St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-28
PAIR OF XMAS WAITS.
An Illustration Of Poverty
Amid Plenty on the Day
Of Rejoicing.
A Sketch From Life Showing
How Cheap Happiness Is
Bought.
Two Desolate specimens Of
st. Paul Juvenility Made
Comfortable.
Half OF the World Does Not
Know How the Other Half
Lives.
Gosh. Nan. its cold"

a shivering street waif as he huddled
down West Third street, near Seven
corners. Something, probably human
instinct, told me the story of these
smeared, red faces; for, as l stopped
my|uSually bold step, and glanced at
them just as they stepped from the gut
ter upon the walk, a MEN of pity, want
and misery gave character to the group.
Whats your name. little girl?" said
1 to the girl of eight blank years, who
was protecting her companion of six
from the blast that kissed their faces
into the shades of Indian red and blue.
"Whacher want to know fer, mis-
ter?" inquired this little, homeless miss.
manifestly distressed at the greeting of
a stranger, for whose interest she could
not account.
When l assured her that l meant no
harm; that l would like to hear about
her folks, her big. agate-brown eyes
began to widen and her mouth took Oh a
pettiSh curl.
Nancy Doyle is my name, and he's
my brother, Jamesie. We is going to
the Jail, we is, hy'm bye, teday."
What! you are going to the jail?
What will you go there for?" l asked of
the pair, while little JamesIe was be-
coming impatient to be moving out of
the wind. To this query L received a
distrustful look from the youthful
James, who. seemed to be the unhap-
piest kid on earth. Nan was dressed in
a checked bingham skirt, under an old,
worn street jacket, designed originally
for a woman of $50 pounds weight. The
jacket enyelOped her twice. and wa
held close to her body at the waist by
the coil Of a frayed and knotty wool
cOmfOrter-moth-eate and ~threadbare.
She wore no hat, and her unkempt
brown hair hung i'll untidy curlS from
under the comforter, which was wrapped
about her head. Her shoes were Gray
Bros French kid, about No. 5 or 6. and
were worth when new So. Their heels
were worn close to the uppers, toes
were patched with black felt, and shoe
strings were used where buttons once
fastened and ornamented this genteel
footgear. One end of Mans comforter
liouS JameSie, who was ever anxious to
move away from me. He was a big,
large-featured boy for six years, light
hair matched his mischief brew-pot, his
eyes were open and capricious. his gaze
at times pathetic and thoughtful, a hid
den enthusiasm seemed to enliven him
at intervals, during which spell he
would smack his cracked lips and slap
his swollen hands against his soiled
cheeks. He suggested an aggressive
character, a perfect model for the artist,
j. G. Brown. whose fame rests on his
charming pOrtraiture of the street arab.
The legs of Jamesie'S trousers were not
of the same age or pattern, and that
much-abuSed side of a boys pants had
been lately sheathed over with oiled
canvas. Jet, for all this i%ncongruity of
dress, JameSie'S shoes were a well-Dre-
served pair of gentleman'S kangaroo
lace. we'll intact. ave that on the right
shoe the former wearer had made an in
ciSion for the relief of those great aches
which on little tos corns grow. His
pants | would again refer to as having
been held above deck by being safety
pinned to the inside of a mans vest,
the principal veStment of the lads at
tire. His head was telescoped in a
Nushka %toboggon toque. On our way
down the south side of West Third
street | asked the starved little misera-
bleS where they lived, what and VINO
they were, what sort of a Christmas
they hoped to have. and much of such
conversation as would pass between an
eager student of
Their Apparent Wretchedness
and sick, cold, hungry little urctins,
who find more hospitality and hope on
the streets than in the cursed novels
they call home. The word home to
them means only a place to worry out
the hours of the night, battling against
the pangS OF gnaWing StOmachS. For
children abandoned to the ruthless
clutches of poverty, these mendicantS
were unusually intelligent. 1t needed
only the repair of frames wasted for
want to expand their souls into a condi-
ton of senSate life. Nan and Jamsie
were not only frozen physically, but
their minds had become dormant, their
senses dull. and before the cry of the
stomach their good and homely traits of
childhood were dissolving into the in
stinct of the beast. They were hungry,
homeless, tired! at 10 o'clock Oh Christ
mas morning, when the child of wealth
wasted its Oyer-abundant breakfast and
turned the ariStocratic household topSy-
turvy in the wild enjoyment of its toys,
its fine clothes, its lavish comforts, loud
entertainment, extravaganza and lux
ury. After these little ones had learned
that l was their friend. they poured out
their tale OF woe; but with pitiable in
conference, which l knew came from
that r%elapsed state of the mind when
hunger takes possession and drives all
1olsdittSO III anu olLLNs
/ told them l was going down to the
restaurant to get my breakfast. and
asked them to come along and get a
good Christmas dinner. They didn't
believe me sincere in my offer at first,
but urged them in and promised them
Il royal treat. 1 told them that a great
paper, the GLOBE. would give them a
big dinner" at which they could have
anything they liked from picked pigs
feet to fried alligator steak" "Whew!
golly. let's go. Where's de place P'
asked his vacuity, the younger James,
while his sister, with muffied pride, as
scented with a nod and the kindliest look
that ever peered me in the face. WELL"
said |. 1--WE will go down to Lauer's. on
Wabasha street, and get stuffed, and
then while we are getting away with
the turkey, and the Irish stew, and the
catsup. and the pudding, and the buck
wheat cakes, an" here JamSie gave a
yelp for joy, ''whin," he groaned. 'pan
cakes! Nan had sum to home Wunct.
bout mont back now, when pop usen't
to get so drunk" and the boy fairly up
set his sister in his glee.
We made s~traightway for the restau-
rant, Nan and Jamsie following me close
with romping step. The GLOBE would
give them a dinner, get the story of
In IL Sit0 liz plCIult
to those who grow fat, selfish, and up-
easy on good fortune and prosperity.
Upon our arrival at the cafe I led my
little pauperS to a curtained booth,
called a waiter, and began reading aloud
the menu carte. They had thrown their
loose wraps on the floor between their
chairs, and Jamesie, after wiping his
little red snout with the sleeve of his
seedy gingham, made an anxious OH
slaught upon the ~astonished waiter for
''sometin' to eat" First l read off all
the fish billed, but Nan said they
couldn't get enough on fish, "'cause It
had too many bones" Small steak,
tenderlOin steak, sirloin. chops, ham and
| eggs, veal, sausagew oh! golly, that
'eD;" cried James, as l quoted .'sau-
sage" Give US los o. s~assisi,, m bread,
N taties, 'n'-kIn we have coffee, too,
mister:?"
You bet"
swell, u US 'n'-gosh, I'm hungry