The Portland daily press., 1875-01-16
From Harper's Monthly Magazine.l
Two Sketches.
LIN THE STREET.

I'm THE STREET.
Pm a black pin girl. You know-the
kind that tells lies about their mother being
sick. or dead, or sometimes, and most on 'em
never had no mother. 80.
Ten cents a dozen; but you better wait till
it comes night; then you can get 'em most
any price, cause then we always say we amt
made nothing al day, and we're most
starved Tor TODD. don't care, they don't be-
long to me; it's Duffy does the buying, and
me does the selling. They're awful dull pins.
There's kind comes down to Jacobs for
twelve cents for an awful sight on 'em;
them's the kind she gets to sell; and there's
a kind comes for two cents dozen, and she
mostly gets about cents worth OF them for
samples. / guess when ladies comes to be a
little older than they was, and nobody amt
took and married 'em, they. get skittish
about pins. That's the sort that calls you
ssmy good GIRL" and they don't know il
you're sgood, and says, LET me see EN-
That's why Duffy got samples. Different
people buys pins from us street children. l
don't think much ON 'em any way. There's
short fat old ladies that counts 'em their
selves, and asks if you attend worship.
Sometimes I try eyes" on 'em, and that
mostly pleases ,em; but # l want ], sight Oh
the whites of their eyes, say mo-"
Schoolgirls takes good many. You
might think they eat 'em, they do buy such
loads. They save 'em sewing on strings to
hitch I'D their overskirts. They have 'em
sticking all about, and shed 'em as they 60
along. A lady stopped me. "Why, look a
here,'' says she, Saint them elegant! Give
me two," says she. "How much apieceT'
"Two cents" says l. l bet that woman woman
come from the country; she was dreadful
Me and another girl lives with old Duffy;
at least. don't call it much living. I'd
heap rather die with her. jimmy THAT'S the
other girl) sassed her, and didn't get nothing
to eat, and she went to a house and begged,
and the cook gave her cold cabbage. Ii a
cook gave me cold cabbage, I'd fire it at her
head. t.ihAll3} itt 1u
Duffy saws mother give me TO her. l
wished mother hadn't been so generous. l
stay with her cause 1 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 Dufys old man is
had up a good deal for variance, guess they
call il, and that's where he mostly stops:
If so many goes into the pin business,
Duffy better shut up and 60 home. Why,
just on my blocks there's two boys, with
their legs broke by drunken fathers, and a
cryer them fellers that winks till they do
look like they was crying sure enough, and
two pardner boys lone on 'em's always been
a-knocking of the other down, and took all
his money-it's mostly fifteen cents that's
took) and me and jimmy. Sometimes she'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 Duffys 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. No
body never took care OF me, SO call jimmy
Jimmy.
suppose if I got sick 1 could go to hos
pital. did know 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 came back
all right; guess she called it all wrong
ANY way, he warnt none the worse for it, If
she was. fsn glftyg&f slsE.
lust have to laugh when see the folks
in the streets scared to death OF little mud.
l declare I'm glad amt fashionable, SOS
don't have 10 wear a train. One time jimmy
and me put on style, with our hair fuzzed 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 ones getting hurted crossing OF the
streets.
Now, my darling, do be careful, my dar-
ling; catch a-hold of my hand, my darling, or
you'll be run over"
Seems to me there must be more danger OF
every thing if any body's somebody's darling.
Good laudy! amt been run over, and l
never took hold of nobody's hand, only onst
when Duffy's old man riz an axe and run aft
err her like he was s-going to chop her; then
/ held on fast enough and hollered.
There's a young lady know that's the
most beautiful thing ever seen! wouldn't
ask her to buy pin not to save Duffy's neck.
/ don't know her to speak to, but she's often
down my way going into the big houses.
The first time see her she gave me such a
turn she stepped out of her carriage; now it
was just like star coming out OF the sky:
Her face was shining, and there was kind
of look to her that made me cry, though
she was smiling. She didn't see me then; l
don't guess she ever see me but follow her
round now, and know the house she lives
In. ..-.. .+.. .-. s.I
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 minute out she come.
Her face was shining Just the same, and
gentleman ahelping her down the steps.
heard him speak to her while he was a-cover-
ing her up warm with the things in the car
riage. 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 of, and he went back in
the house, aud in minute he comes out with
cigar lighted; I see him then, and l know
that mani know him. Down to place
I've went to fetch Dufy'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 teller ever see, and swear with
the other men. Is my Star Lady that feler's
darling? That's what he called her, and
he's bad man. #"
Nrl. Jo,, 81 Of
ice and snow, and hadn't much shoes on
me; one was rubber found, and the other
was kind of a low shoe that was tied on
with string. My feet kinder hurt that's
true,but I 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
botherous to keep on, cause they was big !;
and along there come young man with
good warm coat on him, and when he see me
we was just in front of cheap shoe store
the kind where poor folks gets cheated, I'M
less 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 knew he warn't
poor, for they were good shoes, and wore me
iirst-rate land guess he warn't Jew neither.
When we come out of the store he stopped
minute, and says, "Feel better, little girls !?
and he put his hand In his pocket, and out
comes a ten-cent silver; and / never thanked
him for nothing, but begun to cry. He was
going to put it in my hand, and there come
along a carriage, and in it l seen my Star
Lady, and he see her too, and she knowed
him, smiling 10 him and bowling her head.
The silver dropped on to the ice in the street,
SOS had to stoop down to get it. He got
very WITHHOLDING, and stood with his hat off,
SOS I'd thought he'd have catched his death.
He didn't say no more to me, but started off
to walk very fast. never seen him again,
but / think of them two, nights when Jinny's
asleep, and / think if they was to come to-
gether, and was to see 'em a-going into a
church, her all in white, with her face
a-shining, and him a-looking so proud of her
with the look on 'em some folks do wear to
their weddings, l think I'd give 'em-Td
give-Oh, granny, 1 amt got nothing to
give, but the ten-cent silver he gave me, and
Dufy's old pins. "a.
I'm THE HOSPITAL.
She stood in the middle of her room quite
still. with her hands clasped tight together.
"Bear it, bear it," she said aloud. "You
shall not give way" as though she were com
manding her own spirit. Then the voice
broke, and with sob she sank down to the