The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-03-25
LITTLE JOE.

Tom Wise, a great big handsome
fellow, with a heart of the same order,
was standing at the corner talking
with friend. He held a cigar to his
mouth with his left hand, and with
his right had just struck q match
against the lamp-post, when 'at-or
rather under-his elbow voice ex:
claimed cheerily, Busted agin, Mas
: Toni" '.......--
Tom threw q glance " over his
shoulder and there stood Little Joe,' -
a small, misshapen negro, about ff-
teen years old, with crutches under his
arms and feet all twisted out Of shape,
bis toes barely touching the. ground
.a7he hoped along, He had on: an
old straw hat with only. = hint of
brim. There must be ssome: ;law ::,.of
cohesive attraction between straw and
wool, for Little Joe's Uranium. was
large, while the hat was s1nall, and
sat back much nearer the nape;ef -hii
neck than the crown Of his head, yet
held its place like a natural excres
ence or horrible: bore. Joe had
met with very few people mean
enough to laugh at him for, though
he possessed all the brightness and
cheerfulness and pluck Of deformsd
people generally, there was wistful
look about his eyes which his want Of
height and his position on crutches
intensified (indeed, perhaps, created ]
by keeping them upturned while
talking with any one taller than
/ himself; and this was generally the
case, for there were no grown people
so small as Little Joe.' His shirt was
torn and his pantaloons ragged p but
to gild these faded glories he wore a
swallow-tailed coat, with: brass but
tons, which some one had given him,
whether from a sense humor or a zen.
timent Of charity let the gods decide.
"Busted; agin, Mas Tom!''
"What 'busted you this time, Joe?''
asked Mr.. WISE. >-.
Lumber, Mas Tom. I was in Dc
lumber bizniss las. week, buyin' ole
shingles an sellin', 'em for kindlin'
but my pardner, He naked a run or
Dc bank-=;;leastways ); On my breechet
poeket--and den runned away hiase'f
Ant you gwine to -sot me up agin
Ms Tom p"
"'Wh.t business "a, are :; you ( going int
this weekr'
!" 'Feckehunnerry,;" ," replied Joe,t4
fine tie quarter; M, r.. Wise .h4ndet
Him. eDis'll do to buy de goods; but
'twon't rent de sto',,' Mas Eom.'' 81 :
5r"What store 2 asked Nj. WISE.
"Dat big sto' Hunt an Mason i
| jeS moved outen. Mr.. Mason say, r.!
may hab it for sebben hundred dollar
ef you'll go my skoority."
Tom laughed. a.. .'"Well,. + Well Joe, I wa
thinking 1 wouldn'tgo security, 70
fanybody this week. Z Don't you thinl
! you can do business on a: smalle
scale p
Joe's countenance fell, and he. .s,uu11
fsted visibly, but a cheering though
presently struck him, and he exclaim
ed disdainfally: 'tAnyhew,I I a'nFt3: a
lkeerin' bout Hunt an Masons J. ol
sto' der ole sebben-hundred- -dolla
sto' r. I can git q goods box an tur,
It ppaids down, al 'starll'* il by;,d d
capitol groun's. an. more folks,ll .pa.
long an buy gooders dan would com
/ l|Mbajdaf ole Ho,' all dc year! Dey III
! |aritin me ~
~. As Joe imped. Of TO- invest h
] money, his poor little ''legs :swingiu
and his swallow-tails Tapping, Tom
friend: asked who he was.
l-.:t'yi ~ ~ a1s4s .Es;G t;,:iS i5,: -; ~
H. Belonged to US. before the war
lsaital Tom: Poor little deyill il =; T 4
,eood coed Lord and Bird, Of tie .irtssem1
ALE ea4e of him I set him ap y Bs;
ness With twenty: :five cents everyNee
aud look after him = little Fig toth