, 1884-07-25
"LO0NEY SAL"
rsarah Hutton IN New York oraphie.J

N -NNNg H~-
1t could not have boon because of any mem
tai defect, for none such was apparent in
her.
She was born in one OF the low board nuts
OF S~hippenville, which stood on the swalnpy
outskirts of Hoboken, AMI excellsd the other
rattletraps in evidence Of ssnile decay. These
were inha bited by the lowest OF low Tretches,
all yagabonds by trade or profession, as you
viii. No one asked who her parents were,
and had such an inquiry been made no oner
could have answered It.
HGranny Smiths den,n Il low rumhcle,
could hardly DO called SAILS nome-it was
more OF a place where she was allowed To
exist in compensation for the fruits OF her
SKIN at petty larceny. the inevitable when
ever she visited any of the mercantile estab-
lshments. At night she edilled the gather.
ings at Granny Smiths by songs and dances.
and the words uf the former were usually
indecent parnphrases of the popular songs OF
the day.
Her wakeful nights could not but produce
extreme ~sleepiness during the day, and it
was no rare occurrence to soc Sal stretched
in slumber on the open meadow for many
hours during the afternoon. These odd nab
its, associated with the girls other peculiari.
ties, made her an object Of curiosity as well
as of dread to the school children. The
younger ones, in obedienco to their parents
commando, made a wide circuit about the
open space in which Sal spent her ~forenoons
The older ones were attracted to the spot
perhaps conscious Of approaching independ-
once, perhaps only because of the curious
sight of the black-locked, darEed-eyed girl NJ
she layed stretched upon her "See-saw" and
gently rocked 1t up and down, as she hum
med some weird song. Whenever the boys
came near enough to be noticed by her she
frightened them of with fierce grimaces,
which seemed to pursue them in their Gight
TO tho sound OF almost maniacal laughter.
Sal had no friends or playmates. What
girl would have selected her as u companion.
she who associated only with those who
shone as disreputable among the outcasts OF
Shippenvillsi Furthermore her pugilistic
proves was as dreaded by the boys rs was
her scurrilous language by the girls.
Sometimes, but rarely, a boy who Wanted
bis bravery could be induced into coming
within her reach, but then 1t was only
through the process known to children as
-daring.n These efforts ut a display OF
courage invariably produced q very subdued
boy, whose face and garments could hardly
be considered ornamental
The "big boy" Of the academy, Dick Allen,
had clicked all of his classmates but two or
three, and Sal had conquered them. The
other boys "daredp Dick TO engage in combat
with Sal, but he, prompted BY Il species Of
manliness. declined to fight a girl. On being
greeted with the inharmonious chant OF
afraid cat" Hfraid cat" he astounded hls
companions by a proposition to secure the
girls friendship within half an hour. The
doubts and deprecatioIs which his play
mates uttered stimulated him to proceed at
once TO Sails sunny spot. or course his
"chum," VIII Barry, went with him.
"Fellows, you could just SOC hat no went
f-.,..a he wwaa "A atod ~ safN Tor, G1a.,..u ,,,i,..
he recounted his observation. tnken from be-
hind a large rock -TYn Barry played sharp;
he just kept behind Dick, ana Dick he
marched right up TO Looney SAILS see-saw,
ard II he did look a little white, and IL he did
stand Orwell, 50 far that she couldn't biff
him In the eye-Dick he said, Hello Sal
And what do you think Sal didi l expected
to see Dick mnuled-just chewed up. An
all you fellows know Pm Dicks friend-n
"oh, come now, Tom, give it to us
straight one OF the boys interrupted the
juvenile modern Minnesinger; tell us what
she did,
well, nothing" answered Tom. She
just stopped her soe-saw, looked up ut Dick
just as II he WAS q cat or something; then she
lay down agin, and working her see-saw she
went on singin', 'See-saw, buck-a-me raw,
folderol, dolderol, diedaw.' Say, fellows, that
girl kin sing. Golly, it's just"
-oh. Tom. yon'ro just f%oolin',' his com
said; @tell'us all about it,
-wel. amt / tellin' vert She just went on
see-sawin' and singp' just us II there wasn't
no Dick nor no VIII. Then VIII he gave
Dick a shove to keep him from weakenin',
and then Dick he sings out again, Hello,
Sal Then Sal she took no notice of 'em
again. Then win, he snid, Cali her hooney
Sal, why don't ye,' and then"
Tom WAS not required to continue the tale.
All Of the scholars had seen the boys running,
followed by Sal; they had observed her
cleaning eyes; they had seen her agile body
fly after them over stile and stone; had seen
them approach the school, pass over the
threshold, rush up stairs into the classroom,
and there, before the very eyes of the teacher,
she threw her offenders to the floor, and with
each blow Of her little cienched fists she
Missed. "Who yer call looneyi Who's
loopey, ehIr
As she struck them the other scholars
jumped upcn their seats to get better view
OF the one-sided encounter, perhaps They did
not hear what tho teacher said as he stopped
over the ~strugglerS and tore the girl from her
passive, bewildered opponents. A dead
silence reigned as he held the girl and grayely
asked what have you done to the girl, you
boysp
And theu-so tho class supposed-he GER
fanny must uANo Nul1ptIcl holuB severe
threat to the wild girl. For what else could
have so suddenly claimed her passionate ragei
Sal, when he directed tho question to the
boys, raised her face 10 his with a curious
mixture of searching doubt and astonish-
ment, and when he said: "Come with me,
girl,n she followed him out Of the classroom
in the meekest possible manner.
When half MI hour elapsed he returned to
tho classroom and resumed his lessons, but
hh manner. ever Kind as IL was, seemed TO
have added TO it an incomprehensible grav-
ity, which appeared even sadness.
Sal did not go back to her hut. but walked
70 the back Of the school and sat down on a
block OF stone. The day passed, yet she barely
moved None Of the children stopped to see
what had become OF her; she heard them
leave tho school, but did not stir. Evening
CAME, q chilly, raw evening. Sal drew her
knees close TO her body, wound her bare,
bruised arms about them and cruuched there,
. frowSy, uncanny creature.
Teacher says forgive them fellorS and
don't steal. He don't cuss INC nor he don't
call me Iooney Sal nuther. He seq Sairey-
sAirey-hu, ha, hal No Sairsy. HA, ha.
ha-" NL-.
Her laughter was interrupted by the coarse
croak OF Granny Smiths voice, which asked:
|Air ye crazy. Salf
Granny Smith was an industrious person.
While her soul and-body destroying work at
night would have more than jus fled her
sleeping all day, she stole hours from Ter
rest during which she stole all else that came
within her reach, as she feigned to travel
about in the guisc OF a rag-picker and beggar.
Her way home this day led behind the school
houss-s belated "kept-iuh child might be
there; It sould be knocked down and robbed
Of > slate, II nothing else.
What air ye dom heref'
/
The best smoking tobacco IL Little
Joker"
A nex Lot nf ancoraiad nhinn ,na sOI. -.