Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-05-23
Parepa Rosa.

with the one thing dear to her-her
only child. Mother and daughter
had toiled together for fifteen
years, and the only bit of sunshine
falling into their lives was that
shed by their loving companion
ship. But the girl had always been
weakly. Under the heart broken
mothers eyes she faded and
wasted away with consumption,
and at last the day came when the
wan face failed to answer with a
smile the anxious, tear-blinded
eyes of the mother. The poor
young creature was dead.
For many months the pair had
been supported by the elderly wo-
mans sewing, and it was in the
character of employer had be-
come acquainted with Mrs. G. and
her story. By an occasional visit
to the awful heights of an East
Side tenement, where they lived,
by few books and some comfort
ing words I had won the love of
the dying girl. Her grateful
thoughts turned in her last hours
to the small number of friends she
possessed, and she besought her
mother to notify me of the day of
the funeral and ask me to attend.
The summons reached me upon
one of the widest days preceding
Christmas. A sleet that was not
rain, and a rain that was not snow,
came pelting from all points of the
the compass. piled the glowing
CRATES; l drew closer the curtains
and shut out the gloom of the De-
cember afternoon; I turned on the
gas and sat down, devoutly thank
full that l had cut all connection
with the wicked weather, when an
installment of it burst in upon me
in the shape of Parepa Rosa. She
was Euphrosyne Parepa of that
time, and the operatic idol of the
city.
And even as we congratulated
ourselves on the prospect of a de-
lightful day together, here came
the summons for me to go to the
humble funeral of the poor sewing
woman's daughter. I turned the
little tear-blotted note over and
groaned.
"This is TERRIBLE" said 1. 'It's
Just the one errand that could take
me out to-day, but must CO."
And then I told Parepa the cir.
cumstances, and speculated on the
length of time / should be gone
and suggested means of amuse'
ment in my absence.
"But I shall go aOith you," said the
great-hearted creature.
So she re-wound her throat with
the long white comforter, pulled
, on her worsted gloves, and off il
the storm we went together. We
: climbed flight afterflight of narrow
+. dark stairs to the top floor, where
the widow dwelt in a miserable
, little room not more than dozer
feet square. The canvas-bacl
hearse, peculiar to the twenty five
dollar funeral, stood in the stree
below, and the awful cherry stain
ed box, with it's ruffle of glazee
. white muslin, stood on uncovered
trestles in the centre of the room
Y above.
J There was the mother, speech
] less in her grief, beside that box
a group of hard working, kindly
hearted neighbors sitting about
1t was useless to say the poor wo
man was prepared for the newt
able end; it was cold comfort t,
!, speak to her of the daughters re
: lease from pain and suffering. TIL
r bereft creature, in her utter lone
liness, was thinking of herself an
the awful future, of the approach
ing moment when that box and it
precious burden would be take
away and leave here wholly alone
So, therefore, with a sympathiz
ing grasp of the poor, worn, bon,
hand, we sat silently down to sat
tend the funeral"
Then the minister came in
dry man, with nothing of tn
tenderness of his holy calling
J Icier than the day, colder than tn
storm, he ratified through some Sc
. lected sentences from the bible
and offered a set form Of condol
ence to the broken hearted mother
Then he hurriedly departed, Will
a hush fell on everybody gathere,
I in the little room. Not one wor,
= had been uttered OF consolation
IS Of solemn import, or befitting tn
10 VI, Il,