The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-09-15

" a beYy of young q 7elli4sll isslA IL y
a copse. Among them was one > ll3I ION
I noticed beyond the RESI-. 41ere s.sE
tall girls md short girls flt
piercing black eyes girls a ~
coils Of hair. The one nqtLeeo wa
ike none Of these. Her face = aa sim
pie pink and white tnnocenees le
ure a perfection OF the ordinary
simplicity OF attire, together win tle
harmony Of her various physical char
acteristics. led one to admite without
at first realizing what vas adrnlFetl
Perfection rarely strikes. rs an a
once. 1t must have time to grow
suddenly she burst into laugh, the
ibIrdlIke ebullItion had hetTqS4 SeH
minutes before.
Doubtless some one of her cumpHn-
ions had said something amusing, hut
It did not appear that this was the
cause of her merriment- 1t seened
rather to be a spontaneous outoqst ~
a happy soul, an innocent soul a-Soal
that mad never known suffering. 1t
was two notes at the END qf-Fhe laugh
that were Rlmp!t 'lll',sxFaet tepetiriPP
o. die hotes pF tha bid q shad heaed
To ne Nlkyk seenled 10. rise TO tle
heaven :. theh come back as an ecilQl
IuGE AOdlGu 1AAhOAes SA4S
the trees. drank them in with the
mir breathed. sT- +.
These fair creatures We're like
meteo=l In the sky-an appearance ana
a dfsappearance, with nothing be
tween Bnt nowHand again at inter-
walls L .-ould hear tllat nelodious laugh
mingled, with, others, each time EroWF
ing fainter till ut last I was left with
those country sounds which had been
so sweet, ,but now seemed to have lost
their s#eetness.
Five years passed when I saw the
girl with the. birdlike laugh again. n
was visiting ,tIso Golden Gate OF the
west. One lmprning- L was awakened
before day by huge mass of plaster
falling on my chest jumped out OF
bed and was thrown violently against
a chiRonIer 2hThe building, a hotel,
seemed ike aHdaglin a high wind.
recognized the ieatthquakeS I got down
on the floor taad 'crawled toSthe) ooori
then as the rocking ceased rose 20
my feet and went downstairs ana INTO
the street Men and women We're
there. nearly all In their nightclothes'
the women very properly coVereo III
long. flowing nightdresses.
Now. I had gone to bed the night
before unableSto ind two parts of the
same sult Of paJamas. So had put
an a green shirt and red trousers,
Having q cold, had also worn a yer
low skulIcap, ~ .-9i ,...
A new shock came. It seemed to last
rnIn,Ites but its duration was only
seconds. Tho face OF building feI
into the street, New dnmes burst out
In every direction. a man was carried
bv with blood streaming over his lace.
There was a rush of cattle mingled
1,-itl, mon women aud children Was
this pandemoniun?
suddenly above the discordant noises
1 heard Il familiar sound was " an
ANGELS voice speaking to the stricken
nnople TO give them courage? surely
amid this frightful din a voice so heaYf'
only could not come from human pc
ING turned and there stood the girl
with the bfrdllke laugh. Beside her
holding her hand. was her Image n
,hild of perhaps three years. She was
NO longer n girl; she was a woman.
She was laughing ut my I'D, green ana
yellow attire.
..surely.r said. eff tbs womnn can
laugh amid such SURROUNDINGS, she VIII
laugh when the earth is burst nsunder
and scattered through space.
.--as dpt.iued to meet her q ulsd
mo ana ~. ia n few days. l vas
y.urIsi;.2; among the sick of the strielicn
cItv when a man upproachedNaud asked
II v-crc a doctor. replied tii.t :
was. end he asked me TO 20 Win 'lial'
did so and was taken to one OF tne
hatter, class OF residences that had nor
beea burned. Mounting a staircase, !
vas shown Into bedroom. A Tonlan
met nc nj the door. started 1t NIs
-. OF the b.rdIile laugh
she led me iuto the room. cFreati!
NOT remembering ever having seen me
before. ON n bed lay the child | had
seen holding her hand when she mad
LAUGHED ut my hicongruous costume.
The mother looked ut the little hot race
then at me wistfully. Had never
heard her happy laugh perhaps that
wIstfuI look would not have upnerTed
me. saw her child IN the grasp q
the dreaded pneumonia and knew that
1 could do. very little to check the dis
ease.
one morning I was sent for In great
haste II went ana the moment saw
the child Igknew that itwas dead Y
was my duty to tell the mother. she
gave one heart breaking moan N,r7
[ I have seen her often since, ana y
know that the merry laugh of one who
has experienced a great GRIEF has goae
aever to return. F. A. MITCH ia{.-
9QfIHf 2IIFfs