The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1877-11-28
" Little Cold Vittles. +"

She was tiny little midget, and had
such starved, pinched, and appealing
look that my heart was touched to the
quick, and took her into the kitchen
myself and told Bridget to give her n
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
n 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 in
size, but had painfully old look about
the eyes, and under one of them was a
dark birth-mark OF blood-shot appear
ance, that looked for all the world as
though made by the heartless blow of
drul ken father Her clothes were old
but much patched, but not dirty, and
there was some attempt at neatness
She had no stockings, but on one foot
had lldy's gaiter that was almost fit,
and on the other n boys shoe somewhat
too large. She wore n bonnet that
had seen better days, and had mans
necktie pinned at her throat.
The child ate ravenously at first, and
for minute / thought she certainly
would choke. Poor thing, she had no
often had such feast, and as I watched
her almost voraciously devour the beef
steak and potatoes Bridget sat before
her, 1 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, .,nd not at all backward,
and after she had somewhat appeased
her hunger 1 drew her by degrees to
talk about her family, and this is the
story CLEANED from her:
"You see, missus, our father runned
off aud 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. has four little brothers an sis
ters, all littler n me, an none of 'em is
big enough to to go 'thout gettin' loosed
but Tommy, an he has fits, an mother
she's afraid to have him go, for one day
he had n fit an failed in a cellar an
broked his collar-bone, an a man he car
ried him home, and mother cried an
said he would die, an Tommy he was
crying COZ it hurt SO, an then a doctor
coined an hurted him worsein fixin' it,
an then Tommy cried more, an so did
all of us. One day nice lady coined
to see Tommy, an she bringed basket
full of nice vittles, an ehe got some
medicine for Tommy's fits, an buyed
me some new shoes, for>it was awful cold
then, an nearly freezed my feet when
Iwent to 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 good-by to IFS, an
saidshe was going to move to Cheecawgy,
an couldn't come no more to see us, an
then mother cried, an so did all of us.
Then she gived mother some money an
code away. Tommy cried bout her lots
o. times but she didn't come to see us
no more.
Ny mother says when was little
tiny girl, we lived in big house, with
lots % rooms, an purity things, an
chairs, an beds to sleep on, an carpet
IS on the floor with flowers in it, an yard
to play in with grass. an chickens, an
pigs an l had real doll with eyes, an
a dress on, but don't remember bout
it, an sometimes / wonder where thai
doll code to, an if the little girl what's
got it now won't never give it back tC
me no more. One night 1 dreamed
had nay doll, an it could talk and creeT
like little Dicky. and say, da, da, an
when I woked up it was gone, an ther
I cried till sleeped some more, but i
didu't come back no more. When W.
lived in the big house mother didn'
have to 90 10 folks houses an wash an
lanVa M lCol.aI ~, ,.,,.,, anna.