The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-09-14
Minnie.

Give me penny, Mister"
These words fell on my ear as L had
stepped from my house (after eating
good warm breakfast one cold, rainy
day, and looking around, saw little
girl, scarcely 6 years old, with shoeless
teet. little old ragged shawl thrown
over her head and shoulders and not
clothes enough on to keep her warm,
standing there crying as if her heart
would break.
The sight of the child startled me;
poor little thing, thought to myself;
give you penny? What would child
like you do with penny?
Buy some bread, Mister Please
give me penny to buy some bread !"
took from my pocket scent piece
and dropped it in her hand. Without
o word she darted down the street and
out of sight
As l sat in my store, the little pale
face haunted me. Who is she? and
why is she out on such day as this
Perhaps some little fatherless child out
begging bread for her poor sick
haunted me so that determined to find
out who and what she was, which after
ward L did.
One evening early in the fall was
out walking through the outskirts of
the town, when suddenly l came upon
a little child lying in fence-corner fast
asleep, which after taking second look
/ found was the little girl that had so
interested me on that cold, rainy day
STOPPING down to see if she was dead or
alive, l happened to step on a stick,
which broke under my foot and awoke
her. Springing to her feet, she started
to run from me, but, catching her in my
arms, / told her not to be afraid, L
only wanted to talk to her awhile
Taking her by the hand, 1 told her l
would walk home with her, but looking
up in my face with tears in her eyes,
she said: Il hain't got any home.
Haven't any home? Where is your
father and mother?"
Father and mother are dead" and
her eyes filled with tears again.
mo brothers or sisters ?"
"No."
Sitting down by the roadside and
taking the child on my knee, L asked
her to tell me about her father and
mother, where she had lived and how
she had come to live alone so out in the
streets, which she did as follows:
when / had father and mother we
lived out in the country on a farm.
used to gather flowers from the mead
pws, play in the garden with my cat
and doll, and we could go to Sunday
school and meeting on Sunday. Folks
used to come and see us then, but after
father died, mother moved in town
took in washing and ironing until she
got sick" Then the child hid her face
On her apron and cried as if her heart
would break.
Tell me what became of your moth
er."
"After she got sick she could not
work so to get money to buy bread with
or to hire doctor, SO she had to lay i'll
bed, and 1 went out to beg for her I'M
til she died"
Then she hid her face and cried bit
terly.
what did you do after your mother
died?"
ooh they took her and put her in 9
box and carried her off, and they sent
me to live with Mrs. Jones, but she wa:
ugly to me. She used to whip me
every day and tel me L was ugly and
mean; that my mother ought to have
whipped me more. Mother never
whipped me. She was too good tC
whip me-"
"Why didn't you stay with Mrs.
Jones? Wasn't it better to stay with
her than to live as you do?'
"She told me one day to take ride
with her, so did, but after she took me
long ways off she told me to get ou
of the buggy and pick her some flow
ers, and when / got out she drove of
and left me, and never saw her again
1 had some clothes, Bible that mother
gave me and box of playthings, bu
she did not let me have them. hahn
got anything but what have on.
How long since she left you out il
the streets ?"
"Oh not long; not more than five Oh
six weeks"
"And you have slept in the fence
corners and such places ever SINGER"
Eyes"
"How did you get what you wanted tt
eat ?"
II would get it any way could
Sometimes folks would give me som,
money to buy something to eat, scnre
times / would pick it up out of tn,
yards where they would throw it away
and sometimes would go in the houses
when the folks did not know it, tax,
something out of the cupboard, thei
, run out and hide till / would eat it up.
, "Did the folks ever catch you in thei
, houses?"
"A lady caught me once. She tool
me by the arm and gave me shaking
and pushed me down and told me if
, did not get out of the house she woul,
|, give me good whipping. Seel" and
, she pulled up her sleeve and shove,
, me large black and blue place on he
arm, shat is what she done. 1 ain