The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1890-07-25

NoRAH WAS AN SrEESEALLrIORJsT BABY. y
into the siumber that knows no awaken
ing Norah was an unusually robust baby,
full of vitality and dimples. She took
kindly to her bottle Of condensed milk. and
all through the winter kept getting fat1cr
and stronger, until She could stand with
out help BY cliiging toa chair. Norah was
taken care Of by her l0-year-od sister Mag
gle, upon whose immature shoulders rested
the responsibility Of caring for the dnmes
tic interests Of her convivial father, a boy
uf Gaud the baby. " .ma. ".4. 4 .r3~. +.
Maggie was Il tuir sample Of the little
mothers 50 frequently seen in the poorer
quarters of New York She was prema-
turely wise and faithful Is i dog The
only regret she had when forced to give
her attention who'll: to houscwork was
thht she could not continue going to school
but the vague yearning in her mind to
know something bechmeInnrt and more
vagnt 'ls the months rolled away until it
was as Il dream Of nfimpossiblc fultillment a
weary, pitifnl existence it was for the
child. redeemed only by her love for the
baby, but none the less heroic.
Norah never suffered for want Of attcn-
;ipn i'll the daytime. Sometimes. however.
at night, when fatigue had locked Mag,
rie's senses nexorably, the baby awoke
agnin Maggie was SO weary that thun-
der clap would not lave disturbed her
Up to the mouth Of July tha baby had en-.
joyel excellent health Then came the
heat rs from i gigantic blast furnace All
day long thc san poured it.. fire down into
Cherry street until the basement was as
lot isa the sands OF Sahny3t Tho heat in
yaded the tail tenement and turned 1llo
two rooms of the McCormacks' iutp ver;-
table bakers ovens, The children could
see the Fast river ripped by a breeze ~
they looie,! ont of the front windows. but
n"l Il breath of caone5s invaded the stutfy
npartmr
Undcr The influence Of this consuming
fire Norah bcgau To grow fretful and
peeSish. The summer sun is very cruel to
little children in Cherry street. The baby
threw down the stopper of the vinegar bot
tie and refused to be comfOrtcl She cried
continually to be carried i'll Maggie's arms.
She began to lose flesh. In one week :il
her dimples had gone The ficry sun was
drinking the cltild's blood. Tho air which
passed into those feeble, painting lungs was
not freightel with the scent of apple bios
SONS and the odorous perfumes of tile
dewy wood, where vert!urc cools the air. 1t
was laden with noxiolls gases and the
nosome eNhalations from sewers. Dew
never sparllles in that blistered locality.
In the evening when the lamps on the
Big Brooklyn bridge were Lit and the sun
had set behind the Statue of Liberty the
moon and the stars came out with more
gentle, kindly ray for the children than
the sun had shown, aud sometimes these
heavenly lanterns brought with them a
little breeze, which came signing down the
brick and mortar canyon with a hanedic-
ton of GOODNESS from the swift river. Not
every evening did these blessed breezes
come, but ON those rare occasions when
the breeze was strong enough to raise the
dust.
Maggie took the baby down to the stree,
and sat OH the doorstep. She watched with
delight the cool breeze lift the hair from
the temples of the child She knew that
cooness meant life al, health to the baby.
These We're brief oascs Of refreshment
which serted to Temporarily check the
progress Of the disease slowly eating the
baby's vitality. A little OF the former
brightness came buck into the baby's eyes
us she reclined in her sisters lap and
watched the children darting i'll and out
among the idle trucks. AT first Norah