St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-09-03


ed about like straws on the black and
turbid tide Of lie that rolls through
the dark streets Of . great city. Some
undercurrent had drifted the two bits
Of human fotsam and ietsam together,
and that was all the wisest could have
told You of Tom and Dick.
Not that anyone would have CON
sidered it worth while to tell you any
thing at all about them. The police
are the only people supposed 70 Be in
terested in children that sleep In dark
doofways or empty sugar casks and
their interest il 50 purely professional
It is only aroused when there is = neces-
sity OF carrying the little vaRrants mp
before the police court charged with
petty larceny.
But there was NO morbid self-pity
about them Some lucky chance-a
horse held in the street. or . hAlf-tapsy
man throwing coins from . club bal
cony to see the gamins fight and
scramble for them-gave the lsds the
money to start in life IS ncwaboys,
and thereafter they were Is iude-
pendent "A lords and gave themselves
airs among their fellows. They hired
m attic and abandoned doorways and
empty barrels as sleeping places for
ever; but the very crown and Joy Of
life they found ID going TO the theater.
where they spent the money that
should have bought them clothes and
food, and where, from the peanut gal
lery. they criticised play and actors
with absolute freedom.
Early and late Dicks shrill little
voice could be heard calling: 'He-ays
yer mornin' pspor-Her-aul-Noos-
Wur-ruly' as he swung himself % the
platform of the incoming trains and
took hair breadth chances Of crossing
the street before heavily-laden drayA
These were digressions that made life
worth living-the serious business was
selling certain number Of papers each
day and settling accounts with the
clerk in the newspaper Office, and
above al looking after Tom-for Ton
was weak and timid. and leaned heavi-
" upon his stronger friend There was
something sweet, and tender, and ffne
in Dicks nature-the. something that
made him hiss the villain, and applaud
with all. his might when virtue tri-
umphed over vice in the lurid plays he
this dependence Of Toms
called out all that was best in him.
He was never too weary TO go out Of
his way for Tom: and almost ~ well as
going to the Uheater he liked the long
nights when they covered over their
attic lire and discussed the subjects Of
their little world with the hard philos-
ophy Of the street and . cynicism OF
which they were totally unaware. On
one such occasion as this, when the pa
pers had been full of double-leaded
headlines about some man who was On
pverybody's lips, Dick asked:
tom, what Is hcro?"
Aud Tom answered, from the depths
Of his own observation: 'Oh, . heros
who does somethin' One. an
has his name in de papers in big letters.
m when he comes home de band meets
him 1t de depo an he rides mp In ker-
ridge with four horses. See? dunno
what he does, but guess he's like John
L. in de play; You know how he res
cues de gen dat has been done bad to. /
OATS what . hero is like. I tell yer |
It's crate, an what says goes Oh.
aere's plenty Of heroes st the thea&y-l
le woods is full Of EN-"
Il know" interrupted Dick. ''but I'd
inst like to tee one clost-"
..well." replied his companion. scor.-
ully, .'ef yer don't see what yer wanA
lst for it. IeV better ID dveFtise in d
The suggestion was profsred n d.
isiou, bat somehow the ineougruous-
.ess Of il did not strike the lad He
vas only the humblest servitor Of that
,reat power we call the press. yet his
lie was shaped and nodded By it.
So it happened the next night just
,efors the World went TO press. rag
ed little figure stood before the clerk
q the counting-room and handsd him .
crap Of paper oa which was printed
nth in6nito care:
-wAxrsD-AnERo AppLY Ars Back
LEY. Dick"
The clerk smiled - he read. but he
.d furnished Dick with papers far too
,n9 not to know some purpose and
Ian were working in the lads mind.
. he marked il 'pd" and sent the
ueer advertisement up 70 the oo0pos-
,e-room Just rs Il was written.
Most of us, in these days when -
ir oar grievance In the newspaper.
now the delightful expectancy OF y
,,A,,nO forward 70 oooin4 ourselves IN