Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1897-11-25

NHN WIS cuSNSeu III cutting uies'u,
twitched her knife over her shoulder,
Indicating second flight of stairs,
leading from the back of the room
higher.
Oar boy followed this index, also,
landed in an upper chamber. of size
and appearance corresponding with
the room below. but having the broad
benches that run around the walls COW
cred with mattresses and blankets. In
the corner Of the room there was an
iron stove containing good fire. An
old ran, the sole occupant of the
place, sat doing in an armchair near
it. Upon paying another siNpence to
this functionary, our adventurer was
told that he might take his choice of
the luxurious couches spread before
him. which he accordingly did.
And, although his last penny was
spent, and he had but this one night
between himself and possible starva-
ton, from cold, hunger and exposure
on the morrow-though he was now lit
orally homeless. friendless and penni-
less stranger in a strange land. he felt
so comforted by the transient blessings
of food. warmth and shelter that he
lay down and slept the sound sleep Of
careless childhood, unmindful of the
future. He was not even awakened
by the coming in of his vagrant fell
low-lodgers.
Morning dawned before he opened
his eyes and remembered where he
was. or that lie had not even penny
to pay for the breakfast that his Wig
orous young appetite already craved.
His companions of the preceding night
had alreac? risen. breakfasted and de-
ri %~o nc1,1 cd
face at the water spout. and dried it
with the roller towel that served all
TIE inmates of the chamber.
Then he went to the room below.
where he found the fat woman still
dispensing coffee. mullins and chops.
as if she had never gone to bed at all.
The smell of all this was very appetiZ-
ing. Our boy was excessively hungry.
And what boy ever hesitated between
a garment and a meal? A girl might
do so; boy, never!
Marching up to the counter, he boldly
offered the woman his bundle in pledge
of future payment for his breakfast.
She was too habituated to treat with
customers hard up for the ready" to
express the least surprise at this pro-
posal. Coolly receiving the offered Sc
curity. she helped the boy to cup of
coffee. a muffin and a mutton chop.
At another time she might not have
cared to converse with a customer.
But now she was especially idle, and
there was. beside something about this
fine. tall. black-eyed and black-haired
youth that was rather attractive. So
while the hungry lad stood there dis
cussing his breakfast. she entered into
conversation with him, and in the
course of a few minutes had learned
almost as much of his history as is
known to the reader.
ooh, then, if you were prenticed to
a London fishmonger. and understand
crying fish or oysters and that. you
needn't 90 any further to look for a
place. My brother down stairs wants
several more boys to take out fish early
in the morning and oysters in the
evening" said the woman, when he
had finished his account Of himself.
The boy looked up at her. 1t was
very provoking to have run away
from fishmonger in London, only to
fell into the hands of another fshmoH
ger in New York. But hunger and
cold in midwinter are horrible tyrants,
who will not permit their demands to
be put off for day. And so. with a
smile of righteousness of the whole
affair. and wise reflection to the
effect that no man Tor boy can escape
his fate, our hero yielded to his des-
tiny.
And that day found him crying
''Fine. fresh oysters! through the
streets Of the city.
He rather liked his new master and
mistress, and he decidedly took to the
old man. their father, who had charge
of the boys sleeping room. And he
liked the newsboys who congregated
there every night, with their intelli-
gence, merriment and gossip; their in
dependence. self-estcem and confident
criticisms Of art, literature and poll
tics, and all the grand topics of the
day.
And, all things considered, our hero
might have been contented, only-tO
cry fish and oysters through the streets
of the city had certainly rot been his
object in coming to the new world.
Since leaving the ship he had never
once CHANGED to meet one of his fell
low passengers. They seemed all to
have been scattered to the four winds
of heaven for all that he ever saw or
heard of them again. But in his Sc
cret heart he grieved for little Daney,
his baby shipmate and only friend on
the passage. And as he walked
through the streets crying his oysters,
he peered at every little child that
bore the slightest resemblance to her,
in the faint hope of finding her
One day he had been crying oysters
all day long, and late in the afternoon
turned into his own street to 90 home
when, at the low door of tenement
house on the same side of the way. he
saw little Darcy sitting on the step.
With quick, breathless gasping
cry of joy peculiar to herself, she
sprang forward and toddled toward
him. Dropping his empty bucket, and
throwing up his hands, he ran forward
to meet her, caught her up in his arms
:anr covered her with kisses. There
was something deeply affecting in the
poor. forlorn boys love for that little
child. But the human heart must cling
to something. He chung to the baby.
He learned from her broken talk that
her father and mother lived in that
house. A little later he discovered that
they went out only by night. lurking
in the upper rooms Of the house all
day.