, 1880-01-08
Little Red Noses.

stung the other day liz was the hrst
signal of a long dreary Winter, and
eyen men in overcoats turned sharp
corners to get out of the. biting blast
Two children, boy and girl, neither
over 9 years old, stood shivering in a
doorway on Monroe avenue, wishing to
90 on to their lowly home, but dreading
the wind. They crept closer and closer
I to each other, and their chins quivered
and their noses grew red as they grew
I. colder. Hundreds of men and women
passed up and down without care, but
by and by along came whistling, jovial
lad Of IA, who was swinging his boot
black kit by strap and picking up the
steps of some clog dance. He saw these
shivering bits of humanity where others
were blind, and halting before them
with "clig,jigger-rigger" Of his heels
and q toss Of his box, he called out
sKin borry them ere chins O. yours
about an hourP
eyes, ma'am," demurely replied the
girl.
81 kin, eh-oh hol hol hol, That's q
give-away on me. Be you chickens
cold ~
eYes, ma'am," she answered again.
Gan that ere cub is your brother, l
s'spose2 Well, when Tn cold ] git
warm. What do you do-freezel
eyes, ma'am, if you please" she re-
pied.
If | please--ha! hal hal-nother
give.away on mel Well, you autumn
leaves come along with me. i hain't
cot no influence on the weather, but |
kin smell hot stove as fur off as the
next sinner in this town. Come right
over to this store"
He led the way across the street and
into an office where there was fire.
He had placed chairs for them when q
man came in from a back room and said:
"What do you children want here ;"
sWant some O this waste hotness,"
bluntly replied the sinner "These ere
cubs is nigh froze to death, and ! brought
'em here to thaw out" W lbG
Sand we won't even lock at you, or
cough or sneeze," said the little girl, as
she saw frown on the mans face.
sThat's richness there's innocence 7"
laughed the sinner, and the mans face
cleared and he poked up the fire and
said they could sit nearer.
"S'pose men you chip in and buy 'em
sumthin' to stay their stomachs," sug
gested sinner all of a sudden. "rell
you what, some of the children in this
town don't have square meal any
morn you'n me wear diamonds. Little
gal, are ye hungry" aa
"Yes, ma'am, if ye won't be mad at
us" she replied.
The man stood irresolute, but sinner
went down into his pocket, ratified
around and said:
''Here's ten cents that says they are
hungry.
swell, I'll give as much,' replied the
man. "You go and buy something and
they can sit here and eat it.
Sinner bought crackers and cheese,
and the children ate until he was obliged
to say, tW
''Now, you cubs, go little bit slow
and save the rest for supper. Kin ye
find the way home alone ~
"Yes, ma'am."
"And do you feel as warm as tater
bugs rolled up in woolP
"Yes ma'am.
"All right, then. We're dead to
rights obliged to this man, and III black
his boots besides. You'd better run
along home now. What ye going to
tell your motherP
I'll tell her we come awful near go
ing to heaven, and my little brother
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 many months.
lbe boy stood outside on the walk and
watched until they had turned a corner,
and then exclaimed
"Phew but | most feel that / was
engaged to that gal V'--Detroit Free
Press aN eis