River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-04-18
CHILDREN'S CORNER.

BY NORA PERRY.

BY NORA FERRY.
Mrs. McNeely sat in the centre of hen
kitchen, on low stool, with her stock il
trades speaking merchant-wise, surrounding
her on all sides. You would have thought
Of the nursey song,
" Rags, rags, and nothing but rags"
if you could have seen Mrs. McNeelv
for ii was "rags, 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 it was these
"rags, rags, and nothing but rags thai
formed Mrs. McNeely's stock in trade.
Well, you needn't laugh, and saw
"That's a likely stcry," because that will
only show your ignorance but / don't
mind that only should like to have had
you say ga likely story" with an unbe.
lieving air, in Pump Court, where Mrs
MeNeely lived. Wouldn't the denizens Of
Pump Court have had the laugh against
-you! for everybody there knew, from
Tommy OElaherty up to Dennis Flanni.
gan, the great Irish auctioneer, that Mrs
McNeely was person of importance, in
consequence Of this rag business.
The way she did it--this rag business
was to go about in all the waste places
and the work places where rags could
accumulate, or fly and iutter; and with a
stick and great deal Of patience she would
gather up, at the eud Of day, sometimes
the biggest big bagfuls you ever saw.
And what do | mean by work places and
waste places? Well, you are, as Mrs.
McNeely herself would FAY, San ignorant
craythur.D
The work places are the tailors' and
the dressmakers' and the milliners' and
upholsterers', and everywhere else that
you or anybody can think of where any
kind of article is made out of material
th"t will furnish silk or wooden or cot
ton or linen rag And the waste places
But what are you saying, "Don't the
tailors and the dressmakers and the mill
liners and the upholsterers keep any
rag-bags Of their own?" 70 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 floor-scraps
that Mrs. McNeely bargained for-and
her bargain was Just to do the night
sweeping that was her payment Tor the
foor.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 shins
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 is ism. strange you should
think that, because almost everybody
thought SO, except those knowing people
IN Pump Court F.; but tteyd known Mrs
McNeely for years, and they knew that
Teddy was only 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.
IL found him down there by Tanner.
CAMS Wharf, sure, a crying fit to break
his heart, and sorra word / could get
out of him but that his mother was dead
and there was nobody to care for him, and
so l brought him home wi ME; and
though he isn't much to look at he's as
as dacent boy as yen mate onywheres,"
is Mrs. McNeelys story. And Mrs Nc
Nicely had had little Teddy for rwo years
when my story commences, and been very
good t. him,said those watchful ueighhors
Of hers in Pump Court. And that day
when she sat there in her kitchen, in the
beginning Of the story, little Teddy sal
there too, though the rags were so deer
that you couldn't see him unless somebody
pointed him out. IL was filling day.
ttat means the day when the rags, all
washed .spick and span, and sorted
ont, were put into the great bags ready
for 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. Flannigan's
TO AK after the baby" said Mrs. McNeely,
when she had worked az hour or two.
Teddy was used 10 this " rinnng around
to Mrs. Flannigan's, and he knew that
"axing" after The baby generally took a
long while. But he had good hour yet
before the cart would come, and in this
hour he would do his best And his
best" was usually very quick work. II
was SO quick on thi, occasion, that by
half-past tour therv was only one bag left
TO till,--only enc bag and not enough rags
20 fiji it.
"Well, here's q 60" said Teddy, who
caught great many queer grown.up
expressions in his rag-hunts. And then
just to amuse himself, I'm fill it up with
myself" he laughed and, laughing, in he
went, examining in the rags all about him.
until he was in the centre Of little soft
bed, with comfortable clearing near the
top for breathing place
wonder how much this bag would
weigh ~ he said, still laughing in his fun.
And the laugh sounded so queer, all