Middletown transcript., 1906-07-21

bent tenderly dboye the little |
bundle Of flannel in her lap, aud
the tears rolled slowly down her
cheeks as her sister answered
between her sobs
No. The nurse says she d9ft
sense anything now, poor dear
She can only live very si-ort
time.
Just then subdued murmur
in the adjoining room, aud the
sharp, pitiful cry Of an old man
stricken to the heart fell upon
the listening ears of the sisters
"a cry that was feebly echoed
by the tiny creature h Miss
Amelia's arms.
There, there, little darling
Don't cry. Sisters will take care
of him.
And she cuddled the small NOR
sci to her bosom, and soothed
han with that God given skill
that even the childless woman, II
She be a woman, knows how 10
apply if needful.
Miss Betty pnt out a trembling
hand and softly stroked The little
bald head that rested upon her
sisters bosom.
He's our baby now,she sobbed.
And the sisters looked tearfully
into each others eyes, while The
dawning light of maternal love
illumined their plain faces, and
made them for the moment really
beautiful.
1t was sad, this passing out OF
their life of the fair young STEP
mother, whose bright presence
for the last year had made the
dull old homestead a place of be
fore unimagined mirth and sun
shine. But there was Baby
and later boy" to tighten the
shadows that slung more deeply
than ever about the prim, old
fashioned rooms and when, only
a few months after his yomg
wife's death, the broken-hearSed
old father dropped silently Into
that .nist-land peopled only by
shadowy memories, the sisters
felt that here indeed was their
life work, to love and care for the
helpless baby left dependent upon
them alone.
They were not old in years
when this duty was laid upon
them but their life from child
hood had been SO grave and re
pressed, that the neighbors in
speaking of them always called
them Squire Martins old maid
daughters, and the young people
and children somehow looked
upon them as belonging naturally
with the older and more sedate.
part of the community
It was standing joke among
the matrons of the neighborhood
the way in which young Jack, or
boy" as his sisters always called
him, was reared from somewhat
feeble infant to as sturdy an nr-
chin as the town could boast.
A Bottle Baby was some
thing new in that primitive com
nunity, and when Miss Betty IN.
sisted upon having the milk Of
one COW, and that the finest Of
the herd, set aside especially for
him, the mothers laughed deri.
siyely at this "old maids whim.
Just as il milk if it was good
and sweet, wouldn't be just as
nourishing whichevercowit came
from.
And the gossips giggled, and
put their wise heads together
over the sbottle baby propne-
sying d stunted childhood. if not
an earlydeath fortllis hand rear
ed youugster.
But in spite Of their gruesome
predictions the younsster grew
and .thriyed, and as lie emerged
from The bottle stage, equipped
with will quite as strongas that
ofthe healthy child generally,the
sisters loving care steadily in
creased with his growth in mind
and body
HeneVer shall be made molly
coddle, Miss Amelia confded 70
an intimate friend But at ihe
same time, we are determined
that lie shall learn that obedience
to thosein authority is one of the
first of the manly virtues.
So, Boy even in peilicoats,
had to learn the often hard les
son that. 10 spite OF their unyai,y
ing tenderness and loving devo-
tion, his sisters must be ob&e
in all lhings- nd he was such
q brave, tnanlg 5isfls fellow, full
OF boyislli ifniseIli { ald fun, but
.1ossstTry aud ItufftaSt n his hearts l