Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-04-29
LITTLE BEN. TIE NEWSBOY.
A Touching Little story.

big, burly neWsbOy, very rough looking, very
dirty and uncombed he Wa, walked slowly
along, just before the two people crying, in a
bOarse, brszeu voice
'Yer's yer evening pippsrs.5 O'Clock e-dish-
Just a. hundreds of rough looking, uncombed
newsbC y Do, every day. But few feet behind
the big boy, another boy. = little one, wAs walk
ing timlJIy. He was the meTest mite OF a little
boy, not more than seven years old, think aud
small fer his age, too. He was a fragile looking
little fellow, Sith pale face and slender little
EsiGs. MS hair was COmbed and Curled care
fui y, IN long, yellow curls, almost like girls
None but mothers hand can comb and cuIl a
boys hatr Just that way, l have noticed.
lie small 10y had a lew papers under his
ERIN, trying 20 hold them A. TIE big bov held
rs. And when the big boy sung out his cry,
i've nlns papers; O'Clock e-dish-tng!' in hIs
around % the little one, and nod encouragingly,
Now, Won say it, Baby
Then the pale little fellow, with long, yellow
CUris. would take up his cry, family and fsebiy
sud try 20 say II in his weak, childish qEayer
somehow il male one feel queer about the
thIOar, 20 hear that poor little voice.
The large boy WAS teaching the small one how
e. be newsbOy. Next afternoon the BOYS had
another rehearsal. and the next, and that time
the little boy VentuTed TO cross the street, an
g down the other side, family and timidIy echU-
ing the cry Of his big, rough friend opposite.
HlndIeds OF people must have noticed the two,
The small boy WAS Little Ben.
have not much saving faith in the race OF
neEsbOys, as general thing. 1 am afraid IN at
IN spite of Sunday schools and night schools
and savings banks, and even newsboys' homes
they remain class Of the most seprayed little
wretches under the sun I know should be so
myself in their place II is not their fault. 1t u
the fault OF the barbarOus civilization which
turns children out OF their cradles to earn their
Ivlng. Learned doctors say that the moral fac
ulJles, being the highest endowment of human
nature, are therefore the very last TO be deveI-
Oped. And that is why children are mostly
s9eh unmerciful, cruel little hesthens, and
pinch and torture each other, ana steal, and tell
lies, and have 10 have ideas of right and wrong
educated INTO them, 80 TO speak. So that tt Is not
until children approach manhood and woman
hood that they begin TO be truthful and hopest
and tender hearted. Indeed. 1 have known
even full grown men aud women who did not
seem % have any very vivid ideas OF right and
wrong, not yet being fully developed mentally.
80 when cruel necessity lays the burdens OF
bearded men on the shoulders of weak Children
We cannot expect anything else OF them than
that they viii be miniature shsrpers and wicked
little wretches. But never meant to preach
only meant 10 tell the simple and sorrowfuI
story of Little Ben. 1t Is a true story, too. liz
could have made il up myself, God knows 1
would have given IL q different ending,
He was a newsboy, as 1 told you. Not one Of
the angel kind either. He sometimes said words
little s. be was, which would have shocked you,
i am afraid, you had heard them. And 4
know the only reason in the wOrl1 why he did
not knock down the big boys who used to kick
and cuff him when he went TO take his turn in
the row OF bows In the newspaper office. was
simply became he was too little TO do IL. Patsey
Hagans did IL for him, ana Patsey was the bully
OF the IewsbOys, the toughest. toughest, most
reckless of them all, the hardest case in town.
who always slept rolled up IN blanket on the
floor, and who knew how 20 swear when he WAS
two years old. Patsey trained little Ben 20 be
sneSsb1y, and called him his baby. So Patsey
had 4 soft spot in his hard heart. after slI.
Ben gas tie smallest neWsOoy YOU ever saw.
Such a At;le, little mite OF a fellow he was, that
yon OHdered how he could sell papers At all,
and now any mother could trust him out of her
sight. r me ladies' said sometimes that ItwAss
ply such a pretty child should be nexsbOy,
and that bis mother s2rely ,fd not care much
for him, letting HIM run about the streets so in
constant danger Of being Knocked down and
killed u lie were their boy ne shouldn't do IL
for any thing For little Ben = very pretty
GurIS
How vast? Did not his mother care for he-
child. Ave, she did tor he was the only con-
fort She had in the world. Her only comfort
and Der Ouly child. Little Ben al a father but
lie might better have had no father. This father
vas a POOR, pitlful Sreck % humanity, fallen so
low that think scarcely the angels OF heaven
could have reached him IN the depth OF dsgrada-
uon 70 which he hsi sunk. 1 am sure nobody
except An angel could have reached him, away
dlwB IN The pool of slime and eth which was
alOver MN. For no beast Is so bea-tly Is a
human beast.
Time wa when this wesk. bad man had been
vel to 20 IN the world. and respect able, and
Lad friends Bat 10 must hsye been ALWAYS in
him TO be weak and bad, or he would not have
fallen 20 easily when temptation came AnolI
tradition. which tells how the angels fell from
Paradise, says that the thread which dresth
ito eyIi'' st FIST as Ihfn as a cob-web but
ttey dad not resist IL and IL grew strong As a
cable SO With little Ben's father. he id nor
sst the cOb-Web AZ hrSt, and now the cable
found him hand and foot, and left hi N no power
or even the Wirh. ever 10 rise again in this
oTld. W IN the father OF little Ben we have
rs tell z more 20 Go.
Time had been when his gentle mother with
her ,ndeI hands and yellow curling hair, 50
like htt'e Ben's own, lived in a large house and
lad q carriage 10 ride m. Time hal been when
she lad such happy home that she ha moth
Ing EFT On earth to wish for. THAT time was
80 long gone by now that Bsn's mother in her
great trouble and despair, looked forward 10 no
hal Ilr6Ss and no beautiful home till she shOuIi
passover the river and enter the gate OF the
celestial city. Indeed, - heavy was her trouble
II at she sometimes lost sight Of even that one
last hope
The days of plenty and happiness vera an
long cone ~ for little Ben AMI his mother that
ore night they had 10 supper. Aud the next
night 10 was just the same and the pext-and
after tia, little Ben often went hungry to bed.
One day, watching his mother with Lis large
WisuUI blue eyes, he saw that her work hal
fallen fToR her hands, and harshe WAS CRYING
At tts', Ben cried too, because he did not Know
what else TO do; laying his bright LITTLE head on
her shoulder, and clgSPing his weak arms tight
about her neck, a. il, poor child, that could DO
any good Presently he said:
Mamma, what are you CRYING TOR pr
IAen bis mother told him that she had no
supper for HIM, and no breakfast either and ,iid
hot know where to get any more breakfast or
supper.
q Maybe the angels will bring rs some" said
poor little Ben
There are no angels anymore, Benny"
said his mother.
After that little Ben stood by her side a long
time very silent, very quiet, the was always 8
quiet boy, trying 70 get it through his childish
head that there were truly no more angels, with
their white dressss Al i shining wings, such as
ne had seen In a picture his mother used to
have. The angel all looked like his mother
somehow, II SCENE % him, and she would M AXE
beautiful arsel herself III che only had broad
white wings. But he wanted his supper awful
~, ard some supP for mamma, too, the child
thought.
BY and By, ate thinking a while longer, Ben
went quietly out q sors and into the streets stole
20 sOtuy out the ! sck way that his mother did
not see him at all. He went 20 the lady who
lived next door and said:
Mrs. Gray, viii you lend me ten cents p,
The lady, hearing the tim:d, trembling yoioe
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 ewes.
with the tears halz quiyeriDg IN them Already
a. II the sensitive child expected a refusal
Something. fleeing recollect on, maybe or a
wandering tender thought, foalng about ike
thlstle-town, seeking rome place TO rest upon
touched Mrs. Grsy's heart a, the moment: she
remembered the strange feeling long aftersard.
and che patted little Ben's bTigh- hair az she
gave him the money, and said ne was gooi
Then little Ben went 70 the newspaper or "a
TO wait Tor the o'elcck edition. 1t would hsvn
Jared badly with him hen, thou oh. only for %,