Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1882-05-13
NORTHERN TRIBUNE.
SATURDAY. MAY -, 1882.



look out from under the twisted locks;
his face is so dirty and brown that you
hardly know what the true color Is; he
has no shirt, but wears ragged coat,
and trousers out at the knees and much
too large for him; he is barefOoted, of
course. He is not at all a timid boy,
small as he is, but acts as If nothing
would ever upset his self-pOssession,
whatever might happen. The benevo-
lent Mr.. Macy, who has been dealing
with poor children for the last quarter
If century, meets him. and asks
"Well, my boy, what do you want?
"A home, please, sir"
"What Is your manner"
"Haint got no name, sir; the boys calls
me Pickety"
well, pickety, where do you live?"
"DOn's live nowhere, sir"
But where do you stay"
81 don't stay nOwheres in the daytime,
but sleeps in hay-barges, sir, and some
times in dry-gOOds boxes, and down on
the steam-gratings in winter, till the
Nj. P.s policemen come along, and just
now a cove has taken me in at the iron
bridge at Harlem"
"IrOn bridget what do you mean?"
"Why, them hOller iron things what
holds the bridge up. He got it first, and
he lets me in.'
"Pickety, who is your father?'
'Haint got no father, sir; he died afOre
knew, and me mither, she drinked and
bate me, and we was put out by the land
lord, and she died, and the City Hall
buried herp' And something like a
shadow came over the cunning blue
eyes.
"Pickety, did you eyer hear of God?"
"Yes, sir; l have heard the fellers swear
about Him, and know it's lucky to say
something to Him when you sleep out in
bad nights"
Ibid you ever 60 to school, Pickety, or
to church,"
mo, sir; l never went to no church
nor school. should kind O. like to learn
somethin'p'
swell, Pickety, we'll make man of
you, if you will only try. You will, /
seeW
So Pickety is sent by Mr.. Macy down to
clean, beautiful Lodging House," A
kind, experienced superintendent. Mr.,
Calder, meets him, and a matrOn-Mrs.
Calder-takes him in hand. In his secret
heart, little Picketv thinks they must be
very soft set, or else that they want to
make money out of him by-and-by, but
he takes their kindness worry quietly.
Perhaps, too, he is watching for chance
to pocket a handy little article Or so, or
20 slip Out-Of-dOors with something.
And now, first, he is put into bath
and made clean, and his hair is cut
n 10 CO..
clipping horses. He feels much better
after all this, and quite enjoys clean
check-shirt given him; but he finds that
he must wear his old trousers again, so
his hastily formed plan or slipping
away with whole suit of new clothes
is nipped in the bud.
He then enjoys plain, wholesome sup
per in company with other boys; and
when he sees the sweet face of the mat
ron who is serving them, he finds his
feelings change l little, and he almost
thinks she is too good for him to try to
cheat her.
Presently, he goes up willingly to a
large cheerful school room.
This room is as clean as wax-wOrk.
and Pickety is very glad he has had that
thorough washing.
After this came the lessons, and for
the first time he was introduced to all
the letters, though he had known enough
before to tell one newspaper from anOth-
er; and he was very glad to find that he
learned them quickly, and that i'm count
ing and sums he was quicker than the
others; of course this was because he lad
sold papers and had to make change so
often.
Little Pickety's greatest surprise, how
ever, was when he was taken up to the
sleeping r0Om-a large, handsome, airy
dOrmit0ry, clean as a ships deck with
nice, spring wire-beds arranged on iron
frames, one over another, like ships
hunks.
After his breakfast next morning, he
heard that some boys had put their
money into the savings bank" in the
audience room; and other had borrowed
from the fund for starting boys in BUSH
ness, and others had paid for their lodg-
ings and meals Give cents each), and he
began to feel he too, must do something.
Pickety at length ventured to speak to
the Superintendent, who kindly explain
ed to him that each boy was expected to
do all he could to pay his own way, and
that some kind gentleman had supplied
money with which to help boys who
might wish to start in business.
Mr. Calder was ready to supply him
with bOOt-blacking outfit, or to give
him checks which would entitle him to
so many copies of the Telegram or Daily
News, the boy to return the value of the
checks, after few days, when he should
have made some money.
Pickety chose the newspaper checks,
and cleared twenty-five cents, and then
invested again, came back at night with
fifty cents made, feeling very proud and
Independent, since he was now able to
ma Y for his lndpinp and maala