Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-02-21
lconrrIrhted. lsce

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copyrighted, isCe.
Ia no legend OF an infamous
,yho has sold his soul to the devil
dSs, ns nrIyileae Of welding supernatural
iol ~ an earth; no recital OF the I'M
pow ~ houses by malignant sprites;
foo.,ssioeue OF the doings OF le diable
~ 80. or of Asmodeus, who Is In re-
po ,'. "a fern seed that he may walk in
es Iashle among us to spy out the nakedness
o. T rw hero Of this little history is simply
,,..,o hunchbacked newsboy. His name
= Johnny Duffy.
That Is, he was a newsboy. He is no
-ar wherefore, YOU may learn-if
nn choose TO follow the account of a
,nnentous period Of his life through a
snnnle OF columns OF type.
0o :. vas the night of Washington's birth.
~ ISIS, You will remember that a
uS oy,d stow-storm with very high Winds
ned III day, and that when evening
ssr ,e the snow was piled up in drifts
.iong the sidewalks and in the cutters.
TSo festivities OF the holiday were over,
~ Declaration of independence had
snen read in all the great halls, banquets
ma halls were in progress in comfortable
hotels and brilliantly lighted assembly
sooms the streets were deserted, save
sere and there for belated passenger by
.he elevated trains, or the struggling,
laundering six-horse surface cars, and In
ssousauds OF homes well-fed papas and
nortly mamas and chubby children gath
sred round cheerful fires, thanking God
nat they were not obliged to be out OF
doors on such u night,
There was one middle-aged gentleman,
however, Mr.. Tobias Chivlngton, broker
his specially intimate friends of the
street called him "Toby" and "Chiv'-
who was obliged to go out on this pdrtic-
mar evening, despite the weather.
ANY dear" said Mrs. Chivington, the
huxomest of all buxom spouses, ''can't
y you nut it off until tomorrow"
nohl papa, don't goi" chorused the
Young Chivingtons. cts such dread
iul night, papal"
But Toby Chivington had given his
word TO be in certain place at certain
time of that particular Washing on.
birthday, aud Toby Chivington's WORD
was Toby Chivington's bond--and Toby
Chiyington's bond was good anywhere.
So, mildly cursing the weather, the
head OF the family kissed the children
drew on his rubbers, clutched his UNI
brella with malignant intensity and in
moment more stood on the stoop OF the
house, holding his hat on for dear lif,
aud his coat tails fiourishing In the gale
It so happened that Mr.. Chivington't
home was situate Immediately opposit,
an elevated railroad station (the erection
Of which he had fought against witt
Characteristic pertinacity until the las
plank was laid, when he found 1t an ex
ceedihgly convenient thing to have neal
the house,, and that during the brie
period when the hall door remained opel
food of light poured out OF the hous
upon a small object--a very small objec
indeed-cowerlng against the pillar o
the station.
This exceedingly small object wa
Johnny Duffy, little fellow of twelve,
hunchback. He was smaller than mos
boys of his age, naturally, but his little
plnched-up, weakened face was full o
Intelligence. Yet all his intelligence ha,
been insufficient TO provide hun agains
such storm as had ragged that day; TO
here he stood, his skinny little JACKIE
pinned about his throat, his trousers tor
"AN VIVA w opNlA sSAOob SAeShs bhS
seemed to be composed of holes patche
together, bis damp, unsold papers unde
his little thin arm, and his feet bare.
Yes, in this bitter weather the poor III
tie hunchback stood in the snow in hi
naked feet.
My dear sir, or madam, If you choos
to pick out the coolest night of the pres
emit season and will travel as far as Print
ing House square, say at 2 O'Clock in tn
morning, you may convince yourself tina
this representation of little Johnny DUFF
as the type of this newsboy class /
somewhat underdrawn. There you ma
see, any morning, all the year round, Il
wet or freezing or torrid weather, home
less little fellows Switching an hour O
two OF fugitive rest. In winter they cul
themselves up together and lie on the ho
steam gratings of the Times office an