Milford chronicle., 1891-10-09
ONCE he WENT ON AFREsH AIR TRIP


when q Kind Hearted Farmer Came for
the Little Fellow Again He Was Dead.
His long, matted hair and his flowing
chin whiskers, which were streaked with
gray and stained with tobacco juice, his
m fitting store clothes" and the traces Of
tallOw on his cowhide boots, showed plain
ly that he was from the country. Deep
wrinkles in his weather beatenSace, de-
cided stoOp about the shoulders and the
enlarged knuckles Of his rough hands also
told Of hard work. He held fast with one
hand to a bag which bulged with big yel-
low apples. His eyes had kindly express
sion as he stood on the sidewalk in Mul
berry street, opposite police headquarters,
and gaped at window on which was the
sign, New York Tribune Police Bureau. ="
After reading the sign carefully Re
walked into the bureau and inquired,
'Young man. are you the boss Of this ere
shebang"
81 represent The Tribune here"
That's right! Glad to know yel Pm
lookin for a little feller what come to my
place up in Delaware county last summer.
sent there by the Fresh Air fund Mother
and Susan, that's my darter, sot such store
bv that little shaver that they wanted him
back again this year. He sorter promised
to come tew, but we haint seed him. Moth
er was readin about the children gOin to
the country and she says had better come
down and git him. My sakesl | didn't
know so many folks lived in Mulberry
street, or wouldn't ha' tried TO find him. l"
"Did you have his address"
81 only know he belonged somewheres in
Mulberry street"
"What WAS his namep
Jimmy Murphy"
"Ahp' The reporter once had arranged
20 have that boy sent into the country.
"Was he a sickly looking little chap, with
yellow hair and blue eyesi"
THAT'S himl He looked like a ghost
when he came to our place, but mother fed
him on homemade bread and milk with
the cream stirred into It, and he chirped
up amazin Then be CHM the apple tree
about forty times a day, and 1t would ha
done yer heart good to see him lay into
them golden sweets. fetched some in
bag for him, Jest to let him see we had
some more. Whyl he looked like a new
boy when he left u.s. How is the little
critterl"
81 think you had better come and see TO-
yourself"
The reporter led the old farmer to a
space between two front tenement houses
10 Mulberry street, and into a narrow
paved court in front OF row OF rear tene-
ment houses.
A woman answered the reporters in
auiry by shouting up the stairway, Mrs
Murphyl Here's a gintleman wants yerP'
The creaking Of a door and the shutting
Of feet on an upper landing guided the two
men to Mrs. Murphy's humble home. She
invited them into the room, which was
parlor, kitchen, laundry and bed chamber
all in one, wiped the sOapsuds from her red
arms with her apron, and then hastily
busted off two chairs-the only two she
had-for the visitors. The old farmer
dropped the bag OF yellow apples on one
chair but remained standing.
He seemed to be too much dazed by the
poverty of the place 10 say anything ana
the reporter briefly explained the object Of
the visit. Mrs Murphy's hands carried
her apron to her eyes, and from it's folds
came muffied sobs. Her grief was like
revelation, and it stunned the old man fOr
a minute. His jaw dropped and his eyes
became misty. Then he turned TO the Ne
porter with hoarse whisper, "The little
runt is dead"
"If he had said darling, that word
could not have had a sound so tender and
expressive as had the one he was accus-
toned to use in speaking Of sickly and
petted animal Diphtheria had sent Jim
mic Murphy to better place than the one
from which the Fresh Air fund had once
temporarily withdrawn him, the reporter
said. Mrs. Murphy dried her tears and &C
cepted the yellow apples.
f'MOther and Susan III be all hredly dis
app'inted," said the old farmer, as he
wrung the reporters hand at parting
New York Tribune,