The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1874-11-25
TopSy Tumble.

ono who had been brought up in q,
alley all her days, living with ole
Mother Hart ever since she wa
large enough to guther chips aroun;
the ship yard. The boys called be-
Topsy Tumble aud nobody knew
anything about her parents o.
relatives. Her hair was long ant
matted ; Ter face tanned to a brown
her muse alw .ys bore stain Of dirt
and she had stone bruises on her fec
and ehapped hands, and sore heels
just like the ragged boys with whom
she played. The "society" Of theallo,
was rather out with Topsy Tumble
but she was Independent, and she
made faces ut "society" from the tor
uf coal sheds, aud allowed herself to
be haruessed up beside Bob White
when the boys wanted a Flooded
team to draw crcaking cnrt down
around tho railroad crossing.
The alloy was unusually quiet the
other week. Topsy Tumble was sick.
Alother Hart suid so when Bob
White went to see if Topsy wanted to
trade her old jaokknife for small
cog, which he had picked up on
Atwatcr street. 1t was q strange
thing, her illness. For eleven years
she had rolled in the dirt, waded
through the snow aud FLASHED around
in the mud, and nobody had ever
heard her complain Of anything
more than stubbed toe. Bob
couldn't mike it out. He and Bill
Davis and Sum Sharp and Chip lar
king sat in the shade Of .trnok
wagon going to decay and talked it
over. 1t would be rough on Mother
Hart to have sickness aud bear doc
tors bill, aud they wondered if Top
sy would get we'll in time to go with
them the next week.
The doctor said it was bad
fever, and most of the folks in John
Brown alley called in to say that
they would sit up nights and do any,
thing they could. Topsy was out of
her head talking strange things and
after looking at her flushed face and
listening to her muttcriugs, Bob
White called the boys together on
top of coal shed, aui there was
lu MP n his throat as ho whispered
"Boys, Topsy's a goiu' to die r.
The boys looked around over the
sheds and made no reply, and by.and
bye they slid down oue by one and
went home. There was no more
dog fighting in the alley-uo pound.
Ing of fro alarms on the old steam
boat boiler and then rushing the
"masheen" up to the corner. Colum-
bus Jones brou yht his rooster down
and wanted to bet kite that it could
clean cut any chicken iu John Brown
alley, but the boys had no enthusi-
nsm.
Topsy grew worse. The doctor
called twice day, but his medicines
didn't touch the case, and he told
Mvther Hart that Topsy must die.
The old wvman felt n little weak
and her eyes grew misty. 1t had
been Il score of years since she had
wepl Tor grief, aud she could Lot ,c.
member when she had thought Of
deuth.
The neighbors came in, and they
tiptoed across tho room and ke, t
their babies still that the dying Cir
might hear no harsh sound. Bob
" hito aud his ohums hung around the
door awhile, aud 6uaIly gathered
courage to pull otf their hats and
enter the house. M"tbcr Hart mo
toned for them to take seats on the
bench at the foot OF the bed. and sh G
whispered +" in a weak voice
"Bob, Pm afraid we're going to
lose Topsy !"
Bob wiped his eyes and his chin
4nivcrcd, and some of the boys
broke CLEAN down aud wept.
Topsy was Unconscious. The boys
wondered at the puilor Of her face
and the wh:teness Of her h.nds, and
lhcy saw that her mut,ed hair had
been cut short. The women shed
tears. Mother Hart kept wiping her
eyes on her apron, aud the boys
"oude, ed if sitting thero wasn't
something like going to meeting.
"She VAS good g'rl, Topsy was,"
whispered one IF the women.
"Aud SO willing to help her moth.
er," said another.
"And she stood up for John Brown
alley I" added Bob White, sob in
his throat.
Darkness .settled down and they
almost lost sight OF the white face.
No one moved. Some IF the babies
fell asleep, and tho mothers trottcd
them softly, and the boys almost
dozed as they sat crooked up on the
bench. The shadows Of night grow
deeper, and the rattle of truck
going home sounded painfully loud
and harsh. Mother Hart moved
softly over and lighted the little old
lamp, ard as she held it up the wo.
man said : "Poor dear p and Bob
White leaned over on Chip Larkips
shoulder and sobbed aloud.
Topsy Tumble was dead .
Tho little soul, nevor washed BY
mothers tears--never made better b,