Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1875-07-16
ITO Bury Baby'-A City
Sketch.

Her large blue eyes were full of tears
as she stretched out her thin, bony hand,
not over clean, and cried: "Please give me
. penny" I had just left the Union
Square theatre where had been delight.
ing myself with the play of ''The Two
Orphans" and / felt in . benevolent
mood. I determined to give the poor
little beggar girl tive cents instead of "a
penny" but first l would see what she
wanted it for I would ascertain what
her particular misery might happen to
be. I was curious tonight as well as
philanthropic.
"What are you going to do with .
penny p I asked, stopping her at the
Broadway corner, and taking the hand of
the weary little mite, who ought to have
been in bed four hours ago.
"To bury baby, sir, "she said simply,
and the tears came into her big blue eyes
once more.
The answer seemed so odd that it start
led me. l repeated my question again,
and again the beggar child replied, ITO
bury baby, sirl"
She was standing there, in the heart of
this great city at midnight, shivering inl
her rags, begging pennies of strangers. to|
bury her baby sister with-a little dead
baby sister who was lying Wrapped in al
torn sheet, on broken down bed, In the|
fifth story of tenement house in Cherry
street.
saw the little dead baby there with myI
own eyes. Hailing passing cab; 1 leap
ed into it, taking the little beggar girl
with me thus giving the child the f1rstl
ride of her life), and drove to the wretch
ed address she gave me as her home.
There, on the top floor in a six by nine|
room with no carpet, no furniture tol
speak of no pictures, save an old cut
from picture paper tackled to the bare|
wall, no fire, no fireplace, or stove even,
lay stretched on a dirty bed the prettiest
little infant Of not over six months old II
had ever seen. 1t was cold und dead.
but there was smile on its little face
and bunch of faded violets in its little
hand, while the poor young mother. her
self dying fast. sat In ricketty chair,
rocking to and fro, and moaning beside
her dead one.
:" Mamma, mamma, this gentleman gave
me ride in q carriage. aud he 10 going to|
bury baby.
So cried my new found acquaintance of
the midnight streets As she embraced her
mother. and then advancing with an indie
scribable mixture of tenderness and fervor|
to the stiff. stark mystery on the bed,
which had but yesterday been her sister,
she kissed the cold, sweet-pinched face.
and repeated softly, cooingly. - one dove
would say to another, the words what TO-
her seemed to have some strange sad
charm, HE is going to bury baby"
There Was something indescribably
touching in tho child's action, and altho.
ugh l am mot given to the melting mood,
I went that night. And then I ''buried
baby )" at least left some money and d.
rections that night, and went to baby's
little funeral ne1t morning.
All, We arc too needless Of our beggaTs.
not of our professional beggars. but of
our poor, poor who cannot help tht tir
poverty. And many time we refuse I'd
mittance to some poor wretch who. It We
did NOT know il, Il tegging mot to feed or
or clothe himself or herself, but 70 pay
the last rites Of humanity to some dead.
dead pauper-perhaps ITO bury baby. I"
Free Lance.
An old bachelor, upon reading that 1.-TWO
lovers win sit up half the night with one
chair In the room," said Il could not Be