The Opelousas courier., 1889-05-11

The following incidents actually occurred,
as here stated.
AS the school was assembling in the morn
ing, the lady teacher asked little pew pupil q
What is your name =
Tommy Brown, rDa'uul," was the answer
He was q pitiful, but pathetic little figure,
with u thin face, large hollow eyes and pale
cheeks that plainly told of insufficient food.
He wore suit of clothes evidently made for
some one else and they were patched in pia-
ces with cloth Of different colors. His shoes
were old! Uis hair was cut square on the
meek in the unpracticed manner that women
sometimes cut boys hair. 1t was q bitter
cold day, yet he wore no osereoat; 49,,
How old are you. Tommy - the kind'
/ earted teacher aeked.
Nine years old, come next April" t. boy
replied. II have learned to read at home,
We'll. it Is taa2e for yS3sf t to begin school
The boy fumbled with II cap i'll his bands,
but looked embarrassed, and did not reply ut
nuce.- The cai, was ragged, aud So faded II"
.oue could tell the original color. But pres
! eutly be summoned up courage aud said:
u never went TO school 'cause-'cause-
wG,li, mother takes III washing, and she could
a4st spare me before. But,Sissy is big enough
novy TO help, and she minds the baby besides.
IL was not quite time for school to begin
All gHound the teacher aud the scholar stood
the asoys that belonged to tue school. And
white moor litJie l0mI0S WIS tudkins Hlo Cou'
fused explanation some of the boys laughed,
and one of them called out: - Say, Tommy,
where are your cuffs and eollar2" And ait
.other said: q You must sleep 10 tue rag.bhg
AT night, by the look Of your clothes! y Aud
before the teacher could stop their jeers, an.
.other boy said: s. He is the sou OF old 81
Brown, who is always as drunk as a fiddler ~
The poor child looked around at bis tor
mentors like IL hunted thing, and before the
teacher could eave time TO quiet tue other
boys aud encourage poor little Tommy, he ran
.,,ut of the room with suppressed cry ui
crushing misery, aud TED down the street
.aud wac seen no more.
The teacher went TO her duties with heavy
heart. All day long the @hilt3s pititni face
| haunted her At night it came to her III dis
/ tressiug dreams. After some trouble she
I found out where he lived; aud two of tue Ia
dies belonging to the 'Women's Christian
| Tenperance Union went to visit the little
boy that had excited interest III his behalf.
They found an old diapidated room added Oh
to the hind part of another tail building, with
very narrow, dark, filthy aud damp alley in
tefYening. And there, Ill that little, dilapid-
ated, dingy room, shut out from aIr and sal
shine, those two kiud- hearted ladies' found the
i poor distressed family to which little Tommy
/ belonged, His mother stood before wash
/ tub: and as they entered she wiped her hands
i with her apron and came forward to meet
i them. Once she had been a pretty woman
/ and seen better days. But the tint of beauty
and the light of cheerful heart had gone out
{ of her face, leaving haggard gloom of expires
4 sion She asked the ladies to sit down, and
she herself took chair and said, Sissy, give
me the baby little girl came forward
ffom dark corner of the same room, bringing
the baby which she laid in the mothers lap
1t was lean, sickly. looking baby, with thf
same hollow eyes that little Tommy had.
g Your baby don't look strong" one of thu
ladies remarked. "No, ma'am, she is MOI
very strong have to work very hard, aud
,sxpeet it affects her, aud the woman coughet
as she held the baby to her breast Tue roou
where they were sitting was where the famii.
cooked. ate, washed and slept.
;. Where is your little boy Tommy asket
one of the visitors. 8 He is there in the trun
dle.bed," replied the mother. 6 l. be sick
inquired the lady, "Yes'm the doctor don
think he can get welt" AT this, the mothe
> laid her face on the bahy's, while the tear
T ran down her thin and faded checks.
What is the matter with him e
He was never very strong. and he has ha
to work too hard carrying water and helpin
me lift the heavy wash-tnbs, and things lik
: that 800 much for his strength"
is his father dead p
mo, he is not dead, lie used to be goo