The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-10-11
Stolen Fruit.

A little room at the top of the house
with "half' windows that opened few
inches only, and let very little of the
wretched air of the crowded street, into
az poor room as ever poor woman tried
to keep clean.
1t hads not the Immaculate spot
lessness of the traditional home of pow
erty of the Sunday school books, but that
1 believe to be fable; and do what its
swner could, the smell of the cabbage,
which the good German housewife down
stairs was cooking, and the smell of the
pipe, which the Irishman on the next
floor was comforting his soul with, would
mingle with the perfume of the drains,
which the owner thought would do very
well, if the Board of Health never noticed
them, and make the room anything but
fresh and sweet and pure, whenever the
door was opened.
However, the poor creature had swept
and busted, and scrubbed up the place
before daylight, and she had made soup
and Cruel, and had left her sick little
girl in the care of brother two years
Older-he was only twelve-and had gone
to her long days duties at the factory.
To neglect them would be to have nei-
Their room nor cruel next week, for she
must be mother and father both to her
children, now that her sailor husband had
gone down at sea with the wreck of the
good ship Esmeralda.
All day long she worked her body in the
factory, and her heart in the little room
where now in the baking heat of the red
hot noon-tide the little girl lay tossing
and turning on her pillow, and the little
boy sat beside her, REFRESHING his boyish
lopgipgs to be off in the streets, for love
Of his sick sister.
IL think" he said, stating his firm con-
viction, for he had never had enough to
eat in all his life; II think, Sis, if you
could eat the rest Of the Cruel you'd feel
better" and he pressed it upon her, hold
ing the bowl in one hand and the spoon
in the other. "Do now try to eat it,
Kitty"
mo, no!' said the girl. "No, hate
it. want something nice and cool. l
wish had lemonade. If l had lemon
ade think should get we'll right away
Oh, wish had lemonader'
Mother will get you some when she
SOuCS IouiC, Sdlo tue Coy.
"She can't" said the little girl. "She
won't have any money until Saturday
night. Oh, dear; l wish l was rich, I'd
have a great pitcher of lemonade and drink
and drink and drink. But it's no use
wishing. Tom, and she turned her flushed
little face upon the pillow, and burst out
with:
"And such lots of lemons in the gro
Gerry downstairs"
And at this juncture poor, little fever
ish Kitty began to cry.
In imagination she saw the long basket
piled to the brim with the yellow fruit
which nature taught her would do her so
much good, and the tears came at the
thought that while there was so many she
could not have one.
The sight of those tears was more than
Tom could bear.
A thought came into bis mind that had
never been there before.
"Don't cry, Kitty" he said. "I'll be
back in a moment and ran out of the
room, down stairs, and out at the side
door of the house.
He meant to ask the grocer to trust
him q lemon, and then to earn the pen
MICS to pay for 1t somehow. But there at
the side-door stood Mr.. O'Brien with an
exasperated countenance, holding a slate
covered with figures with his left hand
and emphasizing his remarks with his
fore6nger.
That's the way We grocers ruin our
selves" said he, "trusting every one that
comes along. No, Mrs. Conner, can't.
It's cash with me hereafter. No more
trust. Didn't you see the card with the
poetry on il I've hung over the counter2
mo Trust, is on it as your own eyes can
see. It's not you particular, but it's
everybody that / say No Trust to.
After that, what could Tom dot
He couldn't beg for one; besides, he
knsw he shouldn't get it.
But there he stood beside the lemon
basket 90 that he could smell the de-
ightfnl oder of the fruit, so that by put