American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-05-15

by curious boys 1 don't know, but Dave
found that it didn't work. and he leaned
over to shout to Edith to tighten her
end of the cord so that the thrill of sound
might be greater.
Poor Dave! poor mamma! and poor
sorrowful little faces that stand about!
I see them all as write, and my eyes
grow moist as l recall the scene.
Dave had fallen from the fourth story
to the hall. They thought at first that
he was dead, but a piteous little cry
from the pale lips showed them that
there was life left. Then the children
went home, some of them sobbing, all
of them with heavy hearts, for Dave
was much loved by them all.
Now another picture rises before my
eyes. A silent chamber, an anxious
group about the bed where they have
laid the poor boy, father and mother
standing by with pale faces and lips
that tremble when they speak. A sur
geon's assistant goes quietly in and out.
and otherwise making ready for the
doctors examination. The doctor,
looking very grave and very wise.
passes his trained hands over Dawes
body. laying his ear now and then close
over Dawes heart. And after it is all
done he answers the mothers anxious,
questioning look, with faint Z" L hope
SO; but it is very bad-very bad indeed.
Both legs and rib are broken. and
fear there is some injury to the spine"
Then every body is shut out of the
room except Dawes papa, who will
stay, and when the doctor goes away he
leaves Dave bandaged almost from
head to foot, and with only strength
enough to sigh when he feels the dread
full pains all over his body.
Oh, the anxious waiting days! Weeks
have gone by and Dave is able to talk a
little. Very family he speaks, but
sometimes he smiles when his mother
kisses him. At last there is high fes-
tival in the house. for Dave is able to
sit up in bed. Father and mother know
now that he will live, but behind this
joy is great sorrow, for the doctor
thinks Dave will never be aole to walk
again.
One day the doctor comes and Dave
asks:
"When shall be able to walk again,
doctor7''
..Not for a long time, my boy" the
doctor answers.
"In year?" asks Dave.
"It will be more than that"
:" In five years?'
81 can't tell you, my child; but we'n
do the best we can for you," and SO the
doctor goes, and Dave is left alone with
his mother. He knows that the doctor
has not told him the worst, and he sees
that his mother, in spite of her effort to
hide her grief, is very sorrowful. He
reaches out the one arm that he can
use, puts it about her neck, and saws:
Mother. it is pretty bad, but l
should like to know the worst. I'm not
q coward, you know. Tell me, does the
doctor think l shall be able to walk
again?''
And then the mother, putting her
cheek close to her boys sobs aloud and
says:
"Oh, my poor boy! my poor, poor
Dave"
And Dave knows what the doctor
thinks.
Don't cry, mother. It's pretty bad;
but maybe l can do some good lying
here 1t was lucky l didn't fall on
Cousin Edie, wasn't it?''
Now it is a settled thing in the house
that Dave is 10 be always a cripple.
The shadow is forever there, but some
how it falls everywhere darker than on
the boys heart. They all wonder that
he is so cheerful, but, you see, every
night and many times a day Dave prays.
" Oh, Lord. help me to bear it, and
the good Lord, who is ever tender to
does help him to bear it.
When the winter comes on Dave is so
that he can bcFolled about the house in an
invalid-chair, which he says, laughing
~, '.Does almost as well as walking"
And he says to his mother many times,
b" Well, don't see what boy s do that
haven't any legs or any chair either;
that must be pretty tough" One day
it is bitter cold, and somebody comes to
see Dave and talks about the sufferings
of the poor, those who haven't lire or
clothes to warm them. 1t is kind
lady interested in the Children's Aid
Society and ever so many other sweet
she has seen boysand girls, some
of them smaller than Dave, who hadn't
clothes enough to cover their poor little
shiyering bodies. She is
in the very midst of her story when
Dave cries out:
Why, here's q chance! I've got lots
of trousers and haven't any legs to put
into 'em, and there's lots of boys that
have legs and haven't any trousers to
put onto 'em. Why didn't We think of
and shoes, and boots, and
skates, too-and let's send them right
off; and then I'll lie here and laugh to
think of lot of boys running my trou-
sers about for me-" And Dave laughed
as heartily as if he had had the soundest
pair of legs in the world.
Then Ilaya,c mother xyont fO tho hr1-
reau where she had put all her boys
and brought them out by the
armful. Six pairs of trousers; hand
some trousers. too, and with such pock-
cts! Dave always was particular about
pockets. And grand bundle is made
up, and off it goes to the House and
School of Industry; and so in course of
time it came out in the report of con-
Little Dave; six pairs of
pants for poor boys And every time
Dave saw poor boy with good trousers
on going by his window he said, MAY
be those are my trousers; and maybe
am doing some good, after ALL" And
he was.
Well, it isn't much of a story, is it?
But it's only begun. The snap of it.
like the snapper Of a whip, is on the end
of it.
Now, that lady that told Dave and his
mother about the poor boys had an
uncle, with whom she lived, and the
uncle had a million dollars and the
govt. He didn't enjoy either. He had
a magnificent house. and all he could do
was to sit in one room of it and howl
with pain. He had pictures, and stat
uary, and everything beautiful, but he
look at them, because the govt