was
the Golden Teks for that day, an' she's made me be a-hearin' ov it a
many times since. She did set sich a heap by that teks as I niver saw,
an' I'm thinkin' she wants yer to be a-repeatin' of it to her,
miss.--Does yer, Matty?"

Again she nodded; and I said as well as my sobs would let me, "Suffer
little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is
the kingdom of heaven."

"More, more," she whispered faintly; and I repeated over and over again
the sweet, gracious invitation which has lasted and shall last through
all time, gathering into those loving arms the little ones of every
degree, the beautiful and the uncouth, the happy and the oppressed;
until to the echo of that golden text poor Matty's soul floated away
peacefully and quietly.

Unsightly, unhappy, and unloved, save for the faithful young brother to
whom she was all in all,--to her, little had been given; and we may
surely believe that from her little would be required.

So was Matty provided for, and the care of her taken from my hands and
those of generous Jim, who really seemed to mourn for her as though she
had been his own sister.

The particulars of the circumstances which led to her death, as related
by Johnny Petersen, Tony, and the policeman who had witnessed the
accident,--for accident it was,--were these.

Matty had had the most unbounded terror of the fire-engines,--perhaps
owing to the fact, stated by Tony, that her deformity had been
occasioned by her being thrown from a window during a fire when she was
a very young child; and she probably associated the engines with all
the misery, both mental and physical, which she had ever since
suffered. However that may be, the sight or sound of them was
sufficient to rouse her from the state of dull apathy usual to her,
into a paroxysm of alarm and nervousness; and if Tony were anywhere
within reach she always sought his side with some fancied idea of
protection, until the terror was beyond her vision and hearing.

Tony had been sent by Johnny on some errand, and was returning, and had
nearly reached the opposite corner of the avenue, when the sound of the
galloping hoofs and rattling wheels of a fire-engine were heard.

Matty at her stand without the florist's shop was out of harm's way;
but no sooner did the clatter of the approaching steamer strike her
ear, than she hastily rose from her seat, and started to meet Tony,
who, pausing with boyish interest to watch the engine