The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1891-09-25
A STORY OF NEW YORK,
SATURDAY NIGHT IN HESTER STREET.

III Chatham square, men and
women are laughing in good nature as
tnsy elbow each other and throng the
STORES 70 purchase ornaments and luxu-
res hefe men and women are sullen
ana silent, many f them wondering
where the Sasest necessities are to como
from.
III you won't help me we shall have to
so hungry tomorrow,
{ 1t was little old wo, nan who had ap.
proa> rhed so softly that did not hear her
"a little Old woman With hair almost
white, with face wrinkl ed and pinched,
with such an anxious l. ,ok on her coun-
tenance as one might wear in asking q
Judge to spare the life If her child. She
was bareheaded, her dr ,ss old and faded
and mended-one of { he thousands of
Gods worms who creep and crawl and
) live and die and are fore often in day in
great New York.
Where do you live?" asked.
She pointed to for ir story tenement
almost opposite.
"Top hoor!"
She nodded her hea d.
"Any family:"
"A sick husband aud four children,
SIR
,'-avery well; lead on and will follow.
@You'll--you'll come up with me-" sho
queried, in surprise,
II will--lead on"
She kept looking back, and there was
puzzled expression on her face. In the
dark lower hall we stepped over two
sleeping men and child. AT the head
of the stairs man sat, brOoding and
sulking, and grudgingly gave us room to
pass. There was dim light in the sec
ond 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 a 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 blind
hall running the other way, and pres.
emily she pushed open door and we en-.
tered room lighted by smoking lamp.
"John, children, it's a stranger come
to see us, said the woman as stood and
looked about.
Here We're two small rooms, three
chairs, cupboard, an old table, a
wretched bedstead, and more wretched
bedding, on which lay a man. Acros;
the room was a mattress on which the
children were lying as entered. In the
other room saw stove, washtub, anu
a bucket of coal.
''Sit down, SIR" said the woman as she
placed chair.
The husband looked to be 80 years old
He had the bright eyes and hollow cheek.
of consumptive and his hands were
white and thin. rl-....
"Are you doctor?" he asked as l sa
down.
"No."
"The rent is overdue, but we haven
even bread to eat," he said.
II am not your landlord nor his agent
simply came up to see you-to see i
you were sick-to see what you needed.
He looked at his wife in wonderin,
way, and the four children drew softl
away into the other room as if fearfu
that something was about to happen. TIL
wife eyed me in strange way, too, bu
replied to him with:
John. you know how it is with us.
asked him on the street for money to bu
bread, and he's come up toto"
"To see if you were really in need {
help" said as she paused. Have an
of you had support"
"Just a crust for him, sir, but nothin
for the rest, and but for you the childre
would be crying with hunger"
"Very well. I'll mind the house whi
you go out. Get bread, butter, tea, mill
sugar, potatoes, and meat"
"You-you don't mean it!" she gaspe,
The man in bed rose up on his elbo
to get a better look at me, and sa
something like alarm in his face. 7
quiet him said:
"The case is clear enough. You us,
to get along all right, but sickness can
you could no longer work; you ha
reached your last penny. Why shouldr
I help you bit?"
"It's sadly enough We need it, G.
knows, but-but-"
But you can't make out why Car
mp here?"
mo, SIR"
"Well, don't worry about it. Que
things are always happening to all Of ,
How long have you been ill ?"
"Over year, SIR"
sAnd how have you lived?"
by using the few dollars / had +
by and by selling whatever we col
spare, until we are as you see us.
once earned my % a day, sir, and
poor mans family was better cared TO
"And to-day you were penniless a
hungry" F..
"Aye, sir, and as laid here I'd hi