The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-08-25
HIS LITTLE BOY JIMMY.


you amt got job of work of no
kind you would like to git done, have
you?' 1 was leaving my home one
cold and snowy morning, and had just
reached the pavement when a small.
thin and ragged man, without an over
coat, and with hungry look in his
face, stopped to ask me this question.
There was an eager and appealing note
| in his voice. and felt sure that he was
sincere when he said:
4 would do anything at all that you
| could give me to do and l would do it
the very best 1 could. I'm willin' to
work if l can only get the work to do.
| Mebbe there is something you could
give me to do in your cellar. I'd GEaan
, it all up for you. and split up any
wood you might happen to have to
split up"
Now it happened that I had had a
load of thick pine slabs for kindling
wood sent to my house the day before,
| and / wanted it sawed and split. The
cellar was also in rather an untidy con-
| dition. and my wife had said at the
breakfast table that she was sorry that
old John, a colored man who came
! every other Friday to shake and clean
! her rugs, was sick and could not come
that day. Here was a man to take old
1 JOlIl e place, anu 10 SDllI the
and clean the cellar for me.
l had had some disappointing and
unfortunate experiences through en-
plOying strange men who had come to
/ my door asking for work, but some
! thing in this mans manner and his
manifest need of employment caused
me to say: Il think that 1 can give
! you work enough to last you about all
] day, if you are willing to saw and split
wood and clean rugs"
Indeed | am, sir, and glad to git 1t
to do. I'll do it the very best l can,
see if 7 don't"
/ took the man into my cellar, and
he went to work with a will. When
went home to my luncheon at noon 1
asked my wife if the man had cleaned
the rugs to her satisfaction.
Indeed he did" she replied. He did
not leave a particle of dust in them,
and he has that great pile of wood al
most all sawed and split already. He
is certainly working faithfully. l have
made him a pot of coffee to drink with
his dinner, and it is ready for you to
take down to him"
Taking the tray on which my wife
had spread out the mans dinner, l went
went into the cellar and found the man
saving away on thick slab.
Thank you, sir; thank you very
much - he said when I handed the tray
Of food to him. 81 didn't expect to
have you give me my dinner"
MY wife thinks that you have well.
earned it in addition to the money [
shall pay you, and 1 dare say that you
are hungry enough to eat it without
much effort"
Hungry? I amt had a thing I'M
der the sun but a slice of dry bread to
eat since yesterday noon.'
NV wife had MT a big yellow
orange on the tray and the man said,
as he seized it eagerly and put it into
his nocket: I'll save that for Jimmy.
if YOU don't mind. sir"
For jimmy"
yes. sir; he is my little boy, Jim
my is / reckon he'll open his eyes
when he sees that orange, poor little
chap. He's a cripple, my boy Jimmy
is. Got his right leg cut off above the
knee by being run down by an cleo
trio. 1t hurt his back. too, so that it
amt likely that he will ever walk any
more. He has suffered terribly. He
amt been home from the hospital but
two weeks, an I've lost my COB in that
time. so l amt been able to get him
what I'd like to. His mother is dead,
so there is just me and Jimmy an his
gran mother who lives with us. It's
tough for a man to see his pore old
mother an his sick little chap suffer
for eenough to eat an fuel to keep 'em
warm. You amt no idee o what a
help this days work will be to us. an
7 kin see Jimmys eyes shinin' now
when I haul out that orange"
How old is jimmy
"Onlv c. and small for that age. He
amt never goin' to be very big, and
he'll never be strong. I'll always have
70 hustle for Jimmy. But all | ask is
a chance to hustle l amt no COM
nlaint to make because I've got it to
do an the pore little chap sha'n ever
he made to feel that Think that he is
a burden. The factory l been worl1in
in has been runnin' only about one
third time all winter, an now it has
sbut down for good, so l amt anything
but odd Jobs to depend on. 1t makes
If hard for me with al 1 want to do
fer Jimmy"
Here was a loving and loyal father
heart Poor and ignorant though he
was he had a high and true concep-
tion of his duty to poor Jimmy, whom
I found to be a very thin, pale and
suffering little unfortunate when l went
ia see him. His fathers story was en-
firelv true, and it was pathetic to wit