Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-09-08
ing; but, one day, Tommy, the boy from
the station, brought telegram,


COLLECT ON DELIVERY,
and, while was paying him, l heard
Mary begin to cry. Then she handed
the yellow sheet to me. 1t read, Come
at once. Charlotte very i'll. Calling
for you" and it was signed "Trixie
Howard"
We started by the first train, taking
with us everything we could think of
that was ready, which would add to
Charlotte's comfort. The abiding
place of Trixie Howard and her child
was a theatrical boarding house on one
of the side streets. AS we entered, We
heard a young woman on the first floor
rehearsing her part in q melodrama,
while the second floor was evidently
training for a song and dance act. Up
and up and up we went until the top
floor was reached. In small room,
lying on a miserable looking cot was
Charlotte Temple, looking, not as she
did when she left US, but even worse
than when she first came to US. Her
mother, a peroxide young woman, was
entertaining several perfect ladies like
herself, with the story of CharlOtte's
accident. The air of the room was
foul with fat beer and musk. On
Charlotte was not one of the nice little
nightdresses that Mary had made her,
but a loose pink silk thing trimmed
with spangles and lace that her m7ther
undoubtedly wore when she played
Camille.
Much to the disgust of the women,
Mary opened the window and let in
some fresh air, and then the story was
told to us.
EVA'S LAST PERFORMANCE.
you see" said Trixie, "Charlotte's
been playing Eva all winter, and how
we will ever live without the salary that
she drew is more than l can understand;
it does seem as if there was no end TO
our Trouble. Well, you know, in the
| Transformation scene Eva is put up in
the clouds supported by machinery,
and she is supposed to go sailing along
| to heaven. Some fool of stage hand
didn't fix the machinery right, and they
got Charlotte up, and Just while the au-
dience was going wild about her, the
! fool thing broke down and she fell. And
there's good money gone for the rest of
| her life, for the doctor says If she lives
she will Sa a cripple anyhow" | don't
know how | ever listened to this wo-
man. Eventually Mary told some of
the visitors that they had better go, and
| Trixie went with them to the hall, and
evidently sent for more beer, and they
stayed out there, much to our relief, and
drank it. Poor Charlotte Temple was
Just barely breathing. But she knew
us, and a happy smile came over her
face, and she tried to say something
about the puppy. And Mary told her
how those upon the farm had grown,
and that there was a new kitten which
was named after her, and then she
| laughed but, oh! so weakly. We gave
her a teaspoonful of brandy, and bathed
the little face, and some strength SEEM
ed to come to her, and she said Misses
Mary, l got so tired of bein' Eva.
hadn't my puppy, but q kind lady in the
company gave me a doll, and l named
the doll after the puppy, Sam. An
Misses Mary, if l get well. I'm comm
up to be your girl this summer. But,
Misses Mary, I'm so tired"
Then we famed her and sang to her,
and after a while a fast-looking man
came in. and we found out that heSwas
Mr.. Clarence Howard, who played util-
ity parts, and was the father Of Char
lotte Temple. He
SEEMED SORRIER FOR THE MITE
than her mother DID. and Ire tried to
straighten up the room a little, put the
poker chips out of sight, picked up the
half-smOked cigarettes, threw them
out Of the window, and thanked us in
the most dramatic manner for coming
And the hours went by, and we three
did all we could to make Charlotte Tenn
pie find the going away from life easier
than the living it. Two or three times
l wondered where her mother was.
Time told. About 10 o'clock she came
in maudlin drunk. And she cried and
! screamed, and Charlotte grew restless
and looked unhappy, and Clarence How
ard removed Trixie to the hall, where
she fell on the floor in a drunken slum-
Der.
When the doctor came he gave me a
significant look and said he would stay
for a while. And Charlotte Temple said:
Misses Mary, tell me about the funny
tree And Mary told her about that
wonderful tree on which mint sticks
grow, and beautiful candles and lovely
toys, and which good children see, and
where the dinkey hrd sings all day
| long on the top branches of this tree,
called by the man who found it the
Amphalula tree And then she said:
Misses Mary, you sing my tune, and
I'll come in on the chorus" And Mary
sang,
Beyond the smiling and the weeping,
| shall be soOn."
and we could hear the little voice fee
bly, saying soon"
PITIFUL MIND WANDERING.
And then she began to wander. She
| said: 81 wish she hadn't sold the
puppy; I'd like to KEEP him-an' l don't
think Misses Mary would like to know
that he was sold to work the groWler-
| my mamma says if the ghost don't walk
this week there'l be no Eva-oh! |
wish it was time for the curtain to go
down-I'm so tired-theres little girl
out front who cum with her mother
| spec she could keep a puppy-nex'
summer I'll have just as many flowers
as l want, and Misses Mary will make
me little cake for myself. No. Clar-
ence. don't want any other puppy
Sam would feel bad if l KEEP another
dog-Oh, dear, wish the curtain would
drOp-Tm so tired-when will the cur
tain drop?
And the curtain dropped.
HER MEMORY CHERISHED.
With the permission of Clarence we
brought Charlotte Temple up here. She
is sleeping in the quiet country church
yard, and the children this summer
take pleasure in putting flowers on the
! grave of the little girl who snolye +ho