Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1879-11-13
Helena, Montana, Thursday, November 1:3, 1879.
Little Red Noses.
Detroit Free Press.l

the other day! 1t was the first signal OF .
long, dreary winter, and even men in over.
cOuts turned sharp corners to get out of the
biting blast. Two children, a boy and girl,
neither over years old, stood shivering in a
doorway on Monroe avenue, wishing to &c
on to their lOwly home, but dreading the
wind. They crept closer and closer to each
other, and their chins quivered and their
noses grew red as they grew colder. Hun
| dreds of men and women passed up and down
without care, but by and by along came q
whistling, jovia lad of IA, who was swing
| ing his bootblack's kit by a strap and picking
up the steps of some clog-dancc. He saw
| the shivering bits of humanity where others
were blind, and halting before them with a
''clig- g-jigger-rigger' of his heels and toss of
his box, he called out:
kin l borry them ere chins O yours
about al hOur?'
eyes, ma am" demurely replied the girl.
81 kin, eh?-ho! no! no! That's a give
away on me! Be you chickens cold?'
Yes, ma'am," she answered again.
''And that ere cub is your brother, s'pose !?
you do-freeze
"Yes, ma'am, it you please" she replied.
''If | please-ha! ha! ha!-nother give
away on me! Well, you autumn leaves come
along with me. hain't got no influence on
the weather, but kin smell hot stovea
fur off as the next sinner in this town. Come
right over to this store" ...
He lead the way across the street and into
an office where there was q fire. He had
placed chairs for them when man came in
from q back room and said:
''What do you children want here 2"
''Want some O this waste holiness. bluntly
replied the sinner ''These ere cubs is nigh
froze to death, and brought em here to
thaw out" ...
And we won't even look at you, nor
cough, nor sneeze" added the little girl, as
she saw frown on the mans face.
''That's richness; there's innocence :"
laughed the sinner, and the man 8 face cleared
and he poked up the fire and said they could
sin nearer.
''S'pose men you chip in and buy 'em
summthin' to stay their stomachs?" suggest
ed the sinner all of sudden. "Tell you
what, some the children. in this town don't
wear diamonds. Little gal, are ye hun
gry?'
''Yes. ma'am, if you wont be mad at u.s.
she replied.
The man stood irresolute, but the sinner
went down into his pocket, ratified around
and said:
"Here's ten cents that says they are hun
cry"
"Well, I'll give as much, replied the man.
"You 60 and buy something and they can
sit here and eat it,
Sinner bought crackers and cheese, and the
children ate until he felt obliged to say:
"Now you cubs 60 little bit slow and
save the rest for supper. Kin you find the
way home alone?"
Eyes MAMA
"And do you feel as warm as 'tater bugs
rolled up in wool?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"All right, then. We're dead TO rights
obliged to this man, and I'll black his boots
besides. You'd better run along home now.
What We goin' to tell yer mother p .,.3
"Tll tell her we come awful near going to
Heaven. and my little brother he thanks you,
TOO. and now we'll 60, and-and thank you,
ma am. ever SO many times, good bye!"
The man looked after them through the
window with softer lines in bis face than had
been there for months The boy stood out
side on the walk and watched until they had
urned the corner, and then exclaimed: .N
''Phew! but most feel that was ingaiged
% that gal !"HaaJ 4, s.t' 20 la ,~3yaa,D
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