The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-07-05
~Refect!' His face finished nnrnla

want to reflect about? Has he got q
penny, a friend, or q chance in the
whole world? 1 will give you five
mlnutes-come." He rose up and
stood before me. AS l looked in his
race a curious dimness came over my
eyes; lie seemed to recede before me;
ne disappeared altogether. When I
heard him speak again his voice sound
ed 1ar, Tar off, but thin and clear, as if
II came through some long tube. "Luke
lucraft," it said, "see YOURSELF"
Les, L saw myself, and through out
size OF what l saw, I felt the same
emotlons as if / had been the actual
performer in the scenes / witnessed.
L was standing where the old gen-
tleman met me, starving still, and suf-
ierlng pangs far worse than those un.
ger which groaned at three o'clock.
Inc day was advanced; the diners had
all gone away, and the dining-room
Walters We're putting up the shutters.
spoke to n of them timidly. l told
him | had eaten nothing since the
morning, and begged for a plate Of
broken yictuals. He looked in my
face, called a brother servant, and they
kicked me from the door. People were
IL ALOLOOI llAly YEARS dSO
Ihen | skunk away, and wandered
somewhere among the winding streets
n of the old city. London at
night was not so empty and deserted
as 1t is now, and the streets had PEG,
pie IN them. Some of them were we'll
dressed-the wealthy merchants had
not, even then, all left Off living in the
city; some were clerks going home;
some We're women out for an evenings
walk. The bells rang out the hours
from the city clocks, and l crept along
the walls wondering what would be-
come of me, and how l should find an
END OF my present misery.
Then | begged. Took off my hat
and hello it in my hand while l asked
for something-anything-the smallest
coin II a would get a piece of bread.
Ihe men passed me with a pitiless
II unbelieving eye. Heavens! if
they had been hungry once, only once,
in all their lives, they would never
again have refused the petition Of a
beggar, even though he was the most
lying mendicant whoever d~isgraced
the words of charity which passed his
lips. But they gave me nothing.
The women edged away from me
and passed On the other side if [ timid-
~ pressed my claim. They had moth
ing to fear from me. At last 1 asked
a girl. She was more fortunate than
myself, but she was not hungry, and
gave me a shilling.
Then | found Il shop open, and
bought a plate of meat. That spenu-I
saw myself Sinking, ashamed and
wretched, again along the cold and
empty street. When l could walk no
moro l found myself in Covcnt Garden
Market, and threw myself under silel-
ter Of a roof at least, among the
stalks and leaves and straw which lit
cred the place.
l awoke early, and hungry again. l
rose and resumed my miserable walk.
Hope by this time was dead within
me; l could think nf nothing but my
intolerable hunger; could feel nothing
but the pain which would not leave
me-; could look ut nothing but food in
the window.
I begged again, ana begged all day
without success.
1t was Il rougher time, that, than tbs
present. More than one man laid his
stick r my back with an impa-
tent admOnitiOn to get to work, you
lazy rogue. But 1 was too feeble to re-
taliate or demonstrate. Was there no
charity in the world? I passed other
beggars in the streets who looked fat
and comfortable. People gave them
money, but they would give me none.
The time wore on, and my craving for
food became irresistible.
I passed a shop which had a tray
outside Of baked potatoes. The owner
had his back to me l stole one. Yes,
l stole one. No one saw me. He did
not see me as I skunk past him with
guilty face, and swiftly sped round the
nearest corner to eat the stolen NOR
sci.
What is the use of a single baked po-
tato? Presently l returned to the
same place with the intention of tax
ing another. But they were all gone.
I went on, looking for another provis-
ion shop. l came to a place where hot
smoking sausages were bubbling in a
pan over a charcoal fire. The shop
stood at a corner. There was only a
girl Winding it. 1 deliberately walk
in, took a sausage from the pan, hot
as it was, and stepped out again before
her establishment even prompted her
to cry out.
The time seemed intolerably long. All
these scenes passed before me, not as
the quick and steady flight of the rap
! idly falling moments. but as if the
agony and the shame were deliberate
ly heightened out.
Then came a third time when 1 stole,
maddened by the dream of hunger.
This time I was detected, pursued and
~apprehended. The misery and shame
Of the hour when l stood before the