Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-11-21

his own physical betterlnent. he knocked
twice on the door in front OF him, Tie
nrst knock sounded trife apologize,
the second trifie Impatient: both failing
Oh recognition, he cautiously turned the
handle and peeped into the room, 1t was
not an interior calculated to fascinate the
gaze, nevertheless old Sandy stood there
quite r while looking in without making
any motion towards entering. The room
was dark, not for want of windows, for
IL boosted OF three, but what with the
Opaque newspapers that supplied the
place OF numerous missing panes of glass
ana the old shawl and older quilts that
had oeen pinned up as high as woman's
arm could reach, to keep The wind at bay.
ana the unwashed condition af the up
per sash, the reflection of the bright sun
lght that was flooding the streets old
sandy had just left was reduced to its
minimum. Such sunshine, however, as
9id penetrate into the dingy room fell
greet upon three cages full of canary
blrds that swung high up against the un-
washed upper sash, and when Sandy
opened the door they were rejoicing in it
with an exuberance of vocal content that
seemed almost insolent in it's contrast
win the sadness and stiffness oil their
surroundings. The most conspicuous of
THESE mute surroundings were cooking
stove and a child's cradle. The stove
looked cold and black and sullen, almost
as II 1t had entirely FORGOTTEN the genial
sensation Of having a fire aglow in it's
iron bosom. Both OF its doors stood wide
open and its hearth was strewn with gray
ashes, as If some one had been raking
among them for living coal without
success. A bent tin bucket, in which
some oatmeal had been cooked and grown
cold, stood on one of its fireless
campers with glazed filament gather
ing over its CONCEALED contents. This was
the only food visible. and it did not look
palatable. 81 So 80 s
AS old Sandy's eyes got used to the
obscurity they became conscious of an
other pair of eyes fastened on his own
with sort of imploring intensity. They
looked insmenselya@ large, staring at him
there from the cradle just In front of the
sullen stove, hut perhaps, it was because
they we're set in such an exceedingly
small face, from which all the flesh
seemed to have worn away, leaving the
dry skin drawn like drumhead over the
baby cheekbones. Two meagre arms, ter.
mInating in two claw like hands, were
0utstretched in mute appeal towards old
Sandy. But no sound came from the
Midge's dry lips.
"Bless my soul; it's all alone. Poor lit
tie Mldgev'
Old Sandy creaked in on the tiptoes OF
his brand new shoes, making all the more
noise by reason of his superhuman efforts
to make none at all. The canary birds
brought their chorus to an ast0nished
halt and turned their small heads sidewse
to investigate him thoroughly, evidently
regarding MIN as rival musician OF an
unknown genus. Old Sandy stopped when
he reached the cradle and said again very
GnftIV and TjfifnlIU.
BLESS my soul! Poor little Nudge. All
alone"
The Nudge never once took its great
eyes off the plying face bending over it,
nor once dropped the thin little arms thai
pleaded so elOquently Tor change from
the hot, hard discomfort of the cradle.
where 1t mad spent such a very large pro-
portion OF it's very short life.
BLESS my soul; it wants me to walk
itV Sandy was almost aghast at the
mute suggestion. Il wonder If |
might catch cold, ana you don't look
as il you could stand many more knock
downs.'
The Nudge, indeed. (entomologically
nick-named presumably for its slight
body and exaggerated extremIties) did
not look as If 1t could stand any more
knockdowns at all, but as it persisted in
its mute demand for change of some
sort, old Sandy cast about him furti velv
for something to wrap it upin. Nothing
satisfactory presented itself to his view.
The only shawl that was visible was the
one pinned up against the window, and
1t was 80 exceedingly dirty and moth
eaten that even if he had felt at liberty to
interfere with the arrangements of the
tenant of the room In her absence he
would mo- have used it. The Nudge,
growing tired Of his unexplained
inactivity emitted low wall from It's
small parched throat, which seemed to
throw old Sandy completely on his beam
end.