The National tribune., 1882-03-25

from time to time be ierked his head inn
patiently and said, "FShdw!" Indignantly
to himself, as though he were engaged in
combating some unwelcome mental impulse
that persisted in presenting itself to his
| consideration.
The fact was, this brusque, imperative
man of trade was troubled with most un-
common and annoying affection of the
heart, called humanity. It was so unnatural
and singular disease for a grown man to
possess nowadays that the merchant was
very properly ashamed of it; not only that,
but it seemed this was an hereditary affec-
tion that persevered in making itself felt,
and impelling it's possessor to do all sorts of
inconsistent things in the most absurd
manner possible. Left to himself the mer-
chant was wealthy, respectable, man of
influence, and q church member. In fact,
hepossessed all the necessary qualifications
| for being selfish, uncharitable, selfcentred
and inhuman, and it irritated him to the
| last degree. Just when he was about, for
instance, to initiate his wealthy neighbors
and evade subscribing to some charity or
| perpetrating any other kind action, to have
this silly little inborn imp of humanity
actually torment him into doing the very
thing his worldly training taught him most
| to avoid.
He had noticed, too, that this disease
| though it is not an epidemic, the reader will
Observation-Disclosures affected him most when
most happy and contented himself, and so
he was annoyed but not surprised to hear a
familiar little voice in his breast say, and
keep saying:
Remember the loving little child you
kissed when you left home Just now. Suppose
IL were sitting there, instead of that wretched
little waif, crushed and despairing. Come
stop thinking Of how your neighbor Jones
would act but go back and see if you cannot
do something for the boy"
AS we have said, he fought against this
ridiculous impulse for time but it ended in
his turning at last, retracing his steps with
that sort of half injured, half-shame- faced
| expression many men pat On when they set
about a good action, for some as yet unsolved
reason.
"Whats your name?" he gru11ly asked of
the child, who by this time had been pitched
upon the seat of the wagon, which was about
ready to start.
"Snub' replied the small hOodlum, cycling
his interrogation a moment in sort of de-
spairing stupor. The House Of Correction
for six months, which he knew was the fate
that awaited him, was more-much more-to
his kind than the mere disgrace and punish
ment it implied. 1t meant, in addition, just
what bankruptcy and ruin does to business
men. Long before his release the particular
street corner on which he sold his papers,
and the sole and equitable right to occupy
which he defended from his fellow-merchant
at the expense of many a gamely-fought
battle and bloody nose, would be gone for
ever. -..,......r
"Snub what?" said the merchant. .,oa rra
walker, or suthin' like that" replied the
sriny midget, after moment of attempted
ecollection. "The boys call me onne 'Snub,'
that's all"
"Why?"
the shape of his iufnitesimal nose supplied
the necessary information.
"Where'syour mother?"
"Gone dead"
"When ?"
"Dunno long time-'tore dad ran
away"
Away where?"
"Ter sea-"
"And so you shift for yourself, and sell
papers? Hum. Why do they call you q
wharf rat 2"
dunno. I amt no rat" said the red
headed pigmy expla nitorily, and somehow
warmed into a show of interest by the more
kindly voice of the stranger.
"Well, no you are hardly big enough
for rat" laughed the other. "You're more
like mouse, and so I'll give you q crumb"
And as just then the wagon started, the
merchant stepped into cab and told the
driver to hasten to the City Hall, and be
devilish quick about it, as he was missing
an engagement ut the Merchants Exchange
As for Snub" he watched the queer gen
tleman out of sight with kind of apathetic
curiosity. The rat had been so Injured to
chatting" and other branches of popular
street amusement, and so used to ridicule
on account Of his puny frame and bristly
red hair, that it did not surprise him to see
this gentleman go off, like every one else in
spite of his steady eyes and queer voice.
For "Snub" didn't clearly remember to
have ever heard kind voice before in the
whole course Of his brief career He was
still musing over the novelty when the
wagon turned down into Merchant street,
and the shadow of the jail again fell over
his benumbed little soul"
But the man with the kind voice was
there before him, chatting affably with the
captain in charge.
"How much will this malefactor's for
felt bail come to?" he asked, as the expo
sure charge was booked.
"Ten dollars" said the clerk with grin.
If an angel from heaven had risen out of
the floor to slow music and offered "Snub"
whole pot-pie at once after two days
fasting from bad business, as he had dream
ed one did, he would not have been
more astOnished than he was then to behold
the stranger take out q huge handful of
dazzling gold and toss down q shining ten.
There, Mr.. Mouse" he said there is