The Republican journal., 1876-05-04
"Ye Pay Tithe OF Mint

ed his rapid pace, and turning to look for
the speaker, beheld a little girl, poorly
clad, who stood under the street lamp, with
thin, wan face, and unnaturally large eyes,
telling ore Of those tales OF orphaned and
beggared childhood, the prey of starvation
and fever such AS make modern cities
Gomorrahs
The night was shutting in. with driz-
zling rain, that froZe as it 1ell. The long
street, usually SO crowded at this hour
was now almost deserted. Most of the re-
tail stores were already closed, as if to
keep open We're useless on such an eve
ming, and the clerks, here and there, were
putting up the shutters of the others.
Something in the tone of the suppliant's
voice struck him as strangely familiar, and
checked the footsteps of the man. The
child Immediately sprang forward. witt
one hand drawing a summer shawl around
her thnly clad figure, while she eagerly
extended the other, and looked imploring-
ly up.
''Oh Sir" she said, 1--WE had nothing
to eat since morning. If 60 home with
out anything III be whipped; and not get
supper, either. Please, sir. please"
But the momentary curiosity, OF pity, Or
other motive whatever it was, that had in
duced the man to stop, had now left him :;
he rudely pushed back the child, as if her
rags made her an outcast to humanity say
ing angrily
"Get away with your lies, you whining
little hypocrite. Go to the guardians of the
poor they take care ofyou; they're paid
for it,"
But with 4 strange pertinacity, the
child followed him. She had literally eat
en- nothing, as she said, that day, and was
desperate with hunger and with cold
please, sir, don't know where to find
the people you tell me OF !; but give me
something, only this once; only this once"
Her teeth chartered, and her voice shook
with cold any man of ordinary feeling
would have had pity; but Mr. Morrison
held certain principles. on which he prded
himself, respecting poverty. Nobody, he
said, starves in a free country like this,
unless by their own fault He had begun
life a poor boy himself and knew all about
it. "Besides he didn't believe" he would
continue. lin this modern can't about the
poor having right to be supported"
Whoever couldn't work ought to want
The case Of children was no exception, for
even if they starved, it was only the sin of
the father being visited on the descend
ants, since people too poor to support off
springs committed Il crime in marrying.
At the worst, beggars had no claims on
him, for the State undertook to support
the poor, and taxed him and other proper
ty-holders for the purpose; and if he gave
aims in the street, he only paid twice
over, besides encouraging vagrancy." All!
be paid ''tithe of mint, anise and cummin,
but omitted the weightier matters of the
law judgment, mercy and faith" He tore
himself rudely from the child's grasp. say
ing, with cruel intiexibility:
LET go, let go; don't stop me; know
all about your tricks' And as he hurried
away, he muttered to himself, 1.-The police
oughh't to let a man be annoyed in this
manner besides, what life they are al
lowing that child to grow up to-
The girl retreated to her old position,
letting her hands fail listlessly by her side,
so that the wind blew apart her wet
shawl and revealed how scantily she was
dressed. A thin, torn frock, clinging close
to her figure. showed that her under
clothes were altogether too few; and her
feet were stuck into shoes, that after being
often patched, still gaped to the cold and
wet
For not always had this patient suffer
ing child been such as she was now She
remembered when, far back. she had a
comfortable home, and mother who fon-
died her; when lullabies sang her to sleep,
and soothing words reassured her if she
woke frightened from dream. Not that
life had ever been as joyous to her as to
other children. That loved mother was
always sad. and often in tears, and SO a
shadow had fallen on the daughter in her
very infancy. Her young mind could not
entirely understand it even get, but as she
never knew father. like other children
did. she often thought now vaguely that
her mother must have been widow
While that dear parent lived she had
never known want They had not en-
,joyed splendor; but they had possessed
comfort, and their mutual affection sup
piled even deficiencies. But at last the
mother died
Then she recollected a sad. sad day, a
day she should never forget if she lived to
be as old as the withered crone who some
times whipped her; when she saw her
mother stiif and cold in q coffin; and when
strange men carried the ugly thing away,
with her mother fastened in it, and the
crone shook her, and beat her at last, be-
cause she went into such a passion Of tears
at the sight.
After this all was blank comparative
ly. She remembered nothing since but
cold, and hunger, and ill-usage. Nothing
but beng driven out to beg, and punished
if she was unsuccessful. Nothing but sleep
ing in one corner of damp cellar, where
she was woke often by rats running over
her, but where as often she could not sleep
at all for cold. How long she had lived
this life, or what tie united her with the
outcasts who kept her, she was ignorant.
Yes there was one subject else that
often occupied her. Lying awake, in the
long, lonely nights, she recalled that
motherly face which. even in its saddest
mood, always looked lovingly on hers
and remembered how from those dear lips
full country, where good children went
vague way, she had q conviction that her
parent now awaited her.
She had a shadowy idea also that it was
here the angels lived, and that her mother
now was one, though none the less her
HOtner, anu SOMETIMES, Ill dreams, Sne
saw that remembered face, radiant with
light, smiling on her; and oh! how blest
she was But these things were rare, and
seemed to grow rarer. She never now
heard Of heaven or angels, or the Good
Shepherd. She never saw any one kneel
in prayer. But her ears, day and night.
were filled with curses, and with words of
which she knew not the meaning. except
that it was something horrible. This life
was fast benumbing her, she felt that; but
she was too young to know why, and so
the sadness and loneliness and despair at
her heart increased; and life grew more
and more a blank, with only cold and hun
ger left, hunger and cold.
"Hillo, there! Come. be moving"
She looked up and recognized watch
man. who. in shaggy overcoat, and with
badge on hat, was going to his post. The
child had learned already to dread the law
and its officers; for they had always harsh
words, and only harsh words for her; and
starting, she hurriedly moved away.
a. -. l.