Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1891-05-14
A GLoRIFIEp DEATH.
How Little Girl Made Home for IL
Homeless Coustu

How Little Girl Made Home for Her
Homeless Cousin.
There are lights that shine in the
midst of the darkest gloom, and, when
they fall upon the couch of the dying,
death becomes glorifed scene and
holy inspiration touches the hearts of
the living. Not long ago little girl
in this city was taken sick with diph-
liberia, says the Council Bluffs Nom
pareil. She had lost her mother, and
the father, having no home. found a
place for his little daughter in a family
which was i'll no way related by ties of
blood. When the child was first taken
sick the father was notified that he must
take her away. But where could he
take her? Who would consent to re-
ceive diphtheria into their homes?
The father had brother living here
who had an only daughter OF about the
same age as the sick child, and he went
to see him. The two little girls were
much attached to each other, and when
the fathers were discussing the situation
the sympathy of the well child went out
to her little suffering and homeless
cousin, and she looked up beseechingly
into her fathers face and pleadingly
asked to let little Bessie be brought to
their home and cared for. 1t was start
ling proposition. The father loved his
own and he had not thought of assent
ing to any act that would endapger his
daughters life, but there was something
in the look and voice of the child neither
he nor his wife could resist. They both
requested that the little sufferer be
brought to them, aud she was. Under
their care she recovered.
A few days elapsed and their ow q
loved one, the little angel of their hearts,
was stricken down. 1t was malignant
attack and from the very first seemed
hopeless. Oh, the agony Of the mother,
the grief of the father! Their only
child, their idol, brought to the portal
of death through the consent they
themselves had given to the child's re-
quest made in behalf of her little cousin.
What remorse. what regrets forced their
way with dark despair into the souls Of
each as they watched hour by hour over
the couch of their darling and realized
the steady and certain approach Of the
messenger of death.
At last the moment came when hope
stole out and all was dark, SO dark.
The mother stood bending over the suf-
fering form of her child the hot, scald-
ing tears from heart that was break
ing dropped like rivulet of anguish
upon the cheeks of despairing sorrow.
The child was passing into state OF
Inconsistencies, from which it could
only awake with farewell to its tene
ment of clay, when light shone dowr
upon the dying face, and the eyes
opened, and the lips moved. An ex
preston of divinity crept over the trace.
| of pain which the malady had drawn
over every feature of youthful beaut,
! in the childish countenance. TIL,
| mother bent down to. hear the message
1t came in looks as we'll as words, ant
was this: aDear mamma, don't cry TO
! me. Remember, little Bessie will b
with you. We have made home 70
her. You know she had none, mamma
By-by, dear mamma, dear papa; al
angel is waiting for me, and the littl'
one forgot the world in a sleep tina
lasted till the angel took her.
What q message this was to tn
mother, the father, and the world. I
was God speaking through child, tina
all who heard it might understand tina
that life is the happiest or that dealt
the most glorious which is illumined b
an unselfsh desire to help others an,
| forget oneself