The evening world., 1890-06-17
In AN EAST SIDE TENEMENT.

Nell Nelson Takes O Sample Page
from Poverty's Book.
Only an act from Poverty's book of
Tragedies.
The scene Is laid in q hot kitchen on
tho fourth floor OF an east-side tenement
house.
Enthusiastically afternoon. Charac-
ters-A comely Irish mother and three
little daughters, aged four, three and
one year respectively.
The babe Is n chubby. lovely violet
eyed creature, who seems to have fallen
heir not only to the personal hut physi-
cal beauty Of the family. Her flesh Is
firm as marble and rich as cream in color;
she is dimple-jointed rose-tinted and as
merry as an elf.
On the floor is spread q tablecloth. on
which scant drugGet she lies trying to get
n toe between her three new teeth to test
their biting qualities. She cooes gleefully
over some funny story she is telling her
self. and uses n rollicking, punotuating
gesture now and then to rout some auda-
clous fly that is nibbling at the sweetness
Of her rosy mouth.
Tho poor little one Is barefoot and
almost destitute of undertaking. But
nature in her opulence of health and
sturdy beauty puts to shame the tattered
garments of misery. and the tiny thing is
tho embodiment of infantile bliss.
Sally is sad. silent. ~listless and mani
mate. She has big, soft brown eyes, such
rs n sees in dumb animals. They give
the pale face a wistful look that is most
pathetic. One could never ill treat a
child with those pleading orbs. Their
eloquent appeal would disarm cruelty.
Sally is ricketic. There Is no blood In
her small frame; the bones of her body
are weak; the lower ribs project forward
distorting the diaphragm; her flesh is
tiabby and the slender limbs are not suf-
fcient for the weight put upon them.
Not q murmur escapes her lips. She
makes no complaint whatever. Locomo-
ton distressing her, she lies against her
mothers knee and idly toys with a charm
that some visiting pastor has hallowed
with a blessing and hung about her neck.
sally's feet are bare aud her clothing Is
poor and insufficient.
The obligations of fo~ur-yeAr-old Mary
are but slightly larger. Fortune has been
cruel and nature penurious. Her mother
tells us that she has not known a we'll
day in her whole life and that she is back
ward about talking. Her father has con.
sumption. and from him a heritage
of bronchitis and nervous prostration.
No shoes on Mary's feet. no stockings, no
evidence of nourishing food and no pros.
pect of any.
They had shoes and stockings last
October. the mother says "nons since.
| have no money. My husband is sick.
The few days he works only pays the
rent. The world knows nothing about
the suffering of the poor. F" and she sighs
deeply.
My companion who has come to investi-
gate the case and provide medical atten-
dance is moved TO compassion, and 20
hide his emotion gulps down the lump in
his throat and goes on TO be back in ;
minute" Presently q fat butcher boy
climbs the stairs aud hAlts at the door
with q huge basket from which irregular
packages emerge. One ends fertile with
green groceries.
Markell !" yslla the fat boy With ;
mort Of relief, dropping his lead.
IT IL not for here" answers the
mother, looking lOngingly e the baskets
contents.
"'Tis. too. Amt this the top door
back and amt you Mrs. - Well
then, what are you saying Il aint foE
hsEs {" and the goOd-nAtuEsd bally BE-