The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1881-07-19
TOM.

/ TUM.
| Oh! but it was cold; freezing, Bit
ing, bitter cold! and dark, too; Tor
the feeble gaslights, leaping and tlam-
ing as the gale whistled by, hardly
frightened the gloom dozen PAGES
around them. The wind tore through
the streets as if it had gone mad;
whirling before it dust and snow, aud
every movable thing it conld lay its
clutching hand upon. A poor old
battered kite, that, sometime last au-
tumn, had lodged far up in the ,allest
tree in the neghborhood, and had
there rested peacefully ever since, be-
llcving its labors at an end, was drag
ged from its nest and driven unpity-
| ingly before the blast. Some feeble
efforts 1t had made to dodge into cor
ners lurking behind steps and driving
into areas; but not a bit Of i'll Down
would swoop the wind, and off it
wonld on avnin
Atlas, dr;,a, o,und oro Il ,,o
Eong row of barrels ,h,t s,ood ,;Le
wretched scntincls, along the edge OF
the side walk, it flew into the very
arms Of a small boy, y,.who, seated on
the curb-stone. crouched down in the
bayreI,s somowhat questionable sbel.
| ter Such verv small howl He
looked like notl,inr in the world but a
Little beap Of ray,. and tho RAGS were
yery tb;n and tI,e small Lov was yery
cold. His nose. his ears. Ills hands.
fanl his noor hare feet we're blue.
"Tom"-that was all the name he
lhad Who he WAS or where he came
| from No ono knew except nerbans
the wretched old woman with whom
lhe lived. which meant thai she lot
lLim sleep upon n nile Of rags on the
aoo, nf her ,n;sor,hIo room and some-
/ times gave him a ernst and orteuer a
| blow when she was drunk-and
! ,b,, yas tba greater mart of tho t;mo-
| Tom took to Il The streets: and tonight
sbo was verv DRINK The bov was
perbons some six Years old. Int az
| be covered dawn on the cold Aag.
stoncs with his worn n;ncbea rarc
and Jroo,,;ny boad la m;,rbt have
| loo, , hundrcJ
A carr;,go cana ,o,tl;no ,b,opgb
tho strcet oud staonaJ, clnss hv L,n,
Tho door was ppsheI omen and two
| cb;llren bolr,nmhled out onJ loay-
in,, ,he door sw;ng;nr rnshod nm ths
stems Tom watched ,Lem steadily
hoarJ ,ho nn;cL .horn ,;ng ol tIs
/ bell c,n,,Lt ,,l;,nnse of somcthiug
tLat Looked yery hriyht and VAIN
,nl then il was ark again He
,urnod h;s ovos ,owarJ tbe carriooe
ox,oc,;na Il 70 Jr;ye of- AGAIN bnt Il
st;jl stood tbere. The eoschnan sat
mo, ,Lo how like a fnrrv n,,nu,bent.
| (1no If Tho horses struck the stones
sba,nlv viii, his iron boof ami cast
an ;pon;ring look around, but the
monument s.t unmoved
Tom,s heavy ayes l,okol through
tbe omen door into the carriaye
Dark as It was he could sec that il
was lined with something thick and
warm Flo raised his head and rlauc-
ed ahout him If ho were inside
there the wind could not touch him
Oh If he could only get away from il
one minntel He wonII sin out again
the moment the house-door opened
1 Unbendinp his still little BODY. he
crent nearer bes;tate,l n moment and
as The wind came round The corner
with roar slipped swiftly and noise
lesslv ;nro the carriaro.
Il was verv opiet in his nest. and
| the soft vclvet WAS mucb warmer than
the cold flagstones and he was very
tirel and yery culd. and in half a
minnie he was fast aslcep. He did
not know when At last the house door
onened and a laly. gathering her
cloak close around her, came down
tbe stens-d;l not know even when
the snddeuly-auimated monument
descended fran i,s pedestal and stood
solen,nlv bv the omen door until the
ladv had sienped inside. But when
| Il sbut with = slam and the coach.
man returning to his most. drove
ranidly away. his ewes opened and fix
oa ,he;r fr;yh,eneI caze mon ,he