The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-09-25
THE sroRr or 4 STREET AEAB.

TIE STORY or STREET ARAB.
From the I.ondOn FisAro,l
was = street Arab. So was my
/ brother Bill. Father and mother used
/ to drink and send us to beg or steal,
! it didn't matter much which, so we
brought something hoHe. We were
ragged and dirty, fierce, impudent and
reckless. I was the worst of the two,
for was the oldest and che strongest
All day, and almost all night too, ]
was in the street. To escape the
'sBobby," l used to get few boxes of
| lucifers and fusees, and shout OUT
stHer yer are, four for penny. i
sold very few of 'em, and didn't want
to sell 'em. They only served as a
blind TO get ~haapence without giving
3 box. How 81 was kho6ked and
kicked about, to be surel In rain and
snow, frost and sun, 1 was in the
/ stfeel9 ff nier md Fffqk tiernthe
I hettef, lf3t Nhb t1sh there we're fewer
peep oht stheh, L got 4mdtA 1H1oge
money ont o. pity and could prig
Ssssses Ssss fFsy 81 CT SaSs ssIg
took home, but most of it did MT.
\ GENERALLY 4 got enough, fpfs9t put at
times / was ALMOST tclamIheE If l
didn't get any money or wittels, l
1i1it1nit go. t0N ouP-Rna room iR 2 dirty,
ferewdep court, " EtcK 4HAeG called our
home. Not that 1 cared much for the
| thresI6Kd HR0k BUT lNkedI betteFFtp
I lie, Oh d0brsteps. orih 6ntffes, Or any
where. when / could skid the bobby.
1t was an awful jolly life for time ;
and didn't look down on the we'll
vaHessed kida Rh0@We lie forced to. keep
fk9hsselVesc ateauL I'd darS - 3
catherine-W wheel in the mud gAor play
at pitch and toss, heads or tails, with
theiEmbney9Ias 91e aYOds sdT
talk to me, 29KIng about MY fatHef
and mother, and wanting TO know
Rhy I didn't go 10 school. didn't
know what they meant by school, and
chapel, and the Savior; but told 2Sm
plenty o. guf, and mostly got money
out of 'em. Tell 'em where we lived ?
not If 1 knoWed it. 1t would have
spoiled the little game. quite. No,
they never got the truth out O. me,
'cept when told 'em l was hungry.
At last got nabbed. How was it ?
Why, | was taking bit o. candy from
q stall at the corner o. street, when
round comes the bobby and takes me
off to quod. / was only little 'un
then. They said before the beaks as
was over tWelYe but didn't know.
Did l know what being good meanf? !?
l didn't. Did know who made me
[ didn't. Did l know where l should
go to if 1 told lie9 / didn't. The
beaks shook their heads, and talked
together a bit. So | was sent to
prison for day, and to reformatory
for five years.
Well they washed me first and put
clean clothes on me. Wasn't miser-
able for, timN2r4f f. eoHldI \ should
ha' run away but that wasn't posi-
BILE, was watched so. La a week or
two l began to1like it-rather. At
least, liked the work they put me to.
but it was longer before liked the
! books. However, this came at last
Everybody was SO kind to me, and
told me what man / should make if
only kept on, and was honest and
inda stif09s. 30 i fearned carpep ter
ing. And s. bit of kAfdshiua, satia. ID
Iast, I was abfe toread md write, and
sum bit, and got a lot of good marks.
And once heard the master say to a
gentleman who came to visit the place,
that was one of the best boys in the
school, though at first l had been one
of the worst. This made me a bit
proud, and l worked all the better
for it.
Before my five years were out l was
l,on ID the world. told the master,
and he told the chaplain and visiting
justices that / wished to go abroad
and do something good for myself. l
was only seventeen, but that didn't
matter. l could work well, and was
not bad scholar. Well, the end of it
was they promised to help me, and
they did. The master and the chap
lain were both very earnest in it, and
helped ME IN many Rays.Ar chose
Africa to go to, because, / suppose, /
had read a good deal about it, and
thought could do well there, Enough
money was raised to get me few
clothes and to have a little to start
with, and place was found for me in
ship in which could work out my
passage.
1Iwpnit say anything abept the ypys
| age, though it was anew World to me
and everything was wonderful; 1
wanted to get to land and to begin to
work for myself. Still, 1 was just a
little sorry when it was over; the sea
was such a pleasure to me. The char
acter brought with me and the good
word of the captain soon got me a
place with farmer at Natal. Didn't
| work and didn't ! saVe2 Because l
AG6fz ed So " ell, 1 IntEmyk ~ hoIssoul
i9te iE2 1sgQp, Becpme fRYorfte With
the master, who used to ask me to
spend an evening now and then at his
house. His family was large one,
four sons and seven daughters, but
Mary was the flower of the flock. /
soon fell over head and ears in love
with hsJ So 96ege6FAsRaRetheygpotive
| to save and get on. Of course / did
not say word about my love, but
kept my place, was silent, determined
tb@a&A mRUsitiGn aHElEwip VheTbn If
you mean to do anything, keep it to
! yourself, and don't blab it on the
Il f6ar yed4Esg, 4gthtFR VIII some help from
my master, who always encouraged
me, was able to take plantation
next to his So we became neighbors
and friends. l waited another year,
and saw that everything was going on
well, and then 1 spoke to Mary. She
was willing, and so were they all, and
on the anniversary of the fifth year of
my landing at Natal 1 married Mary
Bevan, and commenced housekeeping
on lpy own account. She proved q
real blessing aud true help. Every
thing we undertook. pr0speRdGs sfNlhE,
shea cold, dos eYsrYthingrTfrom fine
kseWiug to- milkinga COWS. .bls Bn0theEs
znds sisters u ere ialso kind dgargl sf eff5-
fui5 and we were as one JasIlit j, " oIIz-
.fiIg ! f6Fa 0IFsi ehd-the happiness and
.prosperity of all. In another y ear inst
/ before our first. lad was born, IrWas
abIea a6fb6y tie Rls6 aiidn hid 30 be-
come my. own landlord. -, .av,so
Ii lEhe sighf ofaMany 81 bro theirs Oft eh
is1at3e vi3eetf1iR h Of ao3 Faith al.