The Penn's Grove record., 1888-02-11

ncI, anu ltIl US Vi queer lHluRS LndI
she had dTeamed. They were such
dreams as, / verify believe, never dis.
turbed the rest of any child before.
Her mother laughed at them, yet was
doubtful. "What can possibly be the
meaning of it, James?" she once said
to me. "Oh!" | answered gayly, too,
''the child must have come direct from
the fairies" One day. 1t was the last
day of the old year-are you following
me, my friend?"
"Iudeed / am"
sit was the last day of the old year,
just as this day is the last of the year
now passing from u.s." continued Wild
ing. "Janey had been born on New
Years Day, and some children were to
come the next evening to keep her
birthday, she would be ! years old.
After tea she began talking Of the
morrow's party, Skipping gayly about,
with happy chatter. Presently she
seemed to tire, sat down on a footstool
and became silent. Suddenly she
turned round and looked at me. Her
mother had left her seat to search In a
cabinet at the end of the room, and
was standing with her back to u.s."
"Papa, why did you say we should
be twelve tomorrow EVENING""
"Why so we shall be, Janey."
NO." said she, shaking her little
head, sits only eleven; I've been
counting"
"There are to be nine little guests,
you know, my dear; yourself will make
ten, and your mamma and | twelve -
"But mamma will not be there"
"You quaint little ressoner. Where
else will mamma be?"
81 spoke in a testing tone; Janey was
looking at me almost doubtlngly, as if
she did not understand my last ques-
ton; her blue eyes, a world of serious
depth in them, were fixed upon mine.
"Not mamma" she repeated; "she
won't be here. So it will be eleven;
you count. papa"
81 laughed. and let her have her
way. Mary came back with what she
had been getting from the cabinet-it
vas a picture album, l remember, and
l don't think she had heard Janey's
logic. Robert Erringtonl before Md
day the next day she was dead"
"Who WASP" l cried, startled. "TLe
child?"
mo, no; Mary, my dear wife. She
had an hours illness in the morning,
and then died." he added, in a tremu-
lous whisper.
Good heavensl What was it2"
THAT croaker, the old doctor, had
the cruelty to say we ought to have
been looking out for it: that lie had
warned me-" rejoined Wilding, in a
voice so low 1 could hardly catch it.
1T seemed like cruelty to me; / sup
pose he did not mean it so. She took
with her the best part of my life; all
that was worth having in it, except
Janey.o
"For a few minutes there was a
silence, deep as THAT amid the pine
trees when the wind is still. Then
Wilding went on.
"Telling all this In words, though
it's rarely absent from my thoughts, is
so painful to me that l must end it.
Listen yet:
"Another birthday Of Janey's came
round; or. rather, vas coming, when
she would be 10 years old; three years
had elapsed since that dreadful time.
There's not much to record Of their
passing; the world vas half a blank to
me-, leaving little remembrance behind
it. The last day of the old year, in
the morning, Janey was with me In the
study at her lessons. 1t was a fair.
sunny day, and when the last lesson
book was closed, / began talking
brightly of the little treat l had planned
fG: the morrow-for I did not infiict
any gloom upon the child. We were
to take a short journey of pleasure, and
1 painted to her in glowing colors the
features Of the trip, saying in this
place we should see some magnificent
scenery. and in that place we should
dine-a sumptuous dinner with jam
tarts and sweetmeats. Another little
girl was to go with US. fancy, sitting
close to me, had bent from her chair
sideways to lay her head upon my arm
while she listened, her pretty golden
curls falling over it. "And we three"
l wound up with, LOFTY and Janey
and ], will be happier than all the fai-
ries."
".But, papa" she suddenly said, lift
ing her head to face me, Il shall not
be there"
"a cold SILVER passed through me.
Just the words she had said of her
mother three years before.
"What do you mean child2"
why. papa, l shall not be with you
on that New Years journey; it will be
only you and Lofty"
"Janey, why do you say thisp Who
told you you would notY"
''Mamma," size promptly answered;
"mamma came to my room in the
night, and said that l Vas going to be
with her Tomorrow. She woke me up,
| think, for | opened my eyes all in a
minute, and she was standing by the
bed, and then she said it,"
1.-THE child repeated this as calmly
as she would repeat a story out of a
book, without the slightest appearance
of discomfort, A wild terror filed my
heart; l could not control 1t, and /
caught her to me and stroked her golden
hair"
''Janey-Janey! Don't you know
what you are sayingP II you go to be
with your mother you will leave me
all alone. All alonel"
"Janey burst into sobs. But yet she
did not seem to realize the situation
l swallowed my own emotion; 1 soothei
her with loving words-whieh brought
to my soul none of the comfort they
were meant to bring to hers. Alas,
alasl
"And the resultP" | breathed, hardly
daring to put the question.
"Need you ask itp" returned Wild
ing, with a bitter smile. "That same
morning. close upon the conversation
in the study, Janey was seized with a
dangerous disorder which was going
about Boston, and died the next day
her birthday"
"l'm going to mamma in the strange
land, she strove TO say to me in dying.
81 know she will be there to meet me.
Don't cry, papa-yes, yes, mamma.
I'm coming" she added . minute
afterward, striving to rise from the
pillow and stretching out her hands
apparently to somebody in the distance,
and then fell back lifeless upon the pill.
low.
"WIding bent his face on his hands,
tears trickling through his fingers.
Thus there was a long silence.
"a nd that's nv mast history. Errinp.