The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1897-04-08
A SONG STORY.

Two little frie-dless children, tiny waits
of great city struggling hard to earn
their daily ',reld.
She -iInId little maiden, with slender
graceful limbs and wealth of waving
golden na;r-just the kind of child fond
mother would love to have nesting at her
side and clothe in dainty, childish gar
Juents. But Nellie had no mother to caress
ner-no tender loving hand to smooth her
tangled curls. Her home was a garnet in
London slum, and her mother had dieG
years ago, when Nellie was tiny blue
eyed babby. And now her only friend was
a roguish little Irish lad, who, with his
merry dark eyes and laughing face, had
won her heart more than year ago. wheI
one bleak November day some rough stree.
boys had wantonly upset her basket II
flowers, and Mike had sturdily come to .ha
rescue scattering the offenders left and
right with a flourish of his muddy broom.
Ever since that memorable lay Mike
had been enshrined as hero a Nellie's
heart, and no knight of old BID ever more
loyal devotion or truer lady love than
this curly headed little e1ossing sweeper
who, in his turn, regard cd the sweet faced
little flower girl as soJ-4ething too fair and
gentle for this rough workaday world and
treated her with 3. tender chivalry which
was very quaint and winsome, and which
often evoked amused comments frop, 81
passersby.
They were always together in t0eir lei
sure hours. In summer time tie Jttle com
rades might be seen wandering side by
side in the public parks or seated quietly
in some out of the way nook, the dark
curls and the golden he'd nestled close to
gether, while Nellie told wondrous stories.
to her eager little friend sang to him, in
her sweet, childish treble, fragments of the
hymns she had learned at the mission
school.
Mike never tired of listening and would
beg again and again for just one more
his dark eyes growing wide and radiant as
Nellie sang of the streets of gold and of
the joys which awaited the children in
1.-THE kingdom called home.''
"How can we get there, Ncllie?" he
questioned eagerly one day. DO you know
the way?'
Nellie shook her head a little saCly.
''We can't find out he way until we die,
Mike, dear. Then an angel with golden
crown will come and take our hand and
show us the way"
Mikes saucy face grew grave.
81 wish we could go, Nellie-you ana
me-" he whispered. ''You could sing
there Nellie, without policemen telling us
to move on, couldn't your" Then anx-
iousIy, as new thought occurred, There
won't be no policemen there, Nellie, will
there?''
Another shake of the golden head.
"Of course not, Mike. There'll be no
need of them. Everybody good and happy
up there Oh, Mike, think of itr' clapping
her thin little hands in an ecstasy of de
light, "fowers all a-growin and a-blowin,
roses and lilies that never fade! Oh,
doesn't it all seem too good to be true?''
Mike watched his little comrades shin
ing eyes and radiant face and felt a strange
sinking at his heart he noticed how
fragile the little form had become and
heard the short, quick cough which came
from the pale lips ever and anon. Was
Nellie going to die and leave him? he Won
dered vaguely. All, how dreary life would
be without herl A quick sob rose in his
| throat, and he brushed his small, rough
hand resolutely across his eyes.
All that night Nellies little wan face
haunted him, banishing sleep from his
eyes. At length, as he lay tossing on the
heap of straw which formed his bed, a
brilliant idea entered his curly head. Mel
lie must go to the sea. He had heard of
wonderful cures which a change of air had
wrought. There was Tim, the lame boy,
at the end of the court--why, he had not
been like the same child since that three
| weeks visit to Margate. And old Joe, the
| shoemaker, was never tired of telling how
| the fresh, pure air had made new man.
| of him. Yes, Nellie must certainly go to
| the sea, and he, Mike, must find the
| money. This settled, he fell asleep.
Early and late the little fellow toiled,
carefully boarding every halfpenny he
| could save, running errands, sweeping
| crossings, selling papers, counting no labor
| too much which brought an addition to
| his treasured hoard
Meanwhile the bright summer days
| melted into autumn, the sunshine faded,
| to give place to chilling winds and damp
| mists. All this did not tend to improve
| Nellie's cough. A bright spot of vivid col
| or burned on the white face and the blue
| eyes shone with unnatural brilliancy.
| Mike noted the change with great salts
| faction.
| you're getting such a rosy face, Nelll''
| he exclaimed gladly. And your eyes shine
| like two big stars. There'll be no need OF
street lamps soon," he added, with true
! Irish gallantry.
| Nellie smiled the sweet patient smile
| which Mike loved SO dearly. She would
not pain him by telling of the sleepless
nights and torturing cough, of the strange
| chilly feeling at her heart and the weary
| aching of her wasted limbs
| With that divine unselfishness which
( characteriZes some natures, she bravely
/ strove to hide from him the true state OF
/ affairs and would still try to tell, night
| after night, in faint, weak tones, the story
| they both loved SO well.
| One cold winter night, when the snow
was softly falling, covering the muddy
| streets with a pure white mantle, Mike
| crept to the old familiar corner to hear yet
| once again 1.-THE old sweet tale
Clear and bright were Nellie's blue eyes
| and softly her low voice rose and fell as
| she told in tender accents of the fadeless
| flowers and the golden Threshold where
"children Were always at play" And
eagerly Mike listened, taking the little
| chilled hands in both his own, but soon 90 hel
voice began to falter, her face grew wal
| and pale, the golden head dropped wea
| rily, and over the bright eyes thick mist
| seemed to fall. Mike grew frightened.
| "Nellie, Nellie!" he cried breathlessly
care you ill2 Oh, Nellie, me own darlin
speak to me!''
The old sweet smile hickered for an in
slant around the pale lips.
kiss me, Mike she whispered family
| and with that one
| Kiss on the gold crowned forehead
| He knew that the angel had come
| To show her the beautiful pathway
| That leads to the kingdom called home.