Page:Our Little Girl (1923).pdf/115



Loamford - Samuel Charles Loamford, beloved husband of Martha Reitz Loamford, at his home, 137 West 88th Street, after a brief illness. Funeral private. Kindly omit flowers.

The passing of Mr. Loamford left Dorothy with no tangible sensations. She knew that her father had been ill for a week and that Dr. Knight had described that illness as a mild case of influenza. Then, late one afternoon, Dr. Knight looked serious and spoke in a low voice. In the early evening, he took Dorothy into the sickroom, where an unobtrusive nurse hovered about the background. Her father was sleeping. He looked much as he had always looked, although fever had given him a color which he rarely had had. Dr. Knight motioned Dorothy to say nothing. She tiptoed out again. Her mother was pale and wept constantly. Dr. Knight advised Dorothy to eat dinner alone. It was best for Mrs. Loamford to lie down and rest. Ten minutes after a desultory meal, Dr. Knight came to Dorothy in the library, his head bowed. He said nothing. She understood.

He took her back to the sickroom. The nurse was arranging the chamber neatly. She followed Dr. Knight to the bed. Her father looked peaceful. There was a quiet smile on his features.

"Thank God, he passed away without pain," murmured Dr. Knight. "He was a good man."

Dorothy sat beside the bed and cried softly for a few minutes. Then she went to her mother's room. Mrs.