The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-11-04
THE STORY OF A LITTLE CHILD.

the blotchy painted cheeks of her inse para
bic companion.
An hour passed. Betty had finished he,
baking, laid aside board and roller, tidied
her Kitchen, and noticing the unWoDted
| slence-for the child was never long alb.
! sent-she went to the door to look for her
| She was not playing in the little square OF
| grass which passed for a garden; she
| called, but got no reply: wondering but
! not yet alarmed. she went few PAGES
around to the back of the cottage, mutter
ing;
and again called, "Elsie, Elsie"
There was misused mil!dam, mere
shallow pool, not more than a foot deer
and never more than half filled witt
water, about a hundred yards from the
| house, and Betty. looking in this direction
saw something which .froZe the blood il
her veins and deprived her for momen
of the power to move or speak.
What she saw was little figure in rec
cloak lying face downward in the pool, anC
beside 1.-THE cord still claped in the tiny
hands, was a half-submerged cart anC
inside, the staring gOggle-eyed doll with lis
tufts of coarse black hair. ln mOmen
she had seized the child and the cart. and
clasping them in her arms, fed to the
house, calling loudly on little boy who
was at the moment passing on the high
road:
Rim. laddie. for yir life to Master Mac
donaPS an speir him gin he'll lat's gig
gang to the village for the doctor, for
doot Elsie'S droOned; an gift ye meet
Jamie Gordon. SEN him hame as fast s ye
can"
In a moment she had stripped the
clothes off the little cold body, rolled her
in warm blanket, moaning and prayIne
audibly as she went to and fro. Mean
while the boy ran as last as he could up
the hill to the house of the grleve who pos
sessed the gig, found Mr. Macdonald at
home, who lost no time in Harvesting his
horse and starting himself to fetch the
doctor. At the cross roads on tie way
back, the boy saw Jamie Gordon coming
home at his usual brisk pace, his face
bright with anticipation of the long eveu-
ing with his child.
'Whanr. hae ye been, my bairnle,. to get
sic a reid face?' Ye LUX as if ye'd been
rinnin' race" said the man, with his
usual kindly address to any young crea-
ture.
"Sae I wis-rinnin' to TESS the doctor, "
said The boy; ian Betty telpt me TO tell
We gin l saw We tae hurry hame as fast as
ye cud, for doot yer litlun-"
jamie stopped to hear no more; be flew
like the wind down the bill TIL he gained
his own door. and the piteous sight met
eyP-his Elsie, his one little lamb, his all
In life. her sunny hair, all bedraggIed, her
white face mud stained. her rounded
limbs stiff and cold, on Betty's lap. lie
knelt down and took the tiny form from
the weeping woman.
"Rax me yon bulk frae the shelf" he
SAID. and while he folded the little rolled
up body in one arm he turned over the
leaves of the book till ne came to one page
containing few simple Instructions for
the recovery Of the drowned. Years ago,
feeling that he must be father and mother
both to his little one. he had gone TO the
lady at the big house," the wife of his
employer, and asked her to tell him of a
book OF simple cures for children's all
ments. Here he hoped 10 find something
for his present trouble.
Mnutely. with careful, womanish pre-
cision. he followed the directions of the
book, gently raising the little arms to pro-
mote respiration, and using other simple
measures. Once he got up from the hearth,
| a white despair on his face, and cried
aloud: 'He couldDa do't. He couldn a.
| TAX her irae me!' Then fading his eff
forts at resuscitation unayailing, he opened
his coat and waistcoat. aud pressing the
| little creature to his breast, so that the
| heat from his body might impart some
warmth TO hers, waited with what pa
thence he might for the coming OF the
doctor. By and by be came. and placing
the child In his arms he said, in choking
voice: Bring her back to me. doctor. an
there's nothing j. this world at l wadna
da to serve you"
We'll do what we can. Gordon, you
may be sure" he said cheerily, but a
glance told him there was nothing he could
90. However he did not desist his at
tpmpts at restoration for over an hour.
Each movement followed an angus hed
torture in jamie Gordon's heart. Then
he said gently: It's no use, Jamie; she
was dead, poor little lassie. before they
found her,"
har 4 -
ing out his arms. 'an' thank ye kindly,
| sir"
Betty had broken out into noisy. unre-
strained weeping: ION, what CART me La t
her DOT o. my sicht9 Oh. waly. waly, the
| puir wean!"
-; "Whish t =, said the map; "naebody's
her weel. o God my BARN, my BARN p
| Neighbors came to the door full of we'll
meant advice and loud-voiced sympathy
| A deathbed is time of thorough enjoy
ment 10 some of those honest souls; they
| love 10 condole or be condoled with; to
| discuss most Impartially the virtues and
! failings of the deceased; but one look at
the stricken fathers face. full of love
they could not fathom, made them shrink
away, and frIZa the glib words of comfort
on their lips. With an almost fierce dig
nifty he moved with his burden into the
further room aud locked the door. No
Huuu save HIS UWH tuuCH Ills uaF-
| ling. He had dressed her often in life,
she laughing merrily over his awkward
ness now, with his heart dead as a stone
within him, and hands which bled, he
brushed the shining curls, put the little
nightgown on the unresistDg form and
| laid her on her bed.
MIR. Fraser, the minister, with whom
Gordon was great favorite, having heard
of the sad accident, came late in the even
ing to offer his sympathy. Texts suitable
to the occasion rose 10 his memory as he
entered--texts of comfort--teXts which.
thank God, have comforted many a be-
Ieaved soul, but looking on this man he
could not utter them He could only take
his hand in warm human clasp and,
looking on the smiling. placid face of the
little dead child, mingle his tears with his.
But as he rose TO go he remembered his
mission was to preach. to comfort, to
exhort, and. forced, as it seemed to him.
self, to fulfill the promptings of his calling,
he said:
Jamie, we will pray together for the
strength to bear. You remember when
Job was sorely afflicted he was still Enabled
to say: The Lord gave, and the Lord
hath taken away; blessed be the name of
the l,nrd ~