Telegram-herald., 1890-03-15
. nEsossE u s-osr skars


Bs-< asssE sss<sa-
The ideal chii4 nzzrsyF doesns wear
loag ~hlss apron frozn hsr cain % her
heels. eszTy a saaIlo~ ~4eksT basket and
tret AbeaE al DAY IA he Josgnng, 0usy
thEo1g of New Ycr6 sbop. responding
- aore "a lees yocifsroas cEnznds for
'-c4sA Yet tins u just what Is done
D. small maiden whose Life Is full OF zs
e0b!s, ansslfsh devotion a. ever earned
a crown Ia tie noble army"
Little Nansie CoFFigan LOOKS about 10
years u axe k.ls - tfAu creature,
who might be pretty u her van face oid
not carry > painful suggestion Of being
half starved She has sig olue-gray
eyes. shaded with black lashss, and q
mass Of soft brown hair. brushed I'LL il
shines, hanging over thin shoulders,
which have = pitiful. weary dToop For
three nonths little Mamie has oeen the
chief support Of her family. Her mother
has been al Invalid for more than a year.
Her father was stricken with rheuma-
sism this winter, and there are four
brothers and sisters younger than the
heroiae Of the cash basket lad the white
apron
Mamie, who left school 70 become the
bread wiRner, earns So week Early in
the morning she rises to prepare food for
Se family before going 10 the store
Many a time, however, there has not
been any breakfast TO get, and the little
one has worked fasting until some of the
kind saleswonAsn, discovering the child's
hunger, appeas-d il from their own
luncheon box. After the tired feet have
tramped about all DAY and carried the
child across town TO the top story OF the
east side tenement at night. her work is
/ only half done. She sweeps, cleans,
cooks and washes and irons, often work
ing until nearly midnight 10 make the
humble home comfortable for her parents
aud the little ones.
''How do you manage TO do so much
work, little one:' she was asked. And
she answered very simply:
a. love them" She went on hurriedly,
| as il 10 divert attention: II can wash
/ and iron pretty we'll for little girl. See
| did this apron" Ii was spOtlesS and
| had fine gloss" on it.
How old are your"
I'm going on l5'-with shy, startled
/ glance around.
"You don't mean 10 say you are IA
such a mite!"
THE cashes all have to say they're Il
TO get engaged" put in n saleswoman
| who listened TO the conversation. The
same young woman told how she had
gone 70 see little Mamie at her home one
Sunday, and found only bread and water
in the house. but the small place shone
with neatness, having been swept and
scrubbed by the small, roughened hands
of the little cash girl. Hitherto rela-
tive, living at service, has helped pay the
rent of their rooms, but now she is un'
able to give them any more assistance
and SO Mamie and a younger brother
who has just secured place as cash boy,
are the only support of the family.
The truth of this pitiful story was es
tablished by visit to the child's mother
Mrs. Corrigan said: cit breaks my heart
TO have my little daughter drudge so
but what else can we do? My husband
would rather starve than ask for so much
as crust of bread in charity. And yet
the little ones (the youngest is A. must bt
fed. l hope TO get on my feet so that
Mamie need not work after the long day
in the shop. Often now it is midnight
before she can get TO bed, and then she
has to get up very early. had to keeI
her at home two days once when | wa:
too i'll to be alone and my husband wa.
helpless. and she was docked thirty-fv.
cents for each day, and seventy cents il
a good deal 70 miss out of S2."-Ner
York World.