The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-20

in front Of = cheap print of the Mother Of
God showed that even he knew it was
Christmas and liked to show it; past the
McRoarty fiat. where blows and drunken
curses mingled with the shrieks Of women,
rs Nibsv had heard many nights before
this one.
He shuddersd as he fslt his way past the
doer, partly with a premonition OF. what was
in store for himself, If the sold man." was
at home, partly with 4 vague, unconfort-
able feeling that somehow Christmas eve
should be different from other nights. even
in the alley. Down to its futthest end, and
the last rickety flight of steps that led into
the filth and darkness of the tenement. Up
this he erept three flights to a door. at
which he stopped and listened, listening, as
he had stopped At the entrance to the alley;
then, with . sudden, defiant gesture, he
pushed it open and went in.
A bare And oheerless room; . pile of rags
for a bed in the corner, another in the dark
alcove miscallod bedroom; under the win
dow a broken cradle and an iron-bound
chest. upon which sat . 'sad-eyed woman
with hard lines in her face pesling potatoes
looking stove, with q pile Of wood dropped
on the f1oor alongside. A man on his knees
in front tanning the fire with an old SLOUGH
hat. With every breath OF dranght he
stirred, the crazy old pipe belched forth tor
rents Of smoke az every point. As Nibsy
9utol0Vs WIG lAGA N0DlabcN lIUIAl Ml6 6uOIb6,
and sat np glaring. at him. A villainous,
rufian'a face, soowling with anger.
Late agin!' he growled, "an' yer papers
not sold. What did tell yer. brat; if ye
dared"
TON! Toni" broke in the wife, in a des-
perate attempt to sooths the rufaan's tenn
per. 1.-THE boy can't help it, an it's Christ
mas Eve. For the lows o."
L thunder with yer rot and with yer
brat!'' shouted the man, mad with the fury
of passion. "Let me at him!' and reaching
over he seized a heavy knot of wood, and
flung IT at the head Of tho boy. Nibsy had
remained just inside tho door, sdglnR
watchful eye on the man at the stove. At
the first movement of his hand toward the
wood pile. he sprang toward the stairway
with the agility of a cat, and just lodged
the missile. 1t struck the door as he
slammed it behind him with force enough
to smash the panel.
Down the three flights in as many jumps,
missy went, and through the alley, over
barrels and barriers, never stopping once
till he reached the street, and curses and
shouts were left behind. In his flight he
had lost his unsold papers, and he felt rue
fully in his pocket and he went down the
street pulling his rags about him, az much
pennies vera all he had left after his
Christmas treat to the two little lads from
the barracks; not enough for supper nor for
q bed, and it was getting colder all the
time.
On the sidewalk in front of the notion
store a belated Christmas party was in
progress. The children from the tenamentR
in the alley and across the way were having
a Rameo OF blindman's buff, grouping blindly
about in the crowd to catch each other.
They hailed Nibsy with shouts of laughter,
calling to him to join in.
We're having Christmasn they yelled.
Nibsy did not hear them. He was think
ing, thinking, the. while turning over his
four pennies at the bottom Of his pocket.
Thinking il Christmas was ever to come to
him, and the childrsn's Santa Claus to find
his alley, where the baby slept within reach
Of her fathers cruel hand. As for him, he
had never known anything bat blows and
But his mother and the baby. And then
it camo to him with %shuddering cold that it
was getting late, and that he must find a
place to sleep.
He weighed in his mind the merits Of
two or three places where he was in the
habit of hiding from the cops. when the
Alley got to be too hot for him. There was
the hay barge down BY the dock, with the
watohman who got drunk sometimes, and
so gave tho boys 4 chance. The chances
we're at least even of its being available on
Christmas eve, and OF Santa Claus having
thus lone him = good turn after all. Then
there was the snug berth in this SAM box
you could curl all mp in. Nibsy thought
with regret Of its being like the hay barge,
90 far away, and to windward, too. Down
by the printing offices there were the steam
gratings and u chance corner in the cellars,
stories md stories underground, whore the
big presses keep mp such a olRtter from
midnight till far into the day. Al he
passed them in review, missy made up his
mind with sudden determination, and set
ting his face toward the south, made of
downtown.
Tho rumble Of the last departing news
wagon over the pavement, now covered deep
with snow, had died away in the distance,
when, from out of the bowels of the earth,
there issued a cry. u cry Of mortal terror
and pain, that was echoed by a hundred
throats. From I'M OF the deep ccllarways
y man ran out, his clothes and hair and
beard atre; on hia heols . sourrying. throng
OF men and boys; following. them, cloas be-
hind, 4 rush OF smoke and tro.
The clatter OF tho presses osaacd suddenly,
TO be- followed quickly by the changer OF
hurrying Are bells. With hook and axes
the flremsn rushed in; hose was lot down
through the manholes, and down
there In the dopths the bsttle was fought
ami WON. The building Was saved;
but In the miast Of the reioto-
ing oycr the victory, there foil a sudden
Fsom thu oellarway Il grimy, he'll
melted figure arose with something black
and soorched In hia arms.s A tArpaulin
WAS spread upon the nnoW. and upon II 40