Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-01-02
NO. 80.
JUST ONE SMALL GIRI.
How She and Her DoIlie Stayed
a Desperate Hand.
A Discouraged Man About to Commit Sui
eide Has Better Thoughts Brought
by the Gentle Innocence of
Ills Little One.

She was just wee girl, with curly
brown hair and great black eyes
that had a quantity solemn look
sometimes and then again sparkled
with a CLEAN that her most ardent
admirers were forced to admit was
not entirely cherubic, but her heart
was big with the mother love that
has managed somehow to save half
of US from perdition at one time or
another, says the Grand Rapids
Democrat.
When the brown-th thatched head
dropped sleepily upon the pillow
nights there was always an exciting
scurry downstairs, because every
last one of the collection of dolls that
Uttered the house all the way from
the reception hall to the back cellar
stairs had to be hunted up and laid
carefully on the bed with it's dis
heveled companions in an impressive
row where small arm could reach
out and encircie them lovingly be-
fore the black eyes would close in
content.
One night the big chap, whose
mission it was to swear softly when
he stepped on doll in the hallway,
and then in o fit of remorse go
straight downtown and buy larger
and handsomer one, staid in his Of
fee until very late. When he did
come home at last he went straight
to his room, and as he turned up the
gas the look on his face seemed to
reflect the color of the leaden clouds
that We're swiftly whipped like torn
banners across the night sky by
the autumn gale. He took from his
overcoat pocket little oblong box
that ratified duly as he laid it down
and then looked at himself queerly
in the mirror.
$50 this is the end OF it all, he
said grimly. "I've struggled hard
enough, God knows, but the tide has
been too strong. The world has
no use for beaten man. 1t takes
pains to see that he never gets on
his feet again, and they'll be better
off here without me.
He walked to a closet and one
hand fumbled along the shelf until
it closed upon the ivory handle of a
revolver, which he brought to his
dressing-case and opened a box of
cartridges he had taken from the
pocket of his overcoat. He pushed
a cartridge into the chamber of the
pistol and then paused abruptly.
''Little dirl, little dirl," walled
piteous voice.
The big chap laid down the revolver
beside the cartridge box. He stood
irresolute for moment and then
strobe to the nursery door.
"What is it, sweetheart" he
asked unsteadily.
The brown-haired baby was sitting
up in bed and the black eyes were
wet with tears.
She reached out both hands de-
spairingly and sobbed again:
Little dirl. Little dirl."
"Ah, I see; family little short
tonight, eh? Never mind, baby,
papa will find the young lady and
escort her back to her own fireside,
and by the half-light of the night
lamp he CROPPED about the room, un-
til under chair in one corner he
found a particularly ragged and dis
reputable rubber doll. This he
brought gravely and laid beside it's
companions on the bed. 1t was
clasped ecstatically to a soft little
breast.
My family all heah," murmured
the quivering lips, and presently the
long lashes came down upon the
tear-wet cheeks and the little maid
slept blissfully.
The big chap stared hard at her
for a minute and then bent down
and kissed the small flushed face.
reverently. When he went back to
his room he replaced the ivory
handled revolver or the closet shelf,
and opening window threw full
box of cartridges into the street.