Omaha daily bee., 1896-03-22

sh>ie' hNiS thoi Sht tNSI hOllc
She noticed his blush and his pleased look,
but Alonzo blushed easily, and Miss Smith
was busy, and that was the end of it.
The end of it at least until one day
when Miss Smith had a headache, and had
it 80 bad that she decided before recess
was over to ask Miss Conway to take her
afternoon classes and let her go home to
bed. She was hurrying through the streets
half blind with pain, scarcely looking where
she went, when she struck against some
one, and there was a crash and a cry.
THE same one had been gathering up
the broken and refuse wood where an old
house had been torn down, and this great
load Of sticks. tied up in a piece of sacking,
was what she had knocked into confusion
all about the pavement. Miss Smith was
very sorry for the trouble she had given.
She stopped to apologize, and, there stood
amazed to find the little figure bent double
under the load of sticks was Alonzo-blush-
ing more than ever, and very much en-
barrassed at her apologies.
Lying In a darkened room with a hand
kerchief wet with cologne over her forehead,
Miss Smith said to herself. 4 wonder If
Alonzo always goes to pick up wood at re-
cess? have noticed he never stays to play
with the other children. l think tomorrow
l will go and hunt up that boys family and
tell them what l think of them After
which Miss Smith fell asleep.
MISS SMITHS VISIT.
Mrs. Armstrong, she found, lived up four
flights in the top Of a tenement, and when
some one said come in in answer to her
knock Miss Smith found herself in a neat,
bare kitchen. A pale woman sat in a
wheeled chair by the window sewing. and a
very little girl stood on a box by the sink
washing dishes. The little girl got down
from her box for a minute to bring Miss
Smith a chair, when she explained who she
was and that she had come to speak about
Alonzo, but she went to her work as soon as
that was done and Miss Smith smiled to see
that her pretty yellow hair was short like
a boys.
81 am afraid, Mrs. Armstrong; Miss
Smith began, that Alonzo works too hard.
Do you think that a boy of his age who
studies as hard as he does should sell papers
too? find he never stops to play during
recess, and l think all this may injure his
health
ITO Miss Smiths surprise the tears came
into Mrs. Armstrong; eyes.
Has AlonZo told you all that he does?'
she asked, with a little culver in her voice.
"'Oh, no! He never says anything about
himself. have found out these things by
accident, and as AlonZo has interested me
very much I thought l would come and talk
to you about him.
"'Well, then, ma'am, you'll be surprised
when tell you that Alonzo supports Mary
and me by his work
Supports you-that child!
Ives, ma'am; he does. Two years ago
when his father died they wanted to put
Mary and AlonZo in the asylum and send
me to a home for c%ripple9. knowing my
back couldn't be cured, but Alonzo cried
and went on like a crazy one, and begged
to stay with him and he'd take care of
me. or course, it sounded silly when you
locked at him., ard he hardly more than a
baby-but / couldn't get him quiet any way
| said that he could try
And he has really done it.? asked Miss
smith, with her eyes open very wide.
A TRUE HERO.
"'Yes'm-by a miracle, almost, as you
might say. He sells the morning papers
Until it's time for school. At recess he picks
Up wood for our fire, and In the afternoon
ne sello papers. Sometimes he makes as
much as 81 during the day. All the people
IL the street here know him and what>he is
Icing, and they help him on as much as they
All that take a paper buy from him.
he gets paid for doing an errand,
md sometimes he holds a horse and gets
cents for that. He studies his lessons at
light, poor lad, because he is very anxious
o be educated. He's always talking about
he fine things he means to do when he gets
the grammar grades. take in
,3me sewing, and Mary she helps me with
he cooking and washing, and SO we keep
.ogether and get along
But his hair said Miss Smith, gently,
her cheeks getting pink with shame to think
low many times she had spoken coldly TO
iohEo why uOtS ne wear long mar! IL |
such an odd thing to do
Mrs. Armstrong smiled.
"'Oh, that's one OF his ways of earning
money, ma'am. Did you ever see his hair
It's beautiful. There's a place
where they make a hair tonic for
'ale, and every Saturday afternoon Alonzo
goes and stands in their show window with
| velvet coat on and his hair down and a
1lacard is put up to say that by using that
lair tonic anyone's hair can be made Just
is beautiful as his. And the people stand
n crow around the window all the after
loon, and Alonzo getS we'll paid for 1t. Be
ides that. every once in a while they have
Hays at the theaters where they need some
ne to play a fairy or an angel, and then
he manager always sends for my boy, and
lie gets good pay for it
I'D you mean to say that Alonzo does
II that?' cried Miss Smith in amazement.
'Yes'm. Only when he acts In the thea
er then he can't sell papers In the morn
ng. because he has to study his lessons.
know he works too hard, ma'am; but
vhat can i do? He seems well, and he's
o happy and proud about supporting Mary
.Nd me that ] don't like to bother him.
Miss Smith took Mrs. Armstrong; hand
n her own and aaid WARMTH. 81 thEnL a.