Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-07-28
THE LITTLE SLEEPER.
who Pound 4 hat the W orla is Not want.
ing in sympathy or Charity.
patroit Free Press.


A boy ten years old, pulling heavy cart
loaded with pieces of board and lath taken
from some demolished structure-an every
day sight in all our cities. Tired and ex-
hausted, he halted under shade tree. His
feet were bruised and SORE his clothes in rags,
his face pinched end looking years older
than il should. What must be the thoughts
of such child as he looks out upon the
world-the fine houses, the rich dresses, the
rolling carriages, the happy faces of those
who have never known what it is to be poor?
Does il harden the heart and make il wicked,
or does it bring a feeling of loneliness and
wretchedness-a wondering if the rich mans
heaven ia not 60 far from the poor man's heaven
thst he will never catch sight of their pinched
faces? The boy laid down on the grass and
in five minutes was fast asleep His bare
feet just touched the curbstone, and the old
hat fell from his head and rolled to the walk
la the shadow of the tree his face told a
story that every passer-by could read. 1t
told of scanty food, of nights when the body
shivered with cold, of a home without sun.
shine, a young life confroHted by knocking
shadows. Then something curious happened.
laboring mana queer old man with
woodsaw on his arm-crossed the street to
rest for moment beneath the same shade
He glanced at The boy and turned away, but
his look was drawn again, and now he saw
the picture and read the story. He, TOO, was
poor. He, too, knew what it was to shiver
and hunger. He tip-toed along until
he could bend over the boy, and then he
tosk from his pocket piece of bread and
meat-the dinner he was 10 eat if he
found work-snd laid it down beside the
lad. Then he walked carefully away, look
ing back every moment, but Fastening out
of sight as if he wanted to escape thanks.
Men, women, and children had seen it all,
and what lever it wssi The human heart
is ever kind and generous, but sometimes
there is need of key to open it. A man
walked down from his steps and left a half
dollar beside the poor mans bread. A wo-
man walked down and left good hat in
place of the old one. child came with
pair Of shoes, and boy brought a coat and
vest. Pedestrians halted and whispered,
and dropped dimes and quarters beside the
first silver piece. Something curious had
happened. The charity OF poor old man
had unlocked the hearts of 4 score of peopla-
Then something strange occurred. The
pinched-faced boy suddenly awoke, and
sprang up as If 1t were a crime to sleep
there. He saw the bread-the clothing
the money-the score of people waiting
around to see what he would do. He
knew that he had slept, and he
realized that all those things had
come to him as he dreamed. Then what did
be do? Why, ne sat down and covered his
face with his hands and sobbed like a grieved
child. They had read him a sermon greater
than all the sermons of the churches, They
had set his heart to swelling and jumping
until it choked him. Poor, ragged and
wretched, and feeling that he was no more to
the world than q stick or stone-he had
awakened 10 find that the world regarded
him as human being worthy of aid and
entitled 10 pity.