The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-06-08

wlldS oil heathenlSm beSet with
greater dangers, than the metropoh-
tan newspaper reporter; no scaycn-
ger enters worse holes of filth than
he. and no physician runs greater
risks of infectious diseases than that
man who, for a small salary, enters
the profession as gatherer of news
and occurring events. Beside the
statue, in printing house square, of
the greatest of journalists, as COM
panion piece, in honor of one of the
greatest public servants, the report
er.
As the reporter, with the little girl
at his side, pressed on, he was the
subject of remark from the people
whom he passed. The locality was
one of the worst in the great me-
tropolis. All nations furnished
their quota of human dregs to give
the street It's inhabitants. The
brogue OF the Irishman, the broad
teutonic dialect of the German, the
"'way down in ole Virginy" of the
Ethiopian. Yes, even the pigeon
English of the almond-eyed China
man. as well as the swarthy Italian,
were all represented in that locality.
Out of the street into a narrow alley
the reporter was led by the little
girl. Through a long hall, lined on
each side with doors. A peep into
each room as we passed showed the
worst and lowest class of humanity.
The stencil in the long hall was
overpowering, and the reporter
lighted a cigar and pulled great
clouds Of smoke all about his head
to fumigate the air that he breathed.
Up fight of rickety stairs, that
creaked and dismally groaned, as if,
like the inhabitants of the building,
they were incensed to see man en-
ter their domain, who seemed to be
just from place where cleanliness
and comfort were twin sisters. Then
another flight of stairs and the little
girl stopped and said:
"Wait q moment sir-I'll see if
old nanny is swearing at me-
yes, she says, she'll kill me when l
get along All, sir, she wouldn't be
aleared to do it. She's like wild
beast when she gets mad. What
shall ! do, for I'm afeared to go in"
III go with you and she will not
dare to hurt you," and the little
girl pushed the door wide open and
entered the presence of the she tiger.
Then such volcano of oths that
came from the crater of the old
hag's form. 1t was worse than any,
thing the reporter had heard since
entering the locality. The woman
did not know that the little girl was
accompanied, and she jumped like
a wildcat to grab the child, while
the latter, like a frightened deer,
few to the arms of her good friend
and the hag stopped suddenly
dumfounded. She was evidently
impressed with the strangers pro-
lection of the child, for she immedi-
ately dropped her uplifted claw,
the maddening look on her counte-
nance left, and the harsh voice quick
ly changed as she said:
Pardon, mister, them ere chill
ems is so tryin' to their mothers
and natral protectors. Here, Nettie
dear, git the gentleman q chair" and
the child flew quickly to obey the
order. The reporter then said:
Madam, | am interested in this
little girl. She says her brother is
sick and | want to see him. Maybe
l can help him."
you 'elp him! Poor Aleck he's a
darlin'-he was alters my mainstay.
Wot'll a poor lone oman the like of
me do without him? Yes, there he
is Nettie'll show yer. 'Scuse my
feelinx, loves the deer chil'en so,
that I can't help but cry all the
time" and as the reporter moved
toward the bed, great hoarse sobs
came from the woman, as she squat
ted on the floor and buried her face
in the dirty skirts of the filthy calico
gown which she wore.
The room was a place where the
filth reigned supreme. There was
no furniture in it except q broken
rocking chair, three-legged stool
and broken down coal stove that
stood on bricks. There were sever
al boxes and barrels about the
apartment, and in two corners were
piles of rags, which were all the
beds the occupants had. On one of
the piles was Aleck. As he saw his
sister he said:
''Oh, Nellie, I'm SO glad you have
come. Ny back aches SO hard.
try to keep back the tears, but they
come and l can't stop 'em. The
bed hurts my side SO, but / don't
want to complain, but-but-I-I
can't help it."
"Here is gentleman come TO see
you. See, Aleck, he is a good man.
Cheer up my boy, for Nettiell stay
with you now for an hour. Oh, sir,
he suffers SO much, the poor dear
boy, but he never complains if he
can help it."
The reporter looked at the two
children. They bore the imprint of
kinship on their features. The little
boy was ten and the girl eight years
of age, they said. Their eyes were
bright, and as their brown hair fell
regularly over their foreheads, pale
and wan faces below showed trouble
and privations such as so many
children have to endure in the great
city OF the new world. He asked
them to tell who their parents were,
for he knew the old hag with her
coarse and beastly characteristics,
was no relation to them, but Nettie
whispered and said:
"Sh-h! Nanny would kill me
if / should-wait till she goes out"
for the woman had stopped her
meanings and seemed to be prepar-
ing to leave the room, in fact she
stepped up and said:
Scuse me, sir, | must go and
Git Aleck some doctor stuff, and
Nettie'll see ter yer. By-by chilen,
yer old Mammy'll come back pooty
soon to her darlins," and she grunt-
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