Evening star., 1886-09-11

you, is the ending of 1t; and there amt no need
for me to delay over the consequences that fol-
lowed upon Jakes going blind. 1 sha'n't stop
TO give you the particulars OF what the doctors
at the dispensary eaid 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 was stone-blind, you
can put two and two together, and hll in the
space that I'll leave blank. The fact is, that on
the second day Of January, 1854, with what few
goods and chattels they hadn't got rid OF at the
pawnshop. they took up their residence in a
Horrors, for which they was to pay rent of
four dollars and fifty cents a month. You don't
know much about the House O. Horrors, sir,
reckon; and it's lucky for you you don't 1 sup
pose 1t was the biggest tenement house in the
city OF New York, and by a long shot the worst.
II was situated down on Roosevelt street, and
was big enough 10 accommodate 216 families,
allowing one room to each. The inhabitants
were chiefly thieves, beggars, Italians
and poor, poverty-struck, GOd-fOrsaken crea-
lures like Jake and Hetty. 1t was the rotten
est, dirtiest, worst smelling establishment that
around considerable among them sort Of places.
There amt no call for me to give you a long
description of il. You can just take for granted
that house that had won that nick-name-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 on An aver
age 90 cents u day selling newspapers. Early
every morning Hetty and him would start out
in his stock In trade, and then Hetty would lead
him to the steps OF a building near the City Hall
station OF the elevated road, and leave him
there, whilst she went home to do the house,
work. Jake would set them steps till IL
O'Clock, hollering out the names o. his papers,
and selling as many as he could make out to-
But the small boys who had the use OF their
eyesight, and so could run about and head peo-
pie OIL before they reached him, them small
didn't make no fortune in the newspaper busi-
ness. AT IL O'Clock Hetty would come back
FOR him, and lead him home, where he would
eat his dinner and then out; for sonnet times he'd
get half frozen, setting still there in the cold on
the stone steps. And then about o'clock
they'd start out again, to get supply OF after
noon papers; and so on and on till 8 or in the
evening. AS told you, Jakes profits averaged
in the neighborhOOd OF So cents day.
Sorrows, sir, as heard said once at the the
ayter, never come Single-handed, but in battal.
IONS AS II Jakes blindness wasn't enough for
one small family to put up with, what should
go on to happen but this here, that he tell sick
abed with infiammatOry rheumatism? One
night In February-the day had been freezer
and when he come home you'd hardly have
February he went to bed, complaining of Shoot
ing pains up his legs; and when he woke next
morning, 10! and behold, he couldn't walk
across the floor, ne couldn't even stand on his
ieet, no more than he could ii he'd been chained
down to the mattress. Hetty, she run out Tor IL
doctor; ana the doctor, he come, and he said
that Jake had lnt1amnatOry rheumat ism, and
would have TO lie idle The dickens knew how
long.
"Well, Hetty," says Jake, after tie doctor
had lett, ''this looks pretty much like Outand-
out starvation. donLit?
Concluded neat aDeek)