The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-12

stop her crying, which she had been doing steady
ever since she first started in at it.
Well, at last she stopped. She stopped her
crying. and she looked up at him with ner big
eyes; and Jake" says she, you're good: you're
very good, Jake; and you make me feel awful
bad as though had been deceiving you. But
now, Jake, l must tell you the honest truth, and
the whole of it," says she, land then you'll see
that you don't want none such as me for your
wife, Jake, and you'll agree that it's better for
me to go away. Are you ready to listen, JakeP
says she
''Go ahead. I'm ready" says Jake.
And she begun.
What was it that she told Jake2 Never you
mind. She talked for some time steady; and
Jake, he sat still. a-driving his nails into his
flesh, and a-grindipg his teeth till he nearly
broke 'em; he sat still and listened: but what she
told him he never repeated to a living being, and
you take my word for it, he never will. But when
she'd got DONE Jake's eyes was as wet as water;
and Jake, he rose to his feet, and he bent over,
and he put out his hand and took hold of hers
with it, and he gulped down something that was
sticking In his throat, and says he, "Hettv,"
says he. and then he stopped for another gulp
and then, "Hetty," says he again, "Hetty,
there's bigger scoundrels in this world, than I'd
ever have believed, though | knew it was pretty
bad That's all I've got to say, Hetty, except this,
that | love you thousand times better now than
did before you began to speak, Hetty, and
ask you again to be my wife"
70 cut long story short, sir, in the morning
of the 2lst day of May 1883, Jake and Hetty,
with Mrs. Riley for bridesmaid, they went to
the church around in Houston street. and they
was married.
Well, SIR the first few months Of this married
life slid away as smooth as if they was oiled
Jake earned 40 cents a thousand in the Trumpet
Office, and on that they managed to get along
right comfortable. They calculated that they
might as we'll have home to themselves; so
they babe goodbye to Mrs Riley, and they
hired floor over on Second avenue, near Sixth
street, and they set up house keeping. Jake, he
bought some furniture with the money that he'd
saved-for l mustn't forget to tell you about
that there doctor, that 1t turned out how he
had been a-docrering for the good of his health,
after all; leastwise, when Jake started to settle
with him, at first he swore black and blue that
he wouldn't charge nothing, nor accept nothing
and then finally he gave in to the extent of taking
SIS for the whole business; so that Jake was left
with about $50 in his pocket-Jake, he bought
some furniture, secondhand but solid and
Hetty, she done the homework, though TrI
not ashamed to say that Jake used to whip CUT
his coat, when he was to home and help her
with it; and, on the whole, they was as happy as
clans at low tide. | amt got the time to tell
you all the different things they done, but I'll
just remark that it didn't matter much what
they done-so long as they done it together
they found pleasure in it. Now for instance
you might think that they'd have enjoyed going
to the theayter on Jakes off night more than
they would sweeping mp the kitchen floor in
company, or washing dishes. But that's where
you'd make big mistake. Washing Dishes
Jake discovered was one of the most enjoyablest
occupations that he'd ever put his hand to pro-
viding Hetty, she stood by and done it with MN.
The fact is, you see that these two persons
thought such a heap of each other,
and it made them feel so uncommon
good just to be close by each other, that
they didn't feel the need of no extras in the
way of entertainment But as | say, l amt
got the time to go into all this. The point I'm
driving at is this that their happiness held out
for the whole of that summer. and somewhat
beyond it, and then, without no more warning
than this here thump | give the table sir. it
come to an end, and their trouble begun. For
Jake. sir, he went blind. Yes, blind One night
in October he was a-working at his case in the
Trumpet office, setting BREWER, when-hev,
presto, kerfiunk!-the first thing he knew, there
fell blackness before his eyes, just exactly as
if he'd shut them-wnich he hadn't, for they was
open wde-and Jake, he stood still there, scared
to death. and his heart a-beatipg as if it would
bust and he wriggled his lids, and he rubbed
EN-; but for all his wriggling and rubbing, he
couldn't his hand in front Of his face,
more than he could if all the lights in the COM
posing room had suddenly been doused. And it
wasn't strange that he couldn't neither for next
day. at the eye and ear dispensary, he found out
that he'd got paralysis of the optic nerve.
WE'LL now, I'll leave it to you, sir, if this wasn't
pretty kettle of fish. Without the use of his
eyesight, I'd just like to have it explained how
Jake was to go on earning 40 cents thousand
setting type. And, as Jake didn't have no cou-
pons to cut off, I'd like to have it explained at
the time how, without them 40 cents a
thousand. he was to pay his rent and buy his
food guess you'll have to admit, sir, that
things was in desperate bad way.
The important part of the story I'm atelling
you. is the ending of it; and there amt need
for me to delay over the consequences that fol-
lowed upon Jake's going blind. J. sha'n't stop to
give you the particulars of what the doctors at
the dispensary said and done, nor to explain
how little by little Jake and Hetty got so poor
that they come to live in the House O Horrors.
Remembering that Jake stone blind, you
can put two and two together, and fill in the
space that III leave blank. The fact is that on
the I'd day of January. 1884, with what few goods
and chattels they hadn't got rid of at the pawn
shop, they took up their residence in a small
room on the sixth floor of the House O. Horrors,
for which they was to pay rent of 81 so
month. You don't know much about the House
O Horrors. sir, | reckon? and it's lucky for you
you don't l suppose it was the biggest tene-
meuthouse in the city of New York, and by
long shot the worst It situated down on
Roosevelt street. and was big enough to accom-
modate 2l6 families. allowing roem TO each.
The inhabitants were chiefly thieves, beggars,
rag -pickers, Italians, poor, poverty stricken,
God-forsaken creatures like Jake and Hetty. 1t
the rottenest. dirtiest worst smelling es-
tablishment that l put my foot
inside of, and I've Knocked around con-
siderable among them sort of places There
amt no call for me to give you a long descrip-
Ilou VI H. LOu Can JuSL wake lOF SrdEbeO tHdL
house which had won that nickname-the House
o Horrors-was mighty dismal hole to begin
the New Year by setting up your home in. But
that's what Jake and Hetty was obliged to do
Jake just now was earning average fifty
cents a day selling newspapers Early every
morning Hetty and him would start out and go
the rounds of the different Offices to lay in his
stock in trade; and then Hettv would lead him
to the steps of building near the City Hall sta
ton of the elevated road, and leave him
there, whilst she went home to do the house
work. Jake would set on them steps till IL
o'clock hollering out the names of his papers,
and selling as many as be could make out to-
But the small boys who had the use of their eye
sight, and so could about and head people
off before they reached him. them small boys
was powerful competitors and Jake didn't make
fortune in the newspaper business At IL
o'clock Hetty would come back for him. and