The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-10-04

MOnkey-face ScsMed all these ideas,
and declared that the baby must be
taken to a founding asylum.
"Monkey-facess decision was hailed
with enthusiasm, and he claimed the
right to carry the treasure-trove in con-
sideration Of his sensible suggestion.
".Giye me the Kid he said. The
baby had all this time been screaming
piteously, but it stopped suddenly when
M0nkey-face took hold Of it, and, while
he walked along with an'air Of triumph,
1t fixed its great blue eyes upon his ugly
face and smiled, at the same time
caress him.
"'She is laughing!' cried the boy in
delight; see how she looks at me!
"Then a new impulse seized him.
CT will not take her to the founding
asylum he cried. I will keep her my
SELF
His companions protested indig-
Eantly, but in vain, for, as they welt
knew, Monkey-face had at the end o.
each arm an argument so strong that II
would be useless, as well as unsafe, to
oppose his wishes.
When he reached home with his.
burden, Mrs. Bolton exclaimed, furi-
ously:
DO you think I have not enough to
90 to I'LL your mouth, you lazy imp?
Take that brat to the police-station-
quick now! Swat! biff! A box on each
ear showed the boy that she was in
earnest, and he fled from the house.
That night he did not return, and
the next morning he was in the factory
in his life.
Mr.. George he said timidly to the
superintendent, how much will you
pay we If I work hard all day?'
~ have already told you, twenty
five cents, answered the man in sur
prise; and Monkey-face worked indie
fatigably until night. The superin-
tendent, amazed and delighted at the
change, paid the boy for his work and
even gave him a dime in advance, at his
urgent request, as he said he needed it.
That night Monkey-face was again
absent from his home, and his cousin,
Mrs. Bolton. went to the factory the
next evening, lay in wait for him and
dragged him home in spite Of his strug-
giles, administering a thrashing on the
way. But it was no use; as soon as the
old woman turned her back to prepare
supper, the boy slipped out Of the house
and did not return &,
The factory superintendent having
been Uniformed of the state of affairs,
made up his mind to settle the matter
at once, by finding out where Monkey
face spent his nights, and for this pur-f
pose Watchedatheelad as he left the fac
tory. Mr.. George. in company with
,onetof the workmen. followed the wan
derer 'at a short distance. and observed.
him enter a bakery and buy a couple Of
rolls; next he went into a grocery, and
came out carrying q bottle Of milk, and
then turned his steps toward a lonely,
deserted quarter, rear the river. Sud.
denlythis followers saw him plunge into
an alley; the place having no lamps
was as dark as an oven, but Monkey.
face was dimly visible as he stopped
before a paling, fronting a deserted
cabin, The next minute he had scaled
it with the agility Of the animal which
was his namesake. and entered the
cabin.
The two men, determined to discover
his hiding place, waited a few minutes,
and then cautiously followed him, and
saw him seated onsthe floor of the
wretched hut. which was Illuminated
by a tallow candle stuck against the
wall. Ee was seated on the floor, and
grayely pouring milk into a nursing
bottle, and in a corner, on a bed Of dried
leaves, a baby was sleeping soundly,
wrapped up in an old blanket.
"Monkey-face transformed into a
nurse!
What the dickens are you doing
here? 2 asked the superintendent, throw
ing open the door of the cabin sudden
"; and the boy, startled at first by the
iEe usion, soon recovered himself and
answered slowly:
Haven't / got a right to have a
little sister,
Then, after a pause, he added grand
~, I earn twenty-five cents a day. That
is enough for us both, and we don't ask
any one for anything. Here are the
rolls I intend for my own supper"
The narrator paused, smiled softly,
and added:
The next day the owner Of the fac
tory, being informed of the matter,
raised my pay to three dollars a week
Inst. double -