Evening journal., 1899-07-17
BAGGALEY'S CHARITY

his head bent over his dolorous machine anu 4
his land describing slow circles with IT,
crank Mr.. Baggaley, the senior member O 4
the firm of Baggaley & Cuts importers OF I
German notions, could hear the higher notes |
of the music as be worked at his desk, am
they worried him. Mr. Baggaley was no,
a nervous man. The teamsiers backed their |
horses over the granite all day long beneath |
his window and the porters tumbled boxes
and packing cases on the sidewalk with q
perpetual crashing and humping. A crane
used by the wholesale coffee house next doc 4
had not been oiled in years and creaked die
mally whenever it was used On the floor
above was a manufacturing tailor, who's
huge sewing machines made the papers On
his desk quiver from eight O'Clock 10 the
morning until six o'clock at night.
So it went day in and day out, with never
a change, until the sounds became practic-
ally part of the life Of the great store to
which all had become accustomed.
None Of these sounds disturbed Mr.. Bag.
galley in the least or took his attention for
moment from his invoices Of cuckoo clocks,
mechanical toys pictures and wood carvings,
although Miss Norris, his stenographer said
that the crane sometimes made her want 10
hy. The reason why the faint dronings OF
the "Marseillaise' were intruding themselves
on Mr.. Baggaley's correspondence from
Nuremberg was that they presented a vivid
picture of the organ grinder to the business
mans mind.
For nearly a year Mr.. Baggaley had
noticed the old man sitting in the same SPOT
with the battered tin cup on the top of the
/ little organ. He was there when the i'm
porter walked briszly down the street in the
morning, and often the monotonous, squeaky
drawl of the ancient instrument was going
/ when he went away at night Usually the
/ old man was STOPPING over his organ and
his ragged felt hat was pulled down over his
eyes, but once as Mr.. Baggaley walked close
/ to him, with the purpose Of satisfying him.
self as to the amount Of money the cup con-
tanned, the old fellow raised his head
Then Mr.. Baggaley saw the face that had
! haunted him at odd times ever since. It
was Of the color of old parchment and fur
rowed and cross-iurrowed with wrinkles; a
/ gray stubble of beard covered the lower part
and O mass Of dirty white hair tumbled over
the forehead, almost down to the open,
sightess eyes Mr. Raggaley almost shud-
dered and forgot an about the money in the
cup.
That afternoon the thought came to him
that he and the old organ grinder must be
nearly Of an age. He laughed at the idea
and tried to dismiss IL from his mind, but Is
returned TO him again and again, and pres
emily he caught himself looking into the mir
ror of toy bureau and making almost un-
scious comparisons between the face re-
heeted there and that which had been raised
to him from the organ. The mirror showed
him a clear, ruddy skim but the wrinkles
were there, though not so deeply graved.
f, His hair was as white as the old beggar s.
, "How would l looll?' mused Mr.. Baggaley,
, 'if | should let 'em grow and quit washing
for a month or twoy'
Miss Norris entered the glass -partitioned
Office, and her employer, with great presence
Of mind, wiped an imaginary black spot
from his nose with his handkerchief, and 2
minute later became absorbed in his work
The next morning be was seized with on
- extraordinary impulse to drop q coin into
the organ grinders tin cup as he passed.
lie had a good memory, but he could not
, recolect that he had ever in his life before
4 given a penny without substantial value re-
ceived. In the early days his pennies had
been hard earned. It was enough for him.
he said, that he withheld from no man hi.
due, and that he paid his taxes promptly.
l He was Of the opiEion that indiscuminate
charity encouraged pauperism.
Mr. Baggaley did not yield to the impulse
but he thought it over when the faint sound
Of the organ reached his ears. He Won
derad whether the organ grinders chances
In life had been better than his own. prob
, ably 500 per cent. better" he told himself
'IIe'd probably tell me he has had bad luck
n I'd believed in luck I'd be in the gutter
3 where he is It seem funny though. 10
4 think that when | was a boy he was boy
too, though, for that matter, there are few
= hundred thousand others, l suppose"
r BY degrees this bond of sympathy grew
:, stronger, and one morning Mr.. Baggaley re
q solved that he would contribute something
to the tin cup just how much he would
not admit to himself, but as he approached
the organ grinder a man coming from the
opposite direction carelessly threw soml
e money into the cup, and Mr.. Baggaley's dis
= gust at the indiscriminate charity cause.
~ him to drop the nickel he had in his hant
r back into his pocket
n The firm Of Baggaley & Cuts sold grea
j. variety of musical contriyances. Their ware
house contained chairs gorgeousy gildet
and upholstered, that, being sat on, emitto,
3 all sorts Of waltzes and marches. Bristll
music-box cylinders were concealed in bed
and dolls and papiermache books and cabi
nets. " men Huuu customer came III li
-, place he was set tinkling from one end e
II the other Mr.. Baggaey got a great deal @
n comfort for some weeks after his miscgr
r. rage Of benevolence in imagining how de
, lighted the organ grinder would be when h
a. was presented with a new organ made n
j. Geneva TO order. with carlton and trianq
effects. Mr. Baeealey even went so far as @
look through catalogue for a suitable in
- strument.
y After chat when be passed the old man h
almost chuckled aloud at tho thought Of li
.e ignorance of the good fortune in store 10
.vi him At the same time he sometimes fel
= rritated when be heard the sound Of tl
> organ, for that suggested immediate action
lf and although Mr. Baggaley was usually
{. man Of action, in this instance he felt tha
the old man was hurying him unnecessarily
Then there came a time when the sound %
50 the organ was heard no more on the stree
ID corner For weeks Mr.. Baggaley looked 70
N the old man in vain, iingiing loose silver i
:, his pocket with determination as he ar
~ preached the boarding One morning D