The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-11-14
soMERsET Pa, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER IA. 1888.

the front rom and opened the door. Il
,pas Dad, sure enough, bat he was not
druak he was lying upon board car
ried by four men-niners ali, and black
from their work -and the four staggered
under their burden as hey brought # in
and laird It dpon two chairs which they
motioned Mrs. Walsh 10 place. Then
uncovered their heads. and stood in 81
lence.
Now only did the poor woman realizs
what had happened She stared wildly
at the men, at the crowd Of neighbors al
ready gathered in sympathetic curiosity
at the open door, then tearing herself
loose from the children, who cIung be-
wildered to her skirts, cast herselfshriek-
I ing upon her husbands stifened body.
Bob and jim set up cry, in which the
babies joined. none Of them knowing ex-
setly what they we're crying for, but
/ Terry kneIt By his mother side, though
he did not cry oct rs the others did he
felt choked with the shock and strange
ness Mr.. Walsh WAS the victim Of that
versr common accident, fall Of coal in
the mines, which had broken his neck.
He was thus Incredibly spared the Iinger-
ing tormeuts which 50 often follow such
disasters.
That night, thanks to the friendly otfi-
ciousness Of neighbors. the remains were
laid out ,lecently in the kitchen, sith can
dies at the head and feet Mrs. Walsh,
being Protestant, would not have a
wake, but consented 70 candles. It was
memorable night for Terry. He went to
bed as usual with Bob and jim and two Of
the babies, but the erowding, at other
times the OCCASION of fun, now annoyed
him Then the thought Of poor Nam
over there in her bed alone fexcept the
littlest baby, who didn't count was dread
full He could hear her sob and draw
/ long signs in the darkness. He must 20
to her SO, slipping ont from his bed, he
crept into hers, and putting his little
arms iabout the weeping woman, soon
! lulled her to sleep by the strange power
by which he had formerly exercised the
demon in his father. But for Terry him
self there was no sleep. To this child of
eight years had come the awakening.
Ignorance hung still ia thick unified
clouds about him. bat dim light had
penetrated 20 his poor little cabined soul.
ike that ghostiy first dawned Of which
hunters tells Us. He had no thought Of
death. What it was he did not know.
but it was something. It had no name
;or him, but itexisted. Often before had
he seen men brought home ike Dad. and
worse, too, all bleeding and uangled.
They were carried off in boxes and never
came back, and their friends cried, and
It was ssid that these men were dead
but until nov Terry had not gone one
single step beyond, to wonder OF to ask
what il meant To be dead. His life had
been as purely an animal one as the pos
session of naturally fine mind would
s.lIg--. Is-L~ -sat Deyos.-z h1s brother
and sister, or even beyond his mother,
in considering the condition of the fami-
Iy, it was from material standpoint alone
that be viewed it. To cat, drink, sleep,
and play was life TO him. So far, Soul
had not wanted anything, and conse-
quently knew not Of her own being. But
to-day Soul had suddenly seen something
that Body could not see.
The 'Nbright angel lowering over that
stiffened black form had in some way
managed to reveal It's presence, if not it. [
self. and Terry's soul had mutely replied /
to that mute beckoning. As he lay in
the dark, with his arms around his moth /
er, bearing only the low voices of the I
watchers in the next room, knowing that (
Dads body lay there too, he yet felt as if /
part of Dad were here in this room. He ;
was not frightened to shink of it as pres
ent, vet not seen. In childish, uncon- [
nected fashion he thought over his little
past There wasn't much TO think Of I
but what there was he turned over and /
over again There were manv things he I
couldn't understand. things that had (
never troubled him before. What was it (
all about, anyway Why did people work (
and eat, and sleep and eat, and work [
again ? Did they have+o do it > Couldn't
they stop doing it if they wanted to
Dad had stopped now-did he want 70 I
stop Why was part Of him in here, and T.
part Of him in there2 For Terry. having F.
once settled the quality Of Dad. never
questioned it again. The part in the
kitchen couldn't do anything could the
part in here do anything? With a fash
Of spiritual insight it came TO Terry that
this was the only part thatever had done I
anything. The new thought was too be-
wildering. The child sat up in his ex-
eitement, and for the first time in his lite
be felt alone
Did Nam know anything about this7
he would wake her up and ask her But
then came an Instructive feeling that
Nam didn't know Bob and jim Didn't
know, either. They hardly were sorry
that Dad was dead. Terry was sorry.
Dad was always good 70 him, and would
always stop hollering and hitting Nam
when he told him 10. Dad Was really
good not the part that hit and hoilsred,
but the other part. Did everybody have
two parts? Yes, it must be Dad couldn't
be the only one who had What was the
other part ike Terrys brain, thus sud-
denly reused 10 such novel and abnor-
NAL activity. pictured the whole popula-
tion Of Black Diamond in procession,
each oRe furnished with a part that
you eoaldn't see, but was there all the
same. These spectres staIked back and
forth before his minds eve until ne
thought he sh ould scream as Nam did
to-day, but he restrained himself lest be
should wake the sleeping ones.
Presently his thoughts took a more
practical turn. He must 20 TO work now.
He could pick slate and earn some mon
ey rot enough. though, to save Nam
from washing. Bob might work, too. but
be was afraid Bob couldn't. Bob vas Of
ten sick that Is. he was nearly alWaTs
sick when Nam wanted to send him down
tothe store. Terry sometimes was siekitoo.
When be hadn't bad quite enough to eat
he felt sick, but he guessed he never was