Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-10-18
jim.
From Harper's Weekly.

From Harper's Weekly.
We belonged to the surplus popula-
ton, Jim and [, but we did not know
it. The big world into which we came
was crowded to overlooking with just
such puny, unwashed, lifted little
wretches as we were, but we didn't
know it, and so we came unconscious
into the sunless, teeming alley, where
countless others like ourselves herded.
We didn't know we were p problem.
Jim and [; we didn't know that we
and our kind were battling the wisdom
of statesmen, Jim and [, but if we
had known all about it. / doubt if we
could have occupied the situation more
philosophically. We slept as quietly
In the underground cellar, down whose
oozy steps the rain and ruin of years
made slippery passage, or bestowed
ourselves as naturally, if need be, un-
der some stranded wayside cart, as if
it were precisely the thing heaven had
adapted us for from the beginning.
jim was older and bigger than I: a
tall, likely lad, fifteen of these harden
ing and toughening. years had made
him keen and sharp as a terrier, and
just the lad to look after forlorn wait
of a little girl like myself. And Jim,
after he had BACKED boots all day, or
sold newspapers Of an afternoon, was
sure to look after me, and we took
supper together out of the same bowl
OF pOrrldge.
jim wasn't my brother, oh, no! I
used to wish he was my brother though,
sometimes, just because I was SO proud
of him.
The old man that kept the cellar, you
see, had picked Jim up from some
where when his folks died, and picked
me up from somewhere when my folks
died, and so we had somehow fallen
together all along
Just down beyond the jog of our
alley, where it turned q sort of gray
corner, and was darker and dirtier than
ever, there stood an old gray church
with clock in the tower; and old,
old, messy church, and an old, old
clock that passed its withered hands
over its wizened face, and looked Sleep
lily through them down into our alley
On one side, and into a busy, noisy
thoroughfare On the other. This old
clock mad dozed there till IFS head was
all On one side, and you couldn't be
sure whether it told the right time Or
not; but Of a summer afternoon, when
it is getting quite dusk in our alley,
red ray from the setting sun used to
settle for minute right down on the
face Of the sleepy old clock; then it
would seem to rouse up out Of pleas
ant dream, and strike the hour as
sharp as need be, and then [ knew it
was time to look out for Jim. I'd see
him turn the corner, with his old straw
hat on, and his patched shoes, or bare
foot, maybe, for that matter, and we'd
set Oft for a stroll together-a stroll to
the wharves.
We generally hunted the wnaryes.
Jim and [, when we went a-pleasuring.
They were SO grand, the wharves. so
busy the wharves, SO full Of light and
fresh air, the wharves, so altogether diff
ferent from our alley, with the ships
croWdlng round them, and the futter-
ing flags here and there on the masts,
and the busy sailors getting in freights.
Sometimes Jim would get job for
half an hour, and leave me lurking
among the cotton bales, or sitting soil
tary in some safe corner till he came
back. He came back. And then
sometimes We would lipger about there
till nightfall. Then the wharf was
silent and still, and you could hear the
water rushing up against the great
beams underneath, and see here and |
there light cleaning from some lone
lantern among the shrouds, and the
grey water stretching beyond, we knew |
not whittier; and if Jim and had owned |
it al, we couldn't have loved it better.
But one day Jim got job that lasted
longer than usual, | grew scared and
uneasy when night came On and he
didn't come back. Wandering from
the place he had set me, shy and fear
some as a Water-rat, bit as determined, |
[ looked for him every where, but in
vain; then | went back to my post, for
hadn't he said, as he always said, |
Don't be afraid, Jenny; I'll come
back. for sure, you know" And then |
waited and waited, till finally / fell
asleep among the bales and barrels aud
forgot my troubles.
In the morning forlorn and DESC
late little create enough, learned from
some compassionate 'longshoreanan
that the great ship where Jim had been
to work, had called away with him
abroad. A wild and passionate burst of |
weeping greeted this news, and a pitiful
throng of people gathered about me.
freightmen and sailors mostly. hut
among them suddenly appeared the
quiet face of a Quaker lady, who was