Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-04-26
Win the father of little Ben we have moth

with ncr SleUutT dfdHus anu yelfOW CuTiiHg
hair, so like little Bens own, lived in a
large house and had carriage to ride in.
Time had been when she had such happy
home that she had nothing left on earth to
wish for. But that time was so long gone
by now that Ben's mother, in her great
trouble and despair, looked forward to no
happiness and no beautiful home till she
should pass over the river and enter the
gate of the celestial city. Indeed, so
heavy was her trouble, that she sometimes
lost sight of even that one last hope.
The days ofplenty and happiness were
so long gone by for little Ben and his moth
er that one night they had no supper. And
the next night it was just the same, and
the next.-and after that little Ben often
went hungry to bed. One day, watching
his mother with his large, wistful blue
eyes, he saw that her work had fallen
from her hands, and that she was crying.
At first, Ben cried too, because he did not
know what else to do; laying his bright
little head on her shoulder and clasping
his weak arms tight about her neck, as if,
poor child, that could do any good. Pres
emily he said: =
Mamma, what are you crying for?"
Then his mother told him that she had
no supper for him, and no breakfast either,
and did not know where to get any more
breakfast or supper.
maybe the angels will bring us some, :"
said poor little Ben.
There are no angels any more, Benny"
said her mother.
After that little Ben stood by her side a
long time. very silent, very quiet, Che was
always quiet boy, tryingto get it through
his childish head that there were truly no
r1-s~x Al. !. \
shining wings. such as he had seen in pie
ture his mother used to have. The angels
all looked like his mother, somehow, it
seemed to him, and she would make
beautiful angel herself, if she only had
broad white wings. But he wanted his
supper awfully, and some supper for
mamma, too, the child thought.
BY and by, after thinking a while long
er, Ben went quietly out doors and into
the streets, stole so softly out the back way
that his mother did not see him at ali.
He went to the lady who lived next door
and said.
Mrs. Gray, will you lend me ten cents ?"
The lady, hearing the timid, trembling
voice beside her, looked down and saw a
small face gazing up into hers, with its
childish faith and its childish beauty saw
two large blue eyes, with the tears half
quivering in them already, as if the sensi-
tive child expected refusal. Something,
fleeting recollection, maybe, or a wan
dering tender thought, floating about like
q thistle-down, seeking some place to rest
upon, touched Mrs. Gray's heart at the
moment; she remembered the strange
feeling long afterward, and she patted lit
tie Ben's bright hair, as she gave him the
money and said he was a good child.
Then little Ben went to the newspaper
Office, to- wait for the ; clock edition.
1t would have Jared badly with him then,
though, only for Pat Hagans, for the young
rnffians of newsboys, seeing he was new
boy and a green one, fell upon the poor
child and began to beat and cuff him saw
agely. But another wandering tender
thought, floating about like tliistle-down,
must have touched and rested upon the
heart Of Pat Hagans at that moment. For
just as big bad boy had struck poor Ben
and made him cry, burly Pat Hagans roar
ed out:
y DRY that up, rot yer! Yer dassent lick
a boy of yer size, nohow"
m From that time big Pat lIagans was the
champion OF little Ben. He educated him
to be a newsboy, as | told you; taught
him how to make change, how to Jaw
back when the boys ''sassed'' him, and
also how ''to slide off ON his ear" at
proper times, too.
81 That very first night Pats baby sold
every one OF his papers. And that night
little Ben and his mother had some sup
per; though Ben wondered what made his
mother cry again, as they sat down to eat
and hold him SO tight in her arms, and
kiss him again and again. He thought it
10 in
cry when she had plenty of bread and
milk.
May be the angels had brought little
Ben and his mother their supper after ALL
But Patsy Hagans was the only angel
directly visibld in the case, and l am
doubtful he was rather dirty looking an
gel, chewing tobacco, and smoking
stump pipe as he did. And I'm positively
certain nobody would have let him into
Sunday-school tableaux as an angel.
Nevertheless, for all his patched trowsers
and toes sticking out of his boots, he was
rs much OF protecting spirit to little Ben
asif he had worn the orthodox white cot
ton gown and goose wings. Under the
wing of his guardian angel, then, little
Ben had almost no trouble. Only once af-
ter the first week was he fomented at all,
and that was when an enyious newsboy
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 Jour
nal boy see such stars that he didn't dare
say boo to Ben after that. That was the
last that ever the boys troubled him. He
was little, so helpless and harmless, that
by and by spirit of pity and gentleness
toward him began to develop itself even
among the merciless, outcast newsboys.
They came to be so kind and chivalrous
towards him that not boy OF them all
would go near little Ben's beat, not boy
i of them would take customer from him.
Il am glad to write this of them They
were glad to remember it, too. after what
happened which did happen.
e So for months that weak little boy
earned supper for himself and mother
PEOPLE We're very kind to him mostly
Ladies and gentlemen bought papers of
the pretty golden-haired child, even when
they did not want them Car d,;va,s ~