The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-01-08
Little Red Noses.


stung the other day! 1t was the first
signal of long dreary Winter, and
even men in overcoats turned sharp
corners to get out of the biting blast.
Two children boy and girl, neither
over 8 years old, stood shivering in a
doorway on Monroe avenue, wishing to
go on to their lowly home, but dreading
the wind. They crept closer and closer
to each other, and their cbins quivered
and their noses grew red as they grew
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 hating before them
with "chg. jigger-rig of his heels
and toss of his box, he called out:
'Kin borry them ere chins O yours
about an hourl"
eyes, ma'am,' demurely replied the
girl
81 kin, eh-oh no! no! ho That's
give-away on me. Be you chickens
coldq'
"Yes, ma'am,' she answered again.
can that ere cub is your brother, l
s'spose Well, when Tn cold ] git
warm What do you do-freeze?
eyes, ma'am, if you please" she re-
pied.
eff 1 please-ha. ha! mother
give-away on me- Well you autumn
leaves come along with me. | hain't
got 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 a
man came in from back room and said:
"What do you children want here ?"
"Want some O this waste holiness"
bluntly replied the sinner. "These ere
cubs is nigh froze to death, and brought
'em here to thaw out"
"And we won't even look at you, or
cough or sneeze," said the little girl, as
she saw frown on the mans face.
''Thats richness; there's innocence J."
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 EN-
sumthin to stay their stomachs," sug-
gested sinner ali of a sudden. "Tell
you what, some of the children in this
nn'
morn vou'n me wear diamonds. Little
gal, are We hungry
eyes, ma am, if We won't be mad at
u.s." 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.
"Well, I'll give as much, replied the
man. "You 60 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,
''Now, you cubs, 90 little bit slow
and save the rest for supper. Kin ye
ma the way nome alone
''Yes, ma'am."
"And do you feel as warm as later
bugs rolled up in wool =
Eyes ma'am.
GAIL right, then. We're dead to
rights obliged to this man. and LII black
his boots besides You'd better run
along home now. What We going to
tell your mother ?"
''Ill tell her we come awful near CO.
ing to heaven, and my little brother
thanks you, too, and now We'll go, and
and thank you, ma am, ever so many
times good bye.
The man looked after them through
the window with softer lines in his face
than had been there for many months.
The boy stood outside Oh the walk and
watched until they had turned a corner,
and then exclaimed
"Phew but most feel that was
engaged to that gal Detroit Free
Press.