Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1904-04-27
Little Cab

From my windows / could look
across the court into the apartment
occupied by the family of little Ga
briel, who was called Little Cab"
His father was a cutter in a cloth
ing house. His mother was sickly
and white haired at forty-ive and
expended all her health in household
duties.
He was an incurable invalid, His
crooked spinal column made his
shoulders rise to the level of his
eyes, His legs were slender and soft
and bent under body warped and
thrown out of equilibrium. He
would not have been able to walk
without an orthopedic corset.
From this distorted trunk, with a
hump on the chest and one on the
back, rose head too large, but the
face had exquisite dclicacy and an
expression of singular poignancy,
Although he was eight years old,
one would have thought him twenty
from his thoughtful face, his prom
inent forehead and his brown black
eyes, so precociously pensive.
His father, mother and sister
sdored him for his affectionate ways
and his extraordinary intelligence.
The physician had forbidden his
working, but to amuse him and to
change his surroundings they sent
him to school, where he forced him.
self to listen graveiy and to retain
oil that he heard.
One evening after school | saw
him seated under the porch of the
house against the rooms of the con-
cierge. His mother had gone out to
make some purchases, and, his sis
ter not yet having returned from the
shop, he found the door of the apart
ment locked, He was watching the
street with hungry eyes, while his
expression indicated deep thought
and mournful resignation. While l
questioned him the pupils of his
eyes threw observant and frightened
glances at me. During the inter-
view his sister returned all out of
breath.
"Oh, my poor Gabw cried she, 81
have kept you waiting, and you are
impatient, amt your"
NO." replied Cab, with calm,
silvery voice. Il said to myself only
that perhaps you did not want me
any more and would not come back.
/ am so sick and so troublesome"
"Ah, you naughty boyp" murmur-
ed the young girl, covering him with
kisses, and then, turning her eyes,
filed with tears, toward me, she add
ed:
"He is so little and so intelligent.
He reasons like q grown person.
What a pity that he is not strong!
The doctor says if he can 60 to
Berck this summer the salt air and
the sand baths will probably cure
him. But it is far away. Berck, and
1t would be expensive, But I am 60
ing to try to make enough money to
take him there"
The courageous young girl work
ed from morning until night to
make the amount necessary. She
broke herself down at her machine.
She folded, gathered, scanned, bast-
ed and Sewed without rest. heard
the dry, quick click of the machine
late into the night. 1t sounded like
a sharp chorus Of grasshoppers in
the fields.
Behind the curtains of the lamp
light l saw the outline Of the young
seamstress. In the house everybody
knew the story of Little Cab, and
the women willingly gave their work
to the sister. They stopped the
child on the landing, in the halls
and court, caressing and fondling
him and sending him delicacies. He
was always shy, and he shrank from
their caresses, which gave him more
inquietude than pleasure. He
thought q long time of these marks
Of friendship.
"rhe lady on the top floor has
given me these toys. Why has she
done so when she does not know
me?" he asked of his sister, with
keenness which gave a heartbreak-
ing understanding of the working of
his brain. at is without doubt be-
cause am hunchback."
Work was plenty and the bank
grew heavy in dark corner Of the
bureau drawer. July was approach
ing, and preparations were already
commenced for their departure. A
trunk had been bought and cos
tune for the child, who, enchanted,
,alked of nothing to his schoolmates
put his trip to the seashore.
At the last moment everything
Ees upset by an unfortunate aeci- !