Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-11-07
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q yo1 uVuCS AOVS
'Ain't sold none, mother. A bo,
took one on EN-"
And Tot, small ragged child, de-
livers up to her mother eleven boxes o.
matches, and then delivers herself to 6
scrutiny Of her rags for the bidder
money. The search is fruitless; Tot'l
scanty dress does not yield even on.
farthing.
~ told yer 'ow it nd be if yer solo
none, hot or cold so out you Co."
"I1l be froze to death. mother. ]
amt eat nothing" =" replies Tot, plteous
]y.
"Froze to death will yer2 I'd thank
the good Lord if ho'd take yer-and
me too, for the matter of that. 1 s'pose
there's sich many wants to 20, he
can't take 'em all. But out you 70, >
she goes on, suddenly; and Tot If
seized, pushed into the street, aud 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 expe.
rience how very small the chance is of
getting in again. She feels very
wretched, even more than usual. For
once in her little life of eight years
Tot has spoken the truth; she has eat
en- nothing all the day. It 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 a moment. She
has o curious feeling in her head, too {;
but she has been thrashed SO often, and
cursed at so often, and faint with hun
ger so often, that she is accustomed to
curious feelings.
It is very cold-freezing hard-and
there is an east wind bloWinp-a 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 helplessly 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 t0O, that they are always we'll
tenanted, and that, to pay her footing
she must submit to 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 q bed.
She hurries along till she gets into
Oxford street. It is late in the eve
ming, and the shops are lighted up.
Tot knows them by heart, but never
gets tired of looking. Ono sic 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 O 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
~ stays there a minute. How it is she
cannot tell. but she has lost all inter-
est in the funny animals; indeed she
can see nothing funny about them.
She ls 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 turns
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 it. 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 o 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 great crowd of carriaoes.
and cabs, aud people, going the same
way, and this crowd keeps getting
greater and greater every minute. Bnf
Tot does not look at the carriages or
the cabs, or the people much: thev
wave about SO strangely, and, instead
of going forward IN q 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-
pearing here, there, and everywhere, in
most confusing manner; but she
manages to get along, stumbling dizzi.
ly, and the crowd grows thicker and
thicker. Suddenly all the carriages
and cabs go off at a tangent from the
circle, and rush away toward o great
building ON the left side of the road.
1t is SO big that Tot cannot sec where
it begins or where 1t ends; she can sec
only 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 ladies and gentlemen get out
OF them, and 90 into the building.
How very beautiful they arel And
they keep coming and coming. Hun.
dreds there must be, Tot thinks. And
they ore 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 20,
for she feels vure she should find What
she wants there, She can see them &c
in pretty we'll, though they wave about
strangly; but when they get into the
bright light she can only distinguish /,
confused mass of color At last he,
curiosity grows 80 strong, that she feels
she must find out tho meaning of 1t all
so, gathering together all the strength
at her command, she makes u rusl
J straight at the door, runs up some steps