The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-06-27
PART II.
BLOSSOM.
CHAPTER VII.
Adolescence

SOuApc, ulu LuSIe 40 a iOuS Wall, uS az
the fall in the act-drop in the drama.
To this rule, howe :, Little Make
Believe was an exception
Hcr life was full Of color, and every
day that dawned brought with it the
necessity of action.
This struggle for the bare necessar-
les of life, this fight for food. was re-
plete with interest, albeit of painful
kind.
Yet from her inner being, in which
lay well of purest sweetness, she
drew a wondrous compensation for
anxiety and suffering; her gratitude
/ for trifles was so great that it might,
with some semblance Of truth, be said
that the pleasure of her days was born
Of the pain thereof, and would have
been of lower quality had her need
been less.
She had found friend, however, but
1 for whom she might have succumbed.
the world was SO powerful and she so
weak.
These last words have nothing of ex-
aggeration in them, for the world was
her enemy.
Ruled by social laws which Of very
necessity might have compelled Little
Make Believe to drift into wrong do
ing, in the eyes of the world she was
sore blemish, for which none but the
narrow-minded could have condemned
her.
Happily for her. of this exceedingly
numerous order of beings Thomas Dex-
ter was not a member.
From that night upon which he was
a spectator of his own funeral in Para
disc Buildings he became her friend.
In small way certainly. To the ex-
tent, probably, Of three or four pen
nies in the course Of week, bestowed
epon her a penny at time when he
met her in the streets.
1t was little enough, but it was a
help. The wonderful godsend of three
bright shillings from his hand to hers
was not repeated, Jut that was hardly
to be expected.
The occasional pennies were wind
fall which often sent Little Make-Be-
lieve home rejoicing.
Saranne grew stronger and more
beautiful, and, accepting as her right
the cheerful willingness to provide for
her which was Little Make-Belieye's
chief rule of life, did no work herself
even when she was old enough for it.
But it is hard to say what she could
have done had sad fortune deprived
her of her supporter.
She knew nothing, had learned moth
ing, and was easily discouraged,
whereas Little Make Believe fought
! loggedly against the heavy odds, and
sometimes exclaimed sometimes in the
midst Of bitter tears), Never say die"
During the years that interviewed be-
tween childhood and womanhood the
sisters became acquainted with three
persons who were destined to play inn
portant parts in their histories.
Two were gentlemen, one boy of
the people.
Where this latter came from no one
In Glare Market knew.
Some said he had dropped from the
! clouds-an euphemism, for he more
likely sprang from the cutters.
He was utterly wild, ungovernable
and untamable and seemed to have
gypsy blood in him.
Questioned about his parents, his re-
ply was that he didn't know nothink
about 'em."
He had lived anyhow. from hand to
mouth, as the saying is.
Where he slept, how he managed to
| live, where he came from, and If there
existed human being in the world
with whom he could claim the smallest
/ tie Of kinship- these were questions
which none could answer.
In some odd way he became &C
quainted with Little Make Believe and
Saranne, and would sometimes sit in
the cellar with the one and stroll
through the streets with the other.
A bad companion in every. way, but
they were not in a position to choose
their associates.
Whatever fell to their share, they
were compelled to accept, whether for
/ EOOU VI lls
From the policeman, Thomas Dexter
who had seen the lad with Little
Make Believe, and was curious about
! him-received his character.
"a bad lot, sir. Been locked up a
dozen times, at least. When he's
charged no one comes for'ard to speak
up for him. When he's asked in court
whether he doesn't belong to some
body or whether somebody don't be-
long to him he. sarces the magistrate
and tells him to mind his own. A
regular bad lot. sir. is Foxey."
This was the name by which he was
known.
A personal experience Of Thomas
Dexter's was confirmatory of the char
acter given to Toxey by the police
| man.
Ee had bought some odds and ends
at auction, which he engaged man to
wheel home in a barrow.
Foxey, coming on the scene while
the goods were being conveyed into
the shop, appropriated an old-fash-
Toned mirror and made off with it.
Thomas Dexter, whose back Cor the
moment was turned, detected Foxey in
the act Of running away, and be in
stantly ran after him.
Without assistance Thomas Dexter
might have run to the lands end with
out catching Toxey, but q woman