The record-union., 1898-05-16
"AUNT JOHNS" PR0TEGE

|
sorry time of it for awhile. The boys
| looked upon her as dangerous busi-
ness rival, because her withered arm
| and her pinched face touched the pock-
ct nerve of the passers-by so often that
she created an appreciable diminution
| in the daily receipts of even "Nosey''
| Geoghegan, who had long enjoyed the
prestige Of being the autocrat OF the
row. position he maintained by vo-
ciferation or by force of arms, as oc-
casion demanded. But Aunt john
didn't care torn paper for "Nosey,
and for that matter, she dened MIN
from the very day she began calllng
out in cracked treble the printed lies
and the printed truths she had for
sale.
| Nobody knew where Aunt John
came from, and nobody cared. Inc
name by which she was known was
bestowed upon her by the boys them
selves, and was due to her haplt OF
addressing everybody as "John'-rlvals
and patrons alike. She had small,
wizened face, parchment as to color ana
triangle as to shape, with tufted cnin
as the apex, and a pair of large dark
eyes. that were probably handsome
eyes years ago. when her cheeks were
rounded and rosy and her wrinkled
throat full and white. Her figure was
bent. and when she walked it was with
sort Of wabble and hop, the punish
ment that followed the paralysis and
shriveled the tissues of the poor, use
less arm.
And what a curious thing that arm,
or rather the hand that belonged to II,
was! High and curved at the wrist,
long, tapering fingers, and white as
alabaster-the hand of a patrician on
the body of a plebian. 1t swung 70
and fro like the hand of a jointed doll,
and on the third finger there shone
with a diamond luster a worn clrciet
of gold. And every day Aunt Jonh
had wound a string around her olu-
fashioned portmonnaie with her teetn
and her living hand she would TAKE
the cold fingers of it's dead fellow INTO
her lap and caress it as mother
would a child, grooming a humble OF
words under her breath.
The old woman was impervlous TO
ridicule or abuse. She pushed forward
to sell her papers with the rest OF
them. and gave no heed to the pulling
at her skirts or the angry eXpostula-
tions of younger competitors, so when
they found that neither tricks, threats
nor caiolery could move her, Aunt John
was left to herself and her old purse
at night was the fullest of all, not
even excepting Annie, who stood at
Frankfort street and did what was gen.
orally believed to be the biggest pusi-
ness on Newspaper Row.
One day, perhaps it was a little more
than a year after Aunt John mace her
appearance, a small, fragile-looking boy
with round blue eyes and Dig plue
veins in his forehead essayed a tlmlu
attempt to enter the ranks of the JuVen-
lie news venders, who had come TO look
upon the Bridge entrance as their es-
lpecial and exclusive territory. he was
| Immediately pounced upon, the TOUR
papers he had started with as stock IN
trade. were torn from him, and he was
cuffed and knocked about until he near
! ly tainted from fright and pain. Aunt
| John had seen scores and scores or
fights between the boys-some of them
savage and vicious. but she paid no
more attention to them than she did TO
| the Gathering teams that came over the
span from Brooklyn. With one as with
the other she kept out of the Way-put
when the attack was made on the frall
child with the China blue eyes. she ut
tered a strange cry and sprang forward
! like a tigress, buffeting the attacking
party with a strength that seemed al
most marvellous in such bent and
twisted frame. So taken by surprise
were the assailants, that they scattered
like chaff before the wind, as their vic
tim sunk down exhausted on the stone
steps that lead up to the promenade.
Aunt John had never been seen to
take any interest in a human being be-
fore and it was something so strange
to see her stoop down and wipe the blood
from the child's face, that "Nisbey'
Clark. the side partner Of Nosey Geo
phegan gave vent to his wonder by ex-
claiming "Hully Smoke! De old woman
is back on eart'l" and summonin&
couple of companions, who had not been
in the fleeing mob to witness the spec
tacle. Whatever Aunt John may have
said to the weak looking boy, or what
the weak looking boy said in return, no.
bodv knew. She stood by him until it
cot dark. and time for her to tie up her
purse. and then they went off together
UP Park Row to Roosevelt street. and
down Roosevelt nearly to the river. Up
narrow rickety flight of stairs she
climbed and the boy followed her.
Next day he came with her to the
bridge and stood at her side while she
sold her papers, and the boys observed
that her eyes were never removed from
his face except when she had to engage
the attention of a customr. Day by day
this continued and through the winter
up to January The boy came with ner
every day, and he wore better clothing
than when he was first seen at the
bridge, but he seemed to be fading away.
The veins in his forehead became bluer
and his white skin became whittier. He
coughed and eoughed, and sometimes
the blood would gush from his mouth,
and he would totter over to the curb,
and let the life current splash into the
gutter On these occasions the grief
and terror of old Aunt John were pitt
able. She would throw her papers be-
side the boy, kneel on them and put her
good arm about his head, moaning all
the while like an animal in distress.
After the kid" as the others called
him, had recovered from one of these
hemorrhages he would be desperately
For OF 1aact an hour and Aunt