The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-09-30
"Tom.''
THE STORY OF A NEwsBoY.


Plain Tom might have been more
than Tom once; when be was q babe,
and had o father and mother. some
one to care for him. even if they had
but little love for him. After they
died-sfter he was turned out on the
wide world to fight his own way. to
hunger for food, to yearn for sympathy
and kind words-his name was tom. !"
1t was name enough for . wsif-a rag.
ged. hungry boy who received more
kicks than pennies. and who used to
sit on the Postofice steps and try to
remember when any one had spoken .
kind word to him.
The boy sometimes wondered and
pohdered over the words 'sympathy.'
mercy and .chsrity.' He heard peop-
le use them and some people who
cuffed him about and were content to
see him in rags. He thought the words
meant something way -off-something be
could not grasp then, but might sp-
proach when he had grown to mans
estate. If Toms voice had anything of
sorrow or sadness in 1t as he shouted,
Morning. papers + no one in the busy
throug seemed to notice or care. He
realized that he was standing up sin
gle-handed 20 battle against the great
world, and sometimes when the world
struck him down. the boy crept away
to some quiet alley to sorrow and
grieve that he had ever been born.
They found bundle of rags in a
public hallway yesterday morning.
The old janitor pushed ct the bundle
with his broom, and erowled and NUT
tered over its being left there by some
vagrant The bundle OF rags was Tom
The janitor bent over him and pushed
at him. and called to him to rise up
and 20 about his business. but the bun
die did net move. Tom was dead.
One arm was thrown around his boot
box. that il might not be stolen while
be slumbered- other resting on bis
breast, fingers tightly clutched as it
death had come when the boy was re-
solved on the unequal battle agsinst
poverty and the cold world to the Bit
ter end.
There should have been sadness in
the hearts of those who lifted up the
body aud sent it away to be buried in
Potter's Geld, but there was not. They
we're meo, to be ure. but they couldn't
understand how it made any difference
to the world whether it had
one waif more or less. They couldn't
feel the heartaches which Tom had felt
in his dssperation-his grim dispair-
his bitter. crushing every day sor.
rows. They should have ct least un-
covered their beds % the body WAS
lifted up. and said to each other:
He was brave to fight such battle
But they did not. There would
have been no word. no eulogy, had not
another waif recognized it, and as he
let his box fall to the flags. that he
might brush tear from his eye, be
whispered
IF there are angels, l know that
Tom'll zee EN-
And no man shall take from or add
to the simple. fearful ealosy. There
will be . shallow grave. which will
soon sink out Of sight and memory.
and scar y month will pass away
before even the lads name will be
forgotten by the world-ths world
which prides itself on its charity and
mercy, and which let poor Tom stand
up alone in his battle for food and raj
meat and place to rest his feet; let
him creep OF to die alone in the shad-
ows OF midnight, feeling in his young
heart that every man's hand was against
him becsuse he Was waif--s rag
ged, hungry orphan.