St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-22

ago. Then the father, that had been a stiddy
ship carpenter, took to drink. He tried to
take care of the child, but soon he wasn't
able to care for himself When he's not in
the lookup he's drunk in the cutters, and all
the money the poor boy makes blackin' shoes
and selling papers, he takes from him and
uses for whisky. The wondher to me is not
that there are SO many hard cases among the
young, but that there are not more.''
''Poor little devil,' said the policeman, in
a tone intended to be sympathetic, "it'd be
better for him, if he walked right on and
was drowned" and then he walked on him
self, softly whistling and swinging his club.
Tom Latin went down to the end of the
pier and sat with his legs hanging over the
water while he ate pigs foot and piece of
bread, produced, with a remnant of news
paper, from inside his shirt.
Supper over, he reached down and from
crevice between two piles, he fished up two
dflapidated blankets. By this time the wind
increased and it began to rain. By the aid
of lamp, swinging from the rigging of
neighboring ship, the boy made himselfa bed
inside an empty hogshead, and was soon
sleeping as soundly as if he were in @ Fifth
es'OuoO pcietCO, Will lONlilS pdftutS dllu
full servants about him. =:
The old Waterman, at the shore end of the
pier, put on a black oil-skin coat, and as the
rain poured down he looked like sheet-iron
man freshly blach-leaded.
1t was about midnight, and following ter
rifle roar of thunder, Larry Barnes imagined
he heard shrill cry for help coming from
the direction of the water. Once before this
he had been down and saw that the boy was
fast asleep. He hurried to the hogshead
now, and to his horror it was goneI The
wind had swept it, with its occupant, into
the outgoing tide!
Larry Barnes met the same officer the fol-
lowing night, and, with tears in his voice, he
told him the boy was drowned, and the Off
Ger, who was not particularly humane, nor at
all religious, coughed and said: "May the
Lord have marcy on his soulp'
Twelve years went past, and although a
little sitter in his movements, Larry was
still Waterman of the'same pier, and never
stormy night passed since then, that he did
not think of "poor little Tom Latin, that's
dead and gonep' ).
One evening when Larry came down for his
nights duty he found a fine bark from VAL
paraiso moored alongside the pier, but this
was not so unusual as to attract his attention.
He was sitting in his little box trimming his
lamps, when sailor, who spoke with a
strong foreign accent, looked in, and asked:
"Are you Mr.. Barnes?"
r "Yis; Larry Barnes at yer sarvice," was
the reply. -,
''Then the captain of La Inez' will see you
in his cabin,-eef you plez," said the sailor.
Larry was conducted on board and into
fine cabin, where a tall, handsome young
man, who did not look like foreigner, was
seated at dinner, with plate opposite for
Larry.
"My name is Latin, and am the captain
OF this ship, and part owner" said the hand
some sailor.
"I'm very glad to meet you, sor, but sure
you don't want the likes of me to sit down
and ate with the likes of you."
81 certainly do, Larry. Why, have you for
gotten Tom Latin, that used to sleep on the
end of this pier
'And was drownded !" broke in Larry
''No, faith. He could swim like duck,
and he chung to that hogshead and drifted
down till daylight, when he was picked up
by an outgoing Spanish ship. The captain
adopted him, educated him, and here am
to-day, Larry, to tell you that have never
forgotten your kindness to me when had no
other friend in the world"
And so Larry Barnes stayed to dinner. -
NELSON THORPE.