Weekly Trinity journal. [volume] (Weaverville, Calif.) 1857-1972, 1878-09-28
EARTH'S LONE CHILDREN.

pnched face betrayed hunger. and whose
clothing could scarcely be called by the
name, dropped into a carpenter shop en-
Grand River avenue the other day, and
after much hesitation explained to tho
foreman 4:
1--WE want to get grave board for ma.
She died last Winter, and the graves are
so thick that we can't hardly find hors no
more. We went up last Sunday, and we
come awful near not finding il. We
though; we'd git grave board, SO we
wouldn't lose the grave. When we
thought we'd lost it Jack he cried, and
Bud she cried, and my chin trembled so
l could hardly talk !"
"Where is your father :" asked the
carpenter.
"Oh, he's home, but he never goes up
there with us, and we shan't tell him
about tlfe board. l guess he hated ma.
for he wasn't home when she died, and
he wouldn't buy no coffin nor nothing
Some times, when We were sitt in on the
door step talking about her, and Jack
and Bud are cryiu', and m remem he in ;
how she kissed us all atore she died, he
says we'd better quit that or ws'll git
what bad for us. But we sleep up stairs
and we talk and cry in the dark all We
want to. How much will The board be?"
The carpenter selected something tittor
the purpose, and asked:
"Who will put it up Mt the grave ?"
"Wo'll take it up on our cart" replied
the boy, "and | guess the grave yard
man will help me put it up"
"Y ou want the name painted on, don't
you ?"
"Y es, sir, we want the board white. and
then We want you to paint oI that
she was our ma, and that she was forty
enc years old, and that she died the sec
ond of Novem Der, and that she's gone to
Heaven, and that she was ono of the best
mothers ever was, and that we ARE going
to be good all our lives and go up whore
she is when we die. How much will it
cost, sir 7''
"How much have you got -
"Woll," said the boy as he brought
out II little calico bag and emptied it, con
tents on the bench, bud drawed the
baby for the woman next door and earned
twenty cents; Jack he weeded in the gar
den and earned forty cents, and he found
FIVE more ia the road | run of errand-
and made kites and fixed boys cart and
helped carry apples into store, aud
| earned sixty cents. All that makes
a hundred and thirty cents, sir, and pa
don't know we've got it, cause we kept il
hid in the ground under n stone"
The carpenter meant to DO liberal but
he said
"a grave board will cost at least three
dollars"
The lad looked from the little store Of
metals to the carpenters and back, real
ized how many weary weeks had passed
SitCe llt HlSJ pouhy WIZ thlncu hllu
saved, and suddenly walled out:
"Then we can't never, never buy one,
and mas grave will be lost"
But he left the shop with tears ofgad
moss in his eyes, and when he returned
yesterday little Bud and Jack were with
him, and they had cart. There was
not only head board, but one for the
foot OF the grave ~ well, and painter
and carpenter hsd done their woi k with
full hearts and done it we'll.
"Ain't it awful nic, nicer than rich
folks have !" whispered the children ~
the boards were being placed Oh the cart;
'won't the grave look nice, though, and
won't ma De awful glad -
Ere this the mothers grave has been
and when night comes the three
Inotheress ones will cuddie close to-
gether and whisper their gratitude that
it cannot be lost to them even in the
storms and driits Of Winter. Detroit
Free Press.