Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-11-05

PAGES around them. The wind tore
through the streets as If it had gone
mad; whirling before it dust and
snow. and every movable thing il
could lay its clutching hand upon.
A poor old battered kite, that, some
time i'm the autumn, had lodge'l far
up in the tallest tree in tile neigh
borhOOd, and had rested peacefully
there ever since, believing its lab0rs
at an end, was dragged from its
nest, and driven unpityingly before
the blast. Some feeble efforts il had
made to dodge into areas but not
a bit of il Down would swoop the
wind, and off ii would go again.
At last, driven around one of the
long rows of barrels. that stood, like
wretched sentineis, along the sdge
of the sidewalk. it flew into the
arms OF a small boy, who, seated on
the curb-stohe, crOuched down in
the barrels somewhat questionable
shelter. Such a very small boy
He looked like nothing in the
world, but a little heap of rags, and
the rags were very thin, and the
small boy was very cold. His nose,
ears, hands and poor bare feet were
blue. He WAS almost too cold to
shiver, certainly too cold 10 notice
the unfortunate Kite, which as its
enemy, the wind, approached with
a roar, seemed to cover close to
him, as If begging protection.
Round both sides of the barrel at
once came the wind, shook hands
right through poor little Tom and,
l.
with its miserable victim.
"Tom"-that was all the name he
had. Who he was, or where ne
came from, no one knew, except
perhaps the wretched old woman
with whom he lived; which meant
that she let him sleep upon a pile of
rags on the floor of her miserable
room, and sometimes gave him a
crust and oftener blow. When
she was drunk-and that was
greater paTt-of the time-TOm took
to the street; and by night she was
very drunk. The boy was, perhaps
some six years old but as he cow
cred down on the cold f1agstones,
with his worn, piDehed face and
dropping head, he might have been
a hundred.
A carriage came rafting through
the icy street, and stopped close by
him. The door was pushed open,
and two children half tumbled out
and leaving the door to swing,
rushed up the stems. Tom watched
them stupidity, heard the quick,
sharp ring OF the bell, caught
glimpse of something that looked
very bright and warm, and then it
was dark again; but still stood
there. The coachman sat upon the
box like q furry monument. One
of the horses struck the stones
sharply with his iron hoof, and cast
an inquiring glance around, but the
monument sat unmoved.
Toms heavy eyes looked through
the open door into the carriage.
Dark as it was, he could see that ii
was lined with something thick and
warm. He glanced around him.
If he were inside there the wind
could not touch him. Oh, if he
could only get away from it one
minute! He would slide out again
the moment the house door opened.
Unbending his stiff little body, he
crept nearer, hesitated a moment.
and as the wind came around the
corner with roar, slipped swiftly
and noiselessly into the carriage. In
the further corner of the seat, he
curled himself into little round
heap, and lay with a beating heart
listening to the wind as it swept by.
1t was very quiet in his nest, and
the soft velvet was much warmer
than the cold fiagstones, and he was
very tired and very cold, and in a
minute he was asleep. He did not
know when at last the house door
opened and lady, gathering her
cloak close around her, came down
the steps-did not know even when
the suddenly animated monument
descended from its pedestal and
stood solemnly by the open door
until the lady had stepped inside.
But when it shut with a slam, and
the cOachman, returning to his post
drove rapidly away, the boys eyes
opened and fixed their frightened
gaze upon the lady's face. PreOc-
cupied with her own thoughts, she
had not noticed the queer bundle in
the dark corner. But now, her at
tention attracted by some slight
movement on mis- part she turned
her eyes slowly toward him, and
then, with a suppressed cry of sur
prise and alarm, laid her hand on
the door. Tom rapidly unwinding
himself. and covering down in the
bottom of the carriage, said, with a
frightened sob:
81 didn't mean no harm. i was
awful cold. Say, just open the door
missus, and I'll jump out. You
needn't stop the kerridge."
The lady, with her hand still on
the door, demanded:
elbow did you get here?"
"The door was open, and elum
in" he answered. at was awful
cold"
"Come nearer, and let me see your
face" she said.
Tom drew his ragged sleeves
across his eyes, and looked up at
her over his shoulder. They had
turned into a brilliantly lighted
street, and she coud see that the
tangled yellow hair wat soft and
fine, and that the big, frightened
eyes that raised themselves to hers
were not pickpOcket's eyes. With
a sudden impulse she laid her glow
ed hand lightly on the yellow hair.
"Where do you live ?" she asked.
Something in the voice and touch
gave him courage. "With Mann
my SAL" ne answered, straighten-
ing up. "Me and some other fell
lows. Sometimes we begs, some
times we take the barrels. When
we get a haul it amt so bad, but
when we don't we catch it. She's
drunk tonight, and she drove us
out"
She pushed the heavy hair back
from his forehead. "Is Nanny
Sal your mother ?" she asked.
'Nov' cried the boy almost
fiercely and then he added, sudden
ly: 81 amt got no mother"
Slowly tine gloved hand passed
back and forth over the yellow
hair. The lady's eyes were looking
far away the boys face was like
so strangely like, another face.
7'Are you hungry ?' she asked
The wide-open gray eyes would |
have answered her without the
quick sob and the low "Yes'm."
The carriage stopped, and the |
again accomplished
descent, opened the door and stood |
staring in blank amazement.
'I am not going in john" said |
his mistress. "DriVe home ayainO |