ght, however
she became so utterly wearied out with fatigue, that she actually got
asleep several times while walking.

During one of these overpowering moments she stepped too near the top
of the stairway, lost her balance, toppled over, and fell heavily all
the way down to the bottom. There she struck the small of her back
upon the edge of a water-pail that happened to be standing on the
floor.

Had she not been encumbered with the baby she might have saved
herself. But the instant she awoke, and found that she was falling,
her first and only thought was how to keep the infant from going down
underneath herself and being surely killed. To prevent this, she
endeavored to hold it up, which effort caused her to twist or turn
round in her descent, and so fall as to inflict on herself the
dreadful and fatal injury.

She must have screamed as she went down, because two men who were
passing by, ran in immediately, and carried her into the next room.
The pain she suffered was most excruciating, yet the first words she
uttered were:

"Is the baby safe? poor little darling!"

"Yes, ma'm. I hope you aint hurted any worse than the baby," replied
one of the men, with genuine, though unpolished sympathy.

"Thank God, the baby's safe," said Agnes. "I am hurt; but after awhile
I think I will be able to get up. I would be deeply obliged to you
though, gentlemen, if you would stay till daylight--that is, if you
are not afraid of the fever. There are three sick with it up stairs."

"No, ma'm, we're not afeard of it. I'll stay with you, and, John"--the
speaker turned to his companion--"you go up to the house, and ask one
of the Sisters to come right along with you, for it'll be more nicer
for this lady to have a female with her than men. It'll make her feel
more natural and easy, won't it ma'm?"

"O, thank you a thousand times, sir," replied Agnes, most deeply
affected by the considerate gallantry of the kind-hearted, manly
fellow, who was hugging the baby up to him just like a father, and
keeping it quiet by all sorts of baby talk.

In about half an hour the other man returned with a Sister of Mercy,
who at once recognized Agnes. She was one of those with whom Agnes had
come on the cars into Shreveport.

The injured girl whispered in her ear how she was hurt, and Sister
Mary dispatched the man who had brought her hither, for additional
help, which in a short time arrived.

As soon as the doctor came and examined the injur