New-York tribune., 1899-12-24
AN EAST SIDE CHRISTMAS.
A TRUE STORY OF LIFE AMONG THE
POOR OF NETWORK

IL was Christmas Eve. Now don't stop read
ing just because Of that. You don't know what
this story Is going to be like at all yet OF
course it begins Ike an ordinary Christmas
story but 1t isn't. II is true story, to begin
with. That is enough to distinguish it from an
ordinary Christmas story. Other differences
Will develop the story goes along.
1t had heen a typical December day. sunny.
warm and close with just a little brown haze
in the air and good deal of humidity. To-
morrow promised to be of those green
Christmeses so potent in the prophecy of a full
graveyard You begin to see the difference be-
tween this and the regular Christmas story OF
commerce already, don't you?
The story is about the Donovans, a very poor
family. who lived the East Side where
the poor families do live. They were not OF
the very poorest sort. If they were you would
not enjoy reading a true story about them But
they were poor enough. Mr.. Donovan was out
of work. When he had work they did not live
any too well, and so 1t was pretty hard when
he did not Mr.. Donovan was not a bad man
and ne was no more indolent or lazy than most
poor people are. Neither was he extra good
man. This is irregular. He ought TO be man
with a conscience like that Of the oldest maiden
lady in the sewing circle, looking for work
day and night and too proud to accept a cent or
cents worth that he had not earned, even
to keep his family from starving. or else he
ought to be a bad man, who got drunk every
time that he was not drunk already. and beat
his wife and children till they were all indis-
tinguishable in a single jelly. Then there would
be fair start for Christmas story. But ne
was nothing Of either sort.
Neither was Mrs. Donovan. She was little
better off financially than her husband. She
had SO in a bank. and she had notion
that II there should ever come a time which
was not a Saturday afternoon a Sunday or
a holiday she would draw out about 80 Of IT,
leaving enough that she could tell the neigh
bors that she had money in the bank. Of course,
she could easily have told them So anyway. but
quite aside from the neghbors. she liked to have
the feeling Of having money in the bank herself
In the mean time Patsy the oldest child. might
have made a little money selling papers. but
he did not do it often. because he felt that he
was too old. and that ii was beneath his dignity
He did It now and then, but taking everything
all together II pretty hard getting along
and a good proportion Of what money there
was went for drink that is to say. for tea for
Mrs Donovan and for beer fof Mr. Donovan
To he sure five cents would buy enough tea to
make a good many cups and it would buy only
two glasses Of beer, so that IT took more money
for Mr. Donovans drink than it did for Mrs
Donovans. but she did not lay that up against
him On the contrary, she argued, and sensi-
bly, that it was his misfortune and her good
fortune II she could get more for the money
than he could. Moreover she was not averse TO
a swallow Of beer herself now and then, and
in prosperous times it was usually bought by
the GROWER instead Of by the glass an arrange
mcnt which at once promoted economy and soci-
ability Mr. Donovan drank whiskey only when
somebody else paid for it, and he seldom got
excessively drunk When he did Mrs. Donovan
did not take IT to heart much. because she knew
that he had a hard time and few pleasures
Now, isn't this a nice commonplace state Of
things for a Christmas story? But it has the
advantage Of being true, and that outweighs
everything else.
The second child Katy was just going out
70 buy what things her mother thought that
she could afford for a Christmas dinner. She
went alone The regular thing in a Christmas
story would be for Katy and Patsy to go out
together Then KATY ought to be older than
Patsy and she ought to take care Of him. As it
was. Of course Patsy might have gone to take
care Of Katy, but he did not. for three reasons
He did not care to have her around. and he
knew that she did not care to have him around
and he knew that she could take care or her-
self. Now what you are thinking is that Katy
might have taken the DaDE dtOnS, 10 BlNc MIN d
breath Of the crisp, December air and 10 let
him see the beautiful sights in the shop win
dows. That is where you are fooled again
There wasn't any baby. And you know already
that the air wasn't crisp. On, isn't thls the
queerest Christmas story!
SO Katy started out alone. Poor, poor child
She had not even proper clothing She had
nothing wear but warm winter gown,
which seemed 10 stihe her on a night like THIS
She loosened 1t at the throat TO get a little air.
but that was all that she could do. II II had
.-fHI hlN nos a.
ter perhaps but it WAS comparatively new.
The streets were wet, though there had been
no recent rain, and they were slippery, thoueh
there had been no snow IN nearly nine months
Everybody who lives in New-York knows now
that is and there Is no need OF going INTO the
science of IL. Walking was most uncomfortaDle
Just as Katy was about to cross Grand-st
cab dashed along at a terrific rate 1t was going
from the Grand-st. ferry to the Desbrosses-st
ferry Ii was with small difficulty that the
writer was able to trace this cab and learn
where il was coming from and where 1t was
going to, in the interest Of an actually true
story. 49,, ,,
Katy saw the cab just in time to jump back
and avoid being knocked down and run over
bv IT, 1t was the loss Of an opportunity 10 make
this an ordinary Christmas story. FOR II the
cab had only run over her, II might nave proVe9
that there was a rich young woman IN H. ana
tbon che might have picked Katy up ana car
ried her TO her own home, and then sne couIu
have come back and go' the rest OF the Don
ovan family and had II set TO taxing care OF Hei
fatber,s country place in the winter, and every
bodv would have been inexpressibly happy, ana
what novel and fascinating Christmas story
II would have made
Little girls in New-York almost always escape
cabs just as Katy did. She would hot nave
come so near the danger as she dld II she haG
not been thinking of something else. She had
hoen reading some stories in a Christmas num-
her OF a daily newspaper, published on Decem.
her II. on which Patsy had, in the language OF
bis trade got stuck" II Is supposed by some
readers Of periodical literature that newsDoy
who goes home without having SOLD all MS
napers Is beaten by his father Newsboys them
eeIIes have been known TO encourage this belief
Rut Mr.. Donovan did not do that. II Patsy
made money ne did not care whether ne soid
ALI his papers or sold only quarter or them ana
made the rest playing craps with the 0theF
newsboys And then Mr. and Mrs: Donovan
themselves liked TO look over the Sunday papers
The imaginative sense of their race was graft
lied nv the red and yellow pictures.
And Katy AS has been said, had been reading
ict n1Ir1hnr and she