West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1877-11-17
"LlTTLE COLD VITTLES."
LcIneInnalL snnla, nreakfn.t rahIe. ).

Cincinnati sunday Breakfast Table,
She was tiny little midget, and had
such starved, pinchcd, and appealing
took that my heart was touched TO the
quick, and | took her into the Kitchen
myself aud told Bridget TO give her a
good hearty breakfast, and then fill her
basket with some fresh and wholesome
food To take home TO her little brothers
and sisters, for my instinct told me She
had spoken the truth when she said
Please, mum, I'm poor little girl
with four brothers and sisters, all littler m
me, an won't YOU please give me some
cold vittles."
She might have been eight years old,
though she didn't look TO be over six i'm
size, but had a painfully old look about
the eyes, and under one of them was n
dark birth-mark of a bloOd-shot appear
ance, that looked for all the world as
though made 10y the hcartless blow of a
drunken father. Her clothes were old
and much patched, but not dirty, and
there was some attempt at neatness. She
had no stockings, but on one foot had n
lady's gaiter that was almost fit, and
on the other n boys shoe somewhat too
large. She wore sun-bonnet that had
seen better days, and had a mans neck
tie pinned at her throat.
The child ate ravenOusly at FIRST, and
for a minute / thought She certainly
would choke. Poor thing, she had not
often had such feast, and as watched
her almost voraciously devour the beef
steak and potatoes Bridget sat before
her, ! clutched my own little darling
Sue to my breast, and prayed heaven
she might never come to such dreadful
want. The child was quick of percep-
ton, intelligent, and not at ali back
ward, and after she had somewhat ap-
peased her hunger / drew her by degrees
to talk about her family, and this is the
story CLEANED from her:
You see, Missus, our father runned
off and leaved us, an mother she's sick
an can't go out an wash no more. an so
we can't have nothin' to eat only what
gifts. i has four little brothers am sis
ters, all litter IN me, an none of 'em is
big enough to go 'thout gettin' loosed
but Tommy, an he has fits, an mother
she's afraid to have him 60 for one day
he had fit an failed in a cellar an
brokcd his collar-bone, an a man he car
ried him home, and mother cried an
said he would die, an Tommy he was
cryin' COZ it hurt so, an then doctor
coined an hurted him worsein fixin' it.
an then Tommy cried more, an so did
all OF us. One day q nice lady coined
to see Tommy, an she bringed basket
full of nice vittles, an she got some
medicine for Tommy's fits, an buved
me some new shoes, Tor il was awful cold
then, an nearly freezed my feets when
| wenttO git things to eat. She was awful
good to US, an coined lots o. times. an
allus brought somethin', but one time
she coined an said goodbye to us. an
said she was gOin' TO move to Sheecawpy.
an couldn't come no more to see us. AM
then mother cried an so did all OF us
Then she giyed mother some money an
code away. Tommy cried bout her lots
o times but she did Mt come to see us
no more.
My mother says when was little
tiny girl, we lived in a big house, with
lots o rooms, an purity things. an
chairs, an beds TO sleep on, an carpet
on the floor with flowers i'm IT, an
aiyard to play in with grass, an chickens,
an pigs an had real doll with eyes,
an dress on, but / don't remember
bout il, an sometimes / wonder where
that doll code to, an if the little girl
what's got IL now won't never give il
back to me no more. One night
hitdIhtA hdh my uOii, an ~ could talk
and creep like little Dicky, and say.
Da da,' an when I woked up it was
gone, an then / cried till sleeped some
more, but it didn't come back no more.
When we lived in the big house mother
didn't have 10 go TO folks houses an
wash an leave us locked up i'm the
room, cause father worked i'm a store
then, an fetched home money to mother.
an sometimes he bringed me an Tommy
candy an oranges, mother said, an
looked us lots o. times TO the park an
one time 30 the circus. / was too little
then, an ! wish ] could see the circus
now, but they makes little girls pav TO
go IN, an ] never don't have any money.
an " did ] would give IL 10 mother to
buy q white dress for Dicky. Dickv is
cute an purity, If he had a white dress.
Mother says father didn't drink nasty
whisky then, an he never gifted drunk
an heated as like he used before bc
ruined away an leaved us. Mother
says he was q good man then an wored
nice clothes an had white shirts am
his face WASH all red, an he tooked us
on his lap, an sometimes he kissed us. r
don't sec how that could be, but ] can't
remember bout when / was little
Mother says one time n bad man got
father to write somcthin' ON a piece of
paper, an then another bad man coined
an made US go way from our purity
house, an didn't let as take our chairs
an beds. ! 'pcct that bad man tooked