The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1885-10-08
BILLS CHILD.

No one es,or knew whore tho child
came from, or even its name.
One day a. sloop froighted with brick
was unloading up town, and hand on
deck was tossing BRICKS, two by two,
to another man on tho dock. All of a
sudden wee littlo chap, not moro than
2 years old, camo toddling along, got
right in the way, and was Knocked oYor
by the flying bricks.
Bill Forster, who was handling tho
load, was a rough mar. 1t had not
beon exactly his fault that the child had
boon knocked down, still he felt worry
sorry for it. Tho littlo follows head
was badly cut, and he was stunned.
Ho waS carr Ii into tho cabin of the
sioop, and thero lay quito motionloss.
The Captain of tho sloop sont to tho
police station, and tho surgeon came.
The child was carefully examined.
Tho surgeon said the case might bo n
serious one and that tho littlo boy had
better be taken to tho hospital. Forster
had sister, who worked in laundry,
and ut onco he sent for her. Molly
Forster hurried down to tho wharf,
took tho child in her lap, and listened
brcathlcssly to what tho surgeon said.
Tho cabin of the brick sloop was not
handsome place to look at. 1t was
dirty and slovcnly, hot and close
Molly Forster set about making it tidy
She opened tho littlo windows of tho
cabin, and kept off tho crowd who
were swarming in the narrow quarters.
Sho famed the child, laid it on q coarse
pillow, having first spread hor clean
apron ovcrit. and bathed the poor baby 5
head, trying to stanch the flow of blood
from the wound. '1f," said the sur
geon, "you could koop the child per-
fectly quiet for Il while it would be all
for the better. am afraid to jolt him
in tho a"''. ulanco. Maybe he will como
to before long. 1t is rather cooler hero
on the river than in tho hot wards of Il
hospital. Can you take charge of him
until come backP l will SEQ you this
evening" Molly had already torn up
her handkerchief and bandaged tho
childs head. Now she followed tho
surgeons directions. The doctor was
humane man, for when ho left ho put
half dollar into Molly's hand and told
hor to buy somc ice to cool the water
she was using on the bandagcs.
Molly Forster tanned and fannod
that little sufferer, and bathcd its hoad,
and was tcndor with the child. About
sunset the surgeon came again, and
well, that's II good sign" said tho
doctor "Now hadn't you better ad-
vcrtso him since no ono has come for
himP Somebody will claim him, I
suppose. can arrange for you to keep
him if you want to"
Although tho accident was reported
in two brief lines in all the newspapers,
and Notwithstanding tho efforts of tho
police to find tho parents of tho child,
no one ever came for it. All that night
Molly Forster nurscd tho child. Occa-
sionally Bill would push his hard-linod
and wcather-beaten face into tho cabin
widow and look wistfully ut the littlo
chIld. He mover wont to slocp that
night, but kept walking up and down
tho deck. At daybroak no said to
Molly in a hoarse whisper: "Molly,
take that kid to your roam. It's got
to bo done"
Bill Forster, who was man of 40, 1
havo said was rough. l do not know
how it happens, but handling bricks
seems to make people coarse and rath-
or brutal. Bill would take not only
one glass of whisky, but rs many as ho
could drink. Mixing with crowd of
mon worse than he was who frequent
cd rumshops, ho was much given to
fighting, and his face was rs often as
not disfigurcd with black eye or n cut
lip. Bill earned about n dollar and q
quarter day, and when tho week was
u" ho never had penny left. Perhaps
If Ajiil had not been little drowsy and
stupid that morning from too much
liquor the day before when tho little
chap got in the way he (BID would
nave boon more careful how he throw
his bricks
Tho woek after Molly had taken
charge of the child Bill resisted the
temptation to go on spree and gave
his sister a dollar and half. That
was the first time for years that ho had
over saved cent. Tho week aftor
that Bill did even better. There was
Molly working as hard as she could at
the wash board or tho ironing board,
earning 20 cents day, and foedinc tSo h,
child. That shamed Bill. 1t happen
cd that tho little boys short frock had
been stained with blood. Molly had
carefully washed it, but still Bill
thought he saw stains on it and that
worried him sick.
Next week, when he saw his sister,
who was waiting on tho wharf for him
with tho littlo follow in his arms, he
said, "Seo hcre, Molly, its kind of hard
on you, having to feed this littlo follow.
Bread and milk and potatoes costs
money, and nursing him takos away
lots of your time. Anyways, dross-
ing of that kid would bo just ruinatiou
to you. Hero's dollar and half for
his keep, and here's a dollar bosidos,
and buy calico or something and make
frock for that child, and mind YOU
burn tho ono he's got ON, and next
time | secs him lut him bo looking
prime. Won't youp9