Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-12-17

without having disposed OF her stool
in trade is generally pooh-poohet
when it is mentioned; but it is true
nevertheless, in many cases, and it il
not an infrequent occurrence for mel
who are out late at night to find little
girl, with one or two papers under hel
arm, sobbing in doorway or under {
gas-lamp because she is afraid to &C
home. Ask her what is the matter
and when she tells you the tale vii
lieve it. Tell her harshly that thai
story is played out and 60 on YOU
way. and notice how uncomfortable
YOU feel when you consider that it i:
barely possible that her tale is true
Then sneak back stealthily. as
if YOU were about to commit
a crime, buy her papers and
give her a coin you can always
easily spare and you will sleep better.
| A few of the little newsgirls are well
known to downtown business men.
One little Italian girl, not more than
seven or eight years old, has pretty
| little trick of her own, which very often
proves effective in selling paper OF
l VI lHSIiS ioit III ehO PiOSShe VI a Soih'
The hurried pedestrian on Nassau
street, near Fulton, is surprised to feel
a soft little hand close upon his finger,
and when he looks down pretty but
dirty little face is turned smilingly up
| to his, and the child who trots ;along
beside him holding his finger asks:
'Please buy paper, mister?" Even a
rough man dislikes to break away from
| the gentle grasp of the small fingers,
| and the confiding smile and soft voice
of the child almost invariably effects a
sale. Most of the newsgirls, however,
| make sales by sheer force of endurance.
They will follow possible customer
for block, walking so closely in front
and imploring him to make purchase.
If the victim argues that he already
has paper and does not desire du-
plicate, the girl will say: ''Well. you
didn't buy that one of me, mister.
Please buy one of me!''
What becomes of the newsgirls is a
question almost as abstruse as the prob
lem relative to the disappearance of
pins. One who frequents the same To-
calities downtown notices the same
faces year after year, until they sud-
denly disappear entirely from his OBJ
servation, and others take their places.
But they never seem to grow older,
and as their newspaper trade does not
lead to advancement, they can not be
imagined to have climbed out of sight
on the ladder of prosperity. One little
girl who for several years sold papers
in front of Nash & Crooks restaurant
in Park Row had sufficient resolution
TO study telegraphy in her spare mo-
ments, and now she holds a position as
operator in the Western Union build
ing. Another newsgirl who came I'M
der the writer's notice had one of the
opportunities that are usually offered
only in Sunday-school books, but she
failed 10 take the right advantage of it.
Her story is not uninteresting:
About five years ago, newspaper
reporter was passing along Park Row.
near Ann street, in the afternoon, when
he observed a particularly gloomy small
boy moodily counting few pennies at
the edge of the gutter with bundle of
papers under his arm. While he was
thus engaged q depraved and ragged
urchin, several years older and many
sizes larger, swooped down upon him.
seized his pennies and bolted across
the street toward the POst-office. The
gloomy, small boy seized him by the
coat tails-or that portion. of his coat
nearest where the tails would have
been if they had not been torn otf-and
was waited with him across the street
through labyrinth OF horses, wagons
and street cars, screaming meanwhile
at the top of his voice. The depraved
urchin was SO much annoyed by the
little fellows attentions that he pro-
ceeded to confer upon him a scientific
thrashing, and all the other newsbovs
and girls in the vicinity became inter-
ested and came over to observe and ad-
mire. But before the thrashinn had
been entirely administered tattered
damsel OF perhaps ten or twelve years
appeared upon the scene, and, from
the manner of the reception. it was OBJ
vious that she was a person of some
reputation and Importance in affairs of
a similar nature.
''Wot's the row?' she inquired, ell
bowling her way toward the center of
the throng. A score of voices informed
her. AT the sound of her voice the de-
PRAYED urchin suddenly ceased his pu-
gilistic operations. turned pale and
made violent effort to break through
the crowd. The tattered damsel
caught sight of him.
Take my papers" she cried. hand
ing them to constituencies small bov,
who at once bclted and sold them at
Fulton Ferry, to his personal aggran-
dizement
The luckless fighter made several
fruitless efforts to get out of the ring
and then began to wall in anticipation
OF his approaching doom. though he
was older and taller than the ayenger.
The little Amazon grasped him by the
hair and delivered a series of right
handlers upon his countenanct with so
much fervor that the life-blood streamed
from his nose and his bellowincs mirbt |
have been heard six miles away. while
the group of small spectators howled |
with delight. Having punished him
sufficiently. the battered damsel let him !
no Il l.