Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1883-03-01
ATALE OF THE STREET.
A BOotblack's Charity that Did Not Be.
gin at Home.
Detroit Free Press

lDetrOu Free PreSs.
How the north wind whistled and stung
the other day! 1t was the first signal of a
long ,dreary winter, and even men with over
coats turned sharp corners to get out Of the
biting blast. Two children "a boy and girl
neither over nine years old, stood shivering
in a doorway on Monroe avenue, wish
ing to go to their lowly home, but dread
ing the wind. They crept closer and closer
together, and their chins quivered and their
noses grew red as they grew colder. Hun
dreds of men and women passed up and
down without care, but by and by along
came whistling, jovial lad of fourteen,
who was swinging his bootblack's kit by a
strap and picking up the steps of some clog
dance. He saw the shivering bits Of human
ity where others were blind, and halting be-
fore them with "cligjigger rigger" OF his
heels and toss of his box, he called out
'Kin I borrow them 'ere chins O yours
about an hour"
Eyes, ma'am," demurely replied the little
girl.
Il kin, eh ?-ho no! That's give away
on me. Be you chickens cold?"
"Yes, ma'am," she answered again.
"And that ere cub is your brother, spose
Well, when I'm cold get warm. What do
you do-freeze
yes, ma'am, if you please" she replied.
on me! Well, you autumn leaves, come
with the weather. but 1 kin smell a hot stove
as far off as the next sinner in this town.
Come right over to this store"
He led the way across the street and into
an office where there was a fire. He had
placed chairs for them, when man came in
from back room and said:
What do you children want here ?'
want some of this waste hotness," blunt
ly replied the sinner. 'These ERE cubs is
nigh froze to death, and brought 'em here
to thaw 'em out"
"And we won't even look at you, nor
cough, nor sneeze," added the little girl, as
she saw frown on the mans face.
That's richness! there's innocence !"
laughed the sinner, and the mans face
cleared and he poked up the fire and said
they could sit nearer.
"S'pose me N you chip in and buy em
something to stay their stomachs ?" suggest
ed the sinner, all of a sudden. Tell you
what, some of the children in this town
don't have square meal any more'n you
n me wear diamonds Little gal, are you
hungry 2"
''Yes, maam, if you won't be mad at u.s."
she replied.
The man stood irIesolute, but the sinner
went down in his pocket, ratified around, and
said:
Here is ten cents thai says they are hun
cry"
"Well, I'll give as much" replied the man.
''You 60 and buy something, and they can
sit here and eat it,"
Sinner bought crackers and cheese,
and the children ate until he felt obliged to
say:
Now you cubs, 60 leetle bit slow and
save the rest for supper. Kin ye find the
way home alone?"
Yes, maam."
"And do you feel as warm as 'taterbugs
rolled up in wool?'
eyes, ma'am."
'All right then. "Weer dead to rights
obliged to this man, and I'll black his boots
besides. You'd better run along home now.
What's ye going to tell yer mother"
"Ill tell her we came awful near going to
heaven, and my little brother he thanks you,
too and now We'll 60, and-thank you,
ma'am ever so many times good-by"
The man looked after them through the
window with softer lines in his face than
had been there for months. The boy stood
on the walk and watched them until they
had turned corner, and then exclaimed:
"Whew but I most feel that l was en-
gagged to that gal ~