The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-09-19

amount TO very much in the way Of a
protest.
When Miss Bessie announced her in
tentions of discovering how the small
boys in the slums of Titusvile lived and
moved and had their being. Miss Aston
had fondness for boys, and as long as
this was exercised in the direction of
boys of decent belongings her father did
not in the least object to 80 harmless an
idiusyncrasy. When it came, however,
to the lads of the slums, with the ap-
peaI ance of whom he had become but
too familiar in his walks TO and from his
office on the wharf, Mr.. Aston felt It
time to draw the line. He demonstrated
more earnestly than was his wont, but
with quite his wonied success. Miss
Bessie simply put her arms about his
with, red old neck and kissed him, and
that settled the whole matter, little as
people in general would have found it
possible to believe that kiss from any
body would have produced softening
effect upon old Peter Aston.
Old Peter did not, it is true, promise
to go with his daughter in her rambles.
and indeed he did procure from her some
sort of promise that she would be ex-
tremeIy careful and discreet in setting
forth upon any expeditions, but he did
promise to do whatever she would find
it convenient to ask of him in the way
of helping the boys she was determined
to unearth in the slums.
II may call upon you to set them all
up in business, papa" she said laugh
ing. II consider you promise blank
check, and shall fill it out by some
thing large"
"Don't forget that charity should be-
gin at home, and that l am too old to
begin life all over again on penniless
basis"
"Ob, I'll leave you a decent compel
ency, papa, but that is all you need ex.
pect. You have had money long time,
and now it ia time that some of these
poor little wretches shall have shance."
THAT l should live to hear my own
daughter preaching communism"
grOaned old Peter, in mock distress. 81
will begin suit to morrow against the
boarding school for all the money
paid they taught you nothing but that
sort of rubbish"
"Oh, l didn't learn that at boarding
school; they never taught us anything
half 80 important there"
~ had my doubts whether they really
taught you anything. Where did you
learn it, then ?"
Il have been reading a book all about
the awfully poor, and how to help them,
and"
"You have decide to reform the
world l have known people to try that
LOB before; but do not happen to recall
any body who succeeded"
"Now, papa, it is of no use for you to
try to discourage me. have made up
my mind to see il l cannot do some
thing, and shall not be teased out OF it,;
so that is final"
So Miss Bessie started off upon her
mission, and one of the fret things she
did was to come across Tade Brown.
He had been selling papers that morn
iug, and on his way home he had stop
ped to fish poor fOundering beetle out
of small puddle on the top Of an empty
hogshead. The action was sufficiently
unique for a small boy, aud Miss Aston
stood watching the end OF the perfor-
nance fully expecting to see the unfor-
tunate beetle, awheD it had cen hus
rescued from one form of destruction,
called upon to minister to the amuse-
ment of the cripple by dying in some
other way. Much to her surprise, the
hunchback carefully put the half drown
ed insect in safe place upon neigh
boring window sill, and then whistling
cheerily took his interrupted way along
the street.
With a few quick steps she overlook
the lad.
Good morning. she said. "Is this
the way to Small's Court?'
Tade looked up to her with a curious
glance.
"Yes'm," he returned laconically.
"Then we seem to be going the same
way" Bessie continued in her most in
siuuating manner, Il hope you don't
mind if l walk along with you, do not
know this part of the town very we'll"
Tade looked at her again; this time
with some suspicion IN his bright eyes.
"You onen'L COINS to Small's Court"
he said lnterrogatively,
"But really am"
"'Taint nice place." he observed.
$50 l have heard" responded she
with unabated cheerfulness. why did
you take that beetle out Of the water
just now 2"
"That-oh, that bug? Oh, l kind Of
pitied it,"
Miss Aston looked down at the waif
at her side with scrutinizing glance,
He looked 80 tiny, so shriveled up 30
helpless.
''Yes p she responded in tone which
invited further explanation.
"You see, being kind of used to being
in had places myself" Tade continued
coDfidentially, 81 sort Of knew how he
felt,"
1t is to be feared that from this mo-
ment Miss Aston was prejudiced per-
son as far as Tade went. She bad some
thing Of the delight of the discovery,
that she had found one of the sort Of
boys about whom it is 30 easy to read
and 80 difficult to find live specimen it
was certainly enough TO cause her some
elation. She smiled upon him with ell
her sweetness, and as they approached
at the moment the dingy entrance Of
Small's Court and he turned in with her
to what she had been told was the most
forlorn place in Titusvile, she said to
him:
"Do you live here?"
YES" he answered briefly.
"Then your father and mother live
here, of course"
"Oh, haint gone none Of them"
"No father or mother ?'
Nom"
"You don't liYe all alone, surely?"
"No'm."
"Then who does live with your"
They had stopped in the eearnestness OF
their conversation at the entrance Of the
place. Miss Aston looked over the
head of the poor little cripple into its
uninviting recesses, and involuntarily
she half shuddered at the uncleanness.
the poverty, the responsiveness of the
court. Tade watched her with keen
eyes.
"Taint a nice place, is it ?" he remark
ed instead OF replying to her question.
mo-" she aswered, "it is not,n
"You wouldn't like to live here, would
you, nowp
mo indeed" she responded quickly,
as il she could not bear it even in
thought.
1--WE always lived here"
"How long is thatT"
"Oh, I'm ten years old"
Ten ?"
Her accent was one of some surprise,
and it might have been either because
Tade had said he was young or because
he had claimed to be 80 old; for while
his face had a maturity which might
almost have been that of twenty, his
poor little crumpled up body did not
seem more than six or seven,
Eyes, I'm ten" he repeated.
"But whom do you live with ?" Bessie
asked again, returning to her former
question.
The hunchback looked all around to
see IL they were in danger of being over
heard, and then he gave Miss Aston a