The Advocate and news., 1898-06-15

Once he went TO Brooklyn TO answer
an advertisement, but the place was
filed when he got there. 1t was in the
evening when he came back. Trains
of cars loaded with people, hundreds of
carriages, rumbling trucks and count
less pedestrians moved in either direc-
ton across the great bridge under which
the ships passed on their way to the
sea. Crafts of all sizes and kinds, from
little steam tugs to war ships bristling
with cannon, lay at anchor or moved
about In the harbor, and In the west,
near where the sky and ocean seemed to
meet, there arose from the water the
gigantic statue Of a woman looking out
to sea and holding in her uplifted hand
a torch, the light Of which, at night,
cleaned far across the water.
Tom had often seen her as she looked
tonight and had always thrilled with
pride when he thought Of all she stood
for-our vast country and the liberty
to be found here, the great and glo-
rlous liberty" the Fourth Of July speak
ers talked abOut--but as he stood on the
bridge this evening, hungry, weary and
almost penniless he felt no thrill Of
pride. He had none OF the liberty and
happiness the name Of the statue
claimed for the people. Statue OF Lib
erty!" said Tom, as he stopped and
gazed at it. Liberty! nothing but lib
erty to starve, guess"
Mighty fine looking woman, amt
she, even IL she is mostly a big bluff"
said a voice beside him.
Tom glanced up and saw ragged fel-
low like himself. The man seemed to
want to talk, but Tom moved on.
Once across the bridge he walked aim
lessly along for he had no place to go.
He met many idle men like himself and
wondered il he looked as disappointed
and wretched as they. He was tired,
and leaned against brick wall for rest.
The place seemed familiar. Half
stupidity he remembered that 1t had been
Miss Vinton's school and the newsboys'
lodging house. He had a few pennies
left and went inside where he got a
bed-One of the second-story hunks he
and Fred had seen--and as he tumbled
in linn and tired it seemed he heard
Miss Vinton's voice again saying, They
don't look very inviting, but to boys
who have no home and no bed they feel
quite soft and comfortable" He looked
around the room. The hunks were filled
with sleeping boys, most Of whom made
their living selling papers and blacking
boots, and the thought occurred to him
that he might do likewise. He was
rather large for such work, but he must
do something. He could not starve.
For many weeks he blacked boots.
It was very trifing work for young
man. He was ashamed, and kept we'll
out of sight of Fred and other fellows
he had known. One night he passed
one of the big theaters where the post
ers and bill-bOards announced that a
popular foreign actress was playing.
The performance was over and the play
ers were leaving. Two women came out
hurriedly, passed through the crowd
which always gathers around the stage
door to see the performers come out.
They entered a carriage and were
driven away, when Tom noticed that
one of them had dropped something. He
picked it up. 1t was pOcket-bOok. In
the light of the next street lamp he
opened 1t. There were cards inside
which showed that it belonged to the
woman whose name was on the bill
boards. There was money in it too
enough to buy him a ticket back to
Kansas. He argued that he needed the
money worse than she. But to use it
would be to make himself thief. No,
he could not do that. He closed the
purse, and next day took it to the ad-
dress found inside-Hotel Savoy.
The clerks and bell-boys looked at
him suspiciously, and while he waited
In an outer room a maid in white cap
and apron kept her eye on him for fear
he might be a thief. Finally he was told
the lady would see him. He was ushered
into a gorgeous room carpeted with soft
rugs and hung with silk draperies, and
here, to his surprise, the woman who
turned to meet him was not a stranger
hprf ba TpuIich 1ndu ha had mot