Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-01-27
The Two Cripples.

You want to know why l keep that
horrid, common, lame sparrow, do you,
Harry? and why | make such fuss over
him? We'll, if you can keep still for five
minutes l will tell you his story. Three
years ago l was walking along a poor
miserable streee, when / heard sweet
voice above my head singing "The Mock
ing Bird" 1t was long since l had heard
such fresh young notes, and l was pleased
to find they came from the garret of the
house | was going to. When / had
finished the business which took me there,
| asked who was the singer, and was told,
"Oh, that's poor Jem Robson, cripple
he and his mother have the top attic"
l made my way up and found Jem alone
His mother, who was his sole support,
went out to sew, and poor Jem was left by
himself almost every day. When he was
quite a baby he had a terrible fall, which
had injured his spine so much that he
never was able to walk. He was now
twelve years old, but his legs had grown
quite thin, and he was hardly ever out of
pain. His face was white and sickly and
had that sad look of deformity which so
often accompanies crooked back. | soon
got him to talk quite freely to me, and
asked him if he was not often very dull.
was very low sometimes, ma'am," he
said, It'll Bob came to me-"
"And who is BobY" said, for the child
spoke as of some one present.
For answer, Jem gave low whistle,
and from the farthest corner of the room
there came lame sparrow.
Its hopping was most painful process.
saw at once that one of his legs was
broken. Its spirits, however, remained
unimpaired. 1t came up at its little mas
ter's call, and perched itself on one of his
small wasted hands, and pecked gently at
his lips as though it would give him a
bird-kiss.
Jem then told me that some months ago
his mother had left him one day laid by
the window, so that he might see all that
went on in the street below. While she
was away, he watched the people coming
and going, and wondered how he should
feel if he could walk and run as they did.
He noticed the children as they went 10
school, and thought within himself 81
shall never grow up a scholar, for l can
never 60 to school, and no teacher will
ever come to me-" At last he saw tiny
child toddle into the middle of the road,
where it fell flat on its face. 1t would GER
tainly have been run over had not boy,
Just about Jem's one age, picked 1t up and
carefully led it away Then tears of disap-
pointment rolled down the face of the
cripple, who watched from his window
this scene of life and action, of danger and
of help. "Ah," he thought. II could
have borne TO see people strong and happy,
whilst / was dull in pain, but it is hard to
see them wanting help and to know that |
can never give it. That baby might have
been killed for anything could have done /;
why did God let me live when he knew
should always be like this, and never any
use in the world?"
d just then a lad looked in, whose parents
lodged in a room below Jem's garret, and
said ~ say, see what I've caught"
n lie came close up to Jem, and opening
his hand, showed him a wretched-loohing,
halfdead bird He had been setting traps
for sparrows, and this was the only one
he had caught. 1t had struggled violently
TO get free, and in doing 80 had broken
one of its slender legs.
"I shall kill it," said the boy.
"No, you shan't," said Jem, his pale