The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1880-07-24
MARY ELIZABETH.
A story io, the little People.

+ Elizabeth Stuart Phelps in st. Methodist
Mary Elizabeth was n little girl
with a long name. She WAS poor.
she was ark. she was ragged, she
was dirty, she was cold, she was nun
gry, she was frightened. She ilad no
home. she had 40 mother, she had
no father. she had No sister, she had
no grandmother, shc mad no Kitten.
She had no supper. she hau no uin.
ner, she had no breakfast. She hal
no shoes. she had no hood, she had
no mittcns. she had no tlanne's. She
had no place To 60 10, aud nobody
to- care whether she went OF not.
In fact. Mary Elizabeth had not
much OF anything but q short pink
calico dress, q little red cotton aud
wool shawl, and her long name. Be.
sides this. she had a pair OF OLD
rubbers, too large for her. They
Topped on the pavement rs she
walked.
She was walking up Washington
street, in Boston. 1t was late in the
afternoon OF u bitter January day.
Already the lamplighters began to
fash upon tho grayness--neither
day nor night--through which the
child watched the people moving
dimly. with wonder in her heart.
This wonder was AZ confused as the
half.light in which the crowd hur'
ried by. :.
"God made 80 many people,"
thought Mary Elizabeth, "He must
have made SO many sllppers. Seems
as il they ought to been one for one
extra girl
But She thought this in q gentle
way very gentle for q girl who had
no shoes, no flannel. no hood. no
home, no mother, no dinner, no bed,
no supper. She was q very gentle
littlelgirl. All girls who hadn't any
thing were not like Mary Elizabeth.
she roomed with girl out toward
Charlestown who was different. That
girls name was 10. They slept in a
box that an Irish woman let them
have in an old shed. The shed was
two cold for her cow, and she
couldn t use it; 80 sho told 30 and
! Mary Elizabeth that they might have
It az we'll as not. Mary Elizabeth
thought her very kind. There was
this difference between 10 aud Mary
Elizabeth; when 10 was hungry, shc
stole; when Mary Elizabeth was hun
grv, she begged.
One night of which I speak. she
begged hard. 1t is very wrong tn
beg. We all know 1t is wrong to
give to beggars, we all know. too; vi
have been told so q great many
times. Still, il l had been as hungry
as Mary Elizabeth, I presume
should have begged, too. Whether
should have given her anything il
III had been on Washington street
that January night. who can tell !?
At any rate, nobody did. Some
told her to 60 to tho orphans home
some said: ASK the police" Some
, people shook their heads, and more
! did nothing at all. One lady told
iher to go to the st. Priscilla ant
!, AQuila society, and Mary Elizabeth
said: "rhank you, ma am" polite
, ". She had never heard OF Aqnila
. and Priscilla. She thought the!
! must be policemen. Another lad!
/ bade her 90 to an Office and DO reg
. istered. and Mary Elizabeth said
3 "Ma'am ?"
50 now she was shuftiing up Wash
. ingtOn street, might say flOpplnl
D up Washington street-in the oil
y rubbers and tho pink dress and 70.
. shawl. not knowing exactly what t
2 do next: pccping into peoples faces
4 timidly looking away from them
i. hesitaiing; hear!sick--fOr very III
4 tie girl can be very heartsick-cold
Q or, she thought every minute. an
. hungrier each hour than she was tn
. hour before. Poor Mary Elizabeth
9 Poor Mary Elizabeth left Washing
d ton street at last. where everYbod
% had homes. and suppers without on
,. extra one to spare for a little girl. an
o turned into Il short. bright show
o street, where stood q great hOte
/" Everybody in Boston knows, and
(. great many people out OF Bosto
"a know. that hotel In fact, they kno,
"A It 90 we'll that will not mention tn
% name Of 1t, because it was again
/. the rules Of the house for begsars
q. be admitted, and perhaps the propr
70 et0r would not like II ! told how tn
10 ono especial little beggar got into n
t. Well.cOnducted house. Indeed, pr
}" cisely how she got In nobody know
4. Whether the doorkeeper was ava
In or busy. or sick, or careless, 4
;" whether the head.waiter at the di
U. ing.rOom door was 80 tall that !
Ie couldn't see 30 short u beggar,
nj whether the clerk ut the desk was
W noisy that he couldn't see so still!
10 beggar. or however it was, Mary III
~ zabeth did get in-by the doorkee!
BY or. past the head.waiter. under Il
lie shadow OF tho c!erk-over the smoot!
n. slippery marble floor. The ca,
BY crcpt ION. Sho came to the OIL
70 and stood still. She looked aroul
ed her with wide eyes. She had new
Iel seen q place like that. Lights mas
10, ed over It, many and bright. 1ie
ret tlemen sat in It smoking and reedtn
10 They were all warm. MOI one
10 them looked as il he had had no a
to ner. and no breakfast. and no supp
In "How many extra suppeEs
We thought the little girl. 1T must !
he taken to feed 'em ALI" she p
Tor nouuccd It "extry." "How many
IT. try suppers I guess maybe there
ca. be one Tor me in here"
her There was q little noise. 4 very J
he tie one, strange to the warm, Orig
well.ordered room. It was NOT
rafting Of the Boston Adcsrt'ser.
-. the Transcript, or the Posi-; II y
O.. not the slight rsprappinYg or; o. s sd
~ .: ones white hand; nobody c91en
sos no body swore. It was 9 9tner
!nk. sound. 1t was the sound OF an
.s s. rubber, much too large, hoppIng
rs the marble floor. Several gentlen
Ino glanced at their own well'enoo
Well.brushed feet, then up
!1O around the room.
!tlc Mary Elizabeth stood IN tne .
70 die OF 1t. in her pink calico ores.
)0Ss Tho rod Maid ahnVvl WA0 tloO over