Osage Valley banner., 1880-04-01

and restless from fcoughing; and she
/ caught sight Of him inst as ho had dis
placed tho hat, and gave a glad, sur
lprised little cry. Jack drdpped the big
| Bartlett pear and the bunch uf pausies.
and was off in a hurry, covered with
shame and confusion of face. lie hsted
TO be caught in tho act Of doing kind
I ness. aud felt almost as ii be had been
stealing something
For several days be did not 90 near
the place. Many things were happening
At home just AZ that time. His sister
May was going 20 be married, and he
himself was 20 bc sent away to school
There were clothes to be fitted and many
things to get ready; besides great rain
Fstorm had beaten and bruised the flow
ets. One bright morning, early in
lSoptember. Jack rose feeling rather con-
/ scieuce-stricken, for he had Just been
dreaming Of the little sink girl. The
Igarden was glowing with salvias
aud scarlet geraniums, aud In the mid
/ die Of one large bed a cluster of the
pure white st, Joseph lily had opened,
and the blossoms were lifting up their
/ faces 10 the sunshine like choir of
/ singing angels lie rejected all the red
flowers he had gathered, and for some
reason chose only handful of these
white ones, which he carried 90 his room
and kept in water until after breakfast.
Then, with two fine peaches in his
pocket he wended his way 70 the IA
mihar street,
The rain of the previous night had
washed every thing clean. and made
even that poor shabby quarter look al
most cheerful Before he reached the
corner house he remarked that some
thing unusual was taking place. The
entry-door stood wide open and a group
OF poor people was going in. q Bit Of
\ white gauze, with q solid ribbon, was
hanging Imply from tho door-hell. The
| hole in the window had been mended
with piece of white paper pasted over
| II, and the ragged curtain was deco
! rouslv drawn down. 5Ftta
/ Jack felt something seize his heart,
and he stopped and stared, and then
tears rushed into his eyes He knew
what had happened, aud he WAS so
sorry, so penitent, his very heart felt
sore and bruised with remorso and pity.
IL was some time before tho boy re-
covered, and then he followed, half
mechanically, two or three of the neigh
bors who were going in. There in the
middle OF the mean room stood a little
coffn-a plain pine box, with the lid off.
inside lay peaceful child's face, sur
rounded with the reddish golded hair
Jack remembered so well. Jack saw
| with a great heart-throb that a bunch of
withered flowers, the last he had brought
/ her, were clasped in her wasted fingers.
Thewoman he had seen at the fire
! Ga poor, lonely old Irish body) sat by
the coffin, weaving back and forth and
holding an apology for white hand
kerchief 10 her eyes. She was the only
mournor aud there was a scrap of black
Grape in her cap.
"She was all had," Jack heard her
Groom to herself, "and me \ WILDLY.
I And she not me own; but me sisters
And promised me sister ON her dying
bed how I'd do for her as IL she was
mine. And the dear child was always
wakely. There was wakeness in her
chist from baby. And she so patient
a-laying here and a-smiling And me
so hard pushed to Git along, and being
forced to lave the poor crature, TO do
washing and charring of q mornin'
/ Aud she all alone wild herself when the
] bad cough took her. And she KEEP n
sayin', like blessed little spheridim:
/ Never mind, Auntie. Ise never lone
some. l DO believe fhe angels come 10
keep her company. Poor dear! OH |
mind the day when l coined home airly
/ from me work, and found her laughin'
aud her eyes shinin' Some kind sowl
Heaven bless him had dropped a
handful OF flowers through the broken
windy. moved her bed close
70 the windy To give her air,
/ She had snch ketchin' in her
/ breath all summer past. And il
WAS a lad as brought the ilOwers and
the nice grapes and peaches. Heaven
bless hint And he brought them every
I day belike til toward the last, when the
poor darlint was took worse; and she
seemed to he among the howly saints
| and angels, smellin' them flowers, And
she held 'em in her hand till the last,
and KEEP a-holding EN- when she lay
/ dying. And she saved all the withered
ones, and made me promise to lay them
| in her coffin; and there they be- She
blessed him as brought them with her
last breath, till the chokin' came on;
aud when that passed she lay quite as .
| lamb !"
The poor woman broke down and
sobbed violently, burying her face out
OF sight. Then Jack stole up 70 the
litlle Dotlin, and reyerently laid his
braaoh of pure white lilies on tho ehild's
breast,-AHgustq LRHel, ia me indc-
! peadcd.
-Meat and poultry win lose their