Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-05-12

ruinans OF newsboys. seeing he was a ne,
boy and a green one, fell upon the poo
child and began to beat and cuff him savage
ly But another wandering tender thought
floating about like a thistle-down, mus
have touched and rested upon the heart c
Pat Hagans at that moment For Just a
4 big, bad boy had struck POOR Ben an
made him cry, burly Pat IIagans roared out
Dry that up, rot yer Yer dassent licl
q boy Of yer size, nOhow?''
From that time big Pat Hagans was th
champion OF little Ben. lie educated hin
to be a newsboy, as | told you; taught hin
how to make change, how TO law back
when the boys - sassed" him, and also how
70 slide off on his car" at proper times
too.
That very first night Pats " baby sol,
every one Of his papers. And that night lit
tie Ben and his mother had some supper
though Ben wondered what made his mothe
cry again, as they sat down to eat, and holl
him 50 tight in her arms, and kiss him again
and again. lie thought it was o little un
reasonable in a woman to cry when she haC
/ plenty Of bread and milk.
Alay be the angels had brought little Ber
and his mother their supper after all
But Patsey Hagans was the only angel di
rectly visible in the case. and am doubtful
he was rather dirty looking angel, chew
! ing tobacco, and smoking a stump pipe a.
he did. And I'm positively certain nobody
/ would have let him into a Sunday scho0
/ tableau as an angel. Nevertheless, for all
/ his patched trousers and toes sticking out oi
his boots, he was just as much Of q protect
ing spirit to little Ben as if he had worn the
orthodox white cotton gown and goose wings
Under the wing of his guardian angel, then,
little Ben had almost no trouble. Only
once alter the first week was he tormented
/ At all. and that was when an envi0us news
/ boy began to beat HIM, because Ben had
sold out all his papers while the other boy
/ had not. But angel Pat was at hand in
| less than no time, and made the spiteful
/ Journal boy see such stars that ne didn I
/ dare say boo to Ben after that. That was
the last time that ever the boys troubled
him. lie was little, so helpless and harm
less, that by and by spirit OF pity and gen
/ tleness toward him began 10 develop itself,
even among the merciless outcast newsboys.
They came 70 be 80 kind and chiyalr0us to-
ward him THAI not a boy Of them ell would
g near little Ben's beat, not a boy Of them
would take q customer from him. am
glad to write that Of them. They were glad
to remember it too. afser that happened
which did happen.
So for months that weak little boy earned
supper for himself and his mother People
were very kind to him mostly. Ladies and
gentlemen bought papers OF the pretty
golden haired child, even when they did not
want them. Car drivers often Stacked up a
hJtlc when they saw him coming, SO that he
might climb on safely, and even the big po-
liceuan used 70 watch him carefully across
the street. Little Ben learned more Of the
big world than be ever thought was to, be
known more than was good ioc a child 10
know. perhaps. lie used 70 look at the hne
/ carriages ana wonder whether lie could ever
sell papers enough to buy a carriage. lie
wondered what he would do when he was a
man. he would not be a newspaper editor,
he thought. because editors were always s0
cr0zs. and In such a hurry, and didn't seem
% have much money be noticed. May he
he would be a street ear driver. lie liked
that better. Or may be he would even have
to q and be q Legislature, and have to be
7 haaied about in hack and gaped az. lie
would not like that az all. On the whole be
Thought be would be a milkman, he told his
mother. because q milkEan could ude all
day ia q wagon, and seemed % get more
money than any body else. And little Ben
learned some bad words aud rough ways
from the other boys, too. But be never
said the bad words before bis mother, never.
And be always gave her every penny of hls
li-rle earnings, not even keeping enough T.
buy pocket knife with two blades, though
he wanted it more than anything else in the
world.
At last a terrible thing happened. !
hardly know how % write it down. for when
got write Of that my hand snakes and
the tears come in spite Of me, and somehow
seem % bewrtius oi one who was very
rear kin % me.
One afternoon litrie Ben went ont merrily
to sell his papers, Dis slender, delicate hands
and pale face very clean. and his long,
hri-l, curls shining in the sun. His mother
watched him out of sight from her window,
inst rs always. Thai was tile last time she
ever curlci little Ben's long bright hair ;
the last time she was ever % watch her daI-
Ing from the window. Poor little Ben
lie he'd sold three papers, and the little
fellow climbed into 81 street car and sold an
other. III meant 90 s.epod at the crossing
bug rhe child was very little, very weak,
and missed h.s footing, and fell under -he
car. In an instant the heavy wheel rolled
over him-and poor little Ben never sold any
more papers. Never, never more They
stopped the ear and picked up the small,
crushed bolv in a moment. a little feeble.
trembling life vet quiyered within him, and
be opened his blue eyes family and begged
them pi.e0usly to send for his mother.
They knew the child and went instantly.
But the FAINT, tiny spark of life giimmered
leebly and went quietly ont before the
stricken mother came. And with the cold
hand of death stidening bis white cyelid-,
and dimming his great blue eyes. little hero
Ben murmured with his las; sweet breath
the words mingliug brokenly with the death
gasp-
" Tell my mother-l'ye sold tour papers
and the moneys in-my pocket
\ crowd Of men and women. most of
chem with tears in their ewes, saw the long,
bright curls, all daggled and dusty, two
POOR little slim hands. broken at the wrist,
one ofthcm hanging quite dead and fleless
"a heart broken woman moaning and cry
ing. and clasping wildly to her breast the
crushed shaFeless thing which had been
golden haired little Ben