The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-03-11
TIE SURVIVAL OF THE FTTYESq.
STORY.

he was wrapped in a shred of an olo
blanket. Above this was carefully plac-
ed q copy Of a daily newspaper, full OF
wanted" and lost and found"
Some one had lost Tom. He hadn't
been wanted. But he soon made it evil
cent that he intended to be found. With
this irrepressible motive in view he
lifted UP his voice and wept.
Now that barrel of ashes belonged tc
Joe, the milkman. Joe had to be W
bright and early. Tom heard Joe sing
ing softly and redoubled his efforts at
securing recognition.
Joe comprehended the situation al
once. but was too diplomatic a spouse
to disturb that barrel of ashes until ne
had summoned his wife Maggie. He
wanted her to see for herself that II
seemed a barrel Of snow.
Women were cranky, he said. She
might take it into her head that ne,
Joe-well, there was no telling what
might not think. He'd have his record
clear, anyway.
With her own hands, then, Maggie
brushed aside the snow, took OF the
paper and unfolded the blanket.
''The sweet little kitten" she cried,
rapturously.
But ii wasn't a kitten at all. It was
q wee Bit of humanity-naked as 1t
had been born.
1t. had evidently been in the Worlo
but a few hours. This was It's nlsI
enthusiastically not a position OF
much vantage to begin life among the
garbage liable to be dumped into the
gutter.
Maggie was of an inquisitiye turn of
mind and wondered how it had come
there.
This query didn't disturb Joe. He
knew that it could be just as readily
decided from what point each parhcu-
lar flake of snow had drifted down as
to designate the direction from whlcn
had been waited that nameless waif- =.
TT was q little cherub, anyway,
Maggie affirmed, as she gathered IL
into her strong arms and earned IL
into the house.
More like a little bear" growled Joe.
"See the cub suck its paw.
He laughed and held toward the Vo-
racious little animal his hand. IL &C
cepted the proffered advance with alsc-
rity. laid hold of Joe's finger, which IL
held closely in its tiny, human Claws
fastened its mistaken, hungry NOUN
upon the unsavory substitute, ana
clung so tightly, with such desperate
energy. that it just wrapped itself Ut
terly about Joe's big heart; took 10
itself the warmest, best corner IN mat
soft piece Of anatomy-that two nun
bred pounds of aVoirdupois-and snug
rled therein, with as much confidence
and tyranny as though it had been 10
the manor born.
And so Joe said: Wen keep 1t, Mag
gle" and Maggie gladly replied. y es'
and we'll call il Tom. Poor Tom, she
added, with a sigh, glancing toward the
rug.
Now Tom was cat that had been
s-ive,, To many Wanderings, and from
one of his MISREPRESENTATION had
never come home. The little stranger,
then. without further preliminary,
crawled cunningly to his cosy corner
Across the way on this same morn
ing was found a basket, at the door
of 2 neighbor. another babe. nude as
the first had been but vide awake and
sharp, and cunning, giving also lndu-
bitable evidence of its mundane orl-
gin
Dick Gilman was night watch and
coming home in the early morning had
Stumbled over the basket with its
souirning occupant. There was some
thing preternaturally wise in the wide
opened eyes the little outcast liked upon
him.
It seemed to be looking him through
taking a mental inventory OF MIN as
its future protector.
His wife, Mary, as Maggie, had with
little Tom. declared it ITO be an angel,
but it, too. gave evidence that It be,
lonred to that voraciouS. human brood
infesring the planet, earth.
Had it come too late2 was every
Mace taken2 Had every corner eeen
fenced in? Did the earth no longer
belong 10 the people born upon it? Had
the title conferred by birth been SUI
1,erseded by the Improvements made
1T matters not how many are before
me- seemed to say. looking into the
zvatchman's face. the world owes to
me a. living and I'm bound to get it
And SO it sucked its two tiny fists, and
chung tenaciously to the life about it
and cunningly crept into the desolate
l7one In loving it and its pretty
ways. Dick and his wife Mary thought
less bitterly Of the three little graves
wherein slept their dear darlings.
The years went on, and the children
grew apace. Little Tommy Turner.
who began life from an ash barrel.
had big, soft gray eyes from which
the sweet soul looked out transparent
as sunshine The eyes Of Harry Gil
man were like the bright, blue sky
the immensely of whose distance may
not be measured.
Equally gifted. then. neither in birth
nor in position possessing an advan-
tage. and vet II was soon evident that
the boy in the basket was gaining ma
terially on him of the barrel.
Little Harry was always marked
perfect in study and department
Tommy. sometimes fell behind. Tt was
said the one was born lucky. and that
ne had come into the world with a
silver spoon in his mouth. And yet the
planets should have been equally pro-
pitious. rs both had begun life at
nearly the same moment.
The following incidents illustrate
their 4luck."
II was almost nine O'Clock The two
boys were walking rapidly. and an
old woman had a stand on the corner
where she sold fruit In passing. Har-
nv crowded close, her table was upset.
and her small store went rolling in
TO the street
The boy ran on swiftly. anxious to
gain the school before the last bell
should ring Tom stopped, his gray
eyes filed with sorrow, and assisted
her TO .1e-arrange her stock. She
thanked him profusely, and he has
tened onward, his face glowing for a
moment with happiness. But the act
made him tardy. and so again he fell
behind Harry Gilman.
The two boys had each been given
a penny. A child was CRYING ON the
corner. ct am hungry" it said hold
ing out its hands. my mother is
dead"
Unhesitatsnegy Tom responded to
the appeal Harry invested his cent
in ripe, rosy apple which he laid on
the teachers desk.
She smiled approvingly. and uncon-
sciously overlooked delinquencies and
conferred favors.
Sometimes Tom, when he was en-
abled to do so, would purchase a few
flowers for his dear foster mother.
Mareie-her who he loved with his
whole small soul. The teacher had so
many fiowere-so much fruit and
e