Little Falls herald., 1900-11-30
POOR LITTLE TUBBS,

10 fustlo" ARCHIE is nine and Tubbs
sven ysoeo old, and if they were washed.
.1-rle3 and lighted up with Eton jackets
and Tam o Shanters they'd look all right
walking with nursie in Lake Shore drive.
But they live near the gashouse, where
their mother does trough washing at 40
cents dozen, and their father spends his
time looking for a job in pail of beer.
His name is Tubbs, and his younger son,
as the favorite child, is also called Tubbs
for short, his full name being lgnatius D.
Tubbs. Archie being two years to the
good. is much better ''rustler'' than Tuobs,
and old man Tubbs, always willing to give
honor where honor is due, has begun to
transfer his favor from little Tubbs, who
often comes home empty handed, to Archie,
who never fails to fetch in few dimes
or their equivalent in old clothes. The
good Mrs. Tubbs, however, clings to her
little Tubbs, who has volunteered the in
formation that sometimes Archie substi-
tutes stratagem for diplomacy, Gifts port
able articles of p,unsier and 'holdS out on
the house everything smaller than n!ckels
and dimes.
STILL the slender soul of little Tubbs smote
him each ::me the old man laid the laurel
wreath upon the brow of the more success
full Archie and while Tubbs Sr. was over
in Center avenue turning cast t-off clothes into
cash, at Zinl,Ski's three halls and no strikes,
the boy would yearn for the day when his
fear OF copptrs and his feeble legs would
be transformed into the courage and speed
of Archie himself. But try as he would,
the small Tubbs could not even overcome
bis terror Of pet dogs, jantors, fat boys
IN good Clothes and other frightful denizens
of back yards and the porches of flats.
When the TWO boys ''worked" together it
was Archie who led the way up the long
back stairs Of apartment buildings; it wa,
he who ventured first into forbidden areas
and knocked at ominous- looking doors, upon
which the dirty knuckles OF little Tubbs
made scarcely a sound
A. last it showed, and Mrs. Tubbs' neigh
hors quit using wash things to such a
degree that her laundry work didn't earn
one dollar week. When the stove got
cod and Mrs Tuhbs sat down on soap
box and began to weep, Tubbs allowed that
eff honest family couldn't live by fair
means it was time to quit He said he
was Just ready to quit, that he was drove
to it and that ''they wasn't no use tryin'
to be on :he square, Then he went down
to the Gem saloon and waited for Archie
and little TubhS TO come home, and white
he was there driver for brewery wagon
came in with his trousers in his boots a
pea jacket and a pair of buckskin gloves,
and bought the crowd three rounds Of
drinks
Meanwhile little Tubbs and Archie were
doing "stunts'' on South side back porches
with small success and incessant rebuffs
Pet dogs seemed to fly out of every door
like so many jacks-in-the Fat boys in
good clothes were making snowballs and
throwing them as if they were paid for it.
Janltors were everywhere sprinkling salt
and scraping snow as if there were no
small boys who needed the pay and were
able for such light work. At last little
Tubhs essayed a fourth-hoor fat where
neither dog, jantor nor boy confronted
him. He knocked four times before he
cour2geouSiy got into his heels, and then he
gently kicked the door. A fat. old woman,
with gold glasses, opened the door, and
thf steam that came out bore the smell OF
roast apples. Tubbs nearly dropped with
JOY when she said 'Come in.' She looked
Sc kind that he added few crllnps to his
usual rigmarole. improvised few words
about a SICK little brother and no fire, and
wound up with gentle suggestion about
"o'd clothes for papa or mamma"
She was 20 touched that she gave him
two roast apples in a dish and left him
a.one in the warm kitchen while she went
to :oolS for It few "o!d things" When he
left her he had 1.-TWO bits gripped in his
torn pocket and an old =ealskin sacque over
his shoulder. The sacque, the lady said
was for mamma, and the 1.-TWO bits was to
buy something nice for the sick little broth
er. Tuhhs wondered as he flew for home
what the odd man" would "get on the fur
coat" and whether "maw' would buy soap
OF corn beef for the quarter. He was sure
of one thing and that if he could only land
his booty in the family stronghold his
stock would 60 up several points in Tubbs'
quotations. while "maw'' would praise him
to his hearts content.
What with the roast apples and the run
ming and the pleasant anticipation, little
Tubbs was all agow when he passed the
Gem saloon. where the big Tub's was wait
ing with an eye on the barkeeper for an
other free drink and one on the window
for Archie and the Kid Little Tubbs
went by so fast that the cd man didn' catch
him till he in his own door Then he
grabbed the frayed, worn <ea.Skin, held it
up by the coa!-oil lamp and said:
"See here. did you git it, or lift it -
"1 got it, painted little Tubbs, going to
his mother with the ':two bits yet Sc
~creted for her.
':Then it's al right! You done NOBLE my
son-so longs you didn't lift it, Remember
we don't want YOU to do nothin' but what 3
square!"
When he had looked at the tattered lin
ing and got an estimate from "mam' as to
what Zlinski would *'gve on it," cd Tubbs
started for Center avenue, figuring as he ran
how much he could hold out On the cold
woman" and how many trips between
home and the Gem the growler could make
on, say, $l.l5. Then policeman saw him
running with the sealskin sacque Tapping
on his arm, and yelled: "Halt!" He kept
on running, and the policeman ran after
him with mob of small boys joining in the
chase.
It took four days to straighten the bust.
ness with the police. The fat old lady had
to come down and identify the sacque, which
was finally awarded to Mrs. Tubbs, and
she got four dollars on it at Zlinkski's.
Little Tubbs never knew why it was that
his father never praised him for his star
performance. A plush cap was his share
,of the four dollars, but this did not con
.cao Kim for tho fo|lnwinu va In fion nlace6