Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-02-17
NOBODY'S son.

fes, NOBODY son! L on have known
him in his prosperity, though you may
not be aware of it; but of the struggles
of his boyboOd you know nothing. The
bottle stands; PASS it. Permit me to
tell you his story, gentlemen.
A ragged lad, spare and gTimy, he
stood in a doorway almost too low to
admit him, and inside there was writ
ten poverty, hunger, and dirt" The
boys eyes wandered in hopeless man.
ner from a slatternly woman crouching
over the hearth, to the figure of a man
lantern-visaged, hollow-eyed. who lean
ed against the doorpoSt beside him.
"Well, my lad, dost hear?"
"Ay. But where am to go to?''
"Where thee likeSt. Come, out with
thy fist; there's three bob, and can i'll
spare 1t. Now, go thy ways; be honest
and don't lie; but remember that we
have done with thee for all evers."
The lad took the money and turned
away. In few minutes he came hack
again.
s'Give me name," he said, looking
up into the mans sallow face, ''every
dog has name"
'But every brat picked up in the
gutter hasn't"
Suddenly the woman rose up from
her crouching posture, and Came for
ward.
81 had name once, so long ago that
it's well nigh forgot Dunna send the
lad away, John: l picked him up, and
he's growed to my hearts like. Dunna." 1"
s'Botherr' returned her husband.
who's to fill his mouth and cover his
back? Cuti-be offi-marchI"
"I've not got friend in the worldl"
cried out the lad, as he trudged through
the muddy lanes which led from his
old home "not one in the world" And
the rain that pattered down from the
housetops repeated it doggediy, mot
onel''
s'I,m all in rags and dIrt," he said,
as he reached the broader streets and
stared about him, and peal of bells
rung out and echoed it merrily, rags
and dirt, rags and dirt!''
s'Cut, be off, march," repeated the
boy. "But where shall march2 Every
body's busy here, there's no room for
me. What am to do?" He passed a
pastrycook's shop-tempting and rich
he was hungry, and bis fingers wan
dered to the shillings in his pocket
wistfully. All at once an idea came to
him, and his eyes glistened.
One poor little marble table stood IN
a dim corner, but it did not seem to at
tract any one much.
NOW, my 10y. What is it?"
"That un, and that un, and this un,"
said the lad, indicating with singu-
larly dirty finger the particular daintles
be wished to stow away.
81 say, you move off. VIII you? I'll
teach you to finger things here, you
dirty young rascal. march,"
He held out his shillings despairingly.
''Ohl that's another thing" said the
man. ''Come, say what you want, but
keep your fingers off"
"Glve US one in," said the lad,
watching with his anxious eye every
delicacy put into the little basket. 81
want to sell en-"
The man looked at him and laughed.
but one more pitiful come up and look
ed at him too.
''Giye him some," he said, angTily.
"You know the price if he's gong to
sell.n
The young merchant left the shop
with a sob still sticking in his throat.
He tramped the streets and pushed his
basket at the passers by, some gave HIM
an angry look, some poke with stick
or sharp-pointed elbow, Two cakes
he had sold realizing the SUM Of three
halfpence, when he sat himself down on
the steps of st. Paul's Cathedral, and
gradually as the sun grew hot and hot
ter, his head dropped lower and he
slept.
An hour afterwards, the same ragged
urchin darkened the door of the pastry
cooks shop, where the one marble table
stood still deSolate in IFS corner.
what, here again, my fine fellow
Come, off with you; march," 1t was
very odd. "March!" had been ringing
In his ears all day. and here it came
again. Was everybody going to tell
him to march, and where on earth was
he going to march to2
Great teaT-marks covered his face,
red and smudged with dirt, as he turn
ed towards his former advocate.
II went an slep. and somebody's gone
and prigged 'em." 1t seemed as if the
perpetual "march" were coming from
his mouth too, but the owner thereof
changed his mind, and examined the
face with Its grimy tear-marks.
"Who are you? What's YOUR name?"
Name, John"
John what?" asked the man.
"M-m-marcI," !" stammered the lad
looking round despondingly; for he had
a misty sort of idea that it was a hang
ing matter to have no name, and that
was the only one he could thing of.
'John March, where's your fatherPr
"Nowheres."
"Your mother?"
''Ain't got none.n
"Whose son are you?"
"Nobody's."
"Wffre did you get that money?''
''It was given me by them as picked
me up little 'un and can't keep me no
longer: indeed it was."
A fresh burst of sobs followed this
speech, ant when the Questioner put a
fresh basket Of eatables into the dirty
hand held out to receive 1t, they came
faster than ever, for the lad didn't
know what to say he was so glad. He
was told that he must come back and
pay his debts when the hlsket was
empty, which he promised, with a Gu
rious mixture of sobs and chuckles.
John March did come back, holding