The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1894-11-08


but neither teacher nor Scholars
could so easily pass an Interview
like that.
Philip confessed himself unable to
advise her what to do, but he thought
it best to accompany her TO school
next morning. Some other gentle
men came too, and assured Sarah of
their sympathy, and told her to
count on their support to the fullest.
Then they rode to interview Mrs.
Sloan. But their assistance was not
needed, for only two of the Sloan
children came that day, and they
were unusually clean. "Miss Sah,,n
they said, chad washed Them" The
youngest child was sick.
The next day the two older chill
dren reported that their little sister
was "wuss." That afternoon Sarah
met the doctor coming from the
direction of Mrs. Sloan's and learnt
from him that the little girl had 'the
slow fever and stood a mighty poor
chance to get well in her fathers
house and with her mother for a
nurse" On her way to school next
morning Sarah went by Mrs. Sloan's
to inquire about the child. "Come
in an see her," said Mrs. Sloan.
Sarah entered the room, but its
indescribable flthiness nearly over
come her. The sick child lay on a
pile of straw in one corner of the
dirty floor, and a pet pig or two
nestled by her side.
"Philip," said Sarah that evening,
81 have a favor to ask of you; finish
teaching my school for me. 1t has
only two weeks more to run, and
you are not very busy now"
"Why can't you teach it yourself7
Afraid of Mrs. Sloan"
"No, I want to try to save the
life of little Alice Sloan. The doctor
says she will certainly die there,
and I am going to ask Mrs. Sloan to
bring her here"
"But she will never do that.n
~ don't know. She seemed deeply
concerned for her, and the doctor
will tell her she must get her away
from the other children"
eff she brings her over, I'll finish
the school for you"
"That's a good brother" said
Sarah.
Mrs. Sloan utterly refused at first
to move the child to Sarah's; but
when the doctor told her she was
killing the child by keeping it there
she yielded. When the little sufferer
was safely in the nice clean bed in
Sarah's room, that young lady told
the physician to come just as often as
he thought he could do any good,
and to look to her for his fees. The
disinterested kindness of the young
lady moved the kind hearted doctor,
and he persuaded Mrs. Barnes, who
was an excellent nurse, to come over
and help her. But the child con-
tinued to grow worse; and when
Philip returned from school the next
Friday afternoon he found the doctor
walking up and down on the fro mt
piazz.
"How is she, DOCTOR" the young
man asked. .
"About as bad as she can be to be
alive at ALL" he said. s'She can
take no more medicine. / have
done all l ear. Your sister is in
there praying for her with her
parents. Only God can save her."
Philip quickly entered the room.
Around the bed on which lay the
pale and seemingly lifeless form of
the little girl were bowed it's father
and mother, weeping bitterly, while
Sarah, in a voice broken with
sympathetic grief, pleaded with God
for the life of the child. Philip
kneeled beside his sister, and con-
tinued her prayer when she had
ended. After some minutes, the
doctor came in, felt her pulse and
looked at her in silence. Then he
beckoned Sarah out of the room.
"She is at the crisis now. In a
short time she'll be better or dead,n
said he. After an hour he said, "she
is BETTER" and from that moment
she began to ecover. In two weeks
she could sit up. In a month she
was well. But she did not want to
leave Sarah, and her parents, unable
to do enough for their now dearly
loved friends, not only let Sarah
keep her, but changed her name to
Sarah Alice. All the community
sounded with the praises of the two
young people.
= y
1t was the day before their second
Christmas, and they were sitting
with their dear old grandmother
around a cheerful log fire in Philips
room, when they heard a knock at
the door. Philip opened it and adj
mitted their fathers lawyer. He
had come to turn over the estate to
them. When he had gone, they
opened and read their fathers sealed
letter. "Besides my real estate for