The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-20
T> I fI TT O A>SToR1r or THE ~S1,Ur1S ..- 1yfr1Aa U GA,npr TON

i own than he had ever been before. He gazed about him curiously and. hearing music, which he knew was something sweet and good, though he could not lay his hands on 1t or eat 1t, he went in its direction. To Tinto music was a toy past his comprehension. balm that healed his woes as nothing else could, and he would forget his sorrows when the organ grinder stopped at the corner of his street and played. But this was not often, for organ grinders are thrifty persons, who do not waste their wares upon street corners where pennies are not plenty.
 As the inviting strains fioated out into the air of the street Tinto quickened his steps until he came to an open door lead ing into room where the music was, and. no one being there to scream at him and scare him away, he cautiously slipped in. his big blue eyes dodging from side to side in expectancy of the rebuff which always seemed to be coming to him. There was a sign over the door which read. "The Save All Mission. Free Ito Every One. Come In.' But Tinto did not know this. because not all the 4-year-old children of the slums can read, and Tinto had not enjoyed greater educational advantages than his associ- ates.
 Once inside the room he stood hesi- tatingly near the door. ready to run away at a moments notice, because he had never seen what he saw there; but the music held him. and before he could de- termine what course to pursue, sweet faced young woman, prettier than any, body Tinto had ever seen, came smiling to him and led him further In, to some seats where there were other children. Tinto sat perfectly still, hearing the music with his ears and seeing it with his eyes in the gentle face of the woman by his side. He could not understand why he was not afraid, but he was not, and there was something in the feeling he had never known before. It was al- most as If he had found a new glass mar ble. ever so much bigger and more beau tiful than the lost one, which he could never, never forget.
 Tinto had fallen into the kindly hands O, the mission teacher, and whatever re- iigious opinions he may have held they coincided with hers, whatever they might be She was talking to the chill dren of being good, and she had told them of a dreadfully hot place, far down im the depths, filled with noisome smells and smothering heat and darkness that never knew the sun. That was where bad children went, and Tinto, vaguely recalling the room in which he slept, wondered If he were so bad as to de- serve thet But there was another place, away, away up, very hard to reach, put beautiful beyond all things; a place where the air was always cool and fresh and sweet and the sun shone all the time-a wonderful city among the green hills and beside the shining waters That was the place where good children went, and Tinto could not understand
 The music had stopped .befores the teacher began to talk, but Tihto; list ening to her and looking at her as If he might lose her as he had lost the marble, did not miss the music. Other exercises followed the teachers talk, but ttey did not interest Tinto. He sat eag- erly watching the face of the teacher. She had drawn him in little chair 10 her. with her arm about him, and he rested his head against her with an un- defined feeling that some time, long ago in his little life, woman's arm had held him to her. But he did not remem- Der that he had cried when his foster mother found him and had said, "Tinto wants mamma."
 When the mission was over Tinto clung to the teacher and cried but she sooth- ed him and walked through the street with him, telling him she would come to see him the next day, and he could come every Sunday to hear the music and they would be very great friends. Tinto looked at her wonderingly and let her go. She would have kissed him, but it is not al- ways wise to kiss the children of the slums, and it is doubtful if this one would have known what 1t meant. No body had ever kissed him that he could remember, and an attempt to, do so would probably have frightened him. be- cause Tinto only knew that a mouth was made to eat with, and he had been told perfectly fearful stories of strange people who took great delight in eating tender little boys of just his size.
 It was very hot in Tintos room that night, and he went to sleep to dream