Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-04-01

unfolding and stroking with tender
hands the contents of small trunk.
Not packed for Travellers comfort,
the trunk contained only the posses
sions OF babe year old, who had
"gone before" to the heavenly home.
For six months the bereaved mother
had made weekly visit to the trunk,
unfolding and refolding every baby
garment, packing carefully the baby
toys and stroking tenderly every tiny
object endeared by the touch Of the
little one she had lost. Yet, on the
day when the sixth month had rolled
by, her tears fell upon the dainty en-
broideries, the worn socks, the broken
toys as fast as on the day when she
first put aside the clothes Baby Willie
would never wear again. Her dress
of heavy black, loaded with Grape.
suited well her pale, tear-staine ed face,
heavy eyes and grief-drawn mouth.
While she was yet busy at her
mournful task the door opened softly
and two beautiful boys OF four years
old, her twin sons, Eddie and Charlie,
came into the room. Seeing their
mother busy, they softly stepped to
her side and stood quiet until Eddie
spied tin horse and wagon on the
floor. A moment later he had grasped
it and was pulling it down from the
summit of apile OF little garments.
Down toppled the whole pile, tho
cart rafting noisily The mother
looked around with quick frown.
"You naughty, heartless boy!" she
cried, sobbiug. ''How can you touch
your poor, dead brothers things? /
think you are old enough to know
poor Willie is gone, never to come
back, aud mamma is so sad--so -"
Here the sobs chokcd her, and the
children, terrified, began to cry, too.
Eddie sorry" one sobbed; don't
ky, mamma"
SIS Charlie bad boy, too?" asked
the other, with piteous wall in his
voice, that should have gone straight
to the mothers heart.
600 to the nursery" she said, and
the little ones trotted OF, hand in
hand, vaguely conscious that they
were in disgrace aud ready to be com.
focted by rosy.cheeked Mamie, their
Nurse.
"And, dear knows" said that warm
hearted individual to the cook, "it is
shame for the poor darlings. It's
not blaming Mrs. Aiken am for cry
ing her eyes out for the beautiful boy
she lost. Didn't l love every Curl of
his hair, the pretty pet. But look at
the two that's left. Wouldn't they be
q comfort to anybody, aud Mrs. Aiken
only speaks to them now to set them
crying. Sure she can't expect babies
like them 20 remcmber their brother
more than six months, and if they
be harder than she is if they laugh or
romp. She'll break their spirits en-
tirely."
And the mother, rocking to and fro,
with the picture of her dead boy
clasped to her heart, was thinking:
Everybody is forgetting Willie but
me. But l will never forget. / will
never, never cease to mourn for my
darling. Oh, Willie! Willie"
Breaking in upon her sobs came a
whistle, merry whistle of popular
tune, aud the door of the darkened
room opened again noisily.
"Whcre are you, Susy? OH"
Voice and face fell, and Mr.. Aiken
sto Il silently at tho door, his eyes
slowly gathering the mournful express
sion suited to the funeral aspect of
the scene before him.
II was hoping YOU had gone out
when did not find YOU in the sitting
ROOM" he said, "but Mamie told me
you were upstairs. | wish you would
not spend SO much time in this room.
Susy. Ii is wearing away your
health"
ooh, Fred" the mother sobbed,
show can you whistle! / don't expect
sorrow or sympathy from the children,
but you'll thought you loved Willie
so dearly"
$50 l did, Susy, but I made q most
fortunate investment in business Il
few weeks ago, and today / was able
to pay of the mortgage on the house.
! did feel light-hearted when | thought
I had secured home for my family"
"Oh, Fred! how can you think of
money and houses when our beautiful
boy lies dead"
The young husband stood shame
faced and penitent. In the shadow
of the darkeued room, with Willie's
picture on the wall, Willie's clothes
revealed by the open lid of the trunk,
Willie's toys standing on the floor, it
did seem cruel and heartless to think
Of anything but the lost child And
Fred hal loved his baby boy with all
fathers fondness aud gricved for
him deeply and truly. So he stood
silently waiting while Susy dried her