The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-17

| put yer cad in bag and keep 1t there!
/ Come along, Annermiria, let's go fer
a walk in the park. Well ave good
! ole time, won't We?'
yer won't get a bit fer yer dinner
| if yer do. But don't upset yerselves /;
there'll be more fer Albert an Maudie,
Arriet and me-"
"Yah! bury yerself!" was the polite
retort, as the young ladies disappeared
round the corner. But Joe did not really
| feel uneasy, as he was convinced they
had no real intention of stopping away
| from school.
Il won't let ma beat you. I'll bite
'er legs if she dol" a little voice said
! by his side. He looked down gratefully.
1t was Maudie Harriet.
Eyer allus was good little un," he
said; then added, with precocious
! knowledge, "but, then, they centrally
is good when they's Riddles. It's when
| they gets older they gets so rough. ]
(! mind Minnil1ite and Annermiria jest
| like lambs"
Like me?" asked Albert, looking UP
| from his mud pies.
| Nov, you're jest fat puddin' cad.
Put yer cap on at once or I'll soon mike
yer mind"
The baby began to whimper, and he
folded her close in his arms and kissed
] the little shriVeled face. "Shoo, go ter
| sleep, Sairy Ellen" he whispered
softly, cts a long time fore you'll grow
| up and git rough and saucy."
| Some hours later and the children sat
| shivering at the top of the drafty stairs
| for their mother to come home and
unlock the door.
She's lite tonight" Anna Maria said,
| leaning over the broken down rail. But
even as she spoke a heavy step came
| UP the stairs. The children listened
| anxiously, and Joe at last observed:
"She 'asnt 'ad much. Guess We'll
be 'er orphans ternight."
In a few moments woman's heavy,
| unwieldy body.
Lite ternight," she said rather thick
ly, feeling for her key. 20, well, turn
over moo leaf termorrer"
When she had lit lamp on the table,
she sat down on the one sound chair
| and began to cry.
Gimme me biby," she said at last,
"me little orphan biby-me Jimmy s
chile
She fell to kissing it, and 1t woke
with a feeble peevish cry.
With an oath she pushed it from her,
and Joe just caught it as it almost
! fell from her lap.
"Take it, she said, "there'll be bet
ter company termorrer.''
l. He walked up and down until the
child slept again with it's tiny head
against his neck, while the woman
snored heavily in her chair. The early
| winter light was just filtering through
| the unshuttered window when Joe
awoke and sat up. His mother had
not slept in the bed He blinked his
eyes and looked towards the chair, but
it was empty. With q little cry he
sprang out of bed and rushed towards
| the door, but she had outwitted him
this time and it was locked.
That morning went slowly by, while
the children fought and wrangled and
the baby walled and would not be COM
forted. Towards evening Joe was
leaning out of the window showing the
baby some sparrows fighting on an OPP
pos1te roof, when there was a shrill
scream behind him. He turned, and,
to his horror saw Albert standing,
with a lighted newspaper in his hand.
Let go, yer fool!' he shouted. The
child let go his hold, and the lighted
paper futtered against some rotten
clothing hanging against the wall, and
the next moment the whole room
seemed full of smoke and flames. Joe
sprang to the door and kicked with
all his might, but it would not yield to
his puny efforts, and the smoke stifled
him. There was no water in the room,
and the woodwork had already caught
and began to crackle. He ran to the
window and gazed out. BY the side of
the window on one side there was
about four feet of broken stone ledge