While they watched she arose,
holding the limp body of a five-year-old child in her arms.
"What is it--what is it?" screamed Miss Toland, but as every one else
was screaming and crying, and Julia's automatic, "Is she dead?" was
answered over and over again only by Miss Pierce's breathless,
"No--no--no--I don't think so!" it was some time before any clear idea
of the tragedy could be had. The small girl was carried in to Julia's
bed, where she lay half-conscious, moaning; great bubbles of blood
formed from an ugly skin wound in her lip, and her little frock was
stained with blood. As an attempt to remove her clothes only roused her
to piercing screams, Julia and Miss Pierce gave up the attempt, and fell
to bathing the child's forehead, which, with the baby curls pushed away
from it, gave a ghastly look to the little face.
"Well, you've killed her, Miss Pierce!" said Miss Toland, beside herself
with nervousness. "That's a dying child, if I ever saw one. That ruins
_this_ Settlement House! That ends it! Poor little thing!"
"I was at the board," said Miss Pierce, white-lipped, and in a low tone.
"I don't care where you were," said Miss Toland.
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