The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-12-27


rights of our own
And request that in the future these rights be left
alone.
A Yellow-Fever Incident.
One day, when the fever was at its
height in New Orleans, nicely-dressed,
interesting looking little fellow about s
years old stepped into the office of the
PicayataIe with little slip of paper
which he handed to one of the editors.
Opening it, the editor read notice of
the death of Mrs. Allen and infant.
He looked inquiringly at the child, who
was striving to choke his sobs.
"It's my dear mother and my darling
little sister," he said. "Oh, can't be-
ieve they've gonel And now Mar
garet's got it."
"Who is Margaret" was asked.
"She's my grown-up sister; she's II,
and the prettiest and best girl in the
world. It's awful to see her throwing
her arms about, and her cheeks are so
red, and her eyes shine like stars. She
don't know any of us, not even papa,
and she keeps calling out, Mamma,
mamma, why don't you come to me?'
Oh, I'm SO scared about herp
He turned without another word and
hurried down stairs.
The next morning, flushed, excited,
painting for breath, the little fellow
sprung up the steps and burst into the
Office with another slip of paper in his
extended hand.
cts Margaret now" he faltered. His
little frail form was convulsed with an
guish, but with wonderful self-restraint
he neither wept nor sobbed. But the
agony, the despair in the soft brown
eyes was ten times more pathetic than
more noisy grief
"Only IT." commented the editor,
musingly, as he read the death-notice.
"Oh, she was 80 good, SO kindp the
child cried; "she never said a cross
word to me. Oh Margaret, Margaret,
what am l going to do without my own
lest sister?" He covered his poor little
face with his hands and sat there, his
breath coming quickly, and in convuls-
i've gasps.
Several of the employees of the paper
printers do not usually find it in their
line of business to comfort the afflicted,
yet these men did what they could by
petting the little fellow, and bidding
him be man.
! Such little man as he was already,
with such power of self-repressionl 1t
was unnatural, and one would have pre-
ferred seeing tears, or any expression of
childish grief.
At last in silence he rose, and walked
slowly and heavily down the steps.
Two days elapsed, but on the third,
the well-known little step was heard on
the stairs, and, paler and Trailer than
before, the child appeared, holding the
fatal slip in his hand.
"It's brothers Edward and James,
now" he said, in dreary, monotonous
tone. You saw he was utterly stunned
by the repeated blows.
"They both died last night, and Ed
ward was glad to die, for he said he saw
mamma and Margaret waiting for him;
but James, he screamed out and was in
pain Do people go straight to heaven
when they die?" turning his grave,
brown eyes to the kind faces around
him. Il wonder what takes 'em there,
when they're so weak they can't raise
their heads. They amt strong enough
to fly themselves, is they?"
The people in the office looked at
each other rather sheepishly. They
were not exactly prepared to discuss
questions from religious standpoint,
but there were those sad, imploring
eyes fixed upon them. One of the
printers, burly, good natured-looking
man, had stepped in for some directions.
He answered the question:
@Pve heard preachers say, my little
chap, that the Savior and the angels are
always at the death-beds of good peo-
pie, and take their souls to heaven"
eyes, I've heard my mamma say that"
he answered, gravely, "and s'pose
that's the way she was carried up. But
l wish they hadn't brought the huss for
em."
"The huss?" asked one of the gentle
men.
eyes, the black carriage with silver
things on it that takes away the dead. 1t
seems always a-travelin', trayelin' before
me, and see it even when / wake up
in the night. It's an awful thing, amt
it."
Two days after, he was back again,
and a shndder ran through the group
in the Office when the terrible slip was
handed in.
cts Uncle James this time," he said,
in strange, low tones, "and my papa
went to bed to-day. That makes six
dead. I wonder who'll be the next"
His solemn eyes, sunk deep in his pale,
pinched little face, seemed to be asking
why he should suffer thus, and what
was to be the end Of it all.
aWhy, this is Col. Aliens son." sid
a gentleman who entered the Office. II