The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-09

side the door aithcr nghtfa since they came here.
Tnev hvehere becanse-weli. for the Same faison
OF the second MIC I Tom said suddenly. stand here
o minute, sir, tdl come BACK" He aBsed down
stairs again and returned IN moment Win
the brst floor. He WIS accompanied b. the old
man saw play .ng cards with his" two boys"
ANOTHER HARD CASE.
"What Is II, tom I suppose 1t II that woman
again" sand the old man.
"indeed. then, Il ~ no ming else says TOM, -
lace OF q hali-dressed woman, o about lortv years
o. age, who Was lying In u drunken SUD by no
case Tne Old man IN nSs trere'll be blue murdnes
tonight again." when the wOman's husband com 9
home; but Tom assures him there l. no danger Of
tbat Tor SIe husband Or said mas Just been hauled
out OF the gutter and into the poiic, afion Then
honest Tom hands M the lamp, and, asking me 70
follow hun, lifts the pr0strate aud unconscious
woman on his strong shoulders as he would baby
ana proceeds upstairs with her. A small glass
bottom OF the steps. Tom uttcrs hearty nialedic-
ton on bottles in general aud their usuai contents
IN pareusr and 80, Sont% 1s ms way 70 e I@p
There Is no light no fire, no human being there.
There is an cd truckle bed IN windowiess inner
throws The dirty quit over it. 1.-THE chldhcr are
About on'tne Streets nc remarks. "and they're
aitner no g. cd you may be sure"
TnE HOME OF rmE "pOoa BUT HoNnsT.'
We enter the next door on the same moor. 1t
leads into suit oil three rooms. One Is living
Windows from the ST. eet. on 1t are two bedrooms,
one OF WHOM is hgnted also from the street, and
furniuIe is dreauf lily p a and scant, hut it ana
the waits, ce ling ami unr arpeted moor are won
deriuly clean, and bright nre gleams through the
crate Of the stove, when Is very welcome TO me
Just now. TOMS vile IL there, and having heard
Tom speak o me frequently as one vino had shown
him sumo kiodHesses before now, snc welcomes me
with gre 1t heartiness. TOMS three children are
there, two of tiIem amusing themselves with
p pne Of sss Il soSSns
herself Tom Is evidently amazed at this G. ght,
and Looks a. ms Ts wno
other little girls whose compsnionship had been
strictly iorhidden, Tor reasons, wnereupon Nelly
got soundIy whipped. ..
'srhat's right. ould woman" said Tom. Nelly
my pet, until GEO enables me to lave this Internal
place. whenever you're not at school remember
you must be always in is room. 1t |, hard. con-
tinued poor Tom, turaing t. me with something
very like tear In his eye, "it Is har SIR, To keep
chiidher from the company Of little people OF their
own age; but don't want her to go ava when SHE'S
fifteen and come back mere when she's tairty. Ncilys
good girl and she hasn't dhrop OF anything hut
dacint blood IN her; but, rom what I've seen here,
PIN a. sure AZ live that Il the virgin Mary herself
tsnt to her I'D be prayin' Tonight to watch over
my childher. There's ut Taste as good and as
live aud bring up their families around here and
they mad chIldher that ought to ne at Taste AZ good
as mine natara y put I've seen tne,r little girls 70
II one OF thin dance houses down there, and all
from being allowed TO spnd Their etsure hours on
the stO0ps and around the sthrcets."
Here iom makes pause and looks very serious
for while, but he soon brightens up
the childher TO bed" He insists on my waiting
to join him and gladly consent, for know 1t was
for that he ordered 1t. al wish had something
stronger in the house to Offer you, Sir" says Tom,
"but don't drink neseit nor allow dhrop OF 1t
Father Mathew thirty years ago, ana that pledge
was as sthrOng against incouragin' others to drink
against dhrinkin' mesei. have kept That pledge
ever since as well as | could. one part AS we'll as
th'other." assure Tom don't drink either,
which pleascs my humble friend very much.
are partaking OF it Tom repeats the story
Of the mislOrtuncs ana dlsapp ointments whish
brought him to live In the Fourth ward, ana then
winch give me strong reasons to expect that he
will be enabled TO remove his household goods to
o small village on Lony Island next Summer, and
which, / really do believe, brings as much Joy 20
my beart for that humble, worthy mans sake as 1t
HOW THE ARMY OF CRIME rs RECRUITED.
1t is now haIfpast ten O'Clock, and take
hearty leave of Tom and his wife: Tom accompa-
MES me down the dirty stairs and wants to gee me
all the way home but successfully insist that he
shant leave that house te|ight BE ore part
fSm him ask II there are many such men as him.
sell living in that immediate localty-at east,
honest men who work LOT living, and do their
utmost to bring up their children honestly. ION,
such people there, compelled to reside there by
circumstances" which he explained, but which
hard to keep their children out OF the devils ways
and means committees; but IN that, he feels GER
tain not one out OF q hundred succeeds. IL Is hard
for father to mistrust what he considers the innate
goodness OF his virtuous wife's children; but Tom
squarely confesses that so overpowerng would be
the chances against them, he feels that II he
had no hope OF quitting that portion
OF the Fourth ward at no distant day, he would
take his three children to the East River that
moment and 'drown them like pups" Tom puts
the case in very strong terms certainly. and he
knows best whether or not he puts 1t correctly.
Al oil n m hQ ia nj IN
blatant political and social '.relormers TO con-
slider whether each Of more than score OF such
forth its hundreds Of wetrained thieves and pros
titures, and nothing else in human shape, every
year as regular as Christmas comes. ana whether
cannot be destroyed. It Is awful to think that the
average number Of persons arriving at the age OF
puberty each year In thickly populated district
like this almost exactly represents the number Of
recruits which 1t furnishes per annum to this
country's army OF crime and pronigacy.
WORSE A THOUSAND TINES WORSE!
As walked along Cherry street towards Roose-
Welt, after parting with honest Tom, passed Q
group Of little girls-nOpe OF them fourteen, and
one could not have been many weeks over ten
years OF age. The night, as have SAID, was pierc.
Win as little OF the air Of being On journey or
particular errand as II they were fine ladies stroll
Ing over the beach at Long Branch any fine even
ing In July. Following short distance behind
them was a group or boys or about the same vary
ing ages. Their slow walk and their thin, poor
clothing. taken in connection with the sever
ity OF the weather and the lateness OF the hour set
me thinking, and my attention was by no means
diverted from them by the strict silence and watch
fulness which they preserved, instead Of the gab
BILE and noise which had some right to consider
inseparable from group OF little people OF
tered similar group, and rs neared the corner
where had stood earlier In the night passed
third group. These were gong In the same direc-
ton as myself, and determined to crafty wish
had to find out all about them. When reached
my lamppost stood and waited. The three little
girls came along and as they passed me on the cor
ner, with the light OF the lamp shining full their
faces, the whole three locked at me in manner
there was no mistaking The tallest OF the girls
was really bud which on other soil might soon
burst into lovely flower, ana which appeared to
deserve better fate than the one that Is certainly
In store for It, Ibeckoned TO her and she came:
Her TIVE companions fell back, spoke In hurried
whisperS to the group OF boys behind them, and
then they all disappeared somehow. as II the pave
ment had swallowed them.
''Now see here, sissy said, "Look at this
dollar bill. want TO ask ysu few questions, and
II you tell me all Iwant 10 know, anu tell me the
truth, I'll give you the dollar"
A DOLLARS WORTH OF CONFESSION.