Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-04-16
CHILDREN'S CORNER.
In u Rag-BaG.
BY NORA PERRY.

BY NORA PERRY.
Mrs. McNeely sat in the centre OF her
kitchen, on a low stool, with her stock III
trade,spcaking merchant-wise, surrounding
her On all sides You would have thought
of the nursey song,
g Rags rags, and nothing but rags
if yeu could have seen Mrs. McNeelly J;
for it was 'trags, rags, and nothing but
rags that surrounded her, and rose up
against her, andsseemed to bid fair, If she
stirred, to bury her up; and 1t was these
"rags, rags, and nothing but rags that
formed Mrs. McNeely's stock In trade.
Well, you needn't laugh, ana say,
CHATS likely story," because that Will
only show your ignorance; but l don't
mind that only I should like to have had
YOU say "a likely story" with an Unbe-
Iieving air, In Pump Court, where Mrs.
MeNeeIy lived. Wouldn't the denizens of
Pump Gourthave had the laugh against
gou? for everybody there knew, from
Tommy O'Flaherty up to Dennis Ftannl-
gan, the great Irish auctioneer, that Mrs.
McNeely was person of Importance, in
consequence of this rag business.
The way she did iC-this rag business
was to 90 about in all the waste places
and the work places where rags could
accumulate, Or fly and futter; and with 4
stick and great deal of patience she would
gather up, at the end Of a day, sometimes
the biggest big bagflls you ever saw.
And what do mean ~ work places and
waste places? Well, you are, as Mrs.
MeNeely herself would say, San Ignorant
craythur." GL-eA
The work places are the tailors' and
the dressmakers' and the millmers' and
upholsterers' and everywhere else that
you or anybody can think of where any
kind of article is made out of material
that will furnish a silk or wooden or cot
ton or linen rag. And the waste places
But what are you saying, e Don't the
tailors and the dressmakers and the mil
liners and the upholsterers keep any
rag-bags of their own?n To be sure
they do but then, think of the scraps, in
such seas Of scraps, that tired and heed
less girls and boys and porters will sweep
up as refuse, instead of sorting out. And
why shouldn't they2 I'm sure they have
enough. Well, and it's these foor-scraps
that Mrs. McNeely bargained for,-and
her bargain was just to do the night
sweeping; that was her payment tor the
hoor-scraps. She had all she could sweep
up. And after that, or between the night
sweepings, she went to the waste places,
in all the street corners and mill neigh
borhoods, and by the wharis where ships
laden with cotton came In, and where the
cotton bales dripped out from overfulness
their white wefs 0, there wasn't nook
or corner that that she or little Teddy
didn't find out!
Teddy McNeely ? No, you're wrong
there, but it isn't strange you should
think that, because almost everybody
thought so, except those Knowing people
in Pump Court but tbegd known Mrs.
McNeely for years, and they knew that
Teddy was only q little stray boy, one
of the rags, that funny man, Dennis Elan
nigan, used to say, that Mrs. McNeely had
picked up in. her wanderings.
"Ifound him down here by Lanner-
CAMS Wharf, sure, a crying fit to break
his heart, and sorra word I could get
out Of him but that his mother was dead.
and there was nobody to care for him, and
so | brought him home WI me and
though he isn't much to look at he's as
as dacent a boy as yell mate onyWheres,n
is Mrs. McNeely's story. And Mrs. Nc
Nicely had had little Teddy for TWO Years
when my story commences, and been very
good to hin, said those watehful aeighbors
OF hers IN Pump CGurt.@And that day.
when she sat there in her kitchen, in the
beginning of the story, little Teddy sat
there too, though the rags were SO deep
that you couldn't see him unless somebody
pointed him out. 1t was filing day.
that means the day when the RAGS, all
washed Gspiek and span, and sorted
out, were put INTO the great bags ready
Tor sale to the paper mill.
The cart will be here at five o'clock.
Teddy, and yell have time to put the rest
IN while Trim around to Mrs. FIanniean's
to ak after the baby said Mrs. McNeelv.
when she had worked an hour or two.
Teddy was used to this "rinn1ng around
to Mrs. Flannigan's, and he knew that
" axlng0 after the baby generally took a
long while. But he had good hour vet
before the cart would come, and in this
hour he would do his best. And his
BEST was usually very quick work. 1t
was SO quick on this occasion, that bv
half-past four there was only one bag lett
to tlll,-onl y enc bag and not enough rags
to fill it.
well, here's a CO." said Teddy, who
caught great many queer grown-up
expressions IN his rag hunts And then.
just to anuse himself, 'sI'll fill it I'm with
myself" ne laughed and, laughing. in he
went, examining in the rags ali about him
until he was in the centre of a little soft
bed, with acomlortabIe clearing near the
top for a breathing place.
onaer how much this bag would
weigh ~ he said, still laughing in his fun.
AND the laugh sounded so queer, all
mut1ied up with the rags, thai he LAUGHED
again, and again and again repeated
Wonder how much this bag would
weigh !? wonder how much this bag would
weigh !" ali for the purpose of hearing
the droIl sounds. And by and by, listening
TO his own voice, he became conscious Of
other yoiees,-little soft, tinkIing tones
that laughed and laughed, and repeated
after him, Wonder how much this bac
weighs? wonder how much this ba9
would weigh :" Where did thew come
from :? Where, indeed Why, here ali
about him; here in the bag, here in the
rags why, 1t was the ags themselves
who were crowoing and pushing and
hustllng, the rags that had taken upon
themselves the funniest shapes of fairy
faces and forms.-the smallest possible
shapes withous an atom of color, but little
atoms of white that winked and nodded
and made the oldest grimaees at him all
the time they were laughing and crying
IN those tiny tones, d" Wonder how much
this bag would weigh? wonder how much
THIS bag would weigh ?" And Teddy, not
in the least surprised, joined In the fup,
and winked and nodded and laughed and
made faces with the best of them.
He was deep in the lrolic, hitting out
right and left to keep them from smother.
ing him as they all came at him at once.
when suddenly great voice roared out,
Wonder how much this bag will weighW |
And the little white atoms shrunk into
stiffness, ard Teddy felt great rush Of