The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-03-13
AN ACCIDENT.
fNew York rmes.l

from, or even its name.
 One day c sloop freighted with brick vas unloading uptown, and hand on deck was tossing bricks, two by two, to another man on the dock. All of a sud- den a wee little chap, not more than two 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 man. It had not been exactly his fault that the child had been kaocked down, still he fel, very sorry for it. The little fellows head was badly cut, and he was stunned, He was car ried 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 surgeon said the case might be serious one, end that the little boy had better be taken to the hospital. Forster had a sister who worked in the 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 sad.
 The cabin of the brick sloop was not a handsome place to look at. It was dirty and slovenly, hot and close. Molly Fors, ter set about making it tidy. She opened the little windows of the cabin, and kept off the crowd who were swarming ID the narrow quarters. She famed the child, laid it on a coarse pillow, having fsst spread her clean apron over it, and bathed the poor baby's head, trying to ssaunch the flow of blood from the wound, "lf," said the surgeon, "you could keep the child perfectly quiet for a while it would be all for the better. 1 am afraid to jolt him in tue ambulance, Maybe he will come to before long It the hot wards of ths hospital Can you take charge of him until come back l 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 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 sun set 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 adver- tise him since no one has come for him. Somebody will claim him, 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 1t. All that plight Molly Forster nursed the child. Occasionally Bill would push his hard lined aud weather beaten face into the cabin wir> dow 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 got to be done"
 Bill Forster, who was man of forty, have said was rough. do not know how 1t happens, but handling bricks seems to make people coarse and rather brutal whisky, but as many as he could drink Mixing with 8 crowd of men worse than he was who freqaented rumsaops, he was much given to lighting. and his face was as often as not d,s6gured with black eye or cut lip. Bill earned about a Sf 25 a day and when the week was up he never had penny left. Perhaps if Bill had not been little drowsy and stupid from too much liquor that morning the day before when the little chap got in the way he (Bh would have been more careful how he threw his bricks.
 The week after Molly had taken charge of the child Bill resisted the temp'ation to go on spree and gave his sister SI 50 That was the first time for years that ne had ever saved cent. The week after that Bill did even better. There was Molly working as hard as she could at the washboard or ironing board, earning seventy cents dag asd feeding the child Ina, shamed Bill. It happened tha, the little boys short frock had been stained with blood. Molly had carefully washed it, but still Bill thought he saw stains on 1t, and that worried him sick.
 Next week, when he saw his sister, who was waiting on the whart for him with the little fellow in her arms, he said i: See hero, Molly, its kind of hard on you, having to feed this little fellow Bread and milk and potatoes costs money, and nursing him takes away lots of your time. Any~ays, dressing of that kid would be just ruin ation to you. Here's . dollar and half for his kees and heres one dollar besides, and buy calico or something and make a frock for tn at child, and mind you burn the one he's got on, and next time sees him le. him be looking prime. Won't your
 "It's mighty good of you, Bill-and just you wait. I'll rig him out. He isn't bit of trouble. When I'm at work | take him to the laundry. and he's real pet there. used 10 be afraid he was kind of dszsd-but don't you bother, Bill, he's all right, for he takes to playing now. He's only quiet on account of his natural sweetness-all real good chil- dxen's that way-and love him, jus, as if he was my own baby"
 On the next trip to the North river Bill Forster Ponde.ed great deal over tns