The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-12-11
The Child on the Doorstep.
"Did she leave any childrenp"
"Yes, this bit of a child"
UApd who'll takp hprpn

Did she leave any ch1ldren?"
"Yes, this bit of a child" e.
. "And Who'll take herp"
81 don't know. We are all very poor
around here, sir, but we. must find her
place somewhere. God help tile little
girl, for she's all alone noww
The sexton had called at an old tene-
ment house on Lafayette street east to
take body to q pauper's field-the
body of one whose life had been worn
out in the tread mill of hunger and des-
pair. Nobody knew that the mother
was dead-hardly suspected that she
was ill, until one morning this Child ap-
peared at neighbours door and quietly
said ...... .. ....
"Would you be afraid to come over
to my house, for ma is dead and I'm
keeping awful still. and I'm afraid to
talk to her when she won't answer"
The mother had been dead four hours.
Long enough before day came the flame
of life had burned low and died out,
and that child, hardly seven years old,
had been with the corpse through the
long hours, clasping the cold hand, kiss
ing the white face, and calling for life to
return. When they asked if she had
any friends she shook her head. When
they told her she was alone in the great
world she looked out of the old window
on the bleak November day and an
swerea
Il can make three kinds of dresses
for doll-babies, build fires and carry in
wood, and I'll work ever so hard If
somebody will let me live with them!'
There was no funeral. There was no
need OF a sermon there. Tie lines OF
sorrow around the dead woman's mouth
counted far more in heaven than any
eulogy man could deliver. There was
no Grape. In place of it three or four
| honest-hearted woman let their tears
fall upon the white face and whispered :
"P Poor mother--poor child!
The child's big blue eyes were full OF
tears, but there was hardly n tremor in
her voice as she nestled her warm cheek
against the lips stilled forever and said
"Good-bye, ma--you'll come down
from heaven every night at dark, won't
you, and you'll take me up there just as
soon as you can, won't you?"
The landlord locked up the house, and
the child went home with one of the
women. When night came she stole
out of tile house and away from those
who sought to comfort her, and going
the doorstep, having no company bu,
the darkness. An officer passed that
way, and leaning over the gate he peered
through the darkness at something on
the step and called out;
us anybody therep
Nobody but little girl" came the
answer. ..,..
"Who is itp''
Its little girl whose ma was buried
to-dayw
He opened the gate and went closer,
and as he made out her bare head and
innocent face he said:
"Why, child, aren't you afraid?"
:" was afraid little while ago." she
said, " but just rs soon as l asked ma
not to let anybody hurt me | got right
over il. Would anybody dare hurt Il
little girl whose ma is detdP They
could be looked up, couldn't they?"
He offered to go with her to the house
where she was to have a home for IA few
days, and taking his big hand with the
utrros confidence she walked beside
him and said
II amt going to cry much till | Get
to bed, where folks can't see me-"
hope every one will be good tC
you," he remarked as he put his hand
over her curly head.
" If they don't be, they'll never 90 tC
heaven, will they?" she qucritd.
No"
There was long pause, and then she
said:
But guess they will be. l car
make a doll out of Il clothes-pin and ;
piece of calico, and guess somebody
will be glad to let me live with 'cm.
you see me over on the step some othcl
night you needn't be n bit afraid, for
ain / big enough to hurt anybody, ever
If didn't want to cry all the timc!"-
| Detroit Free Press.