The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-10-21
BILLS CHILD.

NO one ever knew where the child |
came from. or even its name.
One day a sloop freighted with brick
was unloading up town, and hand on
deck was tossing bricks, two by two.
to another man on the dock. All of a
sudden wee little chap. not more than
? years old, came toddling along, got
right in the way, and was knocked over
by the flying bricks.
Bill Forster, who was handling the
load, was a rough mar. 1t had not
been exactly his fault that the child had
been knocked down, still he felt very
sorry for it. The little fellows head
was badly cut, and he was stunned.
He was carried into the cabin of the
sloop, and there Lay quite motionless.
The Captain of the sloop sent to the |
police station. and the surgeon came. |
The child was carefully examined. |
The surgeon said the case might be a |
serious one aud that the little boy had |
better be taken to the hospital. Forster |
had a sister, who worked in a laundry. |
and at once he sent for her. Molly |
Forster hurried down TO the wharf, |
took the child in her lap and listened |
breathlessly to what the surgeon said. |
The cabin of the brick sloop was not |
handsome place to look at 1t was
dirty and slovenly, hot and close.
Molly Forster set about making it tidy.
She opened the little windows of the
cabin. and kept off the crowd who
were swarming in the narrow quarters.
She famed the child. laid 1t on coarse
pillow, having first spread her clean
apron overit, and bathed the poor baby's
head, trying to stanch the flow of blood
from the wound. III, s" said the sur
geon. ''you could keep the child per-
fectly quiet for while it would be all
for the better. am afraid to Jolt him
in the ambulance. Maybe he will come
to before long. 1t is rather cooler here
on the river than in the hot wards of
hospital. Can you take charge of him
until | come back? | will see you this
evening"" Molly had already torn up
her handkerchief and bandaged the
child's head. Now she followed the
surgeons directions. The doctor was
humane man, for when he left he put
a half dollar into Molly's hand and told
her to buy some ice to cool the water
| she was using ON the bandages.
Molly Forster famed and famed
! that little sufferer, and bathed its head,
and was tender with the child. About
sunset the surgeon came again, and
just then the child opened his eyes.
well, that's good sign" said the
doctor. Now hadn't you better ad-
vertise him since no one has come for
him? Somebody will claim him, |
suppose. can arrange for you to keep
him ii you want to. +"
Although the accident was reported
in two brief lines in all the newspapers,
and Notwithstanding the efforts of the
police to find the parents OF the child,
no one ever came for it. All that night
Molly Forster nursed the child. Occa-
sionallv Bill would push his hard-lined
and weather-beaten face into the cabin
window and look wistfully at the little
child. He never went to sleep that
night, but kept walking up and down
the deck. At daybreak he said to
Molly in a hoarse whisper: Molly,
take that kid to your room. It's go'
to be done"
Bill Forster, who was man OF 40,
} have said was rough. l do not know
how it happens, but handling orlck'
seems to make people coarse and rath'
er brutal. Bill would take not only
one glass of whisky, but as many as III
| could drink. Mixing with crowd
men worse than he was who frequent
ed rumshops. he was much given t.
fighting, and his face was as often a
, not disfigured with black eye or Gu
lip. Bill earned about dollar and
| quarter day, and when the week wa
: up he never had penny left. Perhap
if Bill had not been a little drowsy an
stupid that morning from too muc
5 liquor the day before when the llttl
chap got in the way he (BilD woul
/ have been more careful how he thre'
7 his bricks.
The week after Molly had take
S charge of the child Bill resisted th
y temptation to go on a spree and gay
his sister dollar and half. In;
Q was the first time for years that he ha
Y ever saved a cent. The week aft
that Bill did even better. There W;
Il Molly working as hard as she could
: the wash board or the ironing boar
earning 20 cents day. and feeding Il
a child. That shamed Bill. 1t happe
rs ed that the little boys short frock b;
been stained with blood. Molly b;
Of carefully washed it, but still b
IS thought he saw stains on it and tn
10 worried him sick.
Next week, when he saw his siste
es | who was waiting on the wharf for hi
to with the little fellow in his arms,
A said, '.See here, Molly, its kind OF ha
on YOU, having to feed this little fello
Sc Bread and milk and potatoes cos
money, and nursing him takes aw
er lots of your time. Anyways, DIRE:
ing of that kid would be just ruinati
/? to YOU. Here's dollar and half
or his keep, and here's dollar beside
and buy calico or something and ma
Is a frock for that child, and mind y
le burn the one he's got on, and nc
time [ sees him let him be look
IN prime. Won't you?"
lie "It's mighty good OF you. Bili-a
a just you wait. I'll rig him out.
isn't a bit of trouble. When I'm
We work take him to the laundry, a
be he's real pet there. [ used to
afraid he was kind of dazed-but do
Won bother. Bill, he's all right, for
takes to PLAYING now. He's only Gu
on account of his natural sweetness
'rl- all real good children's that way-a
yer love him, just as if he was my o
~ baby"
lty On the next trip up the North Ri
GET Bill Forster pondered great deal O.
at the child. The fact is, the child, whe
an err he was awake or asleep, was ne
III for a moment out of Bills mind
nre had never thought much about a.
co thing before, and it was hard work
at him to think at all. Maybe beca
ID for more than one-half of life his br
ere had been muddled by liquor he |
OF never set it working. As the EN-
OF sloop fioated up the broad river, sls
pes Iy moving with the tide, Bill sat In
Inc shade of the Tapping jib and arg
aV- with himself, and the general CONF
~ :. sions he arrived at were oy no Inc
uio tiattering to himself
ted ..Tbe bepinniuo and the ending
4 a this here is rum. I've wasted nigh
be to 25 wears OF my life Why hasn't
ms boom of that mainsah knocked
me stupid brains out OF me before ti
ure What have l got to show Tor Az yea
re- life? just these here ragged and orl
no soiled clothes / stands IN Came q
ned numbering child, did you. you &c
mat for-nothing beast? Dldnt nave
'ePs better sense nor that? A herdlng
ex- drunken sailors, you big blackgus
mes and not knowing nothing better? .
ives fitten to toss bricks from on and o
item sloop. That's the best you kin
MY You took a drink this morning,
'9a .ne' YOU feel sharp set for another just
.sy, blessed minute. You can't get it
cause you are on the river where g
'sa shops amt floating round. Amt
sra man enough to go to Haverstraw
c,,,- no matter what happens say Bill
ster, don't you take another drinl
matter If another fellow does 81