Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1854-12-07
From the Little Pilgrim.
HUGH, THE HUI cK BACK.
BY MARY IRVING.
sSHAmEi for shamel"

Such were the few Calculations pour
ed out by group of men, on the out
skirts of crowd assembled to witness a
grand exhibition of fireworks, on the eve
of the Fourth of July. The first speak
er had picked up from the dusty grass a
child. who had accidently been knocked
down in the general crowding and jostling
and who now lay apparently sensless in his
arms.
."Who is it?-what is it?" inquired one
and another.
''It's Joe Fatterson's little hunchback-
ed Hugh answered the man; "and pity
tits they couldn't have kept him out Of
this crowd. He has been knocked down
and banged about, till / am not sure
whether there is any life left in him."
"Bring him here, sirl" exclaimed an ell
egantly dressed lady, whose carriage had
been driven just outside ofth9 ring which
encircled the crowd.
ooh, mamma!he is dead! the poorb oyr
cried the youngest of her children, with
tears in her plying blue eyes.
"Just as well if he WERE" said another
| lady in the carriage. 1T is cruel kind
ness to let such deformed child live to
grow up"
"Hush! sister," returned the first lady,
she i S coming to. Remember, the child
probably has mother to love him, if he
| is ahunchbackm
And he has soul too, Aunty," spoke
up little Lila. with reproachfnl look in
her half-dried eyes.
"You are strange child Lila! Look
at the fireworks.n
But the blazing rockets hod lost hall
their attraction for Lila; and when her
mother proposed leaving them for few
minutes, to take the dcformed boy home
as his arm was very painful, she consent
cd gladly.
Il declare, never shall ride with you
again. sister Winstan,' said the aunt, dis
dainfully, you are always picking up some
object Of distress to shock my nerves. /
shall not get this creature out of my
dreams for amonth.'
Lila glanced at the boy. whose lips and
and eyc-lids trembled, though he lay per
fectly still on the ceShions. Hugh had
heard all; but it was nothing new to the
poor dcformcd child to hear ridicule and
scorE heapcd upon him. Yet it wound
ed hia not less deeply, for he had a SEN
sitivc split, which had grown sore in its
harsh contact with selfish world. In
one thing Mrs. IYinstan had guessed
wrong; he had no mother in this world
but was cared for in some small measure
by boisterous, drinking father and a
rough, but well-mcaning sister.
Dorothy, the sister, came out to re-
ceive him, soon after the carriage stopped
at their dwelling tumbling -down block
| in the drtiest street of the suburbs. She
| lifted him out in her strong, red arms
thanked the lady for her kindness, in a
loud. shrill tone, and then stood to watch
the horses as they trotted away.
"Oh, Dolly" moaned the boy, please
carry me up stairs?"
Yes, yes, you silly child! this is what
you get by going to such places! How
| long, | wonder before You will learn that
you are not like other folks, and can't go
amongst 'em?"
"Not like other folks!" repeated poor
little Hugh when his sister had tucked
him earthly in his warm attic, and gone
down to prepare a vaeh Cor his Sprained
wrist. lie forgot for moment his bod
lily pain. in the pain which shot through
his heart at these carless words. "Not
like other folks! no indeed, | am not!
But how am / to bla1h for it? / didn't
make myself! Why did God make me
so?"
He raised the blanket from his face.
and peered into the darkness with a kind
of superstitiouS fear at the question he
had involuntarily asked; for he had not
forgotten what his dead mother had
taught him: that God was good, and that
he did every thing for the best.
Il don't know what we shall do with
Hugh to keep him oft Of harms way"
said his father, the next morning. He
has such an intolerable curiosity to see
all that is going on in the world, that
he'll get his neck broken among these
city boys. I'll send him to my sisters
cousin in the country, to learn shoemak-
er's trade"
THE best trade in the world for such
as he" replied Dolly. And so. as soon
as the spralned wrist was strong again.
little Hugh was packed off to n country
eobbler's close leather-perfumed shop.
1t was new thing to him to be i'm
prisoned from morning until night, waz-
ing ends, whiting pegs, or driving them
INTO the tough soles of shoes new or old.
Not a kind word ever fell on the poor
boys car If he did his work faithfully
he received no word or look of encour-
agement. If he fell to musing. as he
sometimes did, he was roughly aroused
by shake, and growl to the effect that
he didn't earn the salt to his victuals;
should like to know what he expected to
do in the world?"
One Saturday, Hugh had the unsuual
privilege Of half holiday. With the vii
lage boys he could not go to play, for
they had once driven him from their
green. with shouts Of scornful laughter
so he turned down shaded lane, that
led to a dark pine wood, Through the
hart of this wood stole still stream of
cool water Upon messy knoll, on its
bank, Hugh threw himself down to cher
ish sad thoughts.
''To be a shoemaker all my days, and
stay in a stived-up shOpH' thought he; Il
can't bear it! But what else can ! do?
/ Who cares FOR me? Who is there who
does not laugh at nc? ] wishI was dead
so do II
lie laid his pale cheek on the soft moss
and watcred it with bitter tears. As he
raised his eyes at lenght, they lighted on
a clear blossom Of the finged gentian
As he took the flower in his hand, il
seemed as though its fringed blue eye
looked lovingly into his, saying, 'fGod
made mel"
God made you-yeS; made YOU sweet
and beautiful, but how did he make me?'
reasoned the bew ,ldered boy, whose re.