The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-18
a LITTLE BROWN WITCH.

the eyes, all Give and awake, looked on
OF their places" bright as those Of Brown
ing's gypsy,witch--
As fshe could double and quadruple
Al pleasure the play Of either pupil
The tan OF the sun in the sky and all thu
sheen of the sea was on her skin; and /
melancholy like that Of the Sphinx seemed
to have turned the face to stone. She sd
in little hut by the shore, whose dool
was open; and she had little dead child
across her knees.
OF course VIC looked in and then we wen
in.
"You poor child" said. "TeIl me-
what TX this?1 What does it mean? How
terrible foryou to be here all alone. Is
there nobody -"
That's Just it," she said, in low, hoI.
low tone, as if talking TO herself, mo.
body"
kneeled down beside her and looked al
the. little dead three year old baby--jus,
our Eflie's age-putting my arm around
the elder one rs l did so.
You can kiss her il you want to. said
the child, with sort OF gasp. "She was
80 sweet" 3iiT
didn'twmt to, but ! kissed her, and
then kissed the little mother holding the
dead baby on her knee. She looked at me
again a moment with those fevered eyes,
and then she leaned forward and rested
her head on my shoulder.
There's nobody TO kiss me-" she said
faintly, since the day the wave tumbled
over father and he never came up. And
the baby had fever and he'd gone up 10
town for some medicine, and / was looking
out for him, and saw him and the wave
Its stormed n week SINCE OF course it's
stormed. The sun couldn't shine if II
would. There's been nobody here. And
there's been nothing 10 eat. And"
And what are you going TO do?' in
tcrruptcd
'.l'm sitting here till die, too. IT won't
be long. you sec" she said family, looking
up and leaning back in her chair again.
I'm 50 little IL won't take olong 10 starve
rs II does sometimes. l don't feel 10 bad,
You know, because shall see them so soon
now"
'starvel" ] cried. 'My dear child
What do you think of such a thing for?''
There's nothing TO eat" she replied,
In dull tone. There hasn't been this
two days. What else shall l do? And
Im-Im glad OF il. It's the only way
can have my dear people again." she said
with . little, dry sob. "And OF course
Tod meant that | should, or he would
have sent something. Icouldn't leave the
baby"
"He has sent something' ] said, crying
myself. "lle has sent my husband and
lac. You shall go home with u.s." And
] took the poor baby and laid il on the
bed, while the. other child looked at me
with half-bewildered eyes. ! proceeded
TO unpack our lunch basket and light the
spirit lamp-for Ralph and had strolled
down the beach for an old-time picnic by
ourselves and to heat some milk and
water, which made her drink. ats too
late for the baby" she said, holding IL off
q moment. ] sat beside her, and in a lit
/, tie while made herdrink some more. And
then, n she seemed falling asleep, ] went
TO the door, where Ralph waited, for a
whispered consultation about the baby.
mo, mo-" she said quickly, all alert
again, baby can be buried where her
father waz, in the middle Of wave. We
can row out there In boat-the boat came
ashorc,' you know. Baby would like that
best. Shc said then, quickly: "She
might, you know, she might sink and find
her fathers arms-he loved her So" How
wizened and old and pretcrnatural she
looked ~ she was saying this in her thin
and feeble voice. But, Of course, we could
not think NJ any such burial as she pro-
posed. anil the baby had little funeral
that outraged none OF the propricties. And
as no one IN the region roundabout knew
anything more about the children and
their ialher than that they had come there
and lived some months in tina, lonesome
hut, out Of sight Of any but the sea-gulls,
when We went away, which was In acouple
OF days, we took the little, lean. brown
creature home with Ms.
"fCr what else Is there 10 do2" said.
/. 81 don't know rs there il anything"
sail Ralph, obviously. "And the little
wretch relies ON us 10 that don't suppose
We can put her OFF into any institution, as
Aunt juliet suggests.
"No II would not do. Don't YOU see
the child Il full Of certain sort OF refine
ment and Of strange idealities7 Didn't
you see her rocking Ellie In the twilight
Ellie takes the place in some fashion OF
that baby Of hers She sings the sweet
old English ballads that can't imagine
where she picked up. And did YOU notice
how careful she was TO make mp the little
parcel 10 take with herr What do You
suppose there WIS in II? Something she
called ller mothers wedding lines. And
little bundle Of letters, aud an old pho
togRph 81 her father, and ring, Just a
plain gold one, that his father gave him
when lac was u boy, and that lac used for
her mothers wedding ring-and the
mother died, poor young thing-and they
were ~ poor he sold everything else, but
lac wonldnt sell that. She said all this as
shc was putting up the parcel | havn't
asked 10 So, anything in IT,"
THAT ~ right, Respect her reserve.
And by-and-by she may forget the thing.
! hope 10 II We keep her. And II looks "a
though II were meant We should"
"Wcll, II ever there were two young
fools who ought 10 have guardians APP
pointcdr' cried Aunt Juliet, coming over
later OF course you can always find
leading Of Providence where you want IL.
But hope you are going TO keep her in
the kitchen and make her Of some usc2''
"You don't mean 10 send Inc awayl"
cried voico from behind Us, and Nina
that was the name her father called her,
her mothers pet namc--stood there, tip
ioeing her great eyes glowing and dark.
cning. her hands nringng one another.
"You cant mean 10 send me away when
you've brought me here, when Two got
nobody else hut yon, when love YOU so"
And the team that her great despair and
neighI,orho0d to death had not called forth
FLASHED over now In large drops. "You
know she said, THAT viii take care Of
Elhe and run Roses crrands and sew with
Jane all day long, and will teach Efiie