Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1899-12-27

Class of the Pine Bluff High School, Miss
 Adams, at the time, was 13 years of age.
 The paper was awarded a gold medal at
 the Dallas State Fair for the best original
 s.ory.l
 THE cold, driving raiE was falling in torrents, and as l listened to the deafening roar and the constant beat upon my window, n feeling of loneliness came over me which I could not drive away. My bachelor apartments which were the best our little village afforded. were brightly lighted and the roaring fire sent up great tongues of flame leaping sky ward.
 Drawing a large armchair close beside the table. 1 settled myself for a quiet, comfortable hour of reading.
 Soon 1 was lost in deep interest over the article before me. but sud- l denly loud knocking aroused me.
 In answer to my "oome in,' 8 strange man stood in the open door-way.
 Are you doctor?''
 Il am, sir.
 Then come quickly 70 the hotell l My master is dying there!' Without more talk 1 donned my heavy storm-coat and hastily fol- lowed my guide to the third floor of the only hotel in town.
 Leading me to handsome suite of rooms at the farther end of a long, wide hall, he quietly pushed the door open, and bade me 90 in. entered alone the dimly lighted room. At first all was so eark I could hardly distinguish the objects in the great room.
 Gradually my eyes became aecus- toned 10 the dull light and I beheld a touching scene.
 | There upon snOW-Whlte couch lay dying man. His fine old face, which One could see had been very
 handsome in his younger days, was now wrinkled, and his long beard and hair were as white as the newly l fallen snow.
 He was victim of that dread disease, consumption. and well had I it done it's work, leaving marks of suffering upon the patient old face.
 Not sound escaped his purple lips; no murmur was heard. Only l ho l.,nty hic fao n1 hn ar1 l breathing told me that the Death 1 Angel had clasped in bis icy fingers those of this man, and was leading him slowly, gently over the dark 1 river.
 But the most touching part, and tbe one which brought great tears to my eyes, man though I am, was that of a little figure in black, kneel- ing beside the death-bed. Her shape ly head. around which clustered masses of thick, brown curls, was | bowed in the covers by the aged mans side, and the white hands were holding firmly one of her fathers.
 The quiet form moved not, but the eyes Of the mau slowly opened as l reached his bedside. and upon seeing me, he gazed for a moment, earnestly, but hopelessly into ny eyes. Then taking his right hand he laid it very tenderly upon the brown head by his side, and said in whisper scarcely, andible Lydia" His tone was so full oflove ana long ing that it pierced my heart to hear it. Raising her head, she looked into her fathers face, and seeing the stamp of death growing so plain there, she swayed to and fro and would have fallen had l not caught the slender form and raised it into an arm chair by the couch. Then after administering simple remedy to her, turned all my at- tention to her father.
 Nothing could then stay the iron hand of death, but 1 gave him some thing which relieved his suffering, and soon after, as the golGen mo- nents were Hitting by, he dropped into gentle slumber, which lasted half an hour.
 While he slept, I learned from Lydia that they were travelling for her fathers health, and while yet a long distance from our village he had suddenly grown worse, compell- ing them to stop at wayside-inn,