The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1886-02-04
'RuL,R WfElI''

light In the way, ana was knoCKoQ over
y the Tying bricks.
Bill Forster, who was handling the
cad. was . rough mar. It had not
been knocked down, stin he felt very |
sorry for it The little felloW's head |
vas badly cut, and he was stunned. |
He was carried into the cabin Of the |
Hoop, 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 q
serious one and that the little boy had
better be taken to the hospital. Forster
had Q sister, who worked in laundry,
and as once he sent for her. Molly
Forster hurried down to the wharf.
took the child in her lap, and listened
to what the surgeon said.
The cabin Of the brick sloop was not
Q handsome place to look at. 1t was
dirty and sloVenly, hot and close
Molly Forster set about making il tidy.
She opened tho little windows of the
cabin, and kept off the crowd who
were sWarming in the narrow quarters.
She famed the child, laid it on = coarse
pillow. having first spread her clean
apron OVERT, and bathed the poor baby's
head, trying to stanch the flow Of blood
from the wound. '.If" 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 CONT
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 $50 you this
L. IL Dr.
her handkerchief and bandaged the
child's head. Now she followed the
surgeons directions. The doctor was
a humane man, for when he left he put
8 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.
s'Wen, that's q good sign" said the
doctor. Nov hadn't you better adj
vertise him since no one has come foa
himP Somebody will claim him. l
suppose. l can arrange for you to keep
him if 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. Allthat nigEt
Molly Forster nursed the child. Coca
sionally 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 q hoarse whisper: ':Molly.
take that kid to your room. It's goi
to be done"
Bill Forster, who was q man of 40,
have said was rough. do not know
how it happens, but handling bricks
seems to make people coarse and rath-
er brutal. Bill would take not only
one glass of whisky, but as many as be
could drink. Mixing with crowd Of
men worse than he was who frequent.
ed rumshops. he was much given tC
| fighting, and his face was as often a
not distigured with black eye or q cut
lip. Bill earned about a dollar and {
| quarter a day, and when the week wa
up he never had a pennyl left. Perhaps
if Bill had not been 3 little drowsy AND
stupid that morning from too much
liquor the day before when the little
chap got In the way he (BilD WoulC
have been moro careful how he threw
his bricks.
The week after Molly had taker
charge of the child Bill resisted thu
temptation to 60 on q spree and CAV
his sister dollar and q half Tha
was the first time for years that he haG
ever saved cent. The week ate
that Bill did even better. There wa
Molly working as hard as she could .
the wash board or the ironing board
earning 20 cents q day, and feeding tn
child. That shamed Bill. 1t happen
ed that the little boys short frock hat
been stained with blood. Molly heI
4 carefully washed ii. but still Bill
thought he saw stains on it and tina
worried him sick.
Next week, when he saw his sister
who was waiting on the wharf for hin
with the little fellow in his arms, b.
said. ''See here, Nelly, its kind Of haru
on you, having to feed this little fellow
Bread and milk and potatoes cost
money, and nursing him takes ava,
lots of your time. Anyways, . dress
ing Of that kid would be just ruinatio
to you. Here's 3 dollar and half 70
his keep, and here's dollar besides
and buy calico or something and max
y kIOCA luz b41b S4AAOg anu AAAA0 "
burn the one he's got on, and mex
time sees him let him be lookini
prime. Won't youp"
'It's mighty good of you, Bill-an
Just you wait. I'll rig him out. II
isn't bit Of trouble. When I'm q
work take him to the laundry, an
he's Q real pet there. used to b
afraid he was kind of dazed-but don
you bother, Bill, he's all right, for b
takes to playing now. He's only quie
on account of his natural sweetness
all real good children's that Way-an
love him, Just as If he was my oW
baby"
On the next trip up the North Rive
Bill Forster pondered . great deal owe
the child. The fact is, the child, whett
or he was awake or asleep, was neve
for q moment out of Bill's mind. b
had never thought much about any
thing before, and it was hard work Il
him to think at all Maybe becaus
for moro than one-han Of life his brai
had been muddled by liquor he ha
never set it working. As the empt
sloop foated up the broad river, SLOW
/ " moving with the tide, Bill sat in th
shade Of the tapping jib and argue
with himself, and the general c0nclI
sions he arrived at were by no moan
hattering to himself.
Tho beginning and the ending {
this here. is rum. I've wasted nigh O
to % years of my life. Why hasn't th
boom of that mainsail knocked th
stupid brains out of me before this
What have got to show for 20 year (
lifeP just these here ragged and bricl
soiled clothes I stands IN Came nea
numbering q child, did you, you gooc
for-nothing beast? Didn't have q
better sense nor that? 4 herding wit
drunken sailors. you big BLACKBOARD
and not knowing nothing better? Jul
ftten to toss bricks from on and on
slo0p. That's the best you kin dc
You took . drink this morning. an
you feel sharp set for another just thi
blessed minute. You can't get it be
cause you are on the river where grog
shops ain't floating round. Ain's 20
man enough to 60 to Haverstrsw Ant
no matter what happens say Bill For
ster, don't you take another drink n,
matter If another fellow does stan,
treatp There's lots of things that XII
wants. There's whip. likewise Q pal
of shoes, and when Winter comes dan
mel pettieoats and wool socks, hkeWist
Christmas presents. Now, you loafe
Of a Bill Forster, every time you 90
the bottom of glass amt you guz
cling down something that little shaw
er wantsa Maybe it's just like you, yOI
white-liVered purp; you'll BE- lettinI
your sister be taking Of the yictuaf
out of her own mouth 50 as to feed 'en
to that child. and it was me as shoves
the kid on her. Maybe you'll be hunt
ing around for more babies to knocl
over with bricks you good-for-nothinE
lounging Portuguese.
When Bill had called himself Port
uguese he had poured the last droF