The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-05-09
The Golden Stair.
IF. E. Huddle, in Through Mail.

The Golden Stair.
 IF. E. Huddle, in Through Mail.1
 A little girl lay ill with typhoid fever, and her baby brother played about her bed. Her mother, fearing that the noise he made might be injurious, endeavored to take him away, but he cried out to his sick sister, who said she wished that he might remain by her. The family was poor. The house in which it dwelt was weather beaten and in more than one place. the plaster was off the ceiling of the little room where the girl had been lying, how ering between life and death for many days, and the shingles of the roof were warped and cracked so the sun often shone down upon the bed. The mother left her baby boy with his sister and went out into the balmy air of tue spring morning to cultivate her little garden, while baby was quiet and Daisy was still. When she left her children the little boys chubby hands were entwined with his sisters curls, and her wan face frightened, as she felt their soothing touch, and her eyes closed peacefully, and one of her weak arms lay caressipgly upon her brothers shoulder. The child was still for few moments, then his lit- tie flaxen head sank upon the pillow, and he, too, slept, lying close to his sister, his little face buried in the rich waves of golden hair that clustered about her an- gelic features. A ray of sunlight finding no obstruction in roof or ceiling, came and nestled at their feet, and as the day wore ou, it crept upward, and as it's source became more perpendicular to the rift in the roof, through which it gained entrance, spread out and covered more and more of the sleeping children Daisy had told her brother of the shin ing stair, which she would one day as- cend. He awoke and seeing the sun light on her feet, he dallied with her curls and cried aloud:
 "Dadiel Dadiei Go foot is on c step. Go doin up title stair, BAdie. Go is up two, fee step, Dadie, an co deiu up, an up, an ap, way up to g'eat bid ight." Daisy awoke. sHer hand again sought the shoulders of her brother, and a smile such as only the faces of angels wear, blossomed.on her lips as her flushed cheeks paled and her eyes sought the in- nocent face of the brother she loved so we'll
 Hush, darling" she said "I am go- ing up the golden stair. Do not tell mama until l am gone, and come closer to me, sweet brother, for l am going-go- ing away-up, up above the clouds-up the shining stair-to heaven"
 T know, 1 know, D Adie. Go foots is way up bid wed stair-e purty, wsd stair, an bid wed fight shine on co turls, Dadie. an it am dit g'eat bid an bidder an bidder, Dadie."
 "Listep, Darling. am almost to the white gate at the top of the bright, pretty stair. see the angels on the hill sides inside, and l hear their happy voices singing such swset-such soft and pretty music, just like mama sings to you some times, only it is even softer and sweeter than that. Oh darling brother, kiss me. am almost up the stair, and the light is SO bright and cheerful, and good bye brother-kiss Daisy good bye"
 The little one did her bidding, and when her bright eyes closed. and her whole form was flooded with the splen- dor of the sunlight, his face sank upon the pillow among her curls again, and his little arms were elapsed about the neck of his dead sister, and sobbing, he fell asleep.
 The mother entered the room of her sick child. She saw her boy and girl sleeping so peacefully, that she would not wake them. Daisy must bs better, g she whispered to herself as she vent about her househ old duties with lighter heart. "It is so long since she has slept SO restfully. An! yes, my child is better much better"
 The doctor came. "She is asleep" {" the mother whispered, as she led him to the death chamber. He started as he looked upon the face of his little patient "Yes, good mother, she is asleep, ,"-he said, asleep never to wake again. This must not be-" he added as he lifted the form of the babe from beside his sisters body. "He may contract the infection, too." It was too late. Before the form of little Daisy was laid in the village [churchyard, the fever-the fatal fever had seized upon her baby brother, and one morning just as the sun peeped through chink in the crazy wall and fell upon his face and form, as his mother bent over him, he threw up his little hands and smiled, and cried out with his baby voice:
 @Ohi Dadie, Ise tumin up c bid-wed stair, to bid ight," and the widowed mothers heart gave great bound of grief and was broken as the light filled the room and then went out forever, leaving her childless and alone.
 --~oA
 Rupture, Breach or Hernia.