News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-03-13
a Story Of Duty.
From Every Other saturdav.1

SlSePs SeSmSu mieS away. joel haC
been tired enough when he went to bed
and yet he had not gone to sleep fol
some time; his heart beat so at the ides
of his mother being very i'll. He well
remembered his fathers death, and his
mothers illness nov revived some feel
ings which he had almost forgotten.
His bed was merely some clothes
spread on the floor, and covered with a
rug; but he did not mind that; and he
could have gone to sleep at once but for
the fear that had come over him. When
he did sleep, his sleep was sound; Sc
that his mothers feeble voice calling him
seemed ike call from miles away.
In a minute Joel was up and wide
awake.
'Light the candle" he could Just
hear the voice say.
He lighted the candle, and his beat.
ing heart seemed to stop when he saw
his mothers face. He seemed hardly to
know whether it was his mother or no.
''Shall l cail-?"
'Call nobody, my dear. Come here. -
He laid his cheek to hers.
"Mother, you are dying" he MUIR
INJURED.
eyes, love, I am dying. 1t is no use
calling any one. These little ones,
Joel"
81 will take care of them, mother"
''You, my child How should that
be? ?"
''Why not ?" said the boy, raising
himself, and standing at his best height.
Look at me, mother. I can work, 1
promise you"
His mother could not lift her hand,
but she moved finger in way which
checked him.
promise nothing that may be too
hard afterward, " she said.
''I promise TO try, then," he said
''that little sisters shall live at home.
and never go to the work-house. " He
spoke cheerfully, though the candle
light glittered in the two streams of
tears on his cheeks. eve can go on
living here; and we shall be So
1t would not do. The sense of their
coming desolation rushed over him in a
way too terrible to be borne He hid
his face beside her, murmuring
'fOh, mother! motherl'
His mother found strength to move
her hand now. She stroked his head
with trembling touch, which he
seemed to feel as long as he lived. She
could not say much more. She told him
she had no fear of any of them. They
would be taken care of. She advised
him not to awaken the little ones, who
were sound asleep on the other side of
her. and begged him to lie down himself
till daylight, and try to sleep, when she
should be gone.
This was the last thing she said. The
candle was very low; but before it went
out, she was gone. Joel had always
done what his mother wished; but he
could not obey her in the last thing
she said. He lighted another candle
when the first went out, and sat think
ing, till the gray dawn began to show
through the window.
When he called the neighbors, they
were astonished at his quietness. He
had taken up the children and dressed
them, and made the room tidy, and
lighted the fire, before he told anybody
what had happened. And when he
opened the door, his little sister was in
his arms. She was two years old, and
could walk, of course; but she liked being
in Joels arms. Poor Willy was the most
eonfounded. He stood with his pinafore
at his mouth, staring at the bed, and
wondering that his mother lay so still.
If the neighbors were astonished at
Joel that morning, they might be more
so at some things they saw afterward;
but they were not. Everything seemed
done so naturally: and the boy evidently
considered what he had to do so much a
matter of course that less sensation was
excited than about many smaller things.
After the funeral was over, Joel tied
up all his mothers clothes. He carried
the bundle ON one arm. aud his sister
on the other. He would not have liked
to take money for what he had seen his
mother wear; but he changed them away
for new and strong clothes for the child.
He did not seem to want any help. He
went to the factory tNe next morning, as
usual, after washing and dressing the
children, and getting breakfast OF bread
and milk with them. There was no fire;
and he put every knife and other danger
ous thing on high shelf, and gave
them some trihes to play with, and
promised to come and play with them at
dinner-time And he did play. He
played heartily with the little one, and
as if he enjoyed it, every day at noon
hour. Many merry laugh the neigh
bors heard from that room when the three
children were together, and the laugh
was often Joels.
How he learned to manage, and espe-
cially to cook, nobody knew; and he
could himself have told little more than
that he wanted to see how people did it,
and looked accordingly at every oppOr-
tunity. He certainly fed the children
well; and himself, too. He knew that
everything depended on his strength
being kept up. His sister sat on his
knee to be fed till she could feed her
self. He was sorry to giveit up; but he
said she must learn to behave. So he
smoothed her hair, and washed her face
before dinner, and showed her how to
fold her hands while he said grace. He
took as much pains to train her to good
manners at table as if he had been q
governess, teaching little lady. While
she remained a "baby" he slept in the
middle of the bed, between the two,
that she might have room, and not be
disturbed; and when she ceased to be q
baby, he silently made new arrange
Inents. He denied himself hat, which
he much wanted, in order to buy con-
siderable quantity Of coarse dark calico,
which, with his own hands he made into
q curtain, and slung across a part of the
room; thus shutting off about third of
Il, Here he contrived to make up lit