The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1869-05-29
VOLUME 3.
Little Amy's Story.

~ sss, ( "a .asia- 3t-i s,sis - t,fsat 81 tran
Look here, little one; wharc are you
'goingys You should not be on the street
alone." ,tea, sga9a 81. .airi+l..., sse-
Listie Amy look ed into the mothcrly
flee OF the questioner, but she did not
answer. She was bashful little thing,
only four years old. She scarcely look
ed three, she was SO little a'.u
ut is growing dark" continued the
kind neighbor. ',It will be night, soon,
and then you will get lost. Run home,
'that's good girl"
81 is going after my papa," said the
schill ra ,s
!. .Oh !no; you can't find him. See
thow full the streets are. The horses
will run oyergyou. Let me lead you
ihome to your mother. Your papa will
teome pretty soon." ,a-
She took the little cold hand in hers
anfs'she child pulled it away, and push
ang past her, ran rapidly down tie
st~ent assss .ls ol
''Ah T! well" said the woman, taking
up heavy basket of clothes that she
had set down on the sidewalk while
speaking to little Amy, II have no time
to run after her. She must take her
chance. / hnpe she II come to no harm,
for-Therc! she's gone into Meg Quill
lan's rum hole.. She's after her father
the drinking wretch Letting his
family starye, and he earning more than
any man ou the street,"
Tile woman was risht-little Amy WAS
louking for her father. and, young MS
she was, a mere baby, she knew where
to look fur him.
lie was sitting before the fire in the
low drinking house, half stupcfed with
the liquor he had taken since finishing
his days work. He WAS u large, strong
ly.built inau. with an easy, careless man
aier, and disposition almost hopelessly,
oblising. We say hopclessly, because it
WAS this same amiable trait of char. ctcr
which made him as easy pr,y to, the
5i8'tor sslier.
noisy Irish woman, with very red tac.,
aand very dirty cap She had Iond.
harsh voice. which was not at all mel
lowed by her own frequent visits to the
de,nijoln. There were a number Of men
aud women in the room, going ,hr,ngEl
the various stages OF int xicat;on; soma
80. -,:::c .ul.-ca, some 1narrelsome.
Bat :hc man bo'or. the fi.c, ii. &C
A::y'; father. sat apart from the rest,
and did not seem to see or hear anythinr
about him.
"Don't go to slapc there my man,
said the landlady, giving him II rougl,
push. Yen be pitchn' on the stove
next. Move, an ye'rc alive till set OIL
the kittle."
Little Amy stole noiselessly into the
room and crept up between her fathers
knees just as the huge diuncr-po was
SGT on the earth. The cover was half
off, and the child, >who had eaten nothing
all day, gazcd hungrily into it, with an
intense longing for some of the contents.
u large head Of cabbage was simmcring
on the top, sending its appetizing odor
out iuto the roonl, and giving pleasant
reminder to the fortunate idlcrs who
happened to have any suppers of their
own to partakc of. They began to leave
for their various homes, but little Amy's
father did not stir. lie knew that all
his earnings-and they wcro not small
were spent in that vilo room, and that
Ahs c,,pboard ut hoiue was empty. So
Ihe .sat still.
Little Amy leaned over his knee to
get little aearer to the dinner-pot, and
then-can you blame the baby-,hicf?-
she reached out her poor little hand, aud
with her tiny fingers picked a bit OF the
cabbage.
A heavy blow from the woman's
strong itan,l you'd have acut l,e.' head
long ON to the hearth, if her Glther hau'
not caught her.
'1'll tache yo to stale, yc boggar's
brat" screamed the woman. catching
hold of little Amy's arm, and shaking
her i'll spite of her fathers hold on her.
lie started up from his seat with def
ant look on his face that sho had never