Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-11-13
IS TOT"

What a yer done, Tot?"
EEAin't sold none, mother. A boy
took one on 'em. p"
And Tot, small ragged child, de-
! livers up to her mother eleven boxes of
matches, and then delivers herself to a
scrutiny of her rags for the hidden
money, The search ii fttiitless, Tots
scanby dress does not yield even one
| farthing. s.. Es AZ
81 told yer 'ow it 'ud be if yer sold
none, hot OF cold SO out you 60"
"Fll be fro7e to death, mother. I
amt eat nothing" replies Tot, plteous-
ly
FFroze to death will yer? I'd thank
the good Lord if he'd tak6 yer-and
me too, for The matter of that [ s'pose
! there's sich many wants to go, he
can't take 'em all. But out you 60
she goes on, suddenly; and Tot ls
seized, pushed into the street, and the
! door shtit before she can utter one
! word. .. +.. .....
She waits for a little, hoping against
| hope that the door will reopen. But
it isn't the first time she has been
! turned out, and she knows 0y expe-
rience how very small the chance is of
! getting IN again. She feels very
wretched even more than usual For
once III her little life of eight years
Tot has spoken the truth she hos eat
en- nothing all the day. 1t doesn't t
matter much. She has starved before :
and the idea that any one ohght to be
| blamed because she is in want of food
never occurs to her for a moment She
has curious feeling In llei, hA;id, too ,
4 but she has born tinrasned so often, and
I cursed at so often, and faint with hun
ger SO often, that she is accustomed to
curious feelings
1t is very coid-freezing hard-and
there is an east wind blowing-a wind
that at once declares war against Tot,
and with it's sharp, cruel teeth, attacks
every unprotected part of her body
face, hands, legs, and various smaller
pieces here and there. Beiore leaving
the dour that is so heltlesslY shut, she
poaders FOR time how to pass the
night-she is sure mother will let her
IN next morning. She knows lots of
outdoor sleeriiig places; but she
Knows. too, that they are always well
tenanted, and that, to pay her footing
she must submit TO "a preliminary
course of bullying and she is so faint
and SO cold that she fears to encounter
it, So she determines to walk about,
trusting to some happy chance to send
her bed.
She hurries along till she gets into
Oxford street. 1t is late in the. eve
ming, and the sho, ,es are lighted up.
Tot knuws 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
dy say so. She always stands at that
window till policeman orders her to
move on; but tonight though she has
hurried along as quickly as possible to
get to this particular shop, she scarce
ly stays there minute. How tits she
cannot tell. but she has lost all inter-
est IN the funny animals; indeed she
can see nothing funny about them
She Is restless, too, never standing still
and she has strange wish to get some
where, she has no idea where.
She goes on through Oxford street.
down Regent street, and then tiirns
into Piccadilly. Her head seems to
get Lighter every minute. She fancies,
too, that she is not SO cold and not SO
hungry as at first. but she cannot be
sure about 1t. On, on she walks, till
The bright shops end, and railing be-
gins, with trees and grass upon the 9TH
er side; and there is only 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 a great crowd of carriages,
and cabs, and people, going the same
way, and this crowd keeps getting
greater and greaterevery minute. But
Tot does not look at the carriages or
the cabs, or the people much; they
wave about so strangely, and, instead
OF going forward IN a straight line,
they move In circle round and round.
She cannot help, now and then, tumb-
ling up against the people, too, for
they are continually vanishing and ap-
pearlng here, there, and everywhere, in
most confusing manner; but she
manages to get along, stumbling dizzi,
", and the crowd grows thicker and
thicker. Suddenly all the carriages
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 1t ends; she can see
only an enormous open door, out of
which bright light is streaming. She
has never seen such a place before; so
she pushes her way through the crowd
close to the door The carriages drive
up, and ladies and gentlemen get out
of them, and go into the building.
How very beautiful they arel And
they keep coming and coming. Hun
dreds 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