The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-07-31


us. We don't earn much, but anyway
we've lived on our wages for over q
year now"
The girls gratitude was in strange
contrast with the greed of her fathers
brother, who had not heStated to ben
eft by the distress of his relatives.
MIR. Mitchell felt great sympathy for
this poor family of women and would
gladly have opened his pocketbook
in their behalf, but he realized the
magnitude of this problem of aid to
the poor. He had gone into but two
homes. In one he had promised as
slstance and in the other he found
! the same need, inviting the same rem.
edy.
But were he to go on and visit
tenement after tenement, home after
home, how soon would his resources
be at an end and how little would he
have accomplished toward lessening
the suffering on the great east side!
He felt the helplessness of the situa-
ton more than he had ever done when
i theOriZing about it, and for the mo-
/ ment he decided that he might better
contine himself to his special object.
II have heard that you saw the baby
which was taken from the graveyard
next door," he began.
Eyes, SIR" she replied and then star
ed at him, evidently alarmed at his
question.
"Tell me about it." he asked per-
suasively. "Tell me all that you
know"
She looked at him sadly and thought
| fully and then, to his astonishment,
burst into tears, eXclaiming:
"Oh, don't put me in prison! Please
don't take me to prison. Mother'd
starve if you locked me up"
"My dear girl said Mr.. Mitchell
/; soothingly. what are you saying?
What have you done? Why should
you be put in prison?"
She endeavored to control herself,
and finally between her sobs he caught
| the words:
| Don't = don't - they put = wit-wit-
nesses-in-in jail?"
At last he understood This girl knew
of any wrong. She had witnessed the
crime which had been committed, and
| she knew enough of our laws to UNDER
stand that she could be held prisoner
as a witness needed by the state I'M
der law which thus works great in
Justice to many.
"There, there!" said he. Don't weep.
hQ vn 70 7
officer, and you shall not be locked up.
promise you that. But l wish you to
tell me all that you know. Come,
| Won't you trust me?"
"Yes, sir-Pll-trust you," she an
swered timidly. wiping away her tears.
| Then after few moments she had
| composed herself and began her story:
"You see, sir, one night last week I
had some extra work to do, and I
I! tried hard to finish it, cause mother
needed the money for medicine. She's
| got bad cough. But was so tired
that couldn't sew. and about 8 o'clock
l had to go to bed. But couldn't
| sleep very we'll. Every now and then
! I'd hear mother cough. and I'd think of
the work | hadn't finished, and I'd try
to get up to go at it again, but 1 was
so dead with sleep. too, that l just
| couldn't But after long time heard
the clock strike u, and knew that if
l was going to get the work done I'd
have to get up, sleep or no sleep. SO
| made jump and landed on the floor in
heap. | guess l hurt myself little.
cause it woke me up complete. Then
l thought | was suffocating, the room
was so hot and sitting, and | went to
| the window and stood breathing the
| fresh air. That's how / came to see
| him.
"Whom did you see?" asked Mr..
Mitchell eagerly
| "A man. AT first couldn't make out
! what he was doing. He was walking
about stealthy like and he had bun
die in his arms. He came pretty close
| to the window, cause he was walking
near the wall, but he had his head
down when | first saw him. and then
afterward he had his back to me- 1t
! was dark, too, being very cloudy. Well.
| he Went a little way out TO the tree
| you see there and he stopped down
and began to tumble with the bundle.
| could see he was unwrapping some
thing. but | couldn't make out what it
was. cause he laid it behind the tomb
stone. Then he stood up straight for a
minute. and just then the cloud went
away. and the moon Shone out bright.
and could see his face just as plain as
anything
Did YOU know him."
NO. but I'm good at remembering
faces"
You mean that you would know him
again."
Anywhere. I'd pick him out of a mil
lion. The moon shining on his face
| made it look like a ghost, and it's
haunted me ever since. Why, in the
dark of nights, if shut my eyes, see
that face staring at me. Oh. yes, I'd
know him again.
You say you saw him place the child
behind IA tombstone?
mo; | didn't see the baby then,
though | heard baby cry, but that's
! com mnp round This irh or,l