Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1899-02-01
ONE THANKSGIVING DAY. )
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They were small and ugly and
Irish.
Some day all the world may see
their pictures by going to a certain
gallery, called Rogues', 1 think, the,
will be considered very interesting
studies in criminology. But that time
is long way off.
| You slipped into the Pocket by a
little narrow neck, opening between
| two warehouses. 1t was quite dark
| along here, and a little announcement.
as a dress pocket sometimes is, but
In second You were in tiny court
shut in fast by the backs of the high
warehouses and ON the other sides by
small shanties.
The Pocket was a fine place to live
IN. The courtyard was boarded over
and the boards were old and loose
When by chance amy thing was
dropped, il was sure to roll away into
the cracks, and then there was the
excitement of ripping up board or
two, and seeing the black beetles and
terrible things with many legs scut.
tie out of your way. Then there was
too. The fun of hiding by the neck at
dusk time, and suddenly springinc
out at passer-by, and say: "Boo!"
at him, and see him jump and then
swear at you. But best of all, if YOU
happened to have policeman after
you Tor any cause wha tever, you
could get out of his way, three times
out OF ten, by slipping into this
Pocket.
u, there was no mistake, the Poke.
was the prize abode of the street
There was always some one ready &c
move into one of the shanties, when
some one In there was Obliged to
move out for lack of rent.
Of course, it grew dark pretty early
IN winter time. The high warehouses
seemed to take all the sunshine. High
houses often do. And there was
damp green mould which grew very
well over everything. 1t was very
pretty, this moss-mould ALI winter
the water never stopped dripping off
hhe ends OF the houses, and long into
drip -
There were some clods of earth
turned up in front of one of the shan.
ues. Some enc had ripped up a few
OF the boards and attempted a gar
den. 1t was struck full of sticks OF
varying sizes.
The women who made buttonholes
mad planted these sticks. Sometimes
her patrons gave her flowers, and she
always carefully trimmed off the
leaves and plarted the stems. They
never grew, but then they might any
tIme. You can never tell when a
Plant may take notion to grow.
This woman had lived in the coun.
try once and knew the smell of the
fresh ploweG field, knew the country
when May was there, and you could
smell the new sweet green things
everywhere.
Nobody ever disturbed her stems
they stood through rainy days and
summer days, upright in the green
mould. Sometimes after hard rain
when 1T turned warm quickly. the
wooden floor of the Pocket sent I'D
clouds of vapor.
It's the devel's own as is under
US, and him a hissin' up hot steam."
said one of the Pocket dwellers to lit
tie Maggie Fooley, and little Maggie
wouldn't cross the court for weeks.
save on the dead run
You're another" said another boy.
Dis amt hot. Dis amt steam. II
yer tink re deevil can't make any.
thing but hot steam, yer left. Dis
here's cold steam. Like fog If fog
amt cold steam, and steam amt het
fog, I'd like to know what isl
His listeners could not tell him.
But o, you should see the Pocket in
the summer time, when the windows
were all open, and the sewing ma.
chlne belonging to the woman who
TOOK In work, was buzzing, and the
sparrows were chirping and fussing.
and the little woman who made but.
ton'holes all day hummed to herself
1t was only little note, like the one
cheep" of the sparrow. And when
Mrs. Tooley dragged the washtuib
into her doorway and splas shed great
hubby suds around, and the SQUARE
OF sky over the Pocket was one dazz
ling blue!
0, you should see it then!
One of the little buttonholer's
shoulders was higher than the other
from always sitting one-sided. so as
70 be close to the light maybe, and
the forefnger of her left hand was
rough and ugly and needle-scarred
She had soft, delicate face, and the
children approved of her. Their own
mothers did not stop at home.
This was the day before Thanks.
giving, and great rows of fat turkeys
were hung around, and fine little
white pigs were lying in state, each
with a red apple in his mouth. Big
barrels of shining cranberries stood
along the sidewalks, and there were
fat plum buildings and thick pies in
the pastry windows, and nv!
but it made you hungry just to walk
pats those food shops.
Everybody was in a hurry.
The boys stood at the Pockets en-.
trance, watching the passers. Every.
one seemed to have bundle. Now it
was bunch of celery sticking out.
now fowls foot, now something
wrapped up tight so you could NOT
see what it was, now something that
took two hands to carry, and had to
be held straight, but you could be.
there was cake in that bundle!
Thanksgiving was not kept in the
Pocket.
Say" said one of the bows sud.
denly. "let's give a Thanksgivin' par.
ty! None of yer Ohristmases for me.
Thanksgivin' is swell. Yer amt Civ.
in tings all de time-jes' eatin'. OATS
de boy fer me. Say, we'll give a par.
ty. and not have no eatin' and fool de
crowdi"