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Show i i JUST THE STORY Of A BOY He.was a boy, and ho was only nine years old, and ho sat in a carriage and waved his tiny littlo hand to his mamma, who stood watching him from tho window, and his silvery voico cried out: "Good-bye, Mamma! Be good, now; I'll only bo away a little while. Doc says three weeks. So bo good. And don't forget lame Billy and Annie and Sally and June and Tom, and have Doc see them and, mamma dear, take care'of Joe, 'cause I always feed him." Joo was the dog. And there were neighbors, too, who stood at tho windows and watched this frail boy who had more ncrvo and was braver than the' were. Then the wheels of tho vohiclc moved, and thcro was another wave of a baby hand the boy was gone, on his vrny to tho isolation isola-tion hospital on tho East bench. And, down upon her knees, a woman pravod to tho Groat Giver of all things to watch .over her boy, to make him well and to return him to her who had given him birth, from whom ho had novor beon separated since his big blue oycB opened in this great, bip, world. And in the snmc apartment house, and in ncichborintf houses across tho street, nnd down the street, other mothers, whoso babies had prown to manhood and womanhood, also prayed for this bnby bo' who had just been driven away. Then tho fumicator stepped in and tho doors and windows of the big build-jug build-jug were closed, and the odor of disinfectants dis-infectants permeated tho house. Stifling Stifl-ing they were, too, but they killed the corms and they made tho building habitable for others and enabled them to mingle with the world and not endanger en-danger tho lives of others, Tho yellow flag which had been placed upon tho door by tho health authorities was removed. re-moved. The building was opon to tho world it was free from disease. Thursday night there wa3 a telepboho call from Ihc isolation hospital. A baby voice said; "Good night, Mamma, I'm going to bed now. You bet, I'll sleep sound. The nurse sayB so. And say. this smallpox isn't so bad after all." And then the telephone was hung up. |
