Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-10-12

And oh, to part with her were worse
Than death and its inhuman fate
To lose her in a universe
-Gcorgc Eigar Montgomery.
"BRTCK TOP"
1t was late. In front of the theatres the
gas fared, and high up in the great newspR-
per buildings the electric lights glOwed like
moons; but the shops in the great city, save
those that ministered unto death-the liquor
stores of the worst sort-were closed. The
street cars ratified along drearily, and the peo-
pie who lived in the heart of the city thrust
their heads out Of their windows, and sighed
for breath of north wind, for sultry day
had been followed by sultry night But the
four boys making themselves comfortable by
lying upon the pavement opposite the opera
house we're not troubled by the heat or the
lateness of the hour. They were newsboys.
Pat Hogan, the oldest, was known among his
mates as Snub, from the shape of his nose.
"Bricktop" did not know what his name was,
and had earned his nickname by the color of
his hair, which was deep golden red, and as
his fine square face was covered with golden
brown freckles, it was not bad name for
him. Joe Schlosser was called Schnapps,
for his quick temper and German accent
and little Mike O'Hara had been named "The
Flea" from his expertness at hopping.
Bricktop had been on an excursion, and
the others had been very much excited by the
appearance of newsgirl in his vacant place,
for the four friends occupied four corners,
and united to thrash any interloper who tried
to sell newspapers in their vicinity. But
girl they did not know how to deal with, yet
something must be done, for though her
voice was not louder than birds, she had
sold all her small bundle Of papers.
AN why didn'. she go on Shtait street -
said Pat, in an injured tone. "Its there
she'd have more room to shpread hersif. It's
great shtreet for the wimmin, an let thin
tind to the craytur."
dat iss all you know Snub cried Joe
Schlosser. q" Tiss not de wimmins dat puys
te pape's'm
"Faix, I'll run her of the shtreet t'morrer'
said Mike, with a swinging gesture of his
lean right arm. "Jist let her show her yaler
head an I'll start for her"
Bricktop rolled over, and sat up. He was
the strongest of the four, and their leader
| "B'ys," he said impressively, "Tll bust the
head clane af the one of ye that techs her
wild his finger inds." He waited few mo-
ments, and then resumed. Now I'll tell ye
| bout the 'scursion."
"Well, begin to the begnnin'," said Pat
'an' jist tell us how Cap'n Robson iver
took ye. He'd sour milk, he w'u'd, wild the
scowl ay him, an twas be that toud me an
| Towsie McTammera he'd pitch us in the lake
| if we set fut on his boat"
"Well," said Bricktop refectiyely, sit come
av dog. Ye see, he has one of thin lang
| legged, scrmpin bastes av grayhoUn's, an
once av Sunday jist thought I'd take
turn on the off side of Wather shtreet, an l
met the Capn all rugged in his Sunday togs
sailin' shtraight fur someers, and jist behnt
| him was the greyhoun'. Twas jist afore the
Fourth, an somehow somehony'd tied bit
O. twine to the craythers tail an there was
matter av a doozen fire. crackers tied to a sliv-
er o. punk, an st rddy to go of The
Cap'n's deaf as a posht, an there was the
baste worryin', an | jist tooched the Cap'n's
arrum, an grabbed the dorg, an had thin
crackers aft him in no time"
more fool ye," said Mike, laughing aloud,
| "Yi-how he rum"
"If I'd been q cat now said Bricktop ar
gumentatively, I'D list lat the powdther
blow some av the scratch out av her, but a
dogs too kind. Im not the scum av the
world that I'D do a name thrick on dog.
Well, the Cap'n sez he, Who be you ? cross
enough to snap me head of
." I'm Bricktop,' sez l. an l was mad
enough thin that l wouldn't tould him if l
saw a cannon behnt him.
"'Well, sez he, I'm Capn Robeson, sez
he, an if yen come to my boat the first OF
August, sez he, I'll take ye on 'scursion,
an ye can fetch big bun'le av pape's an
sell, sez he, an here's quarther to help
along
"You might haT tolt us pefore, said Joe,
| with some ill-humor. 'Maype he would hail
let one off us go too"
mot much" said Bricktop. shaking his
head 'He jist said l needn't Try scroogin
another Teller in. l tould Mither Lane last
night an she fxt the slave Nv me jacket, an
l had shirt wild collar to it, aquil to any
NV 'em, barrn' the fit Nv it. l had two cints
worth NV dates, an sassinger, an two bis
cults, in paper-ba an afore l wint to the
boat laid in me arm full O. pape's wsd some
picter ones thrown in.
"'Twas nate lot NV folks was on that
boat, an l was most out of papers in twinty
mihnits, an the boat wint along wild swing
like dOok, a bowin' an rolling wild swate
motion that made ye feel yer inside fur a
spell, an then made ye that empty that
ye c'u'd ate power NV victual if ye c'u'd git
any, witch ye c'u'dnt There was band
along that niver left off buglin' an tootin'
an all the folks KEEP up jabber, an twas
jst as racketty as our Coorners, an was
glad enough when we stopt at long pier
that run out in the wather, like it was live,
creeping thing"
AN what did ye SEQ there hrst?' asked
Mike. "'Twas the country, wasn't it, wild
grass an plnty NV coosf'
mot COO did l set eyes on, twas place,
Mike, wild a name to it, Neoanston, or some.
pm. There was grass, an floo'ers, an thrays
an houses fur apart, an all sight to look
at, an that quiet me head boozed."
"But VT It'd you too ?" said Joe. 81 know
Fat shout too. l should haf a regler lay
off peaches"
eyer head amt no better nor a coo'nut,
said Brioktop, with contempt. 'They ain'i
a peach round here, they amt. They Gomez
cross the lake. AS fur don' sumpin, they
want nothin' to do. / want a-goin' te
hang roun' thin well. drisst kids, like cudn'
stan me own comp'ny. But all the same
fun's powerful lonesome whin ye hev on'y
yersilf to injoy it wild. found foine shpo
, under a thray an list set down ter lool
, about me, whin l sees little baste somepil
like q rat on'y a dale stylisher, a poppin' the
he'd of i'm out in hole at me, an thin h.
pumped agin, like he was full av wires IL
a stan in me ham an whn he up wild his he'
/, agn let fly at i'm, an if yen behave it,
kilt i'm. ] was mighty PLACED, an wa
shtrokin the fur av i'm, whin along comes
5 shmall white harse wild girrul on it, tn
like ye niyersaw."
9 'Now yer bletherin', Bricktop," broke il
6 Snub "As if we seed no gir-ruls on Olar
o strate. Go long wild We"
y "I niver seed ony un like her, said Brick
e top, gravely. "she'd long yallow air tha
4 crinkled and shone just like the sun in tn
/ marnin'. No other gr-rups more like he
z nor chip. Her two big eyes were blue
the lake, an so was the loose gownd she wore
9 an she sat the harse as if she crowd to in
" "She brung up short whin she seed me al
a the baste an sez she, pintin' at it, Who dl
that ? sez she
10 "I. sez l.
n Yer mean, bad BY sez she.
"I amt, beggn' yer parding, mem, sc
l. I'm ihist as good as the rest, an son
g. better, sez /. But shpoke RESPECTFUL, a
10 stood oop wild the hat of me, lookin' at Il