The Irish standard., 1903-03-21

Jack, who had few days ON shore.
The heat was intense; men, women
and children dropped in the streets like
so many flies; heat prostration was the
rule, and the death rate amongst the
poor was appalling; but the mortality
was highest of all amongst the babies
of the tenements.
A society was formed for the relief of
this distress, called the New York
Folds Free Doctor association; and
DR.. Erlwo0d's name was on the list of
those who gave their services gratis to
the cause. Helpers We're badly need
ed; and the evening before Jack sailed
we both went down to the Office of the
association, and enrolled myself in
DR.. Erlwood's branch.
He was changed by the passing of
the years since we had parted; he
seemed bigger, rougher, harder, one
might call it, until one saw his tender
ness with those babies, Besides this,
1 now found what 1 had feared all
along-that the doctor was avowedly
an atheist, yet withal the most char
table person I have ever met.
In and out through the mazes of
slumdom we workers went with the
watchword, "Save the babies! The
sights, the sounds, the scenes that l
onoo11otorod1 II 1roc ouyfu1 p,,% %Io
little good that could do was in some
sort thank-offering to God for hav-
ing spared my own baby to me. Many
and many time when I felt that I
could bear no more, when the longing
for Ralph, and rest and the pure, sweet
country air was almost too strong to
be withstood, the sight Of Dr. Erlwood,
patient, tireless, kept me at my post.
Never, never shall forget those ba-
bies in charge Of ignorant and incom-
petent mothers, suffering torments un-
told from heat and thirst, gasping for
breath on the scorching pavements:
pain-racked, weazoned caricatures of
humanity, to whom death would have
come as a blessed relief. Sadder still
were those cases where the mothers,
heart-broken and exhausted, helpless,
suffered over again the pains Of their
little ones. But the faith, the piety,
the wonderful, beautiful resignation of
the Catholic mothers-Irish, German,
Italian! 1t was a continual revelation,
a sublime lesson in itself, that surely
could not fail to open the eyes of the
doctor, blinded though they were to the
truth, to the very existence Of God. AS
I went about my work the prayer was
ever in my heart and on my lips that
thus might his charity he rewarded.
One day he called me to him in the
upper room of huge tenement. A
mite of Jewish parentage lay in his
arms. Its tongue, parched, shriveled,
blackened, protruded from it's mouth.
It was slowly dying Of thirst, it's eyes
were in an indescribable state from
disease and dirt; swarm Of flies hov-
cred near ready to torture it as soon
as we were gone.
"Get me some cracked ice-quick!"
cried the doctor.
Our store was exhausted, owing to
the enormous demand for it; and the
water in the tenement was unfit for
drinking purposes. But so peremptory
a command could not be disobeyed, and
1 hurried down into the shadowless
streets, where found wagonload of
the precious stuff driving slowly along.
With difficulty persuaded the man to
sell me small block, which, painting
and exhausted. I bore in triumph back
to the tenement.
took the baby from the Doctors
arms whilst he cracked the ice and
put tiny fragments between it's lips.
After moment it actually smiled!
I had seen many sad things, but the
saddest, the most heart-rending of all
was that parody Of baby's smile. 1t
was gone in an instant; the ice had
momentarily relieved the child's suf-
ferings, but merciful death was at
hand. saw it in the drawn, haggard
lines about that baby mouth. felt It
in the culver Of those attentuated
baby limbs; and the thought that it
had not been baptized made me turn
suddenly to DR.. Erlwood. The mother
in a sort of stupor seemed careless of
what we did; but he, atheist, unbe-
lever, yet man Of charity if ever one
has been-he had been before me.
Laying a cracked basin half full of
tepid water on the table, he took the
baby from me again.
"Therev' he said, pointing to the
water.
'I baptize thee in the name of the
Father, the Son and Of the Holy
Ghost.'
spoke the words hardly above my
breath, and equally low I heard his
voice as he bent over the newly-made
Christian-and his yes, saw, were
wet-saying, Goods own"
After the hot spell was over I left
the city and went out near by Ralph's
school, where I meant to make my
home for time to come; and here the
next news of DR.. Erlwood reached me.
We were firm friends now, and his let
ter came as no surprise, only as deep