THE CATASTROPHE OF TWELVE HOURS. 



elapsed before she could rise from the chair upon which she had 

 nearly fallen. On the side opposite the door stood the bed, on which 

 the mother of the family had died a few hours ago, and from which 

 hardly an hour had elapsed since the father had been removed. The 

 children, when all had become quiet, had crept out of the house, but 

 had been harshly driven back by threats and blows by the more im- 

 mediate neighbours. Thus cooped up alone, they had dismantled the 

 bed of its coverings, with which the floor was literally covered, soiled 

 and foul as they were from the effects of the disease under which 

 their parents had laboured. 



The oldest boy, a child of eight, was sitting sobbing on a low stool, 

 profusely covered with blood, which had flowed from a deep cut on 

 his head. The little fellow had been endeavouring to clamber up by 

 the aid of two chairs to a high shelf, on which a loaf was seen, but 

 had fallen in his attempt, and, independent of the cut, seemed very 

 severely bruised. His right arm was supported on his knees, and 

 was powerless, and on examination was found dislocated at the 

 shoulder. The two younger children were rolling about the floor, 

 alternately playing and fighting ; and the youngest child, scarcely 

 two years old, was lying beneath the bed, from which it had fallen, 

 wailing in a voice almost exhausted by long continued screaming, and 

 calling out at intervals, " Mam, mam, rnam !" in a most touching and 

 pitiable tone. The whole four were hungry, and the misfortune of 

 the boy had been caused by the importunate cries for food of his 

 younger companions. 



The weeping Sarah proceeded to soothe the children, gave them 

 food, lighted a fire, and after the youngest had satisfied its hunger, 

 hushed it to sleep, and then set about arranging the room. She col- 

 lected all the soiled linen, removed it into a back place, and immersed 

 it in water. She tidied the house, washed the younger boys from 

 the foul stains of the plague ; but to their repeated questions, when 

 would their mother come home, she could only answer by tears. 

 Her efforts to relieve the injured boy only added to his sufferings, 

 and before long he placed his head on a chair and fell asleep, ex- 

 hausted by pain and weeping. A considerable length of time was of 

 course occupied by these humane attentions, and before preparing to 

 leave them, she got the children undressed, put them to bed, and sat 

 beside them till sleep overpowered their young and harassed minds ; 

 she then extinguished the fire, placed the loaf and a bowl of milk 

 within reach, and prepared to leave the house in haste, in order to 

 make immediate application to the town authorities on the subject of 

 the hapless children. 



Nothing but the engrossing feelings of a mother could possibly 

 have carried Sarah through the task she had voluntarily imposed on 

 herself, disgusting as in some respects it had been, and joined with 

 the terror of the " plague," in whose very path she had thus thrown 

 herself. 



