The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-12-16

safe from him there. But OF the differ
cnce between The woods and q forest Of
priek and stone I never thought; of
nlgLt with no shelter but the wall OF
some blind alley; Of hunger IN tho sight
OF food. and wild beasts in the shame Of
mon. didn't know where % 60 or who
20 speak 20. II any one stared at mo
long, I turned and ran away. I ran away
once from q policeman. lie thought mo
O. thief. and started 20 run after me- But
people slipped tn between us and got
away. What happened next don't
know. Perhaps I was thrown down. per-
haps I fell. I had come q long way and
I was tired. When 1 did know any-
thing, 7 was lying on my back in a nar-
row street looking up at tall building
that seemed TO so right up into the sky
ike the great rocks I had sometimes
slept under when I was with the g.psics.
Only there We're windows IN the rock. out
Of which looked faces. and I got looiSuE
back at one CT these faces and the face
looked at mo, and I liked Il and got mp
on my knees and held up my arms. and
the face drew back out Of sight. and /
felt very sorry and cried and almost laid
down again. / seemed so alone and
hurt and hungry. But the children
there were crowds Of children-woulIn't
let me. They got IN q ring and pulled
O. me. and some one cried Big checks
IS coming! Big cheeks VIII cat her up.
and 7 was angry and got up on my feet
But I couldn't walk. screamed when 7
tried to. which frightened the children.
and they all ran away. But 1 didn't
fail. an arm was around me. q good. kind
arm. and though I dicnt see tho face OF
the woman who helped. FOR she had her
head wrapped UP I'm old shawl. I felt
that SC was the same which had looked
out Of tho window at me- and won't
willingly enough when she began 20 draw
fight of stairs. though 7 could hardly
help screaming every time my foot
touched the ground. At the top OF tho
first flight I stopped; 7 could go no fur
Their. The woman heard me pant. ani
pushing tile covering from hog eyes. slo
turned my face towards the Lght and
looked II IL. I thought she wanted 10
see If 1 was strong enough % 90 on. but
that wasn't lt at all. for I'm a minute
heard ler sly in voice SO sweet
thought had never heard tho like .Ycs.
you're pretty, I want a pretty ril to stay
with Ue ond go about selling ms Things.
I love pretty girls; I never was pretty
myself Win YOU stay with nae b. take
you up 70 my room and take care of you2
III be good 10 you. little ducsi.ng every
body about here win tell YOU that:
cvarybody hut the children they don't
like NO. I moanod. but 81 was from,
happiness. u seemed too good 90 mar
that cooling voice in nay ear. I Thought
90 my Mother d~ean-and my arms
went up as thov had in the street below.
7 viii stay ] said. She caught NV
hands. and that IS an I remember tin I
found myself iu bed. with my ankle
bound Up and n gentle hand smoothing
nay hair. II was month bcfoTe 7 walked
again All the time this woman tended
mo- hut always from behind I did not
sec her facc-n0t wcli-only by gimpses
ana then only partly for the shawl was
always over her head covering every
thing but her eyes and mouth. These
were small. the smallest 7 ever saw.
little pig eyes. and little screwed up
mouth; but the look Of them was kindly.
and THAT WAS All 1 cared about then;
that ana her talk which made me cry
one minute and laugh the next ! have
never cried so much or laughed SD muc1
in my life as I did that one month. She
told such sad things and she told such
funny ones. She made me glad 70 see
her come in and sorry TO see her go out.
she let no one else come near me. I did
not care; I liked her too well / was
never tired Of listening to her praises,
ana She praised me a great deal. even
Gid not mind sleeping under a roof az
much as I had before. perhaps because
we were so near IL; perhaps because the
room was so fun Of al sorts of things,
never got tired Of looking at them.
Pretty things she called them, but when
saw more things things otside in shop
windows and the houFss ! afterwards went
into, ! knew they were very cheap things
and not always pretty. But she thought