Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-01-07
What tha Natter Was.
Coloacl Tom Bowen in January Atlantic. ..AIarnr,lnr, ?,


 "Mammar
 As Gertrude Gebhardt utter this word
 she sank slowly down at her mother s
 feet, clasped her hands and sobbed | aloud.
 Very beautiful was Gertrude She was called The Rose of the Rock ies,' and a5 she pillowed her golden head in her mothers lap she walled
 aloud in anguish. Her beautiful face took on tue pallOr of death and the
 beseechlng don't let me die please mOther-dear expression m her sad, sad | eyes caused her mother to grow wild | with grief as she mingled her tears with
 those of her daughter. She clasped her | closely to her beating heart, chafed the | beautiful hands grown suddenly so cold, kissed the pale lips and strOve by en- | dearing words Co call back tbe life she | felt sure was pluming its wings for it's | flight from earth.
 Outside the snow fell softly as prayer breathCd from @ virgins lips be- ] fore an altar incense wreathed. The clock ticked loudly. 4 shudder ran through the mothers frame. She imagined It an ili-omen-the watch of death.
 "What isit darling? For Coda sake tell mo, tell" Closer, closer si strained her 70 her breast
 Mamma --tnt biu6 eyo, .sii, iCr awhile. closed, opened again, and smiled.
 A faint flush of color crept into her cheek as she whispered faintly;
 "I ate dozen raw"
 Mamie IS dying"
 q N.r. graph-key clicked out upon the silence that had fallen upon the station of which John HeathcOte was in charge. It was Christmas Eve, and for nearly four hours the man had sat there, the only Oc- cupant of the little room in which his business as telegraph operator and de- pOtEaSter was transacted. He had hs- tened in a mechanical sort of way to the l messages that were flashing over the l wires orders concerning tine movement | of trains, brief commercial messages, | telling in terse language the state of the | market in all parts Of the world, Christ mas greetings from friends and relatives | who sought tO make separation less | painful by an interchange of kindly | words and sentiments-aud in the midst | of them all came these words to bis of- fee three little words that meant sOr- TOW and desoiate hearts in some house hold on the morrow, that day when peace, and joy, and goodwill should reign everywhere supreme.
 And so, as John Heatbcote placed the message in au envelope and sent It by his office boy 10 an address with which he was not familiar, there was, perhaps the suspicion of a tear glistenIng in his honest eye, and mayhap the hand that peuned tine address trembled little, for he had wife aud children of his own, had John lieathcote, and 1t came to him with awful force how cheerless his life would be were one of the loving pairs of arms that each morning twiued so lov- lngly around his neck Co be folded across a heart that was stilled forever, and the deep brown eyes be closed in the dream less sleep of death.
 And while he was still thinking there came agaIn the nervous click of the in- strumeut, and as he answered the call be felt instinctively'that the message he was tO receive would bring more bad news. And be was right.
 "AlamIe is dead; I will be hone in the were the words that came -o him over the wires, and then the tears n honest John HeathcOte's eyes were plain enough, and he was not ashamed that he had wept at the sOr- 'ows of people all unknown to i'm.
 .
 When the morning tram from the Vest came laundering into the little own where John Heathcote lived, he i vas standing upon the platform. His lours of duty had ended some time be- ore. but he could not bear to leave un- Il he had se' the man whose name was lgLed tO the despatches of the previous ( ii. be- -- .'r'z o. t-.i come tD the der5of
 md the driver had s-s.4,s isi,9s - ie aad come to meet Alr. Jones. When ! he train arrived, a weary looking man topped from one of the cars, and the ( .riyer approached him. John Heath [ Ote was standing within a few feet of hem. Good morning, Mr. Jones" said the .river.
 Good morning, John"
 ''SO Mamie Is deady' asked the man. :,
 "fss, was the reply, in low, agonized ones, and she would have beaten 2:}O ext season John Heathcote went away.-From One Christmas Eve" by Murat Hal tsad.