National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-10-28
aIatiuirsI gepabIieau
TOPsY TUMBLE
THE WAY THEY DIE IN JOHN ssoWN
ALLEY


THE WAY THEY DIE IN JOHN S3oWN
ALLEY.
She wasn't bad sort of a girl for one Who
had been brought up in an alley all her days
living with old Mother Hart ever since she VIZ
large enough to gather chips around the ship.
! yard. The boys called her Topsy Tumble, and
4 nobody knew anything about her parents or
! relatives. Her hair was long and matted, her
/ face tanned TO q brown; her nose always boFs,
/. stain Of dirt, and she had stOne1bruisss on
I her feet, and ehapped hands and sore heels,
] just like the ragged boys with whom she
| played. The "sOeiety" Of the alley rather cut
/ Topsy Tumble, but she was independent, and
she made faces at "society" from the top Of
\ coal sheds, and allowed herself to be har-
\ messed up beside Bob White, when the boys
wanted q bloOded team to draw cracking
cart down around the TailToad crossing.
The alley was unusually quiet the other
week. TOpsy Tumble was sick. Mother Hart
sid so when Bob White went to see II ToPsy
wanted to trade her old jaekknife for a small
dog, which he lad picked Up on AtWater street.
1t was q strange thing, her Illness. For eleven
years she had rolled 10 the an, Wadef through
the snow and spl7shed around In She mud, and
nobody had ever heard her complain Of any
thing more than stumbled toe. Bob couldn't
make it out. He and Bill Davis and Sam
| Sharp and Chip LaIltiRs sat In the shade o. .
truck wagon going to decay aud talked It over
1t would be hard on mother Hart to have sick
ness and bear doctors bill, and they won
derea If Topsy would get well In time to 20
with them ne next wosk.
The dect0R said 1t was a bad fever and most
of the folks in John Blown alley called in To-
say that they would SIT up nights and do any
thing they e0uld. Topsy was out of her head,
talking strange things, and, b after looking at
her flushed face and listening to her mutter-
ings, Bob White called the boys together on,
top of a esal shed, and thers was a lump in his,
throat as Aewhispered:
"Boys, Tepsy's a-goin' 10, dieP'
The boyS looked around over the sheds AMI
made no reply, and by and BY they slid down
J one by ons and went home There was no
more dog fighting in the alley-no' pounding
Of fire alarms on the old steamboat boiler and
then rushing the tmasneenp up to-the corner.
columbus Jones brought his rooster down and
wanted to bet kite that it eould clean OUT
any chicken In John Brown aIlsy, but the boys
had no enthusiasm.
Topsy grew worse The doctor called twice
Aday, but his medicines didn't touch the case.
and he told Mother Hart that TOpsy must die
{ Tie old woman felt little weak and her eyes
grew misty. Il had been score Of years
/ since she haGWept for grief, and she could not
remember WhsR she had thought Of death.
The neighboEs came IN, ann they tip-toed
across the roam and kept theirbabies still that
} the dying giEl might hear no harsh sound.
door awhile, and finally gathered courage to
pull Of theiEhats and enter the house. Mother
Hart motioRsd for them to take seats on the
bench attha foot Of the bed, and she whispered
! in a weak voice:
t'BOb, rmsafTaid we're goinq-tO lose Topsyps
Bob wiped his eyes and his chin quiyered,
and some Of the boys broke clear down and
wept.
fopsy was unconscious. The boys wondered
at the paJlor-Of- her face and the Whfteness of .
her hands and they saw that her matted hair
Mother Hart kept Wiping her ewes on her
apron, and the boys wondered If sitting there
wasn't something like going to meeting.
"ShS was good girls Topsy was, wills
pered one Of the women.
Sand 50 willing to hslss her mother" said
anothsEs
And she stood up for John Brown alleyp''
added Bob White, sob IN his throat
Darkness settled down and they almost lost
sight of the white face. No one moved. Some
of the babies fell asleep, and the mothers
frosted them softly, and the boys almost dOzed
as they sat crooked. up on the bench. The
of q truck going home sounded painfully loud
and harsh. Mother Hart moved softly over
and lighted the little old lamp, and as she
hald It up the woman said Spoor dearI" and
Bob White leaned over on Chip Larkins' shout
der and sobbed aloud.
Topsy Tumble was dead!
The little soul never washed by mothers
tears-neYer made better by q word about
Heaven-neyer drinking in the knowledge that
only the body dies-had crossed the dark val
ley alone, having only the tears and heartaehes
Of the dWellars in John Brown alley to plead
It's case with the angels.-Dstron Press.