St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-12-10
My Little Hero.
BY ERNST GILMORE:

hear my young readers asking so as
not to keep them waiting, will answer
at once, eyes, gerry beautiful" Now
let me describe him Gray eyes, hOl-
low cheeks, and matted hair hump
backed, barefooted, hungry and cold.
was my little hero. Perhaps you may
think am contradicting myself to thus
describe the boy and still persist in
calling him beautiful, but am talking
about character when / use the adject-
i've beduttul-nOt face or form.
1t was il bitter evening. and as Billy
wandered along the London streets the
keen wind sought and found entrance
to every hole in his ragged pants, and
whipped his thin, blue, bare ankles
every step grew fainter.
His little feet were passing down a
street where the ''Prince of Darkness"
ruled without molestation. The heavy
fog envelOped him and made him look
still more hollOw-eyed and CHASTITY as
here and there the huge gaslights fared
in his face.
Dear young readers, do the words,
go mercy !" go goodness !" sometimes
slip from your lips, and do your good
Christian mothers reprove you, saying,
''Don't use an attribute of your heav-
emily Father as common expression
let your yea be yea, and your nay,
nay 2" Then think with pity of the
multitude of children who not only are
not chided for swearing, but who are
taught by their own mothers and ia
theirs by constant example. Men, wO-
men, and children thrOnged the street,
but Billy seemed to see no one poor
little one he was so accustomed to the
staggering, jesting, cursing that he
thought was the way of all the world.
Not one happy face to be seen, but
blear-eyed, wretched women and men,
whose cOuntenances were marked with
horrible maudlin leers, and whose
clothes were heavy with the etfiuvia
from filthy bodies and the stencil of
tobacco and whisky.
Billy felt queerly tonight. Poor lit
tie soul he was not given to analysing
his feelings, but he felt sure there was
"a lump in his throat, a great big One,"
and he could not swallow it. Little
pale-faced children were clinging pitt
fully to the scarcely-cOvered knees of
their drunken mothers, seeking for COM
fort, but, alas finding it not. But
Billy had no one to cling to; instead Of
clinging, he, thin little waif as he was,
was a support. Billy was motherless,
fatherless, brotherless, but not sister
less. He reached the great rotten shell
called tenement-house, and hurried up
three shaky flights to the little waiting
sister. In narrow, dark room which
nine other occupants called home the
little Lena crouched upon her bundle
of rags.
go Billy Pm so glad you've come
have you got a crust for me p
80 Lena! nobody'd give me a crust,
and, Q Lena you're so hungry l came
near takin' somethin' but | didn't,
Lena. We promised never to steal,
and you know mothers aUditin' for as ;
but Pm goin' out again, Lena, an I'll
bring you somethin' yet. Be patient,
Lena, poor little Lena" And Billy
smOOthed the thin tangled hair.
"Now git out o here yer don't pay
yer rint, and yer rooms better'n yer
company"
The children started at the rough
landlords voice.
"We've got no place to go, sir, and
Lena's sick-agtM sick" pleaded Billy.
"Can't help it I've rented this corner,
and the mans comm now. Out o.
here Dye hear ?" And to expedite
matters the man seized Billy and shook
him roughly.
"Come, then, little Lena put your
arms arOun' my neck and Pll carry
you"
"Carry me aUhere, Billy ~
81 don't know; ;" and then in whis-
per as he carried her down stairs,
"Jesus Christ does, Lena you remem-
Der what mother said when father burt
her head with the awful stone 2"
81 can't think, Billy what was it ?"
"COme unto me and aUiU giUe yOu
restn
"Will he give us rest ?"
eyes, Lena I've been askin' him all
day cause the landlord told me this
mOrnin' he'd turn us out tonight
Billy put Lena down on the worm
eaten threshold below and climbed
feebly up the stairs again to get the
bundle of rags upon which they had
slept for many nights, for it was their
one earthly possession.
"POOr Lena you're to weak to walk,
and can't carry you and the rags both
and it wouldn't do to leave the rags be-
hind, for you're so thin you couldn't
rest without 'em. Stay here, Lena Phi
wrap this old piece of quilt over your
knees, and I'll find place somewhere
Down in the alley-way of crowded
court Billy found an old dry goods box.
1t was rickety and weather beaten, but
lay on its side in a wind-screened
corner. Billy knew his prayer was get
ting answered. He arranged the bun
die of rags tenderly within, just as
gently as you've seen your loving moth
er beat up the baby's cradle, smoothing
softly the rose blankets for the darling
little one. He hurried back for Lena /;
found her crying with hunger and cold.
After depositing her gently in the
nest he had made, he started out again.
He fell on his weary knees in the alley
and prayed "Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ,
please give me bit for poor sick Lena F.;
she's so hungry, o Jesus Christ she's
dofM hungry, and she's sick and lame"
Billy felt strangely it seemed as if
he could not walk much further. He
lOnged, oh how he longed, to lie right
down in the alley and sleep, but the
brave little fellow would not give up.