Evening journal., 1898-12-19
BRAVE LITTLE
BORRIOBOOLA GHA.
sqsasaas4 z & eaa dsa sess alesosaaaa "a J

~ 70
a&3a6&@e&sa&43 43Sa%A&NsAASx
II wasn't so very happy TO begin
with. Christmas eve was a little dreary.
Maggie only hummed carol because
it was moro her way to sing than 90
cry, and the carol was the only thing
she could think Of just then II was
the first carol she had ever learned. She
could remember just how sweet her
mother had looked while teaching it to
her aud Jimmie, the brother, who
would keep his seventh Christmas to-
morrow-keep it in heaven. she thought,
with a CLEAN Of sorrowful joy. Tie
dear mother who was in the hospital
now, whose Christmas would bo spent
in a whitewashed ward, clean, bright
and tender, with kindly care, but still
not so bright as the little attic room
would have been if only she could have
been there. Maggie's song grew very
queer at this point Of her reflections
and her voioo was a triio unsteady, but
she persisted in humming 1T came
upon the midnight clear" and even
smiled little as she laid down the
cheap little doll she had been dressing
for Sweetie the dear little sister who
was her darling, and who was now
being cared for by kind friends Of her
mothers youth.
In another moment she was dashing
down newspaper alley at full speed, el-
bowling her way triho moro gently
than tho average habitue of that far
famed locality, but pushing 20 the front
with doggod resolution none the less,
and no sooner had the bunch Of papers
which came in answer TO her warcry of
Twenty srecials-throw EN-
along quick, Jimmiel" reached her
arms, than she was OFF with q bound,
and cry of "Papiersl Papiersl Here
is yer extryr - which sounded startling
ly loud and harsh Go come from that
girlish throat. Down Mason street she
few, anxious TO reach the "stand"
which the boys Of that corner had unan-
imously ceded to her with rough chiv-
airy when she had first appeared upon
the scene, timid, nervous, afraid to cry
her wares. She was the first Of all tho
crowd to reach State street. "Papier,
papier Here is yer extryl All about
the accident at Borrioboola Ghai" she
shrieked in the voice which would have
been sweet and clear but for its hard
treatment and out Of doors use, or rather
abuse. and a queer little smile curved
the corners Of her mouth as she gave
vent TO her peculiar trademark. " as
the "other boys" were wont to call the
odd name which invariably closed her
exhortation to buy an evening paper.
That exclamation had quite history
When Maggie had been driven by her
mothers illness and the want Of food
in the home cupboard to try paper sell
ing, sho had been afraid to cry loudly.
and her conscience, home taught and
tender, had forbidden her to invent
news announcements after the fashion of
others of her "perfesh. For some days
she had sold very little in consequence,
and the capital she had each morning
invested in papers seemed in "A fair way
to be lost, when Irish Pat, the tough
est boy in the gang, had taken her e
his heart and shown her the mistak,
which spoiled her sales.
"Yer don't know nothin, yer don't, D
he had said contemptuously, striding
along by her side with an exaggerated
imitation Of the walk Of the last acto
he had admired from the peanut heav
en-" Of tho Academy and keeping leve
with her as she dejectedly starte,
homeward, crying softly and wipinl
the tears away with her ragged bu
clean handkerchief
"Yer too bloomin scared +" he said
again copying the Academy actor, bot
in speech and gesticulation, IAN yer'l
never dono good till yer makes yer roa
more like better feller than yerself
He paused and looked at Maggie eS
pectantly, but Maggie had no idea tina
the "better feller" was Pat himself
and she never dreamed that the paus
should have been filed with a compli
ment, we'll deserved, in Pats opinion
so she said nothing, and the boy too
up his parable again.
'Now, this yer's the way yer calls,
he said, initiating her weak little or
to the life, IAN this yer's the way yc
oughter yell. F" And he let out a shot
of Paper here Paper All about III
great fire ON the west sidel Many live
lost Nineteen 1remen go down IN Il
ruinsr' which startled Maggie an
rang down the street for block
more.
Maggie soon found this to be true,
she was to equal the sales of the 9th,
paper sellers. But still, as has bee
said, her conscience rebelled against tl
deceit. So she decided with one Of Il
compromises possible only to innoce
souls upon inventing cry about
event which could not possibly happe