Gratia's Trials — page 27: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

18 GRATIA’S TRIALS. ‘‘What is it, darling? Who is hurting my little motherless lamb ?” | ; ‘‘No one is hurting him,’ preserve her temper. ‘‘He is eating these colored candies, and his stomach js so delicate.” ‘‘Ta! is that all?” said Miss Almira, ‘‘ What nonsense ! All children eat candy.” b ‘*Raymond is not like all children,” said Gratia. ‘‘ He is subject to fits, and the doctor says we must never let him have anything of the kind.” ‘‘They won't hurt him,” said Miss Bassett. ‘‘ Do let the poor little fellow have them. ‘There, there, Raymond, dear, don’t cry—you shall have your candy.” ‘« She is taking Azs love away from me, too,” Gratia thought. ‘‘Oh, what shall Ido? What have I worth living for? Oh, mamma, mamma!” The tears that streamed down her cheeks relieved her insome measure ; the cool air against her fevered cheek seemed almost like the touch of a tender hand, and suddenly a little voice sounded on her ear: ‘*Gratia ! sister! liftup your head! I don’t care much for the candies. I won't eatany more if you don’t want me to.” And Gratia hugged the little nestling form up in her arms, feeling that they two were left all alone in the world together. ‘‘ You mustn't stay out here in the cold, dear,” she said, after a minute or two. ‘“Won't you just go up to the top of the hill with me, Gratia ?” pleaded the little boy, ‘‘to see if there any sweet wild grapes on the stone fence by the lane?” b ‘Come, then,’ smile. said Gratia, holding out her hand, with a When they stopped, breathless and ruddy-cheeked, at the top of the hill, Raymond looked wistfully up into his sister’s face. said Gratia, doing her best to Eomichbooks:.cGo 3