The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-12-19

adorned with floating vegetables.
The long, weary walk was mysteriously
shortened by the play of imagination,
and Jim reached the market, and boldly
approached colossal butcher who eyed
Jim sideways as if expecting to see him
run off with one Of his tempting cuts.
Chow much is porter house steaks p
asked Jim; staring at the meat on the
block.
Thirty-fve cents pound. Who
sent you hereP"
"No one; want steak and piece
for soup; and hurry up, will you p"
"Come, get out, I'm too busy for
fun."
"Won't you give me them I've got
the money here;" and Jim touched his
pocket.
"Let me see it."
Jim took took out his purse and ex-
hibited his prize.
81 guess you can have the beef, said
! the butcher, proceeding to cut the steak,
while Jim watched admiringly. The
knife went straight through the firm,
red flesh and solid, yellow fat, then a
piece was chopped small for soup, the
whole was wrapped in coarse brown
paper, and Jim put it carefully under
his arm, while the butcher changed the
bill. He gave Jim several half dollars
and quarters in silver, which bulged
out the sides of the worn pocketbook,
and threatened to burst it in pieces.
Jim started out of the building, passing
quickly along the narrow, dirty streets
which led to his home.
He was quite unconscious OF having
been watched while in the market by
several boys as ragged as himself but
much older. While thinking of the
price of coal by the pail, and the capa-
city of the old one that had gone many
times too often to the corner grocery,
Jim's hat was knocked forward over his
eyes, and his arms were held to his sides,
while hand sought to reach his inner
pocket, where safe and warm reposed
his little mine.
Jim kicked and screamed, and freeing
himself by desperate effort, dropped
his beef, and fought to defend his more
valuable treasure.
The struggle was too unequal to last
long, and by the time Jim's strength
gave out, and he stood painting, bleed
ing and more ragged than ever, trying
pale cheeks, policeman had seen the
crowd and was bearing down upon it.
Jim hardly felt the rough grasp on
his poor, old jacket, or the jerk that ac-
companied it. The boy whom he had
fought was much worse off than him.
self, for Jim had the most to lose, and q
Babel of voices was telling some remark
able stories to the policeman. What
Jim realized was that his money had
disappeared, and that he and his antag-
onist, followed by a crowd of boys, were
being led off to the station-house.
There, invention reached a climax.
One boy had seen him steal o pocket
book from an old gentleman's pocket,
and get bill changed in the market,
and with virtuous indignation had fol-
lowed and stopped him. He had been
roughly handled for his pains, and worse
than all, he could not prove his story;
for the pocket book had disappeared ;
perhaps Jim had passed it to a confed.
crate in the crowd, who had made off
during the fight.
This sounded very plausible, and
Jim's story, rendered incoherent by grief
and fear, was laughed at as an absurdity.
The butcher testified to receiving from
j Tim a five-dollar bill, and went back to
his stall quite satisfied with having done
good thing for society in helping to
send young thief to the island.
Jim ate and drank what was brought
him in the cold cell at the station-house,
and then cried himself to sleep.
The next morning he made one of
sorry procession of people, who, guard
nI hxyf n s.ak@
dreary room in the "Tombs," called a
court, and having neither friends, lawyer
nor defense, were sentenced to serve
various lengths in different prisons.
Jim's enemy, the tall policeman, made
n crushing charge against the little
shrinking figure, that was hardly visibl
to the Judge on the bench. However,
the charge was direct, and the Judge.
used his own discretion, asking no ques-
tions of the prisoner, who was quite too
overwhelmed to have answered them had
they been put to him.
Jim went mechanically where he was
told to go, spiritless, helpless creature
at the mercy of superior strength. 1t
did occur to him on his way to the
prison.van to make dash through the
crowd and get home, but side glance
at the clubs and their owners dis.
couraged him.
So the sitting van was finally ex-
for the crowded boat, and Jim's
spirits rallied little in the pure air;
and the view of the buildings on the
island excited his curiosity. Their
exterior immensity was to him wonder
full, but far more so were the narrow
limits of the interior.
Perhaps, had Jim been the guilty
little fellow described in the papers that
him, the monotony of life in
a reformatory would have seemed to him
a just punishment. But, feeling outraged
by the indignity pat upon him, Jim was
like Gagged animal.
The forced habits of order and clean
liness were like shackles on his limbs:
even the food was tasteless. When he
thought of his mother and his utter
powerlessness to get to her, he burned
ana shook with rage; and then, to
comfort him, would come the memories
OF his last free day. The walk up bright
Broadway, the gay throngs of har py.
free people, the horses, the wagon he
had pushed out of danger. the kind
voice questioning him about his mother
the lovely money given him for her, the
nice beef-but here Jim's pleasant
thoughts would reach a point beyond
which all was despair and passionate
desires of revenge.
He wearied his small brain over the
problem, Had he done wrong in going
first to the marketP"
Surely the idea was a good one. His