Daily Republican., 1888-05-03
CAMILLE ONE"

Little One.
In all his brief life he had not knewn
or answered to any other. 1t seemed
TO be part and parcel with himself, and
1t had tenaciously clung to him from
the hour he had been thrown q
frieDdless waif upon our mercy until
the present, when Al 10 years of age
he was ne larger than are most chill
dren of 4 and 5.
We were a childless couple-my
husband and l. Our luxurious home
had never resounded to the pattering
OF baby footsteps nor the music of baby
voices, and 80 when on that bitter
winters night we had found him lying
In mute helplessness on the threshold,
we thanked God, and at once adopted
him into home and heart. And In
home and heart he had reigned tri-
umphant ever sincei
Who he was-from whence extract.
ed-we had never thought to question.
1t mattered little If honor or shame
was his heritage. He had come to US
in time of serest need; he was help
less and innocent and fair TO look
upon, and so we had s:raightway en-
throned the tiny stranger.
From the very first he was possessed
OF touching, appealing sort of beauty,
and of most eLdearing baby ways; and
as day by day discovered some new
charm in mind or body, we grew to
leve him with love that was akin to
idolatry. Oh, how we loved our Little
Onei And now, when 1 stand beside
the mound that covers his ashes. how
the hot tears gush to my eyes, and
how thrsbs my heart in keenest an
guish, as l recall the winsomeness
that so endeared him.
Had we been giftod with prophets
vision we would have foreseen thai
| the jewel had been lent us for season
only, and the blow had not then faller
so suddenly as to find US unprepared
The many veined transparent temples
the large, melancholy blue eyes eval
bent upon the unseen, as 1t were-tht
gentle tones-the spiritlike tread-tolt
q story all their own; but love hat
blinded US and we could not read "be
tween the lines"
For him the future was to be on,
unending dream Of delight; for hin
we built castles in Spain, and planned
and boarded, 80 that when manhood
should come to him he would take hi'
place among the proudest In the land
Could we but have known that thi,
frail liie 80 dear to us, was fast reced
ing from our grasp-that the tendel
feet were even now approaching thu
shores of the Mystic sea, think ye WI
would have so dreamed and planned
True, there were moments, even in ou
blindness, when vague fear woult
send q pang sharper than sword
thrust to the heart, as we caught hi
rapt, far away gaze, or marked an un'
usual languor in his movements. Blu
all such fears were dismissed as quick
| ly as they came, and we woul,
go on planning and dreaming, as be
fore. .-.-.
| Always quiet child, he grew NOR
and more 80 as time sped on until nov
none ever saw him engage in ROM
and play like others OF his age, no
heard his voice raised in boyish laugl
or shout This WAS unnatural AN
should have caused us timely alarm 8
that we might have tried the eflicac
| of more vigorous measures. But W
were blind and could not see wha
was best for the child. For hours an
hours he would amuse himself in hi
own subdued fashion with hi
books and toys while sat SEWN
near him. And |, who loved hir
better than life, was content to have
thus.
But when the twilight shadows fiji
ed the room, it was his habit to throw
his playthings aside, climb my knee
and nesting his golden bead in m.
bosorl, beg me to tell him the dear oil
Bible stories, and of the angels wit
their harps and crowns-stories I
which he had listened from infancy
but of which he never wearied. The
when bed time came and | had robe
him in his snowy nigh,dress, he woul
kneel at myfeet, reverently told hiswaS
en- hands and pray with an earnestnes
that was almost uncanny in so youn
a child, after which he would coax I
be taken in my arms and rocked an
sung to sleep. 1t was bnoy trick {
his which he had never outgrown, an
one in which | delighted to indulg
him, 1t all comes back to me -th
tiny white robed form, the croonin
lulabies, the saint-ike prayer, th
conflding, golden head, the touch {
clinging arms around my neck-and
great wave of agony breaks over IN
soul at the retrospect.
| We had made for our Little One
downy nest; we had sheltered an
hedged him about with tenderest carr
but alasi no earthly love, howeve
tender, could screen him from th
Destroyer Scarlet fever of MOI
virulent type broke out in the village
and in spite of all human precautio
our tone eve lamb" was an earl
victim. How we battled with eu
fierce despair as we hovered in breatl
less suspense above his pillow. Hol
alternately elated we were by hopt
or depressed by foreboding, as W
watched the crimson cheek, or note
the fitiul pulse, let those tell only VIII
have thus enduredi One by on
loves tendrils were being wrenche
from their hold on the heart-one b
one our hopes were going out wit
the sands of liie, and we wer
forced 10 bow to the inscrutablel
1t was a glorious evening in carl,
June. The sun had gone down Ii
more than usual pomp, leaving a
afterglOw of liquid radiance, which i
turn had given place to the solem
stars and full orbed moon. sLittl
One" had been lying for hours in
sort of conscious stupor, from whic