El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-02
HUMAN NATURE
BY JOHN sWINTON.

night one cold December night when
left the editorial quarters of The Times
(New York;, wearied with brain work,
or, let me say. with thinking writing,
handling copy" revising galley proofs
and looking after many things. When /
got down stairs on the Nassau street sida
of the old Times building. [ saw gang
of six or eight ragged and chattering
urchins sitting at the open irop grating
under which was the subterranean press
rooms, from which arose the hot steam
and hot air that We're warming up the
= shivering urchins whom some people
would call ''brats."
L stood at the door for q minute look
ing at the gang which the gaslight from
below brought into view
"Hello. fellows!" 7 cried.
Hello. ycrself- was the squeaking re-
- Sec here" said I after a few mo-
ments. speaking in a lower tone and FUN
bling in my pocket. sec here, I've got
some money TO give away"
give it to mer' yelled two or three of
the urcbjns at once they sprang up.
"No. We don't. miSterr' cried one Of the
others he shook his Est In the faces of
those who had 6rst made cutlery Give
1t TO that little fellow in the corner. He
needs it bad"
"And SO say we all of us!'' chirped the
gang
The little fellow in the corper' rose
from the hot iron grating which had
warmed his bones. Tie vas black: he
was bunchback: his face gaunt:
he gripned: he was in tatters. He said
his name was Napoleon Bonaparte-
The money wasn't much. lie got it.
Thank We. bossi' he lisped as his eyes
glistened on that wintry night. and the
whole gang laughed, giggIed and chuc-
killed.. happy as the little black hunchback
r who bad now got out of the corner.
This is the whole OF my story. If the
reader doesn't see what 1t signifies, it is
not told for him. But perhaps there are
some ragged brats who have more true
religion in them than some fat nabobs.
Lets go, me chums." said Napoleon
Bonaparte. and the gang Of fellows ran
along Park II watched them till
they got to that famous grubshop in a
Cellar where they don't give bread with
one fishball'' and where was first heard
that memorable order from a hungry Gus
toner to waiter: Pork and beansi
Gle me big chunk ~ pork. and don't
stop to count yer beanSr'
] shouldn't wonder If my gang had n
great time there Tor a half hour or more
and then took a spooze somewhere.
"a Well. 7 guess that nv this time all those
brats mp among the angels in the
skies. for they all looked as if they ought
to be translated at onca-
My next story may be less satisfactory,
for 1t shows that human nature has two
sides.
The scene Of it is in Brooklyn. some
: parts of which. as is well known, are in
Tested by rowing gangs NJ young rap
scallions who take q satanic delight in
tantalizing 5efenseless pedestrians, jcer-
ing at them. boarding them. throwing
mud other things Mt them, running |
around them. knocking off their hats or |
otherwise subiectiug them to annoyance |
and suffering No well governed city |
= would let such rowdies run at large; but |
Brooklyn lets them.
A rickety old man was slowly wend- |
ing his way along an ice clad street one
night last winter when a gang of ten or q
dozen boys. ranging in ago from tn IL
years. canght sight of him. They began
yelling at the old man he plodded
! along the block. They threw snowballs
at him. they made faces" at him they
ran in front OF him. hooted as they ran
behind him. and. seeing some spoiled
refuse in the gutter. flung it at him.
Did you ever hear of more shameful,
conduct or moro depraved young roughsH
Mind you. ! was told these facts by the
old man himself.
!. rallied at them: he cursed them: no was
"hopping mad" he called for help. 1t
was in vain.
Now it happened that the old man slip
ped on the ice clad sidewalk: he fell hesv-
lily; he groaned: he bIed in the fnce: be
tried to get up. fell again. groaned still
more lay prone. and it seemed though
, he was done for
Presto, chaugei The pitiful sight
touched one of the rapscalliOns, and an
other of them, and ali of them They
gathered around him as he lay PROSTATE.
bent beside him. spoke softly to him.
shed tears as they looked at him. wiped
the blood from his gasbed face. got him
:, on to his feet, treated him as gently as II
he had been their loved father. helped
him as he tottered tn his home. accom-
panying him all the way: told him how
sorry they were and offered to do any
thing they could for him.
This was the last of that gang OF rap
scallions, who, after all. az it would
Ny lost The gang had become ashamed
of itself at the sight Of heIpIessness and
suffering. IT broke mp. And now. as I
was told by the old man himself. when
ever a former member OF the gang sees
him in the street. he treats him with the |
utmost respect
1t may he donbted whether any one OF |
these members is yet wholly sanctihed, |
for even the Methodists say that good |
while ia needed for specification. but l
| am told that all of them are getting along |
AAretty well and that one of them is |
known TO have punched the head OF |
sinner bigger than himself whom he saw |
maItreating an old beggar. And wasn't |
this an evidence of piety? |
But ] cannot at this moment think or |
any neat sentence into which to put the |
moral of this last story. Perhaps one |