Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-12-29
CINDERS:

CINDEIeS:
The Fortune Carl Found I'm the Ashes.
How artful the wind was that cold March
morning, hiding away every now and then,
pretending to he quite gone, only 10 rush
out with fearful howl at such unexpected
nom ents that Carl was nearly blown off
his feet each time.
But he struggled bravely forward, bend
ing his head TO the blast, and holding his
brimless hat on with one hand, while he
carried his battered lin pail in the other.
There was not a CLEAN Of FIRE in the
| wretched room he had just left; and Tony
and Lena, his ittlo sisters, wrapped in the
old piece Of carpet that served them for
blanket, were almost crying with hunger
| and with cold.
They would have cried outright If Carl
had not kissed them, aud said, "Never
mind, young uns-wait till l can give you
each a regular bang.up lace hankorcher to
| cry OH, then you may cry as much az you
please"
Father and mother had died within
week of each other, when February SHOWS
were upon the ground, leaving these three
poor children without money and without
friends-a bad way for even grown-ups 10
he left.
So Carl, poor boy, found himself, at ten
years of age, the head Of family.
or course he became newsboy.
Almost all heads of families ten years
and under, become newsboys.
| Twenty-Five cents given him by an old
woman who sold apples and peanuts, and
who, by the way, was not much better Off
| than he was himself, started him in bust
| ness.
| But the business, 1 am sorry to say,
scarcely paid rent, leaving nothing for
lothing, food and fire, three very necessa-
| ry thngs,-be home ever so humble.
| So every morning, almost as soon as the
day dawned-and l can tell you il dswns
very quickly in a room where the window
hasn't Il scrap of shade or curtain-before
he W ent down town for his stock of morn
ing papers, Carl started out TO bring home
the family fuel.
This consisted of whatever sticks and
bits of wood he could find lying about the
streets, and whatever cinders and pieces of
coal he could pick from the ash barrels and
| boxes.
If the weather was at all mild, Tony, the
eldest sister and the housekeeper, went
with him, and helped him fill the old pail.
She carried forlorn-looking basket, that
seemed ashamed of the old piece OF rope
that served for its handle, and stopped on
her way home at several houses, where the
servant girls had taken fancy TO the gray
eyed, shy little thing, to get the family mar
keting.
But alas very, very often the supply fell
short of the demand, for the winter had
been very severe one, and everybody had
such number of calls from all sorts of
needy people, that they could afford to give
but little TO each one.
This particular March morning Carl
went out alone, wondering as he went when
"the fortune" was gcing ~ turn up"
For these poor children, shut out from
dolls, books, and all things that make
childhood merry and bright, used to while
away many an hour, talking ofa "fortune''
which the brother had prophesied would
one day be found In the ashes.
AT different times this dream took differ
ent shapes.
Sometimes il was a pocket-LUok, oh sc
fat with greenbacks, sometimes purse oI
gold, sometimes "a dammit ring;" bul
whatever 1t should prove TO be, Carl wa'
convinced, "Gelt it in his boQes," he said
II pouId be found, and found hidden among
the cinders.
Once he had brought home a silver fork
'scooped," as be called il in newsboy''
slang, from an ash-heap in an open lot.
Ou this folk the family had lived fol
t three days.
, Once he rescued doll, which pould hav'
been louely if it had had a head and at va
. rious times there were scraps of ribbon
lace and silk, all of which served t
strengthen the belief that something won
derful must "turn up' at last.
"Cricky how that old wind does holler,'
said Carl 10 himself, as he toiled along, ian
il cuts right through me, my jackets 81
thin and torn-ld mOnd 1t myself II on
ly knew how, aud somebody'd lend me
needle. and thresd.
"Don't 1 Wish I'd find the fortune thl
morningl
> "I dreaInt Of Il last night-dreamt 1t wa
a bar of gold, long as my arm and preciou
thick, too.
"Guess III goto that big bar'l afore then
= orful high fiat houses-thaPs dtlus full
cinders.
"Irs lucky for us them big bugs don
sirl their ashes We wouldn't have
fire If they die, THAT'S what's the matter.
So he made his way to the "big bari, ;
K hoping no one had been there before hiu
and leaning over without looking, put hi
y cold. red hand into the ashes, but he dre'
il out again in hurry, for cold as 1t was,
:, had touched something colder.
"Hellop' cried Carl, "what's thatf
don't feel 'zactly like the bar OF gold" an
!. dropping on his knees, he peeped In.
ia A dirty little, shaggy, once white do
le raised pair of soft, dark, wistful eyes
his face.
10 "WhyIP Pm blessed" said Carl, In gre'
surprise, "lf il ANITA dog. Poor little bet
gar that was bis nose felt, an wasn't
coldH"
al spose he's got in among the ashes
Is keep warm; wot pooty eyes he's got Ju
pe like that woman's wot give me ten Gel
u stamp for the Tribune the other day, an
al