Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-08-01
JIMMIE AND PETE.
A Pathetic Story of an Outcast
Boy and His Dog.

A Pathetic Story Of an Outcast
Boy and His Dog.
No more MISUNDERSTANDING couple
could be found than they. The boy
wore soft hat that was pulled far
down over n pair Of sharp, shrewdly
twinkling eyes. His coat was short,
ragged at the elbows and ends Of the
sleeves, and was buttoned closely up
to his chin. The trousers he wore were
faded, and had evidently belonged to
some one larger than he, for they were
rolled up at the bottoms, just enough
to keep them from resting on a pair of
shoes that were cracked and run down
and covered with dry mud. '
His hands were thrust deep in his
trousers pockets, and he leaned for
ward as he shuffled over the pavement
and up to the fountain in Paradise
park. Looking at his face, one would
Judge him to be anywhere between ten
and twenty years of age. In stature,
he did not appear to be more than
twelve. -. =
The boys companion was a dog-a
long-legged, thin bodied dog, about the
| size Of bull terrier.
Where there was hair on its body-it
| had been torn off in many plnces-the
animal was black. Its jaw was long
| and deep, and when the skin was drawn
back from the teeth, the dog seemed to
be grinning. The animals eyes
heightened such an effect, for they
were of a kind that rolled in'an cx-
| prcssive manner. -r. ..... -.
| They were Jimmie aud Pete. AS Jim
mic, the boy had always been known
| Az, old
| who had locked him up once for steal
ing some money from drunken sailor,
| had told the boy that he had been
born on Blackwell's island at a time
! when his mother was serving term
for disorderly conduct
! From the same source he learned
that his father had been killed while
indulging in burglary, and Jin1m
felt proudcr after that He could not
| remember either Of his parents, and
often wondered who had looked after
him until he got big enough to make
his own living by stealing
But he remembered distinctly the
night that he and Pete had joined for
tunes. It was night when the wind
whistled around the corners with a
cruel sharpness and found its way
throughevcry rent in his. tattered gar
l
had crawIcd into the ice-cart that night
for shelter and heard the growing of a
black object in one corner rs zhecre pit
toward the forward end -
He rcmcmbered DISTINCTLY thai the
growing had staft1ed Nm &C frst,i and
that five minutes later he aud the dog
had curlcd up in the corner together.
When he awolse in the morning Pete
was still there and greeted his waking
with Il vigorous whaclsing of his tail
against the bottom of the cart. From
that night they had never been separ.
Ated for moment. The outcasts had
wandered about the streets together,
slept on the docks in summer, in wag
ons and alleys in winter, and shared
each others joys and fortunes.
Jimmie would steal for Pete, and
the dog would steal anyhow. Nc
butcher dared leave his front door open
when Pete was in the neiGhborhood
AS Jimmie leaned against the edge OF
the fountain he regarded Pete with q
contcmplative air. He was thinking
of that nice little girl, with the long
yellow hair, who lived in an uptown
street He and Pete had been wander
Ing aimlessIy along the street, he re-
membered, the first time he had seer
her.
She was playing with some other lit
tie girls, and had a big ball of popcorn
in her hand. Pete saw that she wa,
eating something, and went over to in
! vcstigate. When he tried to snatch tn,
popcorn from her hand, she turned
patted him on the head and said: POO
doggic." Pete had leaped high into th'
air, wagged his tail in a perfectly
frantic fashion, and lcered at the littl'
girl in n manner that made her laugh
, Then she gave Pete a. big piece of pop
corn, which was Immediately carried
| to his master.
When she saw Jimmie, the little girl
| who was somehow very different from
| -hc little girls around Paradise park
came over to him aud began to talk
4 Jimmie remembered that he was al
most AFRAID to say anything to her. sh
| seemed so nice. She asked hin, abou
| his mother and father, to which he re
piled with grin and hoarse chuckle
| Then she asked him if he ever went t
Sunday-school. He grinned harde
than ever. and croaked: Holy chee
Surday-scf{6olv e
Jimmie wondered why the little .gir
looked so sorry when he told her tha
he and Pete slept in the strAats-
And haven't you any home at all?
she asked him.
, Nav" he replied; what do w
J want home fur? Men .Fete's al
| right, uin't we, Peter" Pete ha.
grinned for reply.
Jimmie chucilled as he thought OF tn
I fat ret.-cheeilcd boy who had come N