The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1892-12-07
Brick Whites santies.


It was the night before Thanksgiving.
and two people were unhappy. knox
Faber, newspaper man, because he did
not have pathetic idea for q Thanks
giving story which was due on the city
editors desk the following morning. and
~Brick" White, newsboy, because he did
have pathetic idea for Thanksgiving
story, and at 9 O'Clock that evening Fa-
Der was lcrossing City Hall park, New
York, when pleading voice addressed
MIN.
Hey, boss, please buy yuckstra- Pm
stuck Nid twenty, an ef l dom sell 'em
de ole woman's goin 10 kill ne banties.
The speaker was very small boy with a
very large bundle Of papers. Faber slar-
ed fiKedly into the boys eyes until they
filed with tesrs.
you're not lying to me? What's your
name aud what ere your banties p
Hope TO die boss. if amt giving it to
ye straight. Me names Brick White an
l got banty ranty rooster an a hen, an
they're me pets, an ef / dom git enough
money fer to buy a chickin fer Jen's
Thanksgiving dinner the ole woman's
goin'-goin' 70 chop Off the bantie's heads
of" The boy Was sobbing now, and
boring one cold and grimy fist into his
eyes. Faber drew him out Of the rush
arA ;p4ar~;au-o1 h.--
''Ye see boss, when was a fresh air
kid las summer oTer'n jersey / got stuck
on a couple O. banties. They'd come
when l called 'em and eat out O. me
hand, an hadn't seen no bAnties be-
fore, an he was such regular little slug
ger, he Eas-E'y, say, he'd sail into de
bigges' rooster on de hull farm an do
'em, too, he wouid-an' the woman she
give 'em TO me fer present / lugged
'em home wid me and fixed up a
coop in de windy, an now every day de
little hen she'll 20 chuck, chuck, tecaek-
ut and lay de littlest white egg ye ever
see, an Sullivan-dat's de rooster-heli
walk around de coop proudern'n's if he
owned FIT aven'e. Ne ole man was kill
ed on de elevator railroad, and de ole
woman she-she washes an Jen, that
me sister, she's been SICK long time.
Doctor says she'll die soon, an she's been
wanting taste Of chickin ever sence she
onct about four years ago, when she was
in de hosspittle. l want Jen to have the
chicken, but don't want her 20 eat my
banties, an she wouldn't either ifshe
knowed, but ma wouldn't let me tell
her. ] got me eve on big chicken down
to Wash'n'ton market, and l been hus-
lin all day an amt got alfenough mon
ey yet IF could get rid Of these ere
papers could"
"Where DO you liver Faber asked
cOldly turning his mead away.
~No. - Bsyard street You'll take
one Of these yuekstras offen me, won't
your"
But the stranger had gone. With de-
spairing glance at the big bundle Of ex-
tras, "Briek" manfully dashed away his
tears and again, cried. ~Yuckstra
Yuckstras." Thousands Of people hurried
by the the little shivering figure, bat al
the end Of an hour only three papers had
been sold. Brick began to slowly work
his way up the BoEery. At eleven
O'Clock ne reached home, tired, hungry;
cold and weeping bitterly. He had ff-
teen papers lslt
''Sully's dead rooster" he moaned as he
took las look at his pets before tumb-
ling into bed.
Early Thanksgiving morning district
messenger boy left two packages at the
door OF Mrs. Whites rooms. One was
great fat chicken labeled, For Jen,"
and the other WAS bag Of feed marked
@For Sullivan" and when ~Brick" saw
them he yelled With delight, seized a
wildly clucking bantam in each hand
and executed Bowery war dance on the
floor, and the city editor Of the brightest
evening in New York, assured F4ber that
his Brick Whites Blnties was the best
thing he'd done for the paper in six
months.