Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-08-14

I AOAS OO JOA lAfO
" Nowhere, sir"
And your father ?'
" He was sent 20 prison, sir, two years
ago, sir And here the tears fell hot and
scading
How old are you. Sarah p
Ten years old, sir"
" But you live somewhere ?"
" sleey at Daddy Burke's cellar"
&" Who is Daddy Burke?"
He as a rag picker, sir, and lets me
sleep in his cellar"
How do you live ?"
- l sweep the crossings when it's muddy
and hold out my hand, sir"
To hold out the hand is to silently ask
aims.
" And, sir, know a lady who gives me
victuals, sometimes, for Daddy and me. -
We took the little waif uptown where
lives good woman, and physician friend
called to render assistance, charging moth
ing for his time and trouble. Perhaps it
was two hours ago we left the little suffer
er in warm room, on a clean bed, her
dirty rags removed, and clean little night
dress on her slim body. And she was
sleeping with tear in each eye, trying to
| hold back other tears.
Old Daddy Burke, in his rag cellar will
wonder tonight where is the little one who
it seems, begs for him in return for the
shelter he gives this little girl who once
had a mother, and who Is somebody's little
girl, for all her poverty.
Tomorrow she will be better. Pretty
soon she will be well, and will somebody
care for her as you and We, kind reader,
would wish some one to care for our little
ones ?
Who Of the little girls that read this
chapter of facts would change places with
poor little Sarah, who has no home
none TO love her. Who would carry the
load this poor innocent must carry all the
years of her life
Mother is dead p
IS Father in prison r.
God pity the little sufferer. No home
no one to keep her good and pure, aud.
spotess. The world Is cold to her, as was
the blast this night Who will keep her
from falling even worse than she fell the
while since who will take her-be kind
to her-pray for her-care for her, and
try to make her frozen life happy? Some
one will-we know it-have asked it, and
kgoi~ some one will care for her as she is
cared for now.
If thousands who read, and who know,
Of the armies otpoor little children in great
cities who have no homes, would pause and
think OF their own homes, how much bet
ter off they are than they might be-how
much more comfortable they would be
than thousands Of others, they would be
happier, braver, more contented and liber-
al Of heart
Sometimes, when weary from overwork,
or when troubled, as all are at times, we
feel depressed in spirit, tired and Just
little envious of those who fare sumptuous-
ly, live in idleness and extravagant luxury.
And we are tempted to.cloze up business,
sell what we have, and invest in non-tax-
able securities, and live on the interest
without more labor. Sometimes we are
tired, very tired. The ISLANDERS of enemies .
the betrayalS Of so-called friends-the .
continued strain upon the mind incidental
TO a severe editorial life like ours, causes
Is to long for quiet.
Then we throw down the pen and 90
)ut. Not to the homes of the rich, for
hen we should be more untitled for labor
But out and away to the cellars and gar
cts, and over crowded tenement houses,
where people are 50 poor We see them
working. We see men, women, children,
.ctually starving. We see dirty, ragged,
reezng little ones suffering, They are
innocent Of all save poverty Little orphans,
whose mothers are dead whose fathers are
n prison, or poor, miserable victims Of
dissipation.
Then our heart grows strong, and we
IRE ashamed to think we should shrink our
hare Of life's labor, We see how much
,etter off we are than thousands upon thou
ands of others who feel happy, contented,
md anxious to live for a purpose, and to
lelp the poor who have no home.
Then we think how good and kind our
riends are-how much better off than we
night be-how we are blessed with health,
nd enough to keep want from the door,
nd how little we do compared to what we
night do, to make the homeless ones better
nd happier.
Then we rest while where our heart is
gather strength for the work of life. and
ontinue on as we have begun, in hope
hat some day there may not be in our ,
ountry so many poor little homeless, starv- ;
nc ch;ldren-so many heart-broken suf-
erers as there are all over the land this ;
saturday Night.-N J. Democrat ;