Middletown transcript., 1908-07-11


was only little child he did not
cry. He simply sat there qul'e
still, with his face in his hands,
battling with his grief dumoly'
It was infinitely pathetic THIS
silent woe-a lad deserted oy
everything, even tears
He had lived alone in the DARK
ened house for more than two
weeks now. At first, after MS
father had been taken away he
had had some company. linen
one by one the servants had
found new situations and had
departed, leaving him solitary
and alone. He had stayed so
until the day before, when a man
had come and informed him that
he could no longer remain in the
house-it belonged to some one
else now-and that he must go
to an orphan asylum. He was
waiting now for the man to come
and take him there.
Tommy's mother had died
when he was much younger.
She was only a shadow in his
memory-a pale, frail shadow
with large dark eyes, and smile
that was wonderfully sad and
gentle. Her death had brought
him much more closely to his
father than children usually are
Their love for each other was
very strong and very wonderful.
It was everything to both OF
them.
They had never even been sep
arated until the night three weeks
ago when the men had come for
his father and taken him away.
Why they had come or where
they had taken him, Tommy did
not clearly understand. In his
childish mind he vaguely i'm
agined that he had gone to his
mother, so little did he under
stand of death. Often in his con-
science he had pictured them
meeting there, the sun shining
and great trees throwing a cool
shade all about. He wished so
much that he might be with
them. He had asked his father
that night to take him, too; but
for the first time his father had
not needed him. Why, he did
not, could not, understand. But
then there was much about that
night that was a mystery to him.
Just as always, his father had
heard his prayers and tucked
him in bed, and he had fallen
asleep. Then, after long time,
though it was still dark, he had
been awakened by unaccustomed
noises in the house. He had
paid no heed to them, for his
sleep was heavy as is the sleep of
childhood but in vague way
they made him restless. Then
suddenly the light in his room
was switched on, and when he
blinked open his stubborn eyes,
his father, fully dressed, stood
beside his bed. There were
strange men there, too, men with
heavy features and coarse faces
who kept their hats on. Tommy
did not like them.
His father knelt down beside
the bed and took Tommy in his
arms. Afterward Tommy re.
membered that his face was very
pale, and the gentle voice trem-
bled as he spoke. He said that
he was going away for a long
time, and that Tommy must be a
brave boy and a good boy always.
The lad begged that he might be
taken too, and clung to his father
passionately.
To this his father had made no
answer, but had just held him
close in his arms for a long time.
He held him So until one the men
that Tommy did not like stepped
forward and touched him on the
shoulder. At this he had started
and shiyered a little-Tommy
felt him. Then for one little mo-
ment he strained the boy to his
breast. After that he gently dis
engaged himself, though Tommy
fought hard to hold him, crying
bitterly all the time, and rising,
went out of the room without a
word. The men switched off the
light and followed him. Tommy
cried himself to sleep.
Afterward the servants told
him that his father would never
come back any more, and Tommy's s
childish mind conceived the idea
that he was dead like his mother.
He wished he was with them.
Oh, how he wished it, as he sal
there waiting for the man who