The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1853-09-29

ing thclr way over that naturally Dcautl-
full face.
"Some corn, sir" lisped the little
sufferer, as she saw we had stopped to
look at her, hardly daring to speak to
one who did not address her in rough
tones Of command, such as 9" give ne
some corn, you little VOLTS whelp," or
a name still more opprobrious both to
herself and mother Seeing we had no
look of contempt for her, she said, pit
cously, "please buy some corn, sir"
No, my dear, we do not wish any
it is not very healthy in such warm
weather as this, and especially so late at
night"
ooh dear, then what shall | do :"
"Why, 60 home 1t is past midnight
and such little girls as you ought not to
be in the streets Of this bad city at this
time Of night"
| can't 90 home-and am SO tired
and sleepy. Oh dear"
Cannot 90 home. Why not :"
"Oh, sir, my mother will whip me if
| go home without selling all my corn
Oh, sir, do buy one ear, and then | shall
have only two left, and | am sure she
might let little sis and me eat them. for
| have not had anything to eat since
morning, only one apple the man gave
me, and one part of one he threw away
| could have stolen turnip at the gro
Gerry when went to get-to get some
thing in the pitcher for mother, but
dare not. | did use to steal, but Mr.
Pease says it is naughty to steal, and
don't want to be naughty, indeed | don't !;
and | don't want to be bad girl like
Lizzy Smith, and she is only two years
older than me, if she does dress fine !;
cause MIR. Pease says she will be just
like old drunken Kate, one of these days.
Oh, dear, now there goes a man and |
did not cry hot corn, what shall | do 2"
edo! There, that is what you shall
do" as we dashed the corn in the gut
ter. eco home tell your mother you
have sold it all, and here is the money"
"Won't that be lie, sir Mr.
z ease says we must not tell lies"
=" No, my dear, that won't be lie,
because l have bought it and thrown it
away, instead of eating it."
/" But, sir, may l eat it then if you
don't want It -
"No, it is not good for you; good
bread is better, and here is a sixpence
to buy a loaf, and here is another to buy
some nice cakes for you and sis. Now
that is your money; don't give it to your
mother, and don't stay out so late again.
Go home earlier, and tell your mother
you cannot keep awake, and if she is a
good mother she won't whip you"
"Oh, sir, she is a good mother some
times. But | am sure the grocery man
at the corner is not good man or he
would not sell my mother rum, when he
knows-for Mr.. Pease told him so-that
we poor children were starving. Oh, l
wish all the men were good men like
him, and then my mother would not
drink that nasty liquor and beat and
starve us, cause there would be nobody
to sell her any-and then we should
have enough to eat"
Away she ran down the street toward
that reeking center of filth, poverty and
misery, the noted Five Points of New
York
AS we plodded up Broadway, looking
in here and there upon the palatial
splendors of metropolitan Z" saloons"-
we think that is the word for fashionable
upper class grog-shops-we almost in
voluntarily cried hot corn" as we saw
the hot spirit of that grain, under the
various guises of pure gin--old rum
pale brandy-purc port-Heidsick--orI
Lager-bier-poured down the hot throats
of men-and ah, yes, Of women, too,
whose daughters may some day sit at
midnight upon the cold curbstone crying
"hot-corn," to gain penny for the pur-I
chase of u drink of the fiery dragon they
arc now inviting to q home in their
bosoms, whose cry in after years will be
" Give, give, give" and still as unsat-
isfied as the horse-leech's daughters.
Again, as we turned the corner of
the glare and splcndor Of al