Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1888-08-25
particularly sober. startled rs with:
"T say boys, wouldn't you like TO
know what became of our little

say u0TS, W0uldnT you Ike +
know what became of our littl
newsmansn
Eyes, yes; what do yon know q
hlm?" came from several at once
and work was forgotten for tim,
as we listened to the story Of on
little hero TO thr end.
"WelI. said the workman, 7 viii
5 own 7 have thought of the it'll,
fellow every day since he was her,
: andsomehow conldn't GET rid Of thu
thought that slonld like to know
what become Of him How to finf
ont ! couldn't tell; for not one Of IL.
had asked where he lived. or hi.
name, or knew any one who conli
tell MS. Yesterday 7 thought of s
plan and so in the afternoon
started for the cemetery I Though,
lit likely he had carried his stone
t TO. was lncky. for at aimostmy
J first question the man in charge
q seemed to lsnowswhom Islneant.and
4 .askedifI world know the.stone.i
FL saw it. Hold him Iswomll,3 and
he started with me toward acornel
of the cemetery, that 7 was afraid
was the Potter's Field. I asked
him If he was taking me to the
Epanprr's burying ground, for
could not somehow bearto think
That our little newsman's mother
had no betterplace to be laid away
in. He answered:
''No; bnt if it hadn't been for one
Of .yonr COOL churches down there
in the city, she would have Jared
no better than all other paupers.
You know the hig mission church
down there on thc avenne? Well.
they couldn't think Of hurying their
Sunday school scholars IN the Pot :
ter'S Field. if they were "only pau.
pers," many of them; and so sever.
al years ago they bought 4 big lot
mp here just for Them. and there's
where Pm taking you. Here it is.'
he said. as we stopped in front Of
a big lot, nicely fixed nI-and sure
enough, there was orr monument,
at the head of one of the largest
graves; knew it at once, inst as it
was when it left our yard, | was
going to say, until got a little
nearer 70 it, and saw whatthe lit
tie chap had done, @ boys! Ican't
describe the lettering to you on
that stone; You will have to go out
and see it for yourselves. | will
confess that something blurred my
eyes so that conldn't read it at
first. The little man had tried to
keep the lines straight, and eyi-
IDENTIFY thought that capitals would
make il look better and bigger, for
nearly every letter WAS a capital.
| copied it and here it is, but you
won't appreciate it:
MY MOTHER
SHEE DlDE LAST WEAK,
SfIEE WAS ALL I HAD. SliEE
SEQ SIZED Bee WaIIT.INs.:. Enl1scs7s;
NnG here KoYS, me ieTTrrng
stopped. After awhile | went back
to the man in charge and asked
him what further he Knew of the
little fellow who brought the stone.
''Not mucll," he said, "not much.
Didn't You notice a fresh little
grave near the one with the Stone?
Well, he lies there. He had been
coming here every afternoon for
some time working away at that
sTone, and one day | missed him,
aud then for several days. Then
the man came out from the church
that had buried the mother, and
ordered the grave dug by her side.
asked il it was for The little chap.
He said it was. He had sold his
papers all ont this way. lIedidn't
notice the runaway team just above
the crossing, and--well-he WIS
run over, and didn'', live but q day
or two. He had in his hand when
he was picked up an old file, sharp
encd down to a point, that lie did
Ill the lettering on the stone with.
They said he seemed to he think
ing only of that until he died, for
he kept saying: IL didn't get it
done; she'll know I meant to finish
if, won't she? iii tell her so, for
she'll be waiting for me-" and, boys
he died with those words oil his
lips.
We were still u while, none OF us
wanted TO say anything.
"And now, boys, what shall we
do?n said the man who had told us
Jhestory.
"Do? Why, here is what I want
to do" said one of the Youngest
men who had only himself to look
after: sect the best stone in the
yard, and here's Y to begin it,"
We all threw in, and il we didn't
get him the Jest we got him IL good
he.
4 Underhis name-wc got it from
the superintendent Of the school
: and put it on because Of the faith
er, who might some day come back
we put; He loved bis mother;'
and I'll warrant you, will find nc
better lettering in that cemetery
than you will iiud on that stone.
The superintendent of lie Sun
!. day school wanted us to let hin
know when we put up the stone