The Arizona sentinel., 1890-04-26
FUNERAL ~ A TENEMENT.
UHOSTENTATlOUS SERVICE OVER
THE DEATH OF A BABY.

at Cypress Hills.
A little girl in a red checked apron stood
on tiptOe TO tie two pieces of white rib IN
10 the front door knob of the big tenement
where she lived. 1t was in Rose street,
Just around the corner.
The ribbon was limp and old, and hung
IN a hfeless way against the worn panels
of the door She stepped back to note the
effect, and another girl about the same
age came out from q door i'll the lower
hallway and joined her. The two little
ones were the only signs CT life about the
great building, that looked black and for
bidding, with It's range of grated fire es-
capes giving it the air OF a barred prison.
The second conner stared at the first girl
with bold eyes for a moment and said,
pointing to the fiuttcring ribbons:
''What did you do that for:''
''Baby is dead
'Do you live in this house,
Eyes; on the fourth floor
Club with a sniff of contempt. eve
I've on the first hcor and we've got a
baby carriage" Then in a more cOncil-
iatOry way: MAY l come up and see it?'
81 guess sO,' and the two children,
hand in hand, went up the dark steps to
the little room fronting on the street,
where the IN, Their and the woman of the
next room Wee preparing the child for
burial.
It was q bloodless little thing, the piece
Of clay the woman fondled in that hnger
ing way they have with those they love.
The mother seemed jealous of IL, atten
ton her friend showed the child. She
wanted to attend 10 the last rites herself.
She could not bear to have other hands
touch the little thing. No other hands
put hers should smooth the pillow for its
last sleep There was no wild oUtburst of
weeping on her part, and, beyond a GER
tain QuerUiouSnesS, no demonstration of
affection. The mother did not even cry.
She was too used to suffering for that.
She talked reminiscently of the bundle of
white on the bed She told how she
never expected to raise it; that it had al
ways been thin and sickly; that it was the
best child in spite of all that the world
had ever seen; that she knew it could
never stand the warm weather, and l 900
little details that only a mother could re-
member and repeat. And every now and
then she would begin again and go over
its peculiarities, finding some new charm
to tell of.
SYMPATHETIC NEIGHBoR.
1ut Olu6I MOultu WIS sympathetic
receptive, petting the mother and calling
her "Dearie'' and My darlin' - and fit
ting about the room putting things to
rights with an air of proprietorship that
would have been holly resented at any
other time. The two neighbors living so
close together had been great enemies and
had fought royalty over the petty privi-
leges of the fourth floor hallway. But
all that was forgotten and laid aside now.
Pretty soon a young man with a weeks
growth of beard and furred silk hat came
IL softly without knocking at the door.
He said he was the undertaken. Nobody
knew how he had found out about the
death. He had book with pictures of
collins il it. He stepped on tiptoe across
the room and asked in a subdued voice
whether tomorrow morning would suit
for the funeral. Then he said that for
s14 one could get a beautiful caslzet. He
always called his collins caskets. The
neighbOr took him aside and conferred
with him, finally getting the $14 casket
for 81. Then he went away, after leav-
Ing receipt for e s. cash that had been
paid on installInent
The mother took the cold form of her
child IL icr arms and rocked it as she had
Zone so often in life. 1t had a long, white
gown, with bit of lace down the front
She took wisp of pink ribbon AND fas-
tened it at the baby's throat. The neighbors
protested that she must not do that; it
would never do. But the mother persist
ed and the bit of bright color remained
The husband came home from work at
the usual hour and did net grumble at the
cold supper that was spread for him. He
kissed his wife in way that he lad not
a loving couple, full Of the truest affection
for each other, but the affection did not
often find outward expression. He sat
with his wife for half an hour and then
feeling himself in the way went down and
joined the group on the stoop. She did
not care to leave the room. .
A SIMPLE FUNERAL
he was working on q particularly urgent
job and went off with Lis tools as usual the |
next morning. He kissed the mother Of the
little one again before he left. The woman
across the hall came in early and put
things to rights. Then she disappeared
for a, little space and returned, dressed in
anewer gown of black. She brought a
bunch of OK eyed daisies with her and put
them in the baby's hands. The little girl
who bad tied the white ribbon That served
as crepe to the front door knob came I'D
wonderinGly ard felt of the flowers. Then !
she took one for herself The neighbor |
and the undertaken arranged the casl1et, /
the woman quietly slipping the Bit of pink 1
ribbon from the shrOud. But the quick .
eyes Of the mother saw it and would not |
have the child deprived of the bit of color. I
1t had always loved the bright string, she /
pleaded. SO the pink knot rested there.
A young minister c9me-he was hardly /
more than a boy-and read chapter from |
the Bible and said a few words of cCnso- !
lat on in German. There were ten or
twelve persons in the room. He PRAYED .
for the bit OF clay in the coffin. Then the
undertaker's man took tue coffin in his
arm and carried it down the hack that
stool waiting ut the door The mother
cried softly to herself during the services.
and her little girl stood by her side and
stared at the minister. There was no
hearse, and only one carriage The man
put the ltrle coffin on the front seat Of the
hack, the r''thCr and her little girl and
the neighbor wa0 had been SO kind to her
got in with Il, one OF the group waitingoD
the sidewalk slammed the door. and the
c rriage took its way over to Long Island
t. Cypress Hills cemetery. Nothing was
said at the grave by any one They took
the little box and put it in great grave
with half Il Hundred boxes of the same
kind of prcc3Eg duet tlat had been al
ready Laid away 60 rest.
In tie afternoon tie three mOurners
came home Tie mother went up to her .
room and the little girl again stood on tip .
toe at the door 10 unite the fiuttcring
white She took the ribbons upstairs,
folded them carefully ard PIT them back
in the l,E ,V;ilrp hey had been at first