The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1898-05-18

"Wal, Syringa got along first-rate,
an had got SOS to walk little, though
mighty pindlin' lookin', when one even
in the doctors man brought letter
over from him to ask Edward if he'd
go to Bolton for doctor, an to try an
git a nurse. His little boy, he said,
was down with the dipthery, an he
was afraid that the little girl was
agoin' to have it too. Wal, Edward
hitched right up an went, an DR..
Bostwick come back with him; but as
for nurse, my land, you couldn't git
one for love nor money. In the first
place, there want many folks there
that did such work, an there want
one of 'em that would come to this
place then. When he come back, an
told us what luck he'd had, Sophie
Ann stood up, with her face kinder
white, at first, an she says: Mother,
I'm agoin' over to help the doctor.
He's stood by us when we needed help,
an now I'm agoin' to STAN by him. I
sorter tried to dispersuade her: but her
mind was made up. If I could have
gone myself 1 would; but with my arm
in a sling, I was worse'n no one round
sick-bed.
$50 she went; but, land! it want
no use. 1t seemed as if they was
struck with death from the very first.
The boy died that night, an the little
girl the next night an Edward an the
doctors man buried 'em, fer there
want no one else would go near the
house.
Eyes, it did seem hard, when he'd
done so much for everybody else.
"Wall, Sophie Ann come back when
it was all over. She looked pretty
white an tired but her eyes had look
in 'em as if she was glad she had went,
after all. She was real careful about
changing her clothes an all such
things; an l never can believe that she
brought the disease back to little Sy-
1inga, though some of the neighbors
havealways said SO. I've always thought,
myself, that it was because there was a
sudden change in the weather, an she
caught a little cold. Anyway, she was
took sick ag'in; an this time she went
right down, in spite of,all we could do,
an died"
Mrs. Fosdick stopped to look for her
handkerchief. After moment she
went on:
''It was an awful blow to us all; an
I didn't know as Edward an Sophie
Ann would ever git over it. But one
evenin' that next winter the doctor
come over 10 see us, an told us of
plan it seems had been in his head for
some time. He'd gone right on with
his work, jest the same, an lived at
home, though it was awful lonesome for
him, of course, an he looked as if he'd
grown ten years older.
wall, he was uncommon " well-to-
do, as folks go here. His father'd
left him good property, an his wife
some more, an then he'd always had a
good practice; an now he said that
he'd made up his mind to take some of
his money an found a home for little
children here, if Edward an Sophie
Ann would come an run it. An he
said he'd call it The Syringa Home
1t does make pretty name, don't it?
"WaE, at first they thought they
couldn't, nohow. Sophie Ann said
she couldn't leave me; but l jest told
her that now that my arm was all right
ag'in, l was good for more'n one ten
years, yet. So the more they thought
of it the better it looked, an finally
they said they'd go. The doctor
bought the Hopkins place-you know
where that was-an' fixed it up, an
they went there the next summer, an
now it's as nice place as you ever
see. Doctors pays 'em regular salary,
more'n they could have got on farm.
Edward runs the farm-there's quite
lot of land on the Hopkins place-an'
helps about the house, too; an Sophie
Ann has a good girl to help her.
They've got six little ones there now.
an in the course of the three years
they've had a lot more that they've
found good homes for. They take 'em
from anywhere, where they're sure it's
needed, all they can take care of; an
Sophie AIMS happier than l ever eN-
pected to see her, an I'm grandmarm
to the whole lot.
You must be goin'? wall, your
be sure an come over to-morrer an SEQ
Josiah, won't you? He'll be powerful
glad to see you. Be real neighborly,
now, won't you?"
When 1 went back to the hotel
walked around past the Hopkins plase.
The house had evidently been repaired,
and the grounds made more attractive.
A lighted lamp hung in the porch over
the front door, and its rays fell upon
bronze plate on which l read: 1.-THE
Syringa Home" AS L stood looking
at the house the tall form of Sophie
Ann, with her strong, good face, came
into sight in lighted room. She
stopped down to raise sleeping little
form from couch, and, pressing it to
her bosom, turned and went out of
sight.-N. Y. Independent.