The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-08-13
Selected aaistrIIanu.
TRUE STORY OF MAGGIE MURPHY.


MAGGIE Murphy was n littlc girl FIVE years
old. who lived IN the dirticst quarter Of New
York CITY. in a squalid tonement-honse not
far tfom Five Points. Her fnthor and
mother were not nice people; but they were
AL, the father and mother Maggie had ever
had Tor her own, and she did the beet she
could 60 get along. .
Dan Murphy was a day-laborer; and
though he was rather fond of whisky 1t
seemed, for he spent almost al his money
ON whisky, and little on his child. Her
mother. too. was fond of whisky, and she
was dirty and ragged; and besides Maggie,
she mad eve other children, who were all a3
dirty and ragged rs possible.
Mrs. Murphy seldom occupied herself IN
the welfare of her children during the day.
She turned them into the streets ms soon as
they got ont of their dirty bed in the morn
ing, each with n crust in her hand, ana
never Thought Of such q thing ~ combing
their hair or washing their faces. As for
dressing them, they wore any rag they
happened 10 have ON the night before, when
they went 10 bed on the floor; and as they
Meptin them au night and wore them all
dav, they were not in nice condition.
MaQqio was the %littlest, aud tho only
things about hor that could be called pretty
were her eyes. Bright black eyes she had,
which all the dirt in Five Points couldn't
rob of their charm: for God has arranged a
washing-machine in every little girls head,
that washes her eyes i~tself;nnd 30 Maggie's
ewes were always washed.
Maggie was pretty wen acquainted with
the immediate neighborhood OF her miseN-
BILE homo; and though she was ont all day
every day. she never failed to get back to
father and mother when night came, in
hopes ola piece of bread Int sho diduta al
ways get il.
One Fourth Of July when Maggie was
turned out as usual, she got 80 excited
over the noise aud tumult, the tiro-crackors
and torpedoes, and the procession that
came down Broadway with n great blnre Of
drums and brass instrumentS that she
wandered away and when night came, sho
found out she didn't know the way home.
Then she began to cry, and the washing
machine in her head washed her eyes so
hard that the water overlooked and ran
down hor checks; and il Maggie had had n
clean towel, she might havo wiped her face
clean perhaps. Blu she had nothing Int
her dirty little fists, and 30, tue more she
rubbed the dirtier she grew.
A big policeman, with n blue coat and
brass buttons, and q silver shield on his
breast came and asked Maggie whele she
lived; but Maggie didn't know, and 80 the
policeman took her in his arms, and car
ried her of 10 the place whore they carry
all the lost children in New York. II was
n grand place indeed compared with Mag
gies wretched home in Five Points, q great
marble building in the fourth story Of
which Maggie found n resting-place.
Don't cry any more, tho woman said,
when Maggie came IN; ''your mother will
como for you, / dare say"
SO Maggie stopped crying; aud the wo-
man took her n began n performance 30
mysterious, that Maggie cried again for she
didn't know what 10 max of IL.
This mysterious performance was moth
ing more nor less than tho washing of Mag
GIGS face and the combing her tousled
hair and You may imagine what tho little
girl suffered. Such n thing had never hap
pened 20 her before i'm her life. that she
could remember. When the performance
was over, ii was enough 10 make ono laugh
TO see what q handsome little girl Maggie
was. Her face was almost white, md her
checks were n brilliant red, and her black
hair ourled in the loyeliestmanne possible.
Maggie felt 80 comfortable when she was
clean, and n great slice of bread and cheese
given her TO eat, that she began 10 hope
her mother wouldn't miss her, nor come
hAA = az MI DAAd " hlAl nNF hlAt Mflll
TO bed and fell asleep along with moro than
n hundred other little children, who had
been picked up like horself in the streets
that day.
When Dan Murphy came homo that
night after his supper. he was not so
drunk but that he missed his little girl
and asked his wife whore Maggie was.
'Faix, ! don know, Dan" said sho.
Chant she bin homer
ono, Dan, 1 amt seen her tho day."
"Go an find her then" swore Dan; 'an'
anice mother You are TO lose your chiluhor
in the street.
So Mrs. Murphy went Off 10 find her,
and Dat Murphy went over TO the liquor
shop OF the corner.
Mrs. Murphy asked the first policeman
she met, if he had seen Maggie, and the
policeman told her TO go to tho Central Of
flee, and 10 doubt her little girl would be
there.
The children were asleep whom Mrs.
Murphy got 10 the place and told hor story;
aud they let her into the room where Mag
gle was curled up with her head on her arm
and her eyes shut,
Mrs. Murphy looked among the children
carefully; and then turned away in
great distress saying that Maggie was not
there.
She didn't know her own child with its
face washed and its hair combed, and il
she had not come back the next morning
when Maggie was awake, she would never
have got her little girl back, Maggie ,o1s
awake though, in the morning, and ms
soon as she saw her mother; she cried ont
"Mam r. and Mrs, Murphy clasped her TO
her heart in mute amazement.
In fact, Mrs. Murphy was so astonished
Mt the effect produced by a little soap and
water, that she went home and washed the
other three children; and from that day, n
reform began in that household which con-
tinued until tho Murphys became respecta-
BILE people. WmT SYKES.