Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1904-08-26
AN ANGEL in A
TENEMENT HOUSE.
BY H. S. KELLER.

ow who lived away up under til,
I roof of the little tenement hous,
/ in the back court. With three
mouths TO FILL not counting hel
own-for she thought of the chill
dren first-coal high and hard (
/ get, rent and clothing, and now
and then some medicine, thu
spring brought her but slight con
ISOLATION when she saw her las
FIVE dollars go to the agent for the
landlord. She turned YEARLY tC
the pile of clothes on the table
and said to herself:
at must be done, so Joe car
take it home when he comes from
school The money will help us
out little. Oh, dear. | am st
tired"
She pressed her hand to her
brow before spreading out a skirt
with fine ruiliing and dainty trim
ming, while her eyes dimned with
the pain that throbbed back OF
them. She applied the hot iron,
and stopped for second as 4
sharp pain darted through her
side, almost taking away her
breath. Lifting the iron quickly
she gave a gasp; the pause, slight
as il was, was fatal to the pretty
skirt 4 brown scorch tells the
story 1t was too bad, and the
tired little woman sat down and
cried, and she could not help it:
the sharp pains which she had sui
fered of late had made her weak,
and the tears flowed easily.
at is too terrible! do not
know what to do. The lady will be
so angry, for it was such a fine
skirt. But | must hurry and fin
ish the rest"
Again she piled the iron and
worked as rapidly as she could
the more swiftly she ironed the
more intense the pains grew.
With a great effort she finished
the work, and the pieces were
folded and placed in the basket
with the Scorched skirt on top.
Then she sank into a chair. pale
and gasping. and when the three
little ones came i'm she was scarce
Is able to speak or move.
"Oh, mamma. are You sick?'
cried Joe. the frightened boy OF
-, Fastening to her side, followed
by the girls, both Younger than he.
Yves. dear; 90 with the bas-
ket to the lady's home. joey. lam
sick. dearie. SO sick. Tell-tell
the ladythat II scorched one Of
of the skirts. but | will-will
make it good when" Her head
fell back and her eyes closed. The
children were scared and began
to cry; but Joe pulled the chair
close To the bed. and with the help
of the little girls got his mother
upon it. Then he ran downstairs
for Mrs. Murphy. who lived in the
basement, and who was his best
friend in the tenement house, be
cause he had always been good to
her patscy, the boy who died Il
couple of months before.
"Thc poor little mother. She's
fainted-and / don't wonder, bye
She don't ate half enough to kape
the life in her little body. Run
for the doctor, quick, sonny"
When the doctor came Mrs.
Brown had revived and was sit
ting up, pale and weak.
"NouriShment, my dear woman
is what YOU need; soups, meat
and "A little good wine-and lots
of rest; above all things. rest. II
You follow my instructions you
will come out all right"
"Tnat's right, doctor, dear; but
it's pnrthy hard work for poor
lady like me friend to stop forces
when she hain't got the time, yoI
see" uttered Mrs Murphy, with ;
toss Of her head
40 doubt, no doubt. But this
lady must have rest, must have
good nourishing food or-or sh'
will not need either soon" sal,
the doctor, rs ne made up som'
powders. Little Joe, in the mean
time, seeing that his mother wa
In good hands, had gone ava.
with the basket. The doctor drew
Z d.. D. D . = f,.f.