The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-12-31

BIazius, who now appeared in the guise of a
thin gentlemanly fellow, in a brown o~vorcoat
and soft hat, and let the stout but now trem-
bling ready-made-cIothing merchant out Of
the street-door.
The long, plumy whirls Of snow came dan
cling down the street like ghosts, but the gas
lights were still bright; for tue waning moon
had not then risen, and the shops were gay
with holiday goods and gear, and the side
walks were still full Of merry people.
Their backs were sparkling with the pow
derry snow, and the sleigh-bells were filling the
frosty air with their jingling cadences. OF
all the throng, Mr.. Blueit became aware that
they were following only two, a woman and
a boy, who hurried along, hand in hand, Ia
king little heed of the busy shops, with their
tempting wares 50 lavishingly displayed, and
intent only on gaining shelter from the bit
ing wind. Into the dark alley and up tho
creaking stairs they followed-Blueit and his
phantom guide. The door yielded to their
touch, and our two friends followed them in
to the room. 1t was all cold and dark, and
if it had not been, Blueit felt with a shiver
that they would not havs needed them.
The boy was lighting a candle, poor child!
and his fingers trembled SO that he could
scarcely hold the match; but he die it, finally.
First a smudgy smell of sulphur and phos-
phorus, and a sputter-then a jet of flame, a
glow, smell of tallow-another sputter, then
a pale languid fame. They then kindled a
fire in a cracked stove, of some bits of limy
laths and a scrap Of wood or two, evidently
picked up in the streets. The red light gleam-
ed up through the fractures into the two pale
thin faces as they warmed their bony fingers
over it, land Blueit remembered the shadowy
faces. His w mothers, his w boy face,
his own poor little wee self.
There was only a bit Of a bone of meat,
some thrice-warmed coffee, innocent Of milk
or sugar, and a very hard heel of a loaf; but
they greedily ate and drank what there was,
and lowered over the fast-fading fire, as if to
eagerly absorb into themselves all that there
might be of warmth and vitality before it
should shoulder into ashes there was a
world of care and want, Of poverty and cold,
in the pinched and wrinkled face-old before
its time, bending SO ~yearningly over the boy.
Poor Mrs. Blueit had been making some shirts
for Judge Handsaw, and had duly taken them
home that night; but the lady had not had
the change by her, SO there was little Of fire
or p in the Blueit attic that night. Mr..
Blueit had heard her tell the boy, and remem-
bered that his own wife had hidden q poor
woman at his door that very night to 60 away
and come at a more convenient season.
Dear, Dear how the poor thing did cough !!
as the woman and child laid down together on
the crazy bedstead, and tried TO club together
what little there was of warmth and life be-
tween the two.
"Joey!' said the woman, did you try again
if Mr.. Jones wanted a bundle boy to-day"
Eyes, mother" answers the little fellow !;
''but he wants genteel lads. | was far too
ragged. Isaid l was mended up pretty well,
and l would soon buy good clothes if he
would hire me and he laughed real ugly, and
said, oh yes, soon enough I'll engage; and
too soon too ; and | went off and begged an
old broom and swept crossings, but nobody
gave me anything and the men wouldn't
trust me with any papers to sell tonight,
either"
81 wish Mrs. Handsaw would pay me what
she owes me- said Mrs. Blueit. THE last
ones | took home she was out of town, and !
had to wait for weeks for my pay; and to-
night she hadn't the change. | almost wish
she knew how poor we are but Pm afraid if
she did she wouldn't trust me with the linen.
God help us, Joey, through this bitter winter ="
and the racking cough showed that something
was helping her rapidly through her short
lease of life,
Joey rolled a billet of wood in his little jack
ct, and put it under her head to raise
it and ease the cough, and presently they
slept.
There stole into the room a sharper chill and
a thin wierd light as Of approaching day,
smothered itself through the cobweb panes.
There was no coughing now, as Joey rubbed
his eyes open. Ah, poor Jocy-it's nc use,
! Ill ,h4 r-,,'f lu-o 4a ,n%,t -, AZ. I'LL
saws pleasure. The widows Friend is right
ing all of her wrongs. There are no david
ling delays there. Oh, Joe. how could you
ever forget those sharpened features, those
emaciated feet, that deadly chill Of touch ov-
ermastering the December morning!
ooh my God, for all my sins have thou
mercy on me ~ g~roaned Blueit and shudder-
ed through forty years of his existence, back
to those days which were passing before
him.
And the vision faded like a cloud, and the
strange pair were once more in the street. II
was still evening out of doors, and Blueit
deserted his own porter, honest fellow! with
his toes sticking out of his boots, as he pass
ed them hurrying home, Juggling a basket o.
potatoes with a bit of meat wrapped in 6
brown paper stuck in a corner of it. BIueit
remembered that he had picked up and re-
stored to him that morning a ten-dollal
greenback, for which Blueit had thanked
him. Really, now, it was too bad-and his
wife with a young baby at home too! Bu'
Bill never complained, and how was he tt
know how things went on at home with all 0
his men? He would never haveknown abou'
l the new baby if he had not just happened t.
have heard him telling Peter, the fireman 0
} it.
Then they passed a milliner's shop Mill
; nette Place. A pretty girl sat at the end 0
the counter weaving 8 chenille net, and a fas
3 young fellow lounged against the counte
sucking his cane and ogIing the girl az sin
worked. Presently she pricked her finger, ant
the exquisite dropped his cane to caress tn
I delicate injured digit, unmindful Of a biz
whiskered fellow, who had entered the shol
l and stood watching them both Not that h,
had much chance to observe them either, 70
the next instant Mr.. Leroy Fayneant sprawIeC
I on the floor beneath the substantial fist Of tn
, big whiskered fellow, in whom Blueit recog
nized himself once more.
[ "Served him right was Blueit's mature
I verdict on this youthful escapade, as tn
vision passed before him Of the fairscoquette
who, now safely nestled under his matrimo
e NAL wing, was pointed out on the Fores
: Drive as the beautiful Mrs. Blueit with he
a two-thousand-dollar horses and carriage"
Blueit saw a great many things in that gus
ty walk with his slender and gentlemanly, bu
e mysterious guide. He saw his cashier go in
: to a blind doorway, and he and Blazius crep
after him and the way the greenbacks pile
the tables, and the little white winged min
listers of evil few away with more than
L quarters salary at a sweep was a caution an
a surprise to the uninitiated. His confdeI
tai clerk, too, came out at the greenroon
z door OF the theatre, and drove AVA to a Sc
Il lect supper with a few dramatic friends; tina
sanity youth who would not so much az hea
S the niger Ministries lest his influence in Sab
" bath-school should be lost. But that was Ia
ter still in the evening. Now the streets wer
full Of people, warmly and handsomely clac