The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-07-11
THE BOYS IN THE BELFRY.
BY DAISY DALE.

THE BOYS IN THE BELFRY.
BY DAISY DALE.
The streets and housetops of a great
city were powdered with snow as crisp as
pearls. 1t was the first snow Of the sea-
son. Glittering icicles fringed the caves
and cutters, and every tree aud twig was
cased in. crystal Mansions. whose win
dows were draped by costly curtains and
filled with tropical flowers, lighted up by
blazing fires, looked imposing and cheer
full; plain houses looked neat. and home
like, but the novels of the poor looked
bleak enough that snowy day. Down by
the wharf lay a long line of steamboats,,
floating palaces of zinc white. and gliding
and glass with foundations Of iron and
fire and steam, upon the rolling water.
There were the Reindeer, the Eclipse, the
Tribune, the Lady Franklin, and many
more. A row Of shaky, tumbled- down
houses tronted these, high upon the
wharf an odd contrast. The cellar of
these houses had shingles swung out for
signs, painted with lamp black, "Hot
Coffee, Ham and Eggs Corn-bread,
Bacon and Beans" A few of the more
heightened read "Oyster, Mince Pies,
Tom and-J Jerry" Low, old porches,
guarded by banisters and rails, hung out
over the fronts of these tenements, decor
ated with broken tea-pots aud cheese
boxes, full of dead flowers: empty rabbit
boxes, spades, saws, rusty guns, and what
not, in artless confusion.
In front room of the most decent
looking house in the row, dignifed by
the historic name, ssBoar's Head Tavern, -
lay woman dying: Poor Mrs Carroll
had fought against hunger and cold, and
grasping landlord. for years, to. keep
her two little boys. alive: But she had
not thought of herself; now poverty had
frosted her roses, and turned her curls all
too soon from jet to silver. She lost hope
and flesh and strength, and now, beside
the Pickering glow Of the dying embers,
she too was dying. Her little boys, Law
renee and Edward, stood beside her won
dering why she looked so white, and why
her eyes had grown SO large and her
hands so cold. -
Larry stirred up the fire and laid on
another single, for it was growing dark
he gave his mother drink of water and
was going to tell her how many boxes CT
matches he had sold that day. But she
took a coughing spell, and when she
could speak again, she said, LARRY, dear,
take off my wedding ring and put it in
your breast pocket, and when you have
to leave this, sell it and buy comfort
and blanket to keep you and Ned warm.
Be honest, good boys, and God will bless
you and give you home" She sank
back exhausted, gave little sigh that
loosed her chains, and waited her to the
angels. p
The orphans had loved their kind
mother very much; they sobbed aloud
when she could speak to them NJ more.
After the funeral the landlord came to
see what he could find. They had not SO
mucn as a pig to pay the rent with. So,
of course, in justice to himself, he carried
off the scant furniture, and put on the
window, "To Let" The boys were now
in the cold, wide world alone. Larry kept
his inheritance in his pocket, for what
good would there be in bed clothes with
out bed? He would be in the strange
condition of the beggars, in that far-off
city, where the law was that every one
should give them a penny; but no man
would sell them anything to eat, and
when the beggars starved to death the
donors came and got back the pennies. r
For the first few days the boys wander
ed about, receiving little charity from
, the poor. And at night they slept un-
der verandas or doorsteps, or wherever
they could get out of the worlds wav.
One sunny morning, as Larry stood with
his hands in his pockets, staring the dark
future in the face. a bright thought
seemed to strike him he whispered it to
I Ned. H.
Granny Rue kept a penny shop round
the next square. The creaking little
door was timidiy opened, when bell
tinkled, and fierce little dog sprang
from under the counter and barked furi-
Iously at Larry as he entered. He briefly
stated to the penny merchant his plan
for future living for himself, and an in
crease of fortune for her.
In Granny's small head the bump of
caution was very large. A. lecturing
phrenologist would have paid her any
price for her skull. She knew Larry, ard
had known her mother we'll. She took
,ut her snutf-box, which was solid silver.
md contained vanilla bean, tapped the
id, opened it, took pinch, and drew
rom her vast pocket checked handker-
tlief She set her little drawn-up ewes
directly on Larry, for the screens behind
1hich she shielded them when wide open
}ere mounted on her cap, and took her
!. buff slowly and comfortably, with a