The Forrest City times., 1891-07-31
IN HESTER STREET.

come 1f0m
 If you won't help me we shall have to go hungry tomorrow.
 It was little old woman who ap- preached so softly that 1 did not hear her--a little old woman with hair al most white, with face wrinkled and pinched, with such an anxious look on her countenance as one might wear in asking a judge to spare the life of her child. She was bare-headed, her dress old and faded and mended-one of tho thousands of Gods worms who creep and crawl and live and die and are forgotten in day in great New York.
 Where do you live?" I asked.
 She pointed to a four-story tenement almost opposite
 Top floor?'
 She nodded her head.
 Any family9"
 "A sick husband and four children, sir
 Very well; lead on and I will fol- low"
 'You'll-you'll come up with me?" she oueried. in surprise.
 'I will-lead on."
 She kept looking back, and there was a troubled expression on her face In the dark lower hall we stepped over two sleeping men and child. At the head of the stairs a man sat breeding and sulking, and grudgingly gave Us room to pass. There was a dim light in the second hall, where a half drunken woman was seeking her room. The two above were dark, and the little old woman went ahead and kept saying:
 This way-that's child-keep to the rail--don't fear the dog-we're almost up."
 And as we reached the upper hall we turned to the right passed down a blind hall running the other way, and presently she pushed open door and we entered room lighted by smok- ing lamp.
 John, children it's stranger come to see us. said the woman as 1 stood and looked about.
 Here were two small rooms, three chairs, a cupboard, an old table. 'wretched bedstead and more wretched bedding on which lay man. Across the room was a mattress on which the children were lying as I entered In the other room 1 saw a stove, a wash tub and bucket of coal.
 s'Sit down, sir, said the woman as she placed chair.
 The husband looked to be fifty years old He had the bright eyes and hol- low cheeks of consumptive and his hands were white and thin. Are you a doctor?" he asked as sat down.
 'sNon The rent is overdue, but we have mt even bread to eat,o he said.
 Il am not your landlord nor his agent 1 simply came up to see you to see what you needed" /"
 He looked at his wife in a wonder ing way, and the four children drew softly away into the other room as if something fearful was about to happen. The wife eyed me in a strange way, too, but replied to him with
 s..John, you know how it is with us. I asked him on the street for money to buy bread, and he's come up to- to"-
 To see if you were really in need of help, l said as she paused. Have any Of you had supperP"
 Just crust for him, sir, but noth- ing for the rest, and but for you the children would be crying with hunger"
 'Very we'll. I'll mind the house while you go out. Get bread, butter, tea, milk, sugar, potatoes and meat. '
 '.You--you don't mean it!' she gasped.
 The man in bed rose up on his elbow to get a better look at me, and I saw something like alarm in his face To quiet him l said
 The case is clear enough. You used to get along all right, but sick ness came--you could no longer work; you have reached your last penny. Why shouldn't l help you bitp"
 'lt's sadly enough we need it, God knows, but-but' '-
 But you can't make out why l came up herep"
 No sir.n
 Well, don't worry about it. Queer things are always happening to all of us. How long have you been ill2'
 Over a year, sir. :"
 And how have you livedp'
 By using the few dollars I had put by and by selling whatever We could spare, until we are as you see us. l once earned my S3 a day, sir, and no poor mans family was better cared forn
 And to-day you were penniless and hungrya"
 Aye, sir, and as I laid here I'd have cut my throat if I had knife. When thought of the thousands buy ing what they pleased, of the riches in great New York and us wanting for dry bread. had some bad thoughts in my mind, sir. I felt that could rob and murder if I could only leave my bed. 1 wondered if there was God and hereafter. l wanted poison for all of us. that we might die together and us the wife went out to beg for us and lay here was planning on how tO Kill myself before she came back. '
 By md by, us we talked. the mother