The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1884-12-18
HUMPY'S HER0ISM.

GowanuS is. Gowanus is famed chief
y for its lighthouses, its lumber-yards.
and its grabbing. On Saturday or
Sunday afternoon the athletic and
sporting youths of Brooklyn can be
seen coming down Henry street, "to
Take spin on the screw" or laden with
baskets and the inevitable brown crab
nets. Gowanus is rival of Hunters
Point in the matter of smells. The
refuse of the city is dumped at the
waters edge or thrown in the pools,
half slime, half sea water, that lie be-
tween the newly-made streets. Yet
many people live in Gowanus, for the
rents are not high and there is plenty
of soil solid enough to build on. Lit
tie white cottages with green shutters
and weather-beaten shingles stand side
by side, with the regulation morning
glory clambering over all. If one
were to go by in the morning of a
week day he would see, in front Of one
OF them, summing himself on the sandy
walk Or clinging to the stumpy white
washed fence, a wizened, bumped
back boy, answering to the name of
Humpy. What Humpy's right name
was (if, indeed, any one knew had
been forgotten long ago.
He lived in the cottage with Mary
Ryan and her brother, by whom he had
been picked up from the streets. He
led happy, harmless life, never went
with the other children, although they
were always pleasant to him, and he
preferred, unless he were sent to the
grocery or on some other errand, to lie
in the sun or shamble around the house
watching pretty Mary Ryan sew.
Mary Ryan was pretty. Mr.. Stern had
told her so often enough, and, although
she was a poor Irish factory hand.
(When she could get work she was
pretty enough to captivate the fastid-
lous MIR. Stern, and transform him to
the assiduous Mr.. Stern. Since Tom
Ryan had been called away to an all
winter post in a Maine lumber camp,
Mr.. Stern had light cedar boat at the
boathouse, and Mary Ryan had been
out in it nearly every night, down be-
yond the oily, muddy waters of Co
wanus Bay, into the clear, blue stretch
OF waves beyond. Humpy laid in his
old spot on the walk turning the mat.
ter over in his mind as Mr.. Stern came
sauntering down the street.
"Mary in, Humpy?"
Humpy looked up.
son, it's you, is it? Yes, she's in"
AS Mr.. Stern went in Humpy lay
down again.
"Mary, is it?' he muttered. "He
didn't know her month ago, and now
it's Mary. I'm a-thinking it's bad
day she ever saw him."
He rose and went toward the door
and then, changing his mind, crept
around to the back of the house and
crawled noiselessly into the kitchen
Through the half opened door he heard
Nary saying:
"Id II letter from Tom this morning
and he's comm back tomorrow"
Humpy did not hear Mr.. Stern's
reply.
"1t's no use to talk like that, for
Tom will never let fine gentleman
like you call on poor girl like me.
Maybe l am pretty-that only makes
it the worse. The neighbors will tell
him enough as it is, and only hope he
let's me bide here. Like as not he'll
bid me leave the house"
The girl was weeping now. Evi-
IDENTIFY she feared her brother terribly.
Mr.. Stern saw the chance and took it,
"And why should you wait to meet
him. Mary, dear?"
Humpy ground his teeth and looked
uglier than ever, but the usual order
of things followed Mary's protests
grew weaker and weaker, and finally
it was settled that Mary should quit
the house that night. Mr.. Stern work,
ed strongly on her fears of her brother
If Humpy had been a character in 9
novel by the philosophic James or the
witty Howells he would have thought.
fully diagnosed the situation for an
hour, and then remarked: "The out
come of this will be tragic" How.
ever, being poor Irish cripple, he only
shook his head and said under hi.
| DTGdJn. huu uON GllC uCuCt VI
pay" Then he slowly crept out ant
back to his summing place.
After Mr.. Stern went away tn,
house was strangely quiet. A half
starved street cat, that wandered by
saw Humpy lying in the sun, his heat
buried in his arms. As the cat s!unl
by him into the house, it saw on tn,
homely hair sofa girl sobbing convul
sively and saying from time to time
"Oh, mother, if you hadn't died. Oh
mother, if you hadn't diedl" The ca
wandered back into the kitchen, ant
gnawed away, undisturbed by the bo,
lying motionless by the door. or by tn
girl sobbing there on the sofa. WI ei
tie cat left the house the last thing j
saw was the boy lying silent in tn