The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-01-14
T 70 SIX EFT G ES.
I'm THE STREET.

in lflE SlhEEI.
I'm black pin girl You know--the
kind that tells lies about their mother
being sick, or dead, or something, and
most on 'cm never had no mother.
Me and another girl lives with old
Duffy; at least, don't call it much liv-
ing. I'd a heap rather die with her.
jimmy CHATS the other girD sassed her,
and didn't get nothing to eat, and she
went to q house and begged, and the
cook give her cold cabbage. If a cook
give me cold cabbage, I'd fire it at her
head.
Duffy says mother give me to her. 1
wish mother hadn't a-been so generous.
stay with her cause amt got no other
place. Sometimes think I'll take the
pins, samples and all, for wages, and
sleep nights to the station-house but
Duffys old man is had up a good deal
for variance, L guess they call it, and
that's where he mostly stops.
Sometimes Jinny's better than other
times and it's when she's coming out of
her fits of goodness that Duffy beats her.
amt never good. 1 Just keep along
about the same, and Dufy's give over
beating me. Jinny's awful queer. She
calls me Sarah, and my names Anne,
cause she knowed woman that took care
of her when she was sick, and her name
was Sarah. Nobody never took care of
me, so I call jimmy jimmy.
suppose if got sick 1 could go to Il
hospital. did know a girl who went
there and died onst. Old man Duffy
went when he fell off the dock, and she
thought she got rid of him sure enough :
but he come back all right guess she
called it all wrong. Any way, he warn't
none the worse for it, if she was
just have to laugh when I see the
folks in the streets scared to death of
little mud L declare Tn glad 1 amt
fashionable, SOS don't have to wear a
train. One time jimmy and me put on
style, with our hair frlzzed up, and went
down Broadway like any children. If
you get walking behind people, SOS to
hear what they're a-saying of, it's about
the best fun out. All the mothers is so
scared of their young ones getting hurt
ed a-crossing of the streets.
"Now, my darling, do be careful, my
darling; catch a-hold of my hand, my
darling, or you'll be run over"
Seems to me there must be more dan
ger of everything if anybody's some
body's darling. Good laudy I amt
been run over, and never took hold of
nobody's hand, only onst when Duffy's
old man riz an AK and run after her like
he was a-going to chop her; then L held
on fast enough and hollored.
There's young lady know that s the
most beautiful thing [ ever seen. I
wouldn't ask her to buy pin not to save
Duffy's neck. L don't know her to
speak to, but she's often down my way
going into the big houses. The first
time I see her she give me such turn;
she stepped out of her carriage; now it
was just like a star coming out of the
sky. Her face was shining, and there
was kind of a look to her that made me
begin to cry, though she was smiling.
She didn't see me then; / don't guess
she ever see me, but follow her round
now, and ] know the house she lives in.
was to big reception one day at
dark, and | see her carriage down the
line, so | just waited till he drove up,
and then | come pretty close, and in a
minute out she come. Her face was
shining just the same, and a gentleman
a-helping her down the steps. L heard
him speak to her while he was a-cover-
ing of her up warm with the things in
the carriage. heard him say, "Helen,
my darling, my good angel" says he.
She didn't say nothing, but put out her
hand, and he gave it kiss. Then he
slammed the carriage door, and she drove
off, and he went back in the house, and
i'll minute he comes out with a cigar
lighted; l see him then, and ] know that
mani know him. Down to q place
I've went to fetch Duffy's old man home
I've seen him as drunk as fool They
call him Shady down there, and he can
talk up as lively as any feller ever see,
and swear with the other men. Is nv
star lady that feller's darling? That's
what he called her, and he's bad
man.
There was one day there'd been
storm of ice and snow, and / hadn't
much shoes ON me; one was a rubber
1 found, and the other was kind of a
low shoe that was tied on with a string
My feet kinder hurt, that's true, but L
suppose it warn't SO bad as If I'd a-been
somebody's darling. Any way, L didn't
think much about it, only they was both
erous to keep on, cause they was big;
and along there come young man with
a good warm coat on him, and when he
see me we was just in front of a cheap
shoe store-the kind where poor folks
gets cheated, unless they're Jews. And
what's he do but up and took me into
that store and got me a whole pair of
shoes; and know he warn't poor, for
they was good shoes, and wore me first
rate and 1 guess he warn't Jew
neither. When we come out of the store
he stopped a minute, and says, Feel
better, little girl 2" and he puts his
hand in his pocket, and out comes a ten
cent silver; and 1 never thanked him nor
nothing, but begun to cry. He was going
to put it in my hand, and there come
along carriage, and in it see my star
lady, and he seen her too, and she know
ed him, and smiled to him and bowling
her head. The silver dropped on the
CO in the street, SOS I had to stoop