Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-11-24
CASTING BREAD UPON THE WATERS.

One stormy night recently there was q
knock at the door of an humble hut of a
New York laborer named Coyle. The hut
in question is not beautiful, commodious
or desirable family residence. 1t IS rather
thing of shreds and patches. Iu fact, it is
| nothing more than shanty, perched pre-
cariously upon the rocks of one of New
York'S shanty towns. Around gambolled
the eternal goat and the crop Of children in
the neighborhood was large and particular
| " vigorous toward strangers. But battered
and poverty stricken as it was it enclosed
kind hearts.
The family had already gone TO bed when
the moaning and the faint knocking was
heard To get up with the wind whistling
through new rents in the walls-and old
ones, too, for that matter-and with the
knowledge that it would DO necessary to
pass through several promising cata-
racts from the roof on the way TO the door,
was not very pleasant proceeding. Bu.
get up Mrs Coyle did, and made her way TO
The door, muttering as she went expressions
not Of anger at the late intruder. but OF
sympathy with anybody abroad on such q
night Shelteriug the light with her hand
she opened the door cautiously, and by
dnt OF peering out into the darkness dscov-
cred what stranger might take to be
bundle of rags.
Mrs. Coyle knew better Calling her lus-
hand 10 her assistance, she carefully helped
the alleged bundle into the room, where it
proved to be woman, old, weary, Storm
beaten and very poor.
With weak, supplicating voice, the
iorlorn creature hesitatingly begged for
shelter for the night She was pennicss
and foQtsore, she said, and felt that she was
dying. There was no need for the appeal.
Mrs. Coyle was already calculating with
| true Irish hospitality where the stranger
could be placed for the night, which 70: a
shan:y, even ii it had three Coums, like the
Coyle's, was no easy problem. But tie
other Coyes we're as willing as the female
| head Of the family, and place was soon
found for the old woman, aad what could be
was done in the way of succor.
| In the morning the woman Was seen to be
very i'll indeed. and the Coyes regretfully
resorted to that last expedient of the poor
! a hospital. There was exactly 81 in the
! house and this was the improvident man.
ner in which il was spent: Mrs. Coyle
noticed that the woman's shoes were falling
| to pieees-a poor condition for walking on
such day. Without thought OF the future
| she tludged out into the storm and bought q
new pair. Then the ambulance surgeon
who was seat to tho place came and decided
| that the woman was so graveiy Ill that she
must be removed st once. The ambulance
bell changed as the woman was carried oil.
| The Coyles never saw the woman again.
! They did not speak Of her again save to ex-
! press pity until last Friday morning, when
a letter carrier came to the foot Of Shanty
Town Hill, exhibited letter addressed
| simply ZIG ave 5 N Y City," and asked if
! it belonged there.
The letter had been puzzling the post Of
| flee people for fortnight. 1t had been
| making protracted tour of the city, and
| was proportionately the worse for wear and
! tear Of travel, being tattered, stained and
| grimy. 1t was verilable waif Of the nails
| Various combinations suggested by the
| figures Of the address were tried, but none
| would unlock the mystery, and finally 1t
was sent to the Harlem branch Office to
| be again trotted out on its travels on the
theory that ZIG ave 81 might possibly
| mean GIG street and Fifth avenue" The
particular Shanty Town in which the
| Covle family lives is at 10th street and
Fifth avenue. Postman Webb did not i'm
mediately get an answer to his question, for
| the mail service is not popular In SGanty
Town, being associated with otficialdom and
| other unpleasantries. Confidence being re-
stored Shanty Town lent its assistance to
the postman, and the letter was soon tas-
tened on the Coyles.
1t had been forwarded by one ofthe house
surgeons in the hospital on Wards Island
It's contents were a surprise. The writer
stated that woman who had just died there
| i l~oI h. ,r-hi ioh
found in belt around her body, should be
given to the family at 10th street and Fifth
avenue. who had so kindly succored her the
night she fell i'll. And what was the more
surprising was that the money referred to
amounted to the snug sum of $l,40o. A
the Coyles are very poor, the gift is a great
windfal to them. Nothing is known about
the woman. She appeared TO be rag pick
er.-N. !. Herald.
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KEEP BABY's HEAD CooL.-The proxI'