Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-10-14

i
the pillow, fresh fall of fakes on snow
already fallen. Childhood. with its
dimpled hands thrown out on the pill
how and with every breath taking in
new store of fun and frolic. Third
watch of the night. Gods slumberless
eve will look. Let one great wave Of
refreshing slumber roll over the heart
of the great town, submerging care
and anxiety and worriment and pain.
Let the city sleep.
But, my friends, be not deceived.
There will be tonight thousands who
will not sleep at all. Go up that dark
alley, and be cautious where you tread
lest you fall over the PROSTATE form of
q drunkard lying on his own doorstep.
Look about you, lest you feel the gar
roter's hug. Look through the broken
window pane and see what you can
see. You say, Nothing" Then listen.
What is it? 'God help Us!'' No foot
lights, but tragedy ghastlier and might
Ter than Ristori or Edwin Booth ever
enacted. No light, no fire, no bread, no
hope. Shivering in the cold, they have
had no food for twenty-four hours. You
say. ''Why don't they beg?" They do,
but they get nothing. You say, "Why
don't they deliver themselves over
to the almshouse?" All, you would not
ask that if you ever heard the bitter
cry of a man or a child when told he
must go to the almshouse. 'Oh," you
say. they are vicious poor, and there
fore they do not deserve our sympa-
thy Are they vicious? So much
more need they your pity. The Chris
TbrnIJoh
their night there wrinkles the round,
merry star of hope, and through the
broken window they see the crystals
Of heaven but the vicious poor they
are more to be pitied. Their last light
has gone out. You excuse yourself
from helping them by saying they are
so bad they brought this trouble on
themselves. l reply, Where | give ten
prayers for the innocent who are suf-
fering | will give twenty for the guilty
who are suffering.
Pass on through the alley. Open the
door. oh" you say, sit is locked"'
No, it is not locked. 1t has never been
locked. No burglar would be tempted
to so in there to steal anything. The
door is never locked. Only broken
chair stands against the door. Shove
it back Go in. Strike match. Now,
look. Beastliness and rags. See those
glaring eyeballs. Be careful now what |
you say. Do not utter any insult, do |
not utter any suspicion, if you value |
your life. What is that red mark on |
the wall? 1t is the mark of murder
er's hand! Look at those two eyes ris-
ing up out Of the darkness and out |
no StTaIU n fbn COMING |
toward you, and as they come near you
your light goes out. Strike another |
match. All, this is a babe, not like
those beautiful children presented in
baptism. This little one never smiled.
1t never will smile. A flower flung on
al awfully barren beach. o Heavenly
Shepherd, fold that little one in thy
arms! Wrap around you your shawl
or your coat tighter, for the cold wind
sweeps through.
A Hopeless Brow.
Strike another match. All, is it pos
sible that the Scared and bruised face
OF that young woman ever was looked
into by maternal tenderness? Utter no
scorn. Utter no harsh word. No ray
Of hope has dawned on that brow for
many year. No ray of hope ever will
dawn on that brow. But the light has
gone out. Do not strike another light.
1t would be q mOckery to kfndle an
other light in such a place as that
Pass out and pass down the street
Do you know it is in this third watch
of the night that criminals dotheirworst
work? 1t is the criminals watch. At
half past o'clock you will find them
in no 6I.in hut r6
O'Clock they go to their garrets, they
get out their tools, then they start on
the street. Watching on either side for
the police, they go to their work of
darkness. This is a burglar, and the
false key will soon touch the store lock;
this is an incendiary, and before morn
ing there will be a light on the sky and
cry of Fire! Fire!' This is an as
sassin, and tomorrow morning there
will be dead body in one Of the va
cant lots. During the daytime these
villains in our cities lounge about, some
asleep and some awake, but when the
third watch of the light arrives, their eye
keen, their brain cool, their arm strong,
their foot fleet to fly or pursue, they are
ready Many of these poor creatures
were brought up in that way. They
were born in a thieves garnet. Their
childish toy was a burglars dark Ian
tern. The first thing they remember
was their mother bandaging the brow
of their father, struck by the police
club. They began by robbing boys
pockets, and now they have come to
dig the underground passage to the cell
lar of the bank and are preparing to
blast the gold vault. Just SO long as
there are neglected children of the
street, just so long we will have these