The Portland daily press., 1872-10-26
''TOt,' -
The story OF n Wait.


And Tot, a small, ragged child, delivers up
IN her mother eleven boxes of matches, and
then delivers up herself to scrutiny of her rags
for hidden money. The search IS fruitless;
Tots scanty dress does not yield even one
tarthing.
sI told yer low it 'ud be if yer sold none
hot or coid; so out ye go.
aPll be froze to death, mother. l amt eat
nothink," replies Tot piteously.
.iFroze to death will yer? I'd thank the
good Lord il he d take yer-and me too, for,
the matter of that. s'pose there's SIGH
many wants to go, He can'ttake 'em all. But
out YOU go,'' she goes on, suddenly; and Tot
is seized, pushed into the street, and the door
shut before she can utter one word.
She waits for little, hoping against hope
that the door will reopen. But it isn't the
first time she has been turned out, and she
knows by experience how very small the
chance is of getting in again. She feels very
wretched. even more wretched than usual.
For once in her little life of eight years Tot
has spoken the truth; she has eaten nothing
all the dav 1t doesn't matter much. She
has starved before, and the idea that any one
ought to be blamed because she is in want OF
food never occurs to her for moment. She
has curious feeling in her head too; but
she has been thrashed so often, and cursed so
often. and faint with hunger so often, that
she is accustomed to curious feelings.
1t is very cold-treezing hard-and there is
an east wind that at once declares war
against Tot, and with its sharp, cruel teeth,
attacks every unprotected part of her body
face, hands, legs and various smaller pieces
here and there. Before leaving the door that
is so hopelessly shut, she ponders for time
how to pass the night-she is sure mother will
let her in next morning. She knows lots OF
outdoor sleeping places but she knows, too,
that they are always well tenanted, and that
to pay her footing she must submit to pre-
liminary course of bullying, and she is so
faint and so cold that she fears to encounter
it. So she determines to walk about, trust
ing to some happy chance to send her bed.
She hurries along till she gets into Oxford
ford street. 1t lie late in the evening and
shops are lighted up. Tot knows them by
heart, but never gets tired of looking. One
she likes best of all; it is full of tiny horses
and carriages, and little men and women, and
funny animals like yellow dogs, but with very
thick necks covered with hair. And all these
things are good to eat. Tot knows that, for
she has heard la ly say so. She always
stands at that window till apoliceman orders
her to move on; but tonight, though she has
hurried along as quickly as possible to get to
this particular shop, she scarcely stays there
a
has lost all interest in the funny animals; in
deed, she can see nothing funny about them.
Shells restless, toe, standing still and she has
no idea where.
She goes on through Oxford street, down
Regent street, and then turns into Piccadilly.
Her head seems to get lighter every minute.
She fancies, too, that she is not so cold and
hungry as at first, but she cannot be sure
about it. ONION she walks, till the bright shops
end, and a railing begins, with trees and
grass upon the other side; and there is only
a single line of light, stretching away out of
sight. Tot is beginning to get out of her
beat; but on she goes-she wants so much to
get somewhere" and there is plenty of time
to go home before morning.
There is crowd of carriages, and cabs,
and people going the same way, and this
crowd keep getting greater and greater every
minute. But Tot does not look at the car
riages, or the cabs, or the people, much as
they wave about so strangely, and, instead of
going forward in straight line, they move in
a circle round and round. She cannot help,
now and then, tumbling up against the peo-
pie, too, for they are continually vanishing
and appearing here, there and everywhere, in
a most confusing manner ;but she manages to
get along, stumbling dzzily, and the crowd
thicker aud thicker. Suddenly all the car
riages and cabs go off at tangent from the
circle, and rush away toward great building
on the left side of the road. 1t is so big that
Tot cannot see where it begins or where it
ends she can only see an enormous open
door, out of which bright light is streaming.
She has never seen such place before, so
she pushes her way through the crowd close
to the door. The carriages drive up, and la
dies and gentlemen get out of them
and go into the building. How very beauti-
full they are! And they keep coming and
coming and coming Hundreds there must
be, Tot thinks. And they are all quite clean;
and their dresses are red and blue and gold
and silver, most wonderful to see. Tot longs
to know where all the people go, for she feels
sure she should find what she wants there.
She can see them go in pretty well, though
they wave about strangely; but when they
get into the bright light she can only distin-
guish a confused mass of color. At last her
curiosity grows so strong shat she feels she
must find out the meaning of it all; so gath
ering together all the strength at hel COM
mand she makes rush straight at the door,
runs up some steps, past two policemen, who
are too astonished to stop her Though she
does not know that and is stumbling along
a wide passage, to The ex RENE wonder of the
ladies dressed in red and blue, and gold and
silver, when suddenly third policeman APP
pears in her path. Tot tries to dodge him;
Dub SUE Is tOO lccDlc W have ally CUdnCc OF
escape, and the policeman, with consummate
ease, captures and secures her by good
grasp of her hair. He knows her hair is to
be trusted, although her rags are not; Tots
head feels lighter than ever; she fancies it is
getting away from her body, but she cannot
be sure. All the people she passes look a
long way off; and as for the policeman, he is
miles away, though he does hold her so firm
ly.
$50 yor have managed to make capture,
strange one for the place."
And the speaker looks at Tot, and Tot looks
st him.
D golden hair thrown back from his face, and
he has big eyes, and like all the other people,
is a long'way off.
ga vagabond, my lord, after handkerchers,
my lord" And Policeman releases Tot from
the grasp of his right hand and seizes her
again with his left, that he may touch his hat
properly to my lord
81 amt. wants to see inside" says Tot,
feebly.
What long way off her voice is She
1 TVS now that her head has really got
away.
50 you want to see insde?' saws nv
lord.
fot looks up at him. She has learned
!, read faces, and is not bit afraid of this
1ne.
eyes," she answers.
care you hungry or cold?'
Policeman smiles knowingly; and says,
lotto voce, 'Trust her or any of 'em for say
yes." He would have preferred to say this
aloud; but he had seen "my lord'' BEFORE
and is not sure how he will take it.
NO" answers Tot.
She means to tell the truth but she has to
think little before she is quite sure what
she really does feel. No, she does not feel
hungry, and she does not feel cold. 1t is very
strange, but the only feeling she has is an in
tense longing to see 'nside.'' She would
ike to know why everything seems so far off,
and why her mead has gone away from her
BODY; Dut she does not care very much about
hat; what she wants is to see ''insde.''
NV lord is in strange mood this NIGHT
md strange idea seizes him.
stLeave the child with me-" he begins.
'fBut, my lord" says Policeman, doubt
ully.
''Have you seen her take anything? No?
Then you are quite safe in leaving her."
Policeman releases Tot, and my lord tut
erly Indifferent to the fact that all who pass
~ stare hard at him and the child says, with
, pretty smie,-
MY little ragged girl, we will 60 together
ana see this wonderful inside; but remember
Wnen you get here to repay me for my great
kindneSs by exhibiting the most extreme
assOnishment. Have you a name?"
.od iot LOOKS up at him in doubt; but his face
her' Tor it is very pleasant, and she
"i,t9eI perSuades herself he is not ''Sidding'
Ion know. They calls me Tot.n She
saws, with her ev.o an Ivy 81"