, 1888-12-13

Rolly hoped in HE heart the boy woul,
deny this. but that irrepressibe youth
with an air of jocuar levity, took raj
out OF some one OF the tatters In his coat
and with an imitation as correct as 1t wa
grotesque, whisked il over his one ole
shoe; through whose aapiue holes thu
small toes were visible, after the manner
ofa dude dustiug of his shoes and re-
piled:
81 Ruv bankeret ther las mite. did
tn gov nor of Mishoory an his pals didn't T.
but just went afore yer kum."
The incredible bravado and swagper
with which this was said were appalling.
holly scratched his head in condemnation
and could only resort to his useful my,
y N.Y. Seeing be had made an evident
impression, the boy continued, leering up
at Rolly like small monkeys
| III kun up from Newerleens ter meet
tn pres dent of the U. s. by special in wife,
did. He couldn't conduck this exposish
ithout KUN. Sez l, Grover, sez |, If
wasn't bein' Its you | couldn't never
think er leavin' my biznis 10 home. wich
is pressin', sez |. But III kum,' seq
The boy was interrupted here by cough
which racked his small frame and left him
too nearly breathess to resume
Where are your foIksp" asked Rolly.
"Aint got none.' was the reply in a
hoarse but suky tone.
Are they dead?"
'Hain't never had none"
my, my!" calculated Rolly. "You
poor little rat! Who takes care Of your"
Nobody"
jim" ,..
Dye live hereP"
Nav. Didn't tell yer I'm a stow ?? f"
"A what?"
"a stow. l slowed 1t from New York
to S'Awgussteen, an from S'Awuessteen
leens. An ] slowed 1t up ther Mississip'
ter s. Loois ter this ere place. o I'm fly
on the stow, am."
Ths sly, el6sh look upon this weazened
little face made the chills run up Rolly's
comfortable spine, but his great heart
warmed to the sbivering little waif.
rs ;S'pose ye hop on the load with me, an
we'll go ter market"
Ii was the boys turn to be astonshed.
There was shade less aQgressiveuess In
his tones, as he asked half wistfully, half
de6antly:
"Wot yer 9ivin' us?"
AN well get some hot coffee an
lunch of some sort
The bows mouth watered, but he hest.
tated. Yer won't guy feller up ter tn
No" said Rolly, not knowing who
the cops" were. but determined to be-
friend this small atom in human form.
The boy gave himself another shake,
which set afloat another cloud of ashes,
which settled down around the pony's
head. Tag shook his small head very de-.
cidedly and gave protesting sneeze, but
all to no avail. The boy is taken up and
Rolly dusts him off as well as he can with
his big, broad hand, and wraps the COM
Portable old buffalo robe about his shiver.
ing knees. The robe is about as shaggy
and about as warm as the ponies them.
selves. but Rolly supplements it with
heavy bag from the load. which has been
used to cover up some baskets of apples
and perslm mons. The child 8 teeth were
chatterihg with the cold.
Have an apple?" asks Rolly Hospitality,
reaching over and selecting one Of the lar.
gest and sweetest.
'Yerbetyerlife," responds this singular
specimen OF the genus homo. He falls to
raveDously, and Rulps down the apple
about as starving dog would gulp down
q choice steak. Rolly watches the spas
modic contraction of his lean and skinny lit.
tie throat in q quandary whether it is bet
ter to allow him to choke himself to death
and enjoy it, or to oblige him to eat slower
and be miserable, but decides to let him
take his chances as usual.
The cold apple does not warm the child's
shiveriug frame much. but il gives him
some little cheer. After it ia eaten he SAYS
in conversational way:
81 cribbed u apple off'n q apple. stand
yesterday. That's all had ter eat"
Rolly can't believe this.
,'All We mad t'eat yesterday
Yep. wishermay croak IL I want"
Roily'ssympathy aud astonishulen is too
profound to find relief even in his stars"
so be hurries up to the ponies and rela ,,ses
into silence.
How he got through with his trades he
could not have told you, he was in such a
preoccupied condition. He fed the boy
first OF all, who. having gorged himself
like an anaconda, became stupid and fell
asleep, anaconda fashion. Rolly covered
him up carefully, and having sold hs pro-
duce started for home with his new charge
profoundly sleeping.
Poor jim Any ash cat in the whole
great city last night was better off than
you, for the Lord provides winter coat
for them IT no more. Unfed, unhoused,
unwarmed; filth. vermin and poverty your
only privileges; your soul as benighted as
any heather who bows before an Idol, re-
pulslve and unresponsive to every finer
element in nature, what is there jim, to
warrant your having been born or to justi.
fy your having lived?
There Is more excuse for the heather,
aud he is in every way more attractive
picture to look upon. He is father off,
which is good thing; he worships some.
thing-which is better than nothing; he
arouses mach sympathy-which you, with
your impudenCe and denayitv fnA IL barJ
to do; aad his vices are vices of heather,
Ism. while yours, oh, unlovely jim, yours
are essentially vices of civilization.
IL Jim could worshin an npfhins, IL suonld