The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-01-28
Select Storg.
LTTTLA-IZA
From Cornhill Magazine.


From Cornhill Magazine.
She had been christened' Eliza Emily
Liversuch." But, except for the fact that
she was made an inheritor of the kingdom
of Heaven very important fact for one
who was destined to possess nothing on
earth-her christening had been in vain.
No one ever called her by her baptismal
name. She was only "Little Liza, or as
more commonly pronounced by those about
her, "Litt' 'la-iza'
She was fortunate in receiving the priv
ilege of christening at all. In that re-
spect she was better off than the babies
that came after, in all other respects they
had the advantage. But at the time that
her mother took her to the font she was
the only child, and Mrs. Liversuch was
proud of her new dignity, and prepared to
let Eliza Emily start fair in the race of
life. However, before very long it be-
came clear that, through somebody's fault,
certainly not her own, Litt'la was han
dicapped. 1t was not only that she was
not able to run the course; it became
doubtful if she could walk it.
When Tommy was born she could only
crawl, and when Billy arrived she was
crawling still. When Tommy was capa-
Bile of maintaining the perpendicular for
considerable length of time without endan-
gering his nose, Mrs. Liversuch began to
wonder seriously at Litt'la-iza's lack Of
ambition. One day she carried her to the
London Hospital When she returned it
was with the knowledge that Litt'la-iza
could never be expected to walk. Her
legs were paralyzed.
Perhaps Littla-iza had suspected it all
along, and that was why her efforts to
''feel her legs" had been so feeble, and
why when she had toppled over directly
she started to obtain the lump of sugar
held at distance of three-quarters of a
yard she gravely abandoned all efforts
at locolnotion save that which made,
the danger of fall impossible. Perhaps
too, that was why she was of such seri-
GUS disposition. Mrs. Liversuch thought
it was only because girls were quieter
than boys by nature that while the latter
cried and quarrelled and scratched each
other, and clamored to be taken up at all
sorts of inconvenient minutes, their sister
was content to sit on the floor and play
with the Goals, and would remain for
hours where she had been placed, staring
before her with wide, pensive eyes. When
she discovered the truth the mother was
very disappointed. She was fonder of
girls than boys, and she had been proud
of her first-born. She hated to tell her
neighbors, when they remarked on the
ehild's backwardness, that Lift la-iza would
never be anything but burden to her.
If she had had another daughter she
might have forgiven Litt'la-iza for not be-
ing credit to her, but all the subsequent
children were boys. She was not unkind
to Lift t'la-iza, but she seemed to have lost
interest in her. Besides, the others as
serted their claims on her attention,
whereas the cripple child had an instinct
for patient submission.
As time went on, and the children grew
plentiful in proportion as work and food
grew scarce, it was generally understood
that If any one had less to eat than the
others it must be Litt'la-iza. The boys
would have to be strong and go to school
and earn their livings; it didn't matter SO
much about poor Litt'la-iza, who was no
credit to her food even when she had it,
but remained pale and thin and tiny.
From the day that her mother brought
her back from the hospital Litt'la-i did
not go out of doors. The baby was too
heavy to carry, SO when any one went in
the perambulator it was he, and as long as
there was perambulator there was always
baby to occupy it. At last the peram
bulator was sold. Mrs. Liversuch was in
want of money, and moreover, she never
found time now to go out and wheel the
children. They had to take the air in
the gutter Litt'la-iza would sit indoors,
and hold the latest baby In her weak arms
while the mother worked At last adverse
circumstances compelled the family to
move. On this occasion Lit la-iza father
carried her tand the kitchen fender)
through the streets of Whitechapel. 1t
being winter and rainy weather she was
cold and wretched. IF she had any de-
sires before to be sometimes in the open
air this checked them. The next move
they made was effected without the neces-