The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-02-24

g Please. sir, may shovel of yodr side
. No. boy!-go home and tell your moth
81 only want ave cents, sir-just five
cents--let me have five cents for half ar
to set me att DON'T care what it is" ft
q No, 1 tell you'll Go home and keep out
of the streets Go to SCHOOL, L don't see
what parents can be thinking of to allow
their children to go running aroand beg
ging" a-F4 a
who carried upon his shoulder rudeIy
constructor Woo3en shovel, and the per-
son TO whom he addressed himself was the
wealthy Mr.. Seymou who occupied q
paIatIai mansion in one of the streets cut
ting the Fifth Avenue at right angles.
The boy wa about fourteen yeaI S OF age,
and though shabbily dressed and wretch
ed looking enough, there was something
about his countenance which could not
fail to i'm press q close observer favorably
Mr., Seymour hal just returned from a
1rIN out on the avenue in his magnificent
s eigh, and was about entering the door OF
his residence when the boy, who had been
cooking wiSt1ully, as he walked along at
the wi i dows OF the rich mansions in 'front.'
o; which he was passing, paused and ac-
A bouG an hour after the above canversa-
ton, Mr.. Seymour. again dressed for the
street, stood gazing from the window OF b S
front parlor. Already he regretted that he
had so rudely answered the boys petition,
and in imagination he again beheld the
pleading face. Suddenly an exclamation.
half OF fear, half of surprise, burst from his
OF the boy IS large, sorrowfUi eyes
1t was but single glance, and the boy
passed away without Offering to stop, but
soon recovering himself, Mr.. Seymour
sprang to the hall, then ont at the door,
and in an instant was at the boys side.
" Here boyI" he said hurriedly, as he
touched the lad on the shoulder, 9 have
you got what you were asking for yet?"
mo, sir" replied the boy dejectedly
the people tell me that am too small TO
shovel snow, and too big to beg, and so 1
-rnE1r no hRy n 90 Will hon
anything. No, L won't, though he add
ed suddenly, while q look of savage reck-
lessness settled upon his features-'' Ia, 4
won'tI-I have never done anything wick.
ed yet, but I'll STEALTH murder before I
go home without any thing"
- Good gracious, b0y2S exclaimed Mr..
Seymour, " what are you saying? Upon
INV life you talk like perfect young saw
age. Here-here's some change for you %
And he placed IN his hand a few silver
INSTANTLY the look of blank DESPAIR van
ished from the boys face, and an expres-
sioa of intense satI sfaction took Its place,
as eagerly ciutchfng the money which the
rich man had held out to him, he hastily
fed away up the street at his tOpmost
MIR Sevmour-Stood looking after the boy
till he saw him enter bakers shop on
the corner, and then he mechanically fol-
lowed in toe same direction.
$50 he 1Ods hungry" he muttered, as he
walked along, . and perhaps he may be
connected with some one who Is also hum
" VINO can tel QOnft know LH9b
Il g anything to me, but, by George some
thing which / cannot exactly understand
impels me to follow him. and will do so,
let what viii come of II"
The boy tVGS hungry-ceTY hungry for,
as he emerged from the bakers shop,
cIutching a loaf of bread In his nervous
grasp, Mr.. Seymour, who followed closely,
observed that he tore piece from il and
ravenoosly gnawed 1t as he started on a
run.
At length the boy darted u o a dark alley
way the entrance TO which Mr.. Seymour
reached Just in time to see the object OF his
pursuit enter a tenant-building which
stood far back IN the rear.
MIR. Seymour also entered the dismal
habitatfon, and, after some delay found
himself In an apartment on the second
door. The room was a small one, and
from its position the light OF day, except
at meridian lit was about three O'Clock
cleanly scrubbed, the walls were white
and the window. panes, what few Were
left, giistened brightly in the sunlight;
but save clean board which, reStins upon
q barrel served as table, and a bed which
occupied the darkest corner of the room
on the floor, the apartment contained no
furniture.
Sitting bolt upright upon this latter ar
ticle was q woman, wasted away almost
to a skeleton. In both her bony hands
she ciutched loaf of bread, from which
she had raVeAOusiy torn a mOuthful, and
living prone at her side, with his face
buried In the pillow, and grooming and
sobbing piteously, was the boy whom the
rich man had followed.
Mr.. Seymour was unable tc scan the