Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-08-13
A Week in the Country.

Last summer lady in neIghboring
city became interested in the charity
called the Children's Week, by which
the boys and girls who would never
otherwise see the country are received
as guests or boaders at farm houses for
n week or fortnight. Til. 70 was lame
girl who sat at corner of noisy
street selling papers and peanuts, a
wizened, stolid little creature, with dull
eyes and leathery skin. Her the lady
chose, prompted by some passing freak,
us the subject OF her charity, and sent
her out to farmer among the hills in
Berks County to board. The farmer
AID bis vile had secretly poor opin-
ION OF town tramps" or humanitarian
experiments. They gave the children
their meals for which they were paid,
ordered them out OF tho bcrry-patch,
counted the spoons when they were
going, that none should be stolen, and
felt that they had discharged their full
duty. This girl, unlike the othersr
neither robbed the cherry-trecs no.
trampled the berry-beds. She sat all
day ON the door.steps looking out at
hlil and field, or sometimes followed
the housewife to barn or poultry yard,
or gravely watched the COWS and chick
ems as if they had been new miracles in
the world that day. "a dumb, half
witted creature" was the good wom-
ans verdict when sine went away. In
April, the farmers wife received an
urgent message asking her to come to
this girl, who was dying of some slow
inherited disease. She found her with
drunken woman in q squalid room,
at the top of tenement-house, the one
window of which opened on dingy
brick walls and an asphalt roof, where
lean Cat prowled among empty tomat
to cans. The countrywoman was no.
used to visits of sympathy. She was
appalled, by the dirt, the surrounding
misery, the chance of smallpox, the
probable demand for money. What
do you want with me ?" she asked. "Is
it all there still ?" the child demanded.
her eyes kindled with fever.
The hills, the solemn sunsets. the
green fields, even the cattle and simple
Sights and sounds of the farm haunted
her like wonderful vision. In the
sixteen years during which the pvor
wretch had lived, that one week had
been her single glimpse of the beauti-
ful world about her. In the rest, she
had known nothing, absolutely moth
Ing, but the dirty street on which stood
her stand aud her bare garrett. Now
that death was at hand, she cried out
for this lost chance, which never
should come to her, with mad bitter
longing for which, untaught animal
that she was, she had no words.
| " Is 1t all there still? Tell me about
It'll she said. 1.-The woods. the COWS,
the things 1 saw you plant-anything,
haven't much time. l want to hear
about them once before I CO." The
woman talked as she was hidden. Pres
emily the facts of the situation forced
themselves into her slow MUD.
why !" she SAID, starting up. her eyes
full of mOtherly kindness. "Why
shouldn't you come to it, child?" She
took her home that night and nursed
her tenderly. as If she had once been
her own baby. If We would say that
the sick child recovered in the pure
air and quiet of the hills our story
would have been pleasanter to tell.
But she did not recover. She died
there after month of happiness. The
farm house, the woods putting out
their tender leaves, the fields Just up
turned by the plough, all became like
home to her. She had keen interest
in the planting. The farmer, q rough
Pennsylvania Dutchmsn, took time to
carry her from place to place, made
ssats for her by the stream, under the
oaks i'll the pasture. At last she closed
her eyes contentedly ON it all, and her
tired body was laid to rest in the pure
air and warm friendly earth of the hills.
1t seems to us that wherever her soul
went it was the better for that taste of
life in the good, beautiful country.
There are appeals every day in all
the cities for help to send poor children
to saultariums, 70 farm-houses, to ex.
cursi0ns. If every man or woman who
il good Christian would give trifle
there is nota wretched little child in
New York or Philadelphia who would
not have glimpse of the country be.
fore the summer is over. Do you
think they do not care for it? Putting
the question of health aside, is it moth
ing to put into their black, bare lives q
wonderful picture which they will new
or forget. Take bunch of roses and
go inJo an asylum, or squalid alley
way, and you will read in the pitiful
begging of the childish faces whether
they care for these things. If u rose
counts for so much, what is the mircle
of whole week of country life to them
And this bit of euchantment in the lives
Of these forlorn babies will cost but
two or three dollars! "Never neglect"
said George Hill, "to make a child
happy. You may do your best to give
happiness to q man or woman and
fail at last. But You never fail with
child. When God puts the chance
in your way, do not pass it BY
Y. Tribune.
STARTLING SURPRIsE.-A startling
surprise, after the fashion of the story
of Ginevra, was experienced some
days ago by q party of Syrian wooden
ters in the forest Of Drommling. They
began to fell . venerable oak, which
they soon discovered to be quite hol-
low. Being half decsyed it speedily
came to the ground with crash, dis
closing q skeleton in excellent preser.