The Grant County herald. (Big Stone City, Grant County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1883, 1880-04-24
Little Bones,

She was only little girl, and she had
nothing; no mother nor father, no
hOme-not even name. She slept at
night on pile of straw in the narrow
passage on the top.foor in tall tene-
ment house in New York in the day
time she sold black k-headed pins or but
tonhole-bouqnets when she had money
enough to lay IL stock of them, and
was voted 8 nuisance on Broadway aud
the avenues. The tenement-housc
people called her Bones, because, being
half-clad and less than half-fed, she
was nothlng but skin and bones. Size
had belonged to al old woman once, q
drunken creature, who made her beg
and beat her when She brought home
no pennies. One day when Bones
came back 70 the tenement house she
was gone, and She never heard 81 her
again; whether she was dead or sent
to Blackwell's island with other i'll
doets, Bones never knew. Nobody mo-
Tested her n the tenement house; in
deed, she was i convenient appendage
and ran efrands to the beer shop CT
elsewhere, at evervbody's beck and
call, sometimes for d penny, ottener for
nothing.
On the floor below. ii one Of the
many rooms, lived Mrs. Brennan, 4
widow with one child a crippled boy,
wholay all day long III bed, unable to
stand or walk Three DAYS in heweeI
Mrs. Brennan went out Washing, and
sometimes, when she had few cents to
spare, she would hire Bones to stay with
Davie while she was gone. At other
times the boy was left alone, with his
dinner and d Jug OF water placed by
his bedside, and with m old picture
book for company.
Bones was with him one day when a
kind lady called to see who might be
sick o. destitute II the house She
brought ler Bible and read to the chill
dren; gave each OF them a picture card
and paper to Davie. Il was near 70
Christmas, and IA tile paper was the
picture Of Christmas tree. Bones
had a vague Idea what the picture
meant from what she had seen IN the
shop windows; 10 Davie it was alto
oether strange and wonderful thing.
So the lady told them the story of
Christmas and the Chrlst-child the
babe who lay II the manger and slept
upon straw because lis mother had no
Other bed 10 give hln.
"@ept npon straw because lie had no
other bed?' thought Bones; "that is
like me- And in the night, as she
smverea on her pallet, she looked
through the small slylight above her
and wondered how one might climb to
the heaven the lady ted about, and
whether the God whose name she had
never heard before except III an oath
really knew and cared for her and for
Dayle.
The lady came again and again.
Bones was ont on the street both times,
but the last time she left ler q treasure
ticket to a Christmas festival IN the
mission church near hy. They are to
have tree" DAVE told her, and there
Will be candies and things. Oh, | wish
! could go, too" and Davie dropped d
few tears as he thought that lie must
always lie IN bed.
Bones was delighted, and she COM
forted Davie with the promise to tell
him all about It, and waited eagerly for
the evening to come.
Children who live in pleasant homes,
who have kind parents and plenty OF
TOYS, vino never feel either cold or hun
ger, can have little idea what that
church festival was to that little street