Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-02-16
From Harper's Weekly.
A HARD WINTER.

"Laws-a-mussy, Joe! don't it look
nice in there!''
eyes: but it's awful cold out here.
Injun summer they calls this time of
year; but don't see no summer
about it. Did your ever know such
a wind?"
"Ain't it summer in there, though
see the big fire they got. Do yer
spose dem folks in there is ever cold
like we? Pm very cold, Joe," he add
ed, mournfully, as the chill Novem-
Der blast swept around the corner
from the avenue, and the biting
dampness made its way through his
scant clothing.
"Wa'al, it's hard on a little chap
like you; but don't cry; its going to
be hard winter, young I'm, and yer
mustn't begin to fret now. This
amt nothing; stop till it SHOWS and
freezes before yer make fuss. We
will go up that there stoop opposite
there amt no draught in the wes-
tibule-and then we can get a better
look at the fire, and see what the
swells is a doing. I'll tell yer all
about 'em-bless yer, I knows the
family"
'sOoes they know you, Joe?"
"Wa'al, | wouldn't like to say
tn tyr certain. You see, there amt
not,on very perticular about my
pussG,sal appearance, and they might
not kAow me from any other feller
bout my size, but I knows them.
Fust there's the old lady"
"Who's she?"
''She! why, she amt nobody. It's
the young oman what's the hull con-
Germ. She lives with her."
"What for?"
"Why, cos it amt proper for a
harnsome young woman to live all
alone. But you can't know anything
bout the ways of perlite s'eiety-
how should yer?"
"How do you know?"
"Wa'al, yer see, life has its ups
and downs. When l was a little fell
ler bout the size of you, was loafin
round here one day, and Jeems-
Jeems is the big feller who wears tin
buttons on his coat and tight yeller
breeehes tucked inside his shiny
bootlegs; yer'll see him round some
where's in mint or two if yer
watch-Jeems wanted a letter put
in the box on the lamp-post for his
missus. Feliers like him don't like
movin round much; they gifts so ac-
customed to takin their exercise rid
in on the kerridge longside the dri-
yer, and they grow so fat and lazy,
that when they is sent on an errand
afoot it's an awful trial to 'em; when
he comes out with the letter and
catches sight of me he axes me if l
was a lad as could be trusted, and
would | like to earn an honest pen
ney. l says yes, and he guys me the
letter. It's VERY important, says
Jeems. otis from my young missus,
Miss Maud Congdon, to the Rev.
Howard Lahgly; it's as how he's to
dine with her next Monday, and you
mustn't on no account lose It," So
l takes it VERY careful. You never
seen letter like that, young un-
sech a little, smooth, shiny, white
thing, with the least little bit of
writing on one side and a postage
stamp, and on the other a lot of big
letters all sorts of colors, snarled up
in tangle till You couldn't make EN-
out what they was, only they look
ed like a little bokay printed right
in the middle. And then how it
smelt!-jest like them nosegays you
see the gals a-sellin on the corner of
Broadway. l was awful feared Pd
sile it, cos my fingers never is clean,
there being no conweniences for git
tin EN- so where l live; but l took
hold of it by the corner and got it
into the lamp-post box without a bit
Vi d blnuuSCs
'Who else did yer know9"
"The cook took a fancy to me,
and many's the breakfast | eat sittin
on a bench in the back yard. They
used to give me the drumsticks off
the fowls; there amt nobody in that
house would eat drumsticks-Lord
bless you, no; second jints was what
they wanted-but liked the drum
sticks"
"Oh, Joe, wouldn't one go good
now?"
'Don't be unreasonable, young
un. Times now is too hard fol peo-
pie in your circumstances to banker
after poultry. Git in this corner
that theer wind is coming from the
northeast, and it won't hit yer so
hard Jest here. Yer're sech little
feller yer might be blowed away,
and yer've got mar to fret about
yer-I aint. Hullo! there's cove
goin to stop at that house yonder.
Wonder would he like a fellow to
hold his hoss? Think I'll ask him. 1t
don't do to let an opportunity slip
such times as these. Look out and
don't freeze, young un-there's a
good time COMM"
So Joe swung himself off the stoop
and little Jenny, left all alone,
f,,1 . hnY