News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-03-05

But" 1 persisted, ''you might have
tainted on the stairs p
"Fainted y the boy cried. "Oh,
mammyl mammy"
Great tears rolled down his cheeks
but I said to him:
"You must coax her to rest for few
days I"
eyes, man," he answered, wistfully.
''if only she could! But there are
Lisette and Mary, and Eddie and Sue
Oh, dear -
"There, Johnnie, you're not to fret, y
said the woman; "the good God knows!''
Oh, the simple faith of the few words.
Could any sermon be SO powerful? ALI
those dependent upon the failing, faint
ing strength, and only the child like re-
lance upon the Creator for support.
81 think He sent me" 1 said, $50 that
you can rest little while. Promise me
YOU will not go out until come again. p"
put some money in Johnnie's hands
as I said this, and the promise was
made. Then 1 left the room and went
back to the dressmaker's.
''Who is the gan-grinder upstairs p
I asked.
can. you have seen her. She is one
of earth's angels? None of those idiots
belong to her She has picked them up,
one after another, from the cutters. l
mean actual cutters, and given them a
place in her care. She has taught Lis
cite to cook, to wash and dress the
others, to care for them; she has taught
Johnnie and Mary their simple trades,
and they learn something every day
They all call her nanny, and they all
worship her."
"But," said, 'she is killing herself !!
She tainted, not an hour ago, on your
landing"
"Poor creature That organ is fear
fully heavy for a woman in this hot
weather, but she makes more that way
than she does by going out for odd jobs
of cleaning, which she does in bad
weather. tainted ! Poor creature y
''But does she support the whole six?"
1 asked.
Excepting what the children earn !;
not much, guess. Some of the people
she works for, give her old clothes, and
sometimes broken food. But in the
summer, she makes pennies at organ
playing for all. 1t don't cost so much
to live in summer T.
The next day went again. 1 found
Dora (she told me her name was Dora
Smith) in bed, too feble to lift her head,
but propped with a chair back, and su-
perintending the others. She gave me
a smile of welcome, and l drew up a
chair beside her.
81 am sorry to find you SICK" I said.
SIT is only weakness, ma'am," she an
swered. 81 don't seem to have any
strength; and Johnnie was that scared
at what you said about my fainting on
the stairs that he fairly cried himself to
sleep last night I'm thinking, ma'am,
of your saying God sent you here ! 1t
may be He sees fit to take me. I've
knowed for a good piece back I'd go be-
fore long. The doctor at the dispensary
told me that in the winter. And l do
fret for them, na'an =
sCHave, they no other homo 90
"Not a single one Of them, ma'am.
And all half -witted but Johnnie. They'll
all forget soon but him."
'But how did you come to gather
them here p
'Well, ma'am, Providence sent them,
one might say. Lisette, she lived down
stairs, and her'mother took washing and
drank fearful, till she had fall that
killed her. I'd pitied the girl a many
dav. and was alone here; so [ took her
to help me. She's real handy, Lisette
is"
nodded as she waited for reply.
"Then Johnnie came. found him
in the street begging, and half frozen.
[ only took him in here to warm him,
and then I hadn't the heart to turn him
cut. We three were six months here
when Mary fell down the stairs and broke
her back, somehow. She was bright
enough before that, but her folks, a
father and sister, beat her awful, and l
think it took her wits. They ran away
from her at last, and L told her she
might stay, and one of the women on
this floor taught her about the flower
making and gives her work. 1 think
she will take Mary, for Mary's handy,
very handy at her work"
81 see she is" I said, as again Dora
waited for her innocent pride in her
strange family to be noticed. "But
the little ones They cannot be more
han seven or eight years old.
81 don't knowl Lisette brought
them home one night last winter; bit
ter, bitter night She went out fol-
some milk to warm for supper, and came
back with one in her arms and the othel
holding her dress. They are not bright
and both lame. I cannot find out where
they belong, so they stay. And, ma'am
strange as it may be, we've not wanted 6
bit nor sup for many long day."
'tBut you have broken your health by
overwork."
"No, ma'am. The doctor says the
troubles been there long time; anC
they're all good children ! Lisette'
very good to me. She's out day will
the organ, and Sues gone with her tt
take the pennies. But they can't count
and often they lose oil they take. That
why go myself"
1 talked long time with the poo
woman, finding all her anxiety was TO
her strange family, while Johnnie's wa
all for her. The next day I sent M
own physician to see her, and he con
frmed her own statement that she wa
| ,nE Iicooca tho