The Advocate and news., 1898-06-01

thought him fine boy and petted and
humOred and l fear would have COM
pletely spoiled him If he had not been
too steady and sensible boy to be
spoiled They were not rich people.
Uncle VIII worked with engines and
machines in a large shop, but being an
expert workman was paid good wages,
and now that Tom was to be their boy
always they planned to give him o good
education and make smart man OF
him.
In the spring, after summer vacation
began, he and Fred went down to see
the "Sheeny and Dago kids" in the
mission school where Miss Vinton
taught, away down in the slums on the
east side among dirty streets and
crowded tenement houses. Although
Tom had been In New York nearly
two years this was a part Of town he
had never seen except when he looked
down into it from the elevated train;
and most people who live In the better
part of the city know little or nothing
Of this region where people steal and
commit all sorts of crimes, where men
and women and children live all their
lives in rags and dirt, work in sweat
shops harder than slaves and often
starve to death. Fred knew little about
it either, although he had lived in the
town thirteen years.
Now" said Miss Vinton, when they
were seated IN the Broadway cable and
the car went buzzing and humping
along on its way down town and the
conductor was ringing off the fares,
Tom will think the boys and girls
in my school a bad-looking lot, but
when he sees where they live he will
understand why they are no better or
cleaner than they are"
Such nasty streets as they walked
through when they got off the car! The
cutters looked and smelled like hog
trCughs tousled-headed women, hold
ing children as dirty as themselves,
stood in the doorways or on the side
walk buying half-deCayed vegetables
from peddlers whose carts rested
against the curblng All the men looked
like tramps and idly lounged around,
scOwling sullenly at any well-dressed
person who passed. 1t was hot morn
ing and the fire escapes on the front
Of the tall, dirty brick tenements were
hung with soiled clothes and bedding
which made the whole street look as If
all the rag bags in the country were
being emptied from the windows. Wo-
men passed along with bundles larger
than themselves balanced on their
heads. Junk carts with jangling bells
were pushed along the street by men
who called out something nobody could
understand. Some Of the women wore
gay shawls and large earrings, for they
were Italians and still dressed much
as they did in their own country. Piles
of bread stood on the sidewalks and
sometimes it was made in rings and
strung on poles in front Of the shops,
where the dirt blew on 1t and the flies
bu2zed around it and everybody
bumped against it. Ragged little girls
were carrying scabby-loOking babies
and some children were swearing loudly
at each other and fighting over a
spoiled banana. 1t seemed that every
body was out on the street buying or
selling something, and many were jab-
bering to each other in languages Tom
had never heard before.
Nov here, and on the other streets
around is where the boys and girls that
1 teach live" said Miss Vinton, "and
that brick building with the high wall,
Ill the next block, is the mission school"
Ito be cOntinued.)
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