The Argosy — page 246: what you’re looking at

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

My Saturdays. 229 too ill, and both breathing and speaking soon became difficult to him. Sometimes he was fretful, but generally the marvellous patience of children carried him through his restless nights and distressed days, without giving any unnecessary trouble to his nurses. And truly, he did an angel’s work. His mother never appeared, and we afterwards learned that she had been taken up for theft, soon after deserting him. Lena and I nursed him between us, she taking the heavier part of the work. It was with difficulty that I could persuade her to take food or rest ; of sleep she had little, indeed. She was jealous of my doing anything for him when she was there; and when there was nothing to be done would kneel beside the bed, gazing at him with her great eyes. In the beginning of his illness she used to tell him stories; and I fancied that she would have sung to him, if she could have done so without anyone else hearing. He seemed fond of her, looked to her for everything, and would slide his little hand into hers, and so lie back against his pillows, half dozing, when he had an interval of rest. But day after day, during that next week, his sufferings increased, and it was pitiful to see his struggles for breath. I longed for his release, and was thankful when it was evident that 1t could not be much longer delayed. He had no power to fight against illness ; strengthening food came too late; and he sank rapidly. Lena never gave up hope. When [I told her gently that he could not recover, she only answered: ‘‘ He will live. He was sent to me that I might atone,”’—and turned again to her tendance. It seemed asif her passionate will must keep him alive. The hour came when she could no longer deceive herself. It was on Saturday evening, just a week after little Tim had come to us. The terrible gasping had ceased, and he lay quiet, breathing little shallow breaths now and then. Lena as usual, knelt by him, Presently his lips moved. She leaned forward to catch the sound : it was only a whisper :—“ Sister.” Yes, dear,” she said eagerly. ‘Sister is here.” But little Tim wanted no more, from her or anyone on earth. The faint breaths grew fainter and fewer, until there was one breath which no other followed. Then I rose, and tried to draw Lena away. It was a long time before I could induce her to leave the room, . and much longer before I could soothe her into any sort of quiet. She had felt the coming of this little stray child as a kind of returning of her little brother, come back to her to be loved and cared for, and to receive her penitence and her atonement. And now her penitence seemed rebuffed, her atonement was frustrated, and she was thrown back again into the loneliness which for a time she had hoped to escape. At last I persuaded her to go to bed, and then, from sheer exhaustion, she fell into a heavy sleep. By that time it was late, and everyone in the house was more or less worn out, too; so having moved little Tim’s bed into an empty room, and done all that could CORNICLOOL SS (GO mn