The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-07-27

''NORAH WAS AN UNUSUALLY ROBUST B4BY."
into the slunber that knows no awaken
ing. NOrah was an unusually robust baby,
full Of vitality and dimp4es. She took
kindly to her bottle Of condensed Eailk, and
all through the winter kept getting fa1ter
and stronger, until see could stand with
ont help by clinging to a chair. NOrah was
taken care Of by her la-year-old sister, Mag
gle, upon whose immature shoulders rested
the responsibility of caring for the dOznes-
tic interests of her conYiYial father, boy
of and the baby.
Maggie was Il fair sample of the little
mothers so frequently seen in the poorer
quarters of New York She was prene-
turely wise and faithful as a dog The
only regret she had when forced TO give
her attep-iOn wholly to housework was
that she could not continue going to school.
But the vague yegrning in her mind to
'know something became more and more
vague as the months rolled away until it
was as q dream OF impossible fuiGilment. A
weary, pitiful 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 atten-
ton in the daytime. Sometimes, however,
at night, when fatigue had locked Mag
Eie's senses ineXOrably, the baby awoke
and cried and then Sobbed herself to sleep
again Maggie was so weary that a thun-
der clap would not have disturbed her
Up to the mouth of July the baby had en-
loved excellent health Then came the
hc&5 rs from gigantic blgst furnace. All
day long tho SKA poured its fire down into
Cherry stFea54ntil the basement was as
hot rs thu SANDS of SShor2. The heat in
valled the tai tenement and turned the
two rooms of the McC9Emacks' into veri
table bakers ovens. The children could
see the East liver rippIed by breeze as
they looked ou1 OF the front windows, but
not q brciySh Ga GOODNESS Invaded the stuffy
apartments
Under the influence Of this consuming
fire NoCah began to grow fretfh and
Fcevish- Enc summer sun is very cruel to
little chil6rra IN Cherry street. The baby
thnew down tho stopper of the vinegar bot
tie and refused TO be corlfOtsed- She cried
continually 10 be carried in Maggis's arms.
She hogan TO lose flesh. In one week all
her CiIIsSsins had gone. The fiery sun was
drinking t3sa olnla's blood. The air which
passed into those feeble, painting lungs was
not freiShte1 with the seent of Spple bios
SONS aud tbs odcrous perfumes of the
deIyy wood, where yerdure cools the air. 1t
was laden with DoKioqs gases and the
noisOme ezShSlztiOns from sewers. Dew
never sparl1ies in thss bfistered locality.
In the evening when the lamps on the
big Brooklyn hri3ge were lit and the sun
had set behind the S;SsCe of Liberty the
moon and the stars came out vita more
gentle. kindly ray for tho chld-sn than
the sun had Shown, ;isad sometimes these
heavenly lanterns brought with them a
little breeze which came signing down the
brick and moEtaT canyon with bcnedic-
tion Of GOODNESS from the swift river. Not
every evening DID these blessed breezes
come, but en- tsfSse rarc occasions when
the bnee8e was stroag enough 10 raise the
dust.
Maggie took the baby down TO the street
and Sat- On Gle doorBteos She watched with
delight the sod 5resze Lift the h&ir from
the temples Of tho Sniid She knew that
coolness meant he and health to the bsby.
These Tere brief Gases OF refces hznent
which served % temporarily check the
pEogrcss-sf tas disease slowly eating the
babyss vibasssy. A little Of the former
brighsneAs came back into the bsbyas eyes
as she reaIinGd IN her sisters hap and
watched thu children darting IN and out
among the idis trucks. At frst Norah
could SIT I'D with her head resting against
her sisters shoulder Bet rs Saedays grew
hotter end roS1S- TIE bs5y tessa 20 drocp
more and mGrs, and
vEAsrss NE 6 flower
TAas Is S-sibag for tas rain
until her had hung oTer Ma1zie's arm