Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-04-13
tie hero to the end.

= :
have thought of the little fellow ev.
cry day since he was here; and
somehow couldn't get rid of the
thought that 1 should like to know
what had become of him. How to
find out | couldn't tell, for not one of
us had asked where he lived or his
name or knew any one who could
tell us. Yesterday l thought of a
plan, and SO in the afternoon ] staff
ed for the cemetery, l thought it
likely he carried his stone to. was
lucky, for at my first question the
man in charge seemed to know whom
/ meant, and asked if would know
the stone If saw it. I told him
would, and be started with me ITO.
ward a corner Of the cemetery that
| was afraid was the Potter's field.
I asked if he was taking me to the
pauper's burylng-ground, for | could
not somehow bear to think that our
little ws-man's mother had no bet.
ter place to be laid away in. He
answered iJs
4 = mo, but if it had not been for
one of your good churches down
there in the city she would have
Jared no better than all other pau.
pers. You know the big mission
church down on the Avenue? Well
they couldn't think of burying their
Sunday School scholars in the Pot.
ter's Field if they were only paupers,
many of them; and so several years
ago they bought lot up here just
for them and there's where Pm tax.
king you. Here it Isl he said, as we
stopped in front of a big lot, nicely
fixed up-and sure enough! there
was our monument, at the head of
one of the larger graves. | knew 1t
at once, just as it was when it left our
yard, was going to say, until | got
little nearer to it, and saw what
the little chap had done, o, boys! I
can't describe to you the lettering
on that stone; you will have to go
out and see for yourselves. [ will con-
TESS, that something blurred my eyes
SO / couldn't read it at first. The
little man had tried hard to keep
the lines straight, and evidently
thought the capitals would make it
look better and bigger, for nearly
every letter was capital. l copied
it, and here it is, but you want to
see it on stone to appreciate it:
~ MY MOTHER
SHEE DIDE LAST WEEK
SHEE WAS ALL 1 HAD. SHEE
SEQ SHEAD Bee Waiting FUR.
And here, boys the lettering stop
ped. After while l went back to
the man in charge, and asked him
what further he knew about the lit.
tie fellow who brought the stone.
"Not much 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 the stone, and one
day 1 missed him, and then for sew
eral days. Then the man came out
from that church that had buried
the mother aud ordered the grave
dug by her side. / asked if it were
for the little chap. He said it was.
He sold his papers all out one day
and was hurrying along the street
out this way. He didn't notice the
runaway team just above the cross
ing, well-he was run over,
and didn't live but a day or two.
He had in his hand when he was
picked up an old file, sharpened
down to a point, that he did all the
lettering on that stone with. They
said he seemed to be thinking only
of that until he died, for he kept
saying; l didn't get it done, but
she'll know / meant to finish it,
won't she? PH tell her so, for she'll
be waiting for me-" and, boss he
died with these words on his lips.' ~
We were still for awhile none of
us wanted to say anything.
"And now, boys, what shall we
do said the man who had told us
the story.
"Do, why here is what / want to
do" said one OF the youngest men
who bad only himself to look after,
"Get the best stone in the yard, and
here's V to begin it,"
We all threw in, and if we didn't
get the best stone, we got good
one. Under his name-we got it
from the superintendent of the
school, and put it on because of the
father, who might some day come
back-we put: "He loved his moth
err and I'll warrant you will find
| no better lettering IN that cemetery
than you will find on that stone.
The superintendent of the Sunday
School wanted us to let him know
when we put up the stone and we
did, and a regular delegation from
them went out with us, some of the
teachers, all of the little newsman's
class, and the good many other
scholars, and the good man who
built the church got into the city
the night before and came out with
them. He had heard something of
the story from the teacher, but you
ought to have seen him when he
looked at those stones; the tears ran
down his cheeks and he didn't try
to stop them either.
He made little speech, and after
we had set the stone told the schol-
ars how the little fellow had loved
and worked for his mother, and how
he had denied himself to put up this
little stone to her memory. He told
that the little fellow loved the Saw
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