, 1885-09-13
An ACCIDENT.



was unloading uptown. and q hand on
deck wa tossing bricks, TWO by two. To
another mnn on the dock All OF a sud,
den n VICE lille chap. not more than 2
years old. came toddliug along. got ri ht
In the way. and was knocked over by tho
lying bricks.
all orster. who wa. handling the
load. was a rough man. 1t had not been
eAactl, his fault that The child had been
knocked down. still he felt very sorry for
it The little fellow head wns badl
cut. and he was stunned lie was carried
into the CABIN Of the s oop. and there iay
quite motion ess. The ca lain OF tho
scoop sent 10 the poll c station. and tho
surge II came. The child was arefuily
examined The surgeon said the case
might I've a serious one aud that the little
boy had better be laken 10 the hospital
orsier had 4 sisier who worked In a
laundry. and at once he sent for her
Mo ly orster hurried down to the wharf
took the child in her lap, II d lslened
brcathlessly L, what the surgeon said.
The cab n OF the brick sloop was not a
handsome y nee To look at II was dirty.
and 3 oveniy. hot and close. Molly Fors
Ter sci aiout Masking It tidy. She opened
tue lite wirdows Of the cabin. and kept
oil the crowd who were swarming in the
narrow quarters he famed the child.
hlA . NAA u iAuAoI HAAVns ia WI ~
slIead he. c can apron over II. and batbed
thc'poor baby 5 head trying TO staunch the
flow Of blood from the wound. "If. "
"a d the surgeon you could keep tho
CHI Id perfectly uiet for a while Il would
he all for the better. ! am arra,d to Jolt
him Ia the nmbu. ance. Ma, be- lie will
come 10 be ufe long Ii is rather
cooler here on the river than In the hot
wards Of the hos rital. Can you take
cnarge Of him until | come back will
see you this even ng. " Molly had already
torn up her h~audkerch' ef and bandaged
the child head Now she 10 lowed the
surgeon 5 d r%ections. The doctor was a
humane man. for when he left he n II q
half dollar into Molly S hand and told her
to buy some ice 10 cool the water she was
using on the bandages
Molly Forster ia ned and famed that
lit sufferer. a Il la he'd its head aid
was tender with the child. About sunset
the surgeon came again. aud just then the
chi d opened h S eyes
well. that's a good sign. sad tho
doctor. NOW hadn I you better adver.
tise him since no one has come for him
Someb dy will ca m him. / supposo /
can arrange for you to keep him II you
want 10.
Although the accident was reported In
two brief lines in all the newspapers, aud
Notwithstanding the c orts of the police
to Ind the parents OF the child. no one
e er came for it. All that night Molly
orster nursed the child. { c~casinnally
Bill would push his hard lined and
weather beaten face il 10 hecabin window
and look wisifully at the little child. He
never wen 10 sleep that night. but kept
walking up and down the deck. At dav-
break he said 10 Molly in a hoarse whis.
per. Molly. take Thai kid TO your room.
It's got to be done. ."
Bill Forster. who was a man of 40, |
have said was rough i do not know how
1t happens. but handling bricks seems to
make people coarse and ra her brutal.
III would take not only one glass Of
whisky, but as many as he could drink.
Mi In with a crowd of men worse than
he was who frequented rumshops. he was
much fiven to fighting. and his face
was as often as not disfgured with a black
eye or "a cut lip I'LL earned about
81. 8 day. and when the week was up
he never had a penny left Perhaps II
Bill had not been a little drowsy and
stupid that morning from too much liquor
the day before when the little chap got 10
the way he (BilD would have been moro
careful how he threw his bricks
The week after Molly had taken charge
OF the child Bill resisted the temptation
~ - W. "a IA11 ~ kaN1 ~ 1l1NGI 4 We
That was the first time for years tina he
had ever saved a cent The week after
hat Bill did even better. There was
Molly working as hard as she could at the
washhoard or ironing board, earning D
cents a day. and feeding the child. That
shamed Bill 1t happened that the Little
boy ; short frock had been stained with
blood. Molly had care. ully washed it,
but still Bill thought he saw stains on ii
and that worried him sick.
Next week. when he saw his sister.
who was waiting on the wharf for him
with the little fellow in her arms he said
"Sce here. Molly. lis kind If hard on you.
having to feed this little fellow. Bread
aud milk and potatoes costs money. an
nursing linn takes away lots of your
time. Any ways. u dressing Of that kid
would be Just ruinatiUn to YOU. Here
l.bO for his keep, and here besides
and buy calico or something and make a
frock t'r that child. and mind you burn
the one he's got on, and neSt time sees
him let him be looking lr.me. Won I
your
Its mighty good Of you Rill-and
just you wait III rig him nut. He ism /
a bit Of trouble. When I'm at work
taxi him TO the laundry. and he S n rea
ret there | used TO lie afraid he was
kird of dazed- but don { you bother. Bill.
he's al right, for lie lakes to playing now.
hes only quiet on account Of his natural
sweetness-all real good children's that
way-and ! love him, just as If he WAS
my " baby.
On the rext trip TO the North river PHI
Forster POWDERED Il great deal over the
child The fact is. the child. whether he
was awake or asleep. was never for a mo
meut out Of hills mind. lie had never
thought much about anything before. aud
II WINS hard work for him a. think at all
Mnybc because for more than one half OF
life his lrain had been muddled by liquor
he nj never set II working As The
empty sloop Gated up the broad river.
slowly moving with the tide. Bill sat In
tho shade o. the apping jb aud argued
with himself. aud the general conclusions
arrived at were by no means iiattering TO
himself.
-The leg nning and the ending Of this
here is rum. I've wasted nigh on 10 20
years Il my life v nv hash The boom
u that nainsa kn cked tn stupid brains
out OF me before his What have | got
TO show for 0 years Of lifef Just these
here ragged and brick soiled clothes |
stands a. anne near numbering a child.
did you, you coed for nothing beasii
B idn I have no better sense nor that A
herding with dru ken sal ors. you big
b ackguard and not knowing nuthing
better lust hiten TO toss br cks from
on aud OF a sloop That's the best you
kin do gu took a drink This
morn ny. and you feel sharp ses for
another Just this blessed minute You
cant get 1t because } GU are On The river
where progshops ain { floating round
Amt you man enough TO go to Haver
straw and no matter what iappeus. sly.
Biz orster, don gu take an iher drink
no matter II another fellDw does stand
treat There's lots OF things that kid
wants. There's a whip. likewise . pair
Another Life saved.
~Chnmhorlnin'a Collie. Chnlera and