The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-09-14


| pin and glib him kiss for true lub's sakoF
"I'll come to you, Adam You may kiss
me now, ADAM"
| And he kissed her
When ttlssssime came for his little picka-
ninny to appear, he grew horribly nervous
He had been forbidden from going near
| the ring, but what cared he for all the Or
| ders in Christendom?
| In the distance he could see Mimi
| mounting her little white steed, and then
| Beppo, the riding master, sprang on his
| own brown horse, and, taking the long
| silken reins suspended from Floss mouth,
| prepared to ride belssnd the excited child.
| The music was beginning to play an OLD
| plantation song, and Mimi, blowing
kisses, rode in front of Beppo into the ring.
The old mans heart swelled at the round
| of applause that greeted her. Adoringly
| he watched the little figure in its diapha-
nous drapery, and he could have wept for
| Joy when the first turn was successfully
accomplished. Presently the time arrived
when Signorina Dingo and Beppo were to
| jump through four gaiiy decorated hoops
This part of the performance filled
Adam with nervous apprehension, and he
did not like the look of the great brown
horse in the wake of the white pony. He
crept forward into an opening of the ring,
unheeding the blows and curses leveled at
him. In his hand he held great bunch
of lilac, the perfume of which contrasted
with the close, unpleasant air.
What a pretty waltz tune they were
playing, and that darling pickaninny! how
well she jumpedl One ring was success
| fully accomplished-two rings-when she
slipped and fell in front of Beppo's horse,
| just as his master was preparing to jump.
A shrill cry rang through the circus.
| The multitude turned their faces shndder-
ingly aside, and women tainted. But, in
stead Of little child vending her way to
the kingdom of God, Jesus saw fit to call
to him an DID, old mani
For Adam, seeing the terrible danger OF
his darling, had, with marvellous agility,
bounded forward and rescued the child
from beneath the trampling hoofs, receiv-
ing the death wound that might have been
the fate Of his little pickaninns.
And then for the &rst time, and, alas
too late, they who had ever used rough
words to the old man spoke to him gently.
Gently, too, they lifted him and laid him
on heap of old sacking outside the stable
of Floss. They did not heed the bunch Of
lilac.
He lay there moaning family as the cool
water was dashed across his face, and then
he by and by opened his dim eyes.
"Pickaninny." he sighed.
"Here, Adam!" cried the voice he loved
SO we'll "Here." And Mimi in her white
wings and whito robe came and knelt by
his side.
"Not hurt nowhere, honey dearP''
Nowhere, Adam"
"Ain't got no bunch of lilac, dearie.
The child hung tenderly above him.
sob, Adam Are you very i'll? Does it
hurt very much|'
"Don't cry, dear honey pickaninny. Ole
Adam, he used to pain. Ebber since he
was a black boy baby he not had much
luck. But nebber mind, missey; all ODER
now''
"Are you going to die, Adam, deara'
'sT'ink so, pickaninny; ole Adam, he no
more good-ole 'orses, ole dogs, ole Mig
gers, who wants 'emP Very weary, too
missey, lub. "
''Poor old Adam Shall pickaninny sing
to him?''
The sufferer feebly nodded.
And then from among those squalid
surroundings there arose the sound of
childs pure voice.
uO LOU O1llhh Oilc1p Woo oWoiO "
the hymn his darling was singing. Ht
only knew that it was exceeding sweet
and that burden seemed to be slipping
away from his aching shoulders. The
brave old mouth smiled quietly, he
stretched forth his trembling hands, and
two tears trickled from his dying eyes.
In the ecstasy of the moment he forgot
even pickaninny-forgot all save that he
was no longer sore distressed
"'Our Fader which art in 'ebben'-is
that right, pickaninny? Sour Fader, the
only Fader Adam ebbeJ knowed. Dying
amt SO bad, piokaninny"
And Jesus chew it, too, for surely death
was never kinder than TO that poor, lonely
old man. For he touched his eyes and gave
him beauteous visions, he passed his hand
down the aged form, and rest most ex
quisite stole into the aching limbs. "Come
10 me- o my servant'' whispered the kind
eyed God, and with sigh of perfect trust
Adam meekly folded his hands and went.
All, you weep, little pickaninny, for the
loyal friend who, like the Great Example,
gave his life in exchange for yours. Sure
ly you would not have him bacls pickanin-
ny? He suffered greatly. The world has
no room for such as he. Go back to the
ring and find bis bunch of lilac. Kiss him,
lear, and say goodby.-Mrs. Alfred Hart
In Skstch.