Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1880-12-02

10 dieg asked Dorcas.
"Taiu't nothing but cold" /" said old
Susan. Giles ouly starved 10 death;
besides, you hain't no need TO fear.
Some yarb tea aud nights rest iii
fetch him round all right
lie hal the ..yarb tea and many a
long nights rest, but he never was any
better, as Susan would saw, "Nothin'
but starviu' did it," but he had starved
a little teo long Mature did not reas-
Sert herself, and "Boy." As we all called
him. could not take hold again OF the
life he had 50 nearly dropped.
u ain't Ia him" said old Susan,
"'pears like he gets whittier and whittier
every day
AT first, while he seemed like a sick
boy-tramp. we all kept away from him.
except mother, who took the best Of
care of him. then one by one we drift
ed In 70 see how he was getting along,
and at last tine little corner bedroom
was our general rendezvous, and Boy
sitting up, white and wasted, its center
Of attraction. We knew from the first
he would never get we'll, and we tried
10 find his friends but he seemed 10 be
alone IN the world. This much we
could see for ourselves, he was of gen.
Tie blood. and had been used to home
caru, but he spoke a foreign tongue and
but little Of that All day he would sit
bolstered up. and play with wan fingers
with Mabel toy 8, and when we found
his sickness was not contagious we used
20 put our darling on the little bed,
where she would So and talk 10 him in
her baby lingo By the hour. She is
such a happy child, it seemed as il she
charmed pain away with her cooing ba-
by ionduess The first thing in the
morning il was boy or "pitty boy
I and the last hour OF her bedtime when
( she would kueel with his thin hand in
her soft curls and say her little make
. believe prayer that we taught her, she
would lisp "dear boy"
7 But there camo a night when Boy
( seemed 10th to have her 90 and clung
I 10 the little dimplcd hand, and kissed
I il with pale, cold lips. and then she
I threw both little arms about his meek,
and in her pretty, beseeching tone,
. said " By.by, dear boy
I Ii was her first whole sentence, and
/ we were so proud, and she was 20 say
( il again TO him the first thing in this
morning, hut when we took her in x
! see f" dear boy"
"Iig hal gone home at evening
Aud found u morning there
/ Poor Mabel, she did not know (dC
we any Of rs kuow2) what hac
I changed her little smiling friend, whC
always reached out glad hands TO her
Z into that death-white marble, and sh,
+ looked at il wonderingly, with unrec
/ Ognizing eyes, but when we took hin
away she looked on sadly, and ne
/ sweeter hymn was sung for him thar
her softly -murmured Il" By-by, deal
boy" as She watched them bear hin
away.
/ We buried him in our own lot in the
/ cemetery - selfish kindness ~ becaus,
/ Mabel loved him so. and over his gray,
we raised simple memorial; no name
no age, only this:
By-by. Dear Boy"
have taken Mabel up there severa
times, but she only played with th'
dead i1IStling leaves, and she neve
seems 20 think of him now. Happl
children! they so soon forget.
wrote all this year ago. Oh, cal
il be "only one year, one little year,
and now there Is another grave by tina
Of dear boys" little grave, onl.
half as long,
YOU'D scarcely think 50 small n thing
Could leave a loss so large
Oh, Mnhel Mabel! by-by, darling
just before she went TO sleep she lifte,
her heavy eyes--those sweet yiole
eyes wo al loved SO much and mur
INJURED something we could not hear
bent down close; close, for oh, | knew
then our darling was going, and hear,
her say, as II TO herself Dear boy,
but in such a glad voice as II she saw
him. And wo thought she had forgot
tent We had entertained angels una
wares. Detroit Free Press.