Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1869-08-12
Sclcttco s,liseellanl.
TE,'E STORY OF MAGGIE MURPHY.


York City, in squalid tenement-house moi
tnr from Five Points. Her nther and
mother were not nice people; Int they were
ill the father and mother Maggie had oven
had for her own. mid she did the best She
could to get along.
Dan Murphy was q day-laborer; ant,
,hm,rh i, was rather fond Of whisky, it
seemed, for he spent almost all ms money
ON whisky, and little on his child. Hel
mother too, was fond of whisky, and she
WAS dirty and rugged; and. besides Maggie,
sbe mad five other children, who were all as
dirty and ragged Us possible.
Mrs Murphy seldom occupied herself III
the welfare of her children during the day.
She turned them into the streets as soon as
they got ont of their dirty bed i'll the morn
in.. each with crust III her hand, and
never thouuhtof such . thing as combing
th.ir hair or washing their faces. AS for
dressing them. they wore any rag tney
hn,ncnra to haye, on. the night before, when
thty went to bell On the floor; and as they
silent in tLem all night and wore them Ill
.l;st. they were not i'll nice condition.
Maggie was the htt.tot, and the only
things about Aer ronia DC cali.a p5et.y
were hcf eyes. Bright plack. eyes sue haa,
which III the4tiirt in Five Points couldn't
rob of their charm; for God has arranged a
was,,ino-machine in every little girls head,
tlal washes her eyes itself; and SO Maggggie!s
eyes were always Masletks 3 s..a- -
Maggie was pretty well acquainted with
the Immediate neighborhood Of her misera-
bla home; and though she was out all day
every day, she never failed to get back to
father and mother swhens night came, in
hopes Ola piece ofbrea'tbnt shedldnt al
ways get it.
One Fourth Of July when Maggie was
turned out Us usual, she got SO excited
over the n-.i-.. and tumult. the fre-crnckers
and lorpcloes, and tho procession that
came down Broadway, with a great biare OF
drums and brass Instruments, that she
wandered away and when night came, she
found ont she, didn't know the way, home.
Then sic began 70 cry, and the washing
machine in her head washed her eyes SO
hard that the water overlooked and ran
down her cheeks; and ii Maggie had had a
clean towel; sic might have wiped her face
clean perhaps. But she had nothing but
her dirty little fists, and so, the more she
rubhcdthc uirtier she grew. - =,
A big policeman, with blue coat and
brass buttons, and silver shield on his
breast came and asked Maggie where she
lived; but Maggie didn't know, and SO the
policeman took her i'll his arms, and car
ricl her off to the place where they carry
all the lost children III New York. 1t was
q grand place indeed compared with Mag
gies wretched home in Five Points, q great
marble building in the fourth story Of
which Maggie found rcsting-pIace.
Do,,'t cry any more" tie woman sail,
when Maggie Came i'll; ''your mother will
come tor you, I dare say"
lTornia Sfo,.op1 c,.viurr. and tho xyn,
man took her and began performance 80
mysterious, that Maggie cried again for she
didn't know what to make of it. ,
This mysterious performance was moth
ing more nor less than the washing of Mag
GIGS faco and, the combing her tousled
hair; and you may imagine what the little
girl suffered. Such thing had never hap
pnnedto her before il, her life. that she
could remember. When the performance
was over, it was enough to make one laugh
to see what handsome little. girl Maggie:
WAS. Her face was almost white, and her
cheeks were brilliant red, .:and her black
hair cWrled in the loveliest manner possible.
Maggie felt so comfortable when she was
clean, and IL great slice ofbrcad and cheese
given her to eat, TINT she began to hope
her mother wouldn't miss her, nor come
after her at all. And by and by, sho wont
to bed and fell asleep along with more thnn
" hundred other little children, who had
been picked TIP like herself in tho streets
that dry. ~ 80 -
When Dan Murphy camo homo that
night after his supper. he WAS not 80
drunk but that lle missed his little girl
and asked his wife where Maggie was.
''Faix, dom know, Dan" said she.
Giant sl,o bin home ?"
"No, Dan, I amt seen her the day."
"Go au' find her then" swore Dan; 'an'
n mice mother yon are to loso your chilther
in tho street.
So Mrs. Murphy went off to find her,
and Dan Murphy won't over to the liquor
shop on the corner.
Mrs. Murphy asked the first policeman
sho met, il he had seen Maggie, and the
policeman told her to 60 to the Central Of
flee, ind no doubt her little girl would be
there.
The children were asleep when Mrs.
Murphy got to the place and told her story;
and they let her into the room where Mag
sio WAS c1rlcd mp with her head on her arnl
and her eyes shut.
Mrs Murphy looked among the children
carefully; and then turned away in
great distress saying that Maggie was not
there
Size didn't know her own child with its
face washed and its hair combed, and If
she had not come. bacl. the next moving
when Maggie was awake, she would never
have got her little girl back. Maggie "ras
awake though, in the morning, and as
soon rs she s,tw her mother; she cried out
"Mam!" nnd Mrs. Murphy clasped her to
her heart in mute nmazement.
In fact. Mrs. Murphy was so astonished
nj the effect produced by o little soap and
water, that she went home and washed the
other three children; and from that day,
reform began in that household which con-
tinucl until tho Murphys became respecta-
bic people. WHIT SYKES.