Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-09
LITTLE CABS JOURNEY.

little Gabriel who was familiarly called |
Little Cab" by all in the house. The father |
was cutter in a talor's shop; the mother,
a sckly woman, and already white haired,
though but 45 years old, busted herself with
the housekeeping, and used up in that the
remnant of her health. OF her five children
the three eldest had swarmed out from the
home, there remained only girl of Is, who
was dressmaker, and Little Cab, who was
a hunchbacE Born of parents who had
passed half of their lives in unwholesome
workshops or in dark and badly ventilated
stores, Little Cab was the victim of incur
able ricke,s His twisted spine brought his
shoulders nearly up to the level of his ears;
his slender and feeble legs bent under his
warped ana badly balanced chest; be coald
walk only when his form was held up in
peculiar corset. From this distorted body,
which lsSfged out both front and back,
-.ss'se head, too highly developed in form,
but with face OF an exquisite delicacy and
of singularly piquant expression. Although
he was years old, one would have thought
him hardly 5, judging from his poor stunted
and twisted body; one would have called
him % at sight of his thoughtful face, his
projecting brow and his great dark brown
ewes. 50 sad and so precociously thoughtful
Father, mother and the big sister worshiped
him. because Of his loving manner and his
extraordinarily Lively intelligence, The doc
tor had forbidden them TO let him do any
work, but to distract him and to change his
surroundings they took him to q school,
where be limited himself 20 listening gravely,
vet retained all that he heard. One evening,
after school hours, | noticed him under the
porch of the house, seated against the wait
ing room OF the janitor. His mother having
gone out TO make some purchase, and his sis
ter not having yet returned from her shop,
he had found the door of their rooms closed
on his return, and, leaning against the wall,
his ewes turned eagerly towards the street, he
was waiting with thoughtful and pain
fully resigned looked While | questioned
him, his black eyes threw over me long,
observing and frightened glances In the
meantime the big sister arrived, all out of
breath.
"Ah! my poor Cab" she cried, 81 have
kept you waitingl You were growing i'm
patient, humphf'
''No,r replied Cab in a calm voice, clear as
a silver bell, II was only saying to myself
that perhaps you did not want any more of
me, and that you would not return. / am so
sick and so wearisome"
"Ah, you bad boy murmured the young
girl, as she covered him with kisses; then,
turning towards me with her eyes full of
tears 'he is so delicate" she added, land so
intelligent; he reasons out things just like a
grown up person. What a pity he has so
little strength The doctor says that ii he
can go this summer TO Berck, the sea air and
the sand baths would probably cure him.
But Berck is far away, and then there is the
expense. After all l am going to try to
make enough to carry him there"
And the brave young girl worked from
morning until night to lay up the needed
amount She wore herself out working over
her sewing machine; she cut, laid together
and sewed with hardly a moment of rest.
Well into the night heard the sharp and
hurried movements OF the machine, resem
bling the abrupt rusthng that grasshoppers
make in the fields; beyond the curtains, il
Illuminated by the lamp, distinguished the
hard working girl in outline and thought
Involuntary OF Hoods terrible Song of the
Shirt
Everybody in the house knew the story Of
Little Cab, and the wives of the tenants will
ingly intrusted work to the big sister They
stopped the child in the halls on the landing
in the courtyard; they fondled him, they
treated hun with great tenderness, they sem
him dainties lie, always shy, recoiled from
the caresses. and more uneasy than diverted
meditated for a long time on these suddeI
marks of friendship.
why does the lady on the third floor Civ
me playthnrs," asked he thouzhtfullv O
his sister, "since she does not know NEE
Then, after a moments elaboration, b
added with a clearness Of perception tina
was heartrendu. because Of the gIifnpses
gave of the hard thinking to which thi
child's brain was subjected: 1t is because
am hunchback. no doubt.r
Much work came in and the little pile O
savings in remote corner of Il burea
drawer grew steadily. July was close a
hand. and they had already begun prepars
lions for the departure-the purchase OF
handsome leather trunk, the making of
suit for the child-and little Cab who We
in state Of wonderment, talked to h
schoohnates OF nothing OUT MS Journey to IL
sea paths' When, az the eleventh houF' an I'll
fortunate ACCIDENT came 10 thro" eVery1hln
INTO disorder Inc young "lie OF the go'
eminent CLERK on tue hftu hoor had ordere
the dres'maker to newly tum her weddln
gown and TO make II over IN the latest fasI
Iona gown tha6 had cost great deal
money ana thhV sAe "lshed 10 make serN
ior tne mute dahciug partle5 OF the comm
winter. One evening TAB, playing Wi
Lne nAs'anui lee u sup from ms poor I'll
huseis' anu 'ne liA uiii"pp'lJ ~ I'"leu w"
over the sallh OIL tne skirt 4ney uid n
sooId nlm-aias! no. the siGnt OF DIS lac
oVerwheimea win disnay, gave 100 mu'
pam Inc Dig sister uttered cry Oh terro
Hlentiy' her'ouSly' sue sp"nsed the sum al
measured the extent OF the disaster Inc IL
mad outfaGeouSly stained over eight yards
inc satin 10 tel the ACCIDENT 10 the Gu
TONER Oh the lltu moor ana 10 excite her pl
M FAVOR OIL Llttle Gao was ho1 10 Dc tnoug
Oh roF moment IN the hrst place, the go
eminent clerks wife was not rch, and
Weaams ofeSS constituted her only supp
ior her Gays OF lriVollty and oil ceremon
tneh lhe uressilaker was PROUD anu uid
care W aSqu@inV the mouse WIN ene caian
ties Of her family. The most advisable al
dignified wav was 10 run to the Bon Marc
and try to match the stuff. Eight yards
fifteen francs carae to 100 francs-a formid
bic breach in the money box and the savin
for the Journey! Well. it was done no
and the sea baths must be given 10 for tt
year. The dressmaker kissed Little Cab al
again set herself to work.
In the winter that followed they stru
gled hard in Little Cabs household. T
autumn had been rainy and Cabs heal
had felt the effect of it, His bones ached,
had feverish disturbances and headache
The doctor, sounding the boys lungs, sho
his head and insisted agsin on their sendi
tho chilli =, Pc ;,,,aaoI;otoI,, ~, tho