The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1889-01-30
OLD DEBTS.

joln tsresilail WaS al iii- PAID sclentii-
ic aad literary editor on the staff o.
struggling Nes York journal lie lived
IN one room on the ffih story O. small
tilir,i-elsss hotel near lafayette Piaee,
With his only child, ten year old
boy.
The fve-sair bscS. as they say in
London. was neither large nor very
agreeable apartment. The best Of rooms
viii nave a weirl smell when the carpet
has not been seaten for ten years, nor
the petroleum. laup cleaned for week.
There Was big writing tablein the mid
die Of the noon, s;rewn, OF course, with
unpaid bills, rejected manuscripts, and
crumplsd papers belonging 10 t.as father,
and With sketches, copy-bosks and kin
dergaTten weaving paper, the property Of
the son. Near the table was = revolving
bookcase filed with dictionaries and
BOYS books. i double bed was in an al
cove. aud on the bed. at the TINE when
,his story begins. WAS John. sleeping
peacefully, undissur5ed bv the hammer
ing ef the steam "a the radiator. Harry,
his small freekse4 son, was sitting a. the
window.
He vas looking out on several interest
ing yards. on 10 tAe rear Of a row of tene-
uieai houses. each house with six stories
Of FIRE escapes. Harry thought he should
ike 10 tura : monkey io9se AZ the bot
tom Of the skeleton siairclses and see il
ciiaib 10 the tor. Moss Of the hogsekeep-
ing in the tenement flats was done out-
side on these fre-escape balconies which
we're adorned with ice boxes and wash
tabs, and, on the top raiiings. clothes and
children put OIL toair. Ciofheslinss we're
fastened 20 the high telegraph pole in the
centre If each vari, enc line for each fat.
On pleasant days ti.s air was fun Of flap
ping Shirts and petlicaais. Mustard color
"a eats scaled the walls Of the houses,
stuck their heads in the Fefriger4tors.
nibbleG a The spinach and ietteuce plae-
s,l oa.side the windows, and tired to get
n the dead foEs which the cooks tied up
n psper bags and suspended by strings
from the Ezstenings on The blinds Tie
clothes, the letteaoe and the cats looked
gfilaly the wind blew the smoke down
from the chimney pots, and the window
looking into the room was exceedingly
diry
Il began to grow daTk: be watched the
women pulling in their strings Of clothes
and then, leaving the window, he tiptoed
softly, comparatively speaking. TO his IA
Tiers side, ana looked yery earnestly at
hin
John was sleeping wiih his mouth open
smile curling MS lips slightly, under
his dropping brown moustache. He was
jas. tveniy-cne years older than his son
lie looked boyish as be lay where ne
had lung himself lsziiy On the bed, MS
head thrown back, his brown hair fall
ing damply on his white forehead. In
his hand above bis head ne held loosely
brier-wood pipe, and the eounierpsne
was literally spTinkled with tobacco ash
Is. lie vas over six feet tail, and was
,iressed in very old clothes.
Harry, his hands in his pockets. his
mead on enc side, Looked at his parent
earnestly then he turned and walked,
in his little creaking boots, brllss-knObbed
and leather thongsd and much ia need
Of blacking. to the gate. and sat down on
the rug. lie began TO cut his fingers
With large bla6ed mans knife, and sue
ceeie,l in making a little heap OF bloody
sbavinss on the fioo-. Il was eeld. Har-
~ ihought his father would be pleased
to see 2 Ere when he woke ap. An1then
the window could be opened = moment,
10 lei cut the smell Of the dusty carpet
and the stale smoke and the kerosene
oil. The boy shed much innocent blood
and wiped his fingers frequently on 3
handkerchief - dirty that lis appearance
Was positively not injured by the addi-
ton of little gore finally he got large
supply cf shayings and he made fire in
lux ElAtrs tt-la NalAlr4 AAic
hands from the closet. as be did not care
to make any noise, and soon the fire
burned very veil tie warmed his stub
by fingers and then returned 70 the win
dow and rubbed his nose and cheeks
axainst the griIny glass
The gibteiefed clothes were tossing
about idiotically the woman Opposite
him in The tenement house had taken in
the dry ones. and had Just seng out a fresh,
reeking linefull Harry drew several
handkerchiess from his pocket. and de-
cided that he also would have wash to-
morrow The inferior breed Of cats were
sxarming thicker Than ever in the yards
and i,egan toshriek. Harry watched them
eagerly.
~If had stone, wouldn't peg il at
EN-. tho" he said
Ti,en knock came at the door. and
boy stuck in note he looked about the
room Inquidtively, and departed. Harry