New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-27
"CHIMMIE."
SOME NOT UNPLEASANT TRAITS OF HIS.


dirty He possessed also all the other denotements
OF the Sums lie was undersized, so short, though
nearly fourteen he looked 10 be only about ten ms
face was plnched and pallid lie knew pretty mucn
all evil in his evil world, and took HE IS ne iou"u
It, with the cheerful philosophy OF his class. lie was
wild little barbarian. whose ideas were not perhuPs
immoral but certainly immoral. Had he been any
thing else he would have lost caste with der
gang: but at the bottom he was not thorouemy
bad boy In spite OF the evil influences around hlm he
tried In his poor, blind, laundering way, 10 ACT o
der square" lie had grit, pertnaclty. ana hatui"i
gift OF leadership that had already distinguished nun
among the members Of der gang This particular
gang. by the way was nothing worse than little
cotere OF other ragged unkempt urchlns like himself
who had alternately worked and played ana iough'
togther All there Of social life for hihhle
was included in "der Gang.' 1t was his ltue worla'
representing with faithful accuracy, that greater
world east OF "der Bow'ry" into which he had oeen
born and In which he had been reared.
We'll It's dis way, lie said to Miss Ethel Am
bridge, when she asked him 10 give her some accouht
OF his life Me fadder runs wild der pohticnhs' a."
don't do no work. lie likes der booze; so does mo
mudder. sometimes l sells papers and wen gus
tru | works de grower fer me fadder Odder umes
dance for der bokes In der saloons, not
fer fun but fer der stuff. Dey takes up
klekshun fer me- an I gener'ly makes big stake
dat way: but wen | don't me ladder HICKS me-
Sometimes | goes TO der teater, but wen iho
mudder finds it ont she lcks me fer not gvin her
der money to buy der booze wild. Home' Whars
dat? Oh, w'er / live? fought at first youse meant
der Nooseboys' Home. | lives In der Morgue III
Cherry-s where dey takes der dead bodies, but
big house der folkses calls der Morgue fer fun Ike
An / sometimes runs errands fer der bartenders an
tlnll dat's all | knows bout meself. My nance
C'hmme. don't know no Odder name, 'cept dat
me ladders called Billy der Rat
Not much of a record, certainly And yet MISS
fatt intpro cd
elected little pariah perhaps because Of the way 10
which they became acquainted with him. They weie
riding uptown one afternoon in an East Side horseeaf'
when C'hmmie jumped on to sell Ills papers 'us'
as Mr. Ambridgc had signied his intention OF buying
certain paper the conductor, surly BRUTE KICKED anu
cured the poor little fellow of the car, emphasizing
the action with much East Side profanity. Nr. AM
bridge and his daughter naturally indignant, but
the conductor trucuenty informed them tnat ne
knew his biz" alleging that lie was oDeslhg orae's
from the company. But that was not tile last VI
C'himmie from it, When Mr.. Ambridge ana ms
daughter got OF the Sar at Twenueth-St 'heie no
WINS standing on the crosswak, GREATNESS ana eA-
bousted Int triumphant lie was too much blown 70
say a word at first even to the surly conductor WHO
was standing the rear platform But ior tlIit III
divdual he had weapon far more powerful .'li"
words By placing the extended myers vi OoV"
hands, tandem fashion, against his nose' ana NJ u'e
same time emitting an inarticulae YELL he most COM
according accepted traditions OF the East sde' anu
conld afford thereafter to ignore his existence
aWhy my lad how is this ," asked Mr.. Ambridge
in surprise Are you not the boy who was put OH "
the Cooper Institute "
Yes, boss' the painting reply, an ruhhea
oil der way. SOS not to let dat stun OK CONDUCTOR
get away Wild me- Youse wanted a paper, an was
bonn, ter sell you one If had to to de end OF DC
road. I'm sand all der way tru, am. Here var,
Mister tree cents, please
well my man. said Mr.. Ambridse 1--WE conciuoed
not 10 buy a paper from you."-and Chmmes couh'
tcnance become very black when he heard csc worde'
Becauseo TIE old gentleman continued, Il WOULD ike
M bly your whole stock II you will sell them ID me-
"U,- exclaimed Chimmle In delight, you Del
I WILL and the transaction soon consummateo-
q always like to help bright boy" SAID MI AM
bridge as lie handed him the money, ana as ! wan.
only one OF these papers I'll ask you to take the rest
and sell them for me-"
Thanks boss" replied C'himmie Il knowed you
was wife wen seed you on der car. so long,
and he marched away proudly, whistling one OF the
ors Immortaized BY the peerless Maggie Cline.
"There is good deal IN that boy,' said Mr.. Am
bridge TO his daughter, he looked after him. u
wish we had learned something about him. YES
said Miss Ambrdge. and wish had thought TO ass
him TO come to the mission school. Poor little Eel
Iow So brave in fighting the hard battle OF HE! j
am sure something could be made out OF him. But
am afraid we will never see him again.
They did sec him again however, and as before.
under circumstances Of storm and stress. lew Gays
ofterward they were walking I'm street near ST.
Cyrils Mission in which Miss AmDridge was an en-
thusiastc worker when they upon group OF
comns standing around two boys who were ferceiy
lighting And their surprise ana sorrow they saw
that the smaller OF the two combatans was their ieho
C'himmie "What does this mean, boysi' eAclalme"
Mr. Ambridge rs he separated them. And then 3D.
dressing Chimmie whom he held by the shoulder, he
tpIt- Hyn
YOU know 1t is wrong'7 Wrong nawthinl' retorted
C.himmie hoty. Dat chump hit little kid on de
head wild a stick. and | Amt going 10 let nobody 10
dat not II he twice my size. Hes NJ IT,, he Is
an all de boys knows It,"
"Is this true, boys? asked Mr.. Ambridse. " YAM
they exclaimed in cheerful unison. :" De scrap was
on de square. Skinny foolin' wild dc little kid.
an tapped 'er on de head, an C'hmmic lie sailed IN
to do i'm up And we standn' roun' to see
fair play. Chmme's all right, but de big Teller Is
chump. We wuz layin' money on C'himmle.'
This SCRAP interested Miss Ethel SIN more
in the fate OF C'himmie BY the exercise Oh some
ingenuity she coaXcd the combativc youth to
enter her mission school, where. under her
methods as clever as they were gentle, he
became in three months time, another kind Of
boy Not that any miracle was performed Such
bovs as C'hmme do not become little Lord FauntIe-
rows except In story books. lie was still Wild Ituo
outcast In many respects, and In his speech and man
ner, stu showed his hnshp with the street pariahs
Of the East Side. Doubtless too, he often forgot dur
ing the week the lessons lie learning In the
school. But the good seed sown In his arid nature
began slowly to take root. Dim IDEAS OF duty aho
goodness hardly yet perceived or UNDERSTOOD, BE-
can IN shape themselves in his mind. lie looked on
Miss Ethel as something almost divine and 1t was tic
supreme delight of his life TO obey her slightest wfsh
He could only vaguely and mechanically worship the
good God In the heavens, who was so far away. lie
could not understand much about tie unseen Spiritual
Being that they were telling him about But This
wondrous being from a world SO different from that
east of "der Bowery," who patiently and gently
entered into tue little JOYS and sorrows Of his Life. he
could understand her such being as that be could
worship And worship her lie did with all the Ill
regulated intensity of his nature Der gang" soon
learned ali about Miss Ambrdge from Chimmie,
uhosa aouuauce indeed induced OF them to