The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1880-01-29

:. lndade you have! That pine table
never cost less than fifty cents with that
new leg to it! It's none of the rest of
'em who can have rugs on their aoorsi''
g And I'm so happy and so grateful"
continued the occupant; 81 have got
now ali 1 ever wanted in a house, and
there's nothing more to look after. I
don't want to seem to put on airs, but
them as has the best things should put
on style, if any body does.''
All the furiture she had would not
have brought 50 at any sort of sale, and
bird could not have lived in that foul
smelling room half day.
And now said Old Maggie, as we
gained the fourth floor, eye must not
expect to see any art or richness up
here, because these rooms are only three
or four dollars per month, and are taken
by poor people,
TIE APE IN THE DARK.
His daughter is a serub-woman, and
she supports him!" whispered the old
woman, as she pushed open the door of
a dark, back room.
For moment | could make out moth
ing, owing to the gloom. The old wOm-
an went in ahead, stumbled around, and
finally there was a yell, scream and a
struggle
"For Heavens sake! what's the mat
terP'' 1 called
g Nothing!' replied Maggie, after a
fierce tussIe lasting half a minute.
''There! ye slippery old devil, I've taken
the cOnceit out of We for the third time
this week, and l guess yen begin to
learn who is boss here!''
Opening the door to its widest extent,
| saw an old stove, two beds of straw
and rags, pine table and three or four
pieces of crOckery on a shelf.
g It's the ould APPEL" explained the
woman, as bundle of something rolled
| over on the floor. 50 Herel let me bring
him out into the hall. "
Was it an apeP / thought so for half
a minute. 1t was little old man, so
bent over that his back formed an arch.
! His face was like dried beef in color,
his mouth shriveled up, his head bald,
and his nose and chin were thin and
sharp.
lies human being!" explained
the old woman, as l looked down at
him.
" How old is hep"
4" Nobody knows"
"What does he do?"
"He hasn't been out of that room in
five years-not Oncei He cackles and
! chuckles and yells like a lunatic,
and he's wicked as a wolf. Ahi
you Satanl VIII you bite me again! -
She held up hand from which blood
was dripping, and the ape gave cackle
of delight and leaped away and stood
with hands and feet on the floor, like a
wild beast, and uttered such a scream
of rage that jumped back.
"Ah! he dasn't hurt We! - the wom-
an called out. ''The way 1 subdues
him is to grab his throat and shut off
his breath! How'd on bit till make
him mad! -
She united her apron, waved it at
him, and Missed and spit. His eyes
flashed red and green, his claws raked
the floor, and he spit like a cat and
yelled like panther in his fury. He
never once stood on his feet, but dashed
up and down the hall on all-fours like a
dog.
How he'd like to get hold of
yees d" laughed the woman, as the
ape fixed his horrible green eyes on my
face and clutched the air with his long
fingers.
/ backed down past his door, the
woman followed, and the beast sprang
in with a yell and a scream, and scat
tered straw all over the room in his
great rage.
LIES MIDNIGHT.
'And good luck to him!'' muttered
the old woman as we went down the
hall. &c ye have another apple roll it
into this room here, for it's little enough
the children get to eat.''
A family of nine packed into room
twelve feet square along with an old
stove, a bench to serve as a table, heaps
of rags to lie on, and two old chairs
Two of the children lying sick and
, groaning, two hiding under the bench,
and the others on the roof in the rain to
eat the apple! The garments ON the
whole of them would not weigh five
, pounds. On second heap of rags lies
drunken husband-the form of a man,
but the face and feelings of a brute
Not handful of food in the house-not
mouthful of food on the shelf, and
night drawing down with its gloom and
despair. If there was ever woe and mis-
cry and wretchedress in a human face
| saw it as that wife and mother looked
: up. If there ever was abject poverty
3 and starvation worse in one form than
another it was there. The husband a
brute, the children wOlfish skeletons
2 fuel gOne-fOOd gOne-hOpe gOne-the
= future darker than the winters night
falling down upon the great city, why
didn't the woman walk to the open win
dow and fling herself down upon the
flags and end all?
"Why don't you do iti'' l asked as ]
, looked around the room again and saw
more Of its horrors, and after a long
time she answered:
There's the baby over there, and
t he's only year old!''
Down in heart scared and SCARED
"a heart which never has a bright
hope or a CLEAN of sunshine-a heart
wearied with poverty S battle, there was
the love of a mOtheri That stood be-
tween her and leap to the stones &C
feet below; that love kept life in hen
body.
The sun never enters this room to
drive out the shadows and light up the
! dark corners. The pale-faced mother
and these wolves of children may now
and then catch a glimpse of the blue
sky of Heaven from these old windows,
but it is only to strengthen their con-
viction that Heaven is for the rich alone
I No bird of song ever rests on these roofs
to utter a glad note-to sing thrill OF
pleasure into these despairing hearts.
Did these children ever see green grass
and pansies and violetsP Never! Talk
to them of hills and meadows and brooks
and groves and they could not cOmpre-
bend. This dark rOOm-this wicked
and poverty-stricken street is their
world. Beyond it they never go.
Over the hOuse-rOOfs-over three or
four narrow streets, wherein dwells such
wretchedness as pen seldom writes Of
[ see a tail building, and across its face
is the sign: .t
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY,"