything we owned upon earth being
licked up by greedy tongues OF fame
swallowed in clouds of smoke. Meta
and could see our bedroom closet, ant
the scantv stock of clothing there, ant
count the dearly purchased -artioles n.
they were consumed,
My poor, black alpacca!" Meta said
watching the lurid trimming creeping NJ
the skirt ave might have snatchct
that; it hangs on the door"
"Sce my bandbox topping over"
said "The bonnet will have flame. col
ored feathers in two minutes"
Mother was too much crushed tt
share in our grim jesting, and Freddie was
trembling with excitement and terror.
The iiremen did their duty bravely, bu
were too late to save anything, and dawI
found us homeless. with nothing left o
our house but blackened walls and tai
chimney. clearly declined against the 70
sy sky of Jnne sunrise.
/ Then-I shall love him all my life fol
that--as we stood utterly desolate an(
destitute, Brent Ellis, who had worked
like giant at the fire engines, came, al
blackoned and streaming with sweat, ant
said Marry me, Meta, this hour, 81
that may have the right to shelter you
| have little fortune of my own tina
my father cannot touch, and it will keeI
US from want. if no more
!, But Meta only thanked him gently
chung more closely to our mother. W
began to realize the scantiness of on
raimcnt in the daylight, and were glad t,
accept the offer of noighbor Of tempo
rary shelter. Others came forward. ant
we soon had an homogeneous assortmen
Of cast.oT clothing at our disposal. ant
arrnying ourselves as best we could, W
presented ludicrous appearance enough
if any of us could have raised spirit
f sufficient to laugh.
: But we were not exactly hilarious. Ut
ter and entire dcsttution seemed to hav
fallen upon us at last, after our long tgh
with the traditional wolf who had prowl
ed so nesr our doors for the last liv
years. We sailed our cups of charity
offered coffee with tears, and were blin
to the charms of hot cakes hospitabl,
pressed upon us.
Il Ncighbors nocked in to offer advic,
consolation, and we were touched by TIL
{ most generous offers of food and HON
until we could /" look up home Bu
where? What could we look for ? Gu
only home lay in ashes; our sole posses
sions were entirely consumed,
For three days we were numbed b,
despairing sorrow. ave" means tn
three women, for Freddie seemed to lool
upon the whole business rs plcasurabl
change in the monotony OF bis cxis
tencc. He had not been so well fed-in
deed ] may say as well stutied-in five
years; for all the neighbors called hin
in, whenever he passed, TO offer tit-bits
He had an entire new suit of clothes tina
were outgrown by one of the richer boys
and fitting Freddie, clothed him bette
than he had been clothed since his fathel