The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-08-17
TIM ME,

JIMMIE.
Tie burst upon the street one July mo1ning j.,
abbreviated trousers and pink shirt-tbe two oar
ments held together indiferently by single sus-
pender that was Iimmie's pride. 1t was no TOW af-
fair intended 10 f1atter an infant but gan,,;,a
@roWl-up suspender that had seen seryice-nrob
ably cast-of from his fathers wardrobe, Re tbG+
as 1t may 1t conferred distinction on Jimmie and
set him quite apart from the other infants who
we're held together by waists
Nothing could be finer than the bows ofband
friendly manner In club parlance he was a good
mixer and in all his four wears he had never been
known to meet with defeat in developing his infan-
tile schemes. There were other children in the
ncighborhood whose moral character outranIed
Immes, but they hadn't his hair, or eyes, or smile
and when you looked on these physical charms Won
suecumbed at once, particularly to the smile 1t
was irresistible ripping back from eyes and mouth
to the roots of his yellow curls
The day after he moved into the neighborhood
interest IN him was strong and he kept it stirred
up to the day he left
Jimmie one of a large family that over
flowed a small tenement, into which, however
managing mother squeezed boarder The boarder
one of Timme's perqusites He rose early
TO levy toll on him at his breakfast and the table
beng set at the window. the neighbors over the way
had the privilege of watching Jimmie drink large
quantities of the boarder's coffee with zest that
was audible across the street With the departure
of the boarder the chd's street dav began. and he
employed has time TO such good effect that he was
well and favorablv known throughout the en-
tire street. 1t wouldn't be easy to say Just why
people felt so kindly towards him. Perhaps it was
his impartial manner. his ready comradeship. or
If may have been that you felt it was not his wish
to exclude you from his inner circle of friends Not
that he showed open preferences in individual
cases, for he treated all alike. He was known to
leave the boys on the corner, whom he had been
entertaining with acrobatic feats to beguile for
lady on the curb the tedium of waiting for car.
She dignifed lady, eminently respectable
and bore all the marks of a well-spent life Her
manner was reserved and might have repealed any
attempt at familiarity. but Jimmie never hestat-
ed over such trifes. He didn't know her name,
and she didn't know his, to relieve the awkward
ness of the situation he studied her for a moment
thoughtfuv. Then curling his and legs
around the arcight pole he turned his shining face
toward her and addressed her to hearty good-fel-
lowship:
Hello, Bum
1t was pet name, but Of course the lady didn't
know that. and for q moment she was startled. not
to say disedfed. Then she smiled, and Jimmie
pressed his advantage with a request for a penny.
When the interview was Jimmie had the
penny, and the lady had parted with lifelong be-
lief that only polite children who didn't beg pen
mics should be rewarded
But. after all, Jimmie could not be regarded as
beggar. for he had given value-in permitting her
to make his acquaintance, and also by singing for
her the scale III a shri sweet voice, of his
complishments of which grew inordinately
proud. The boys in general, who were blamed for
everything that happened were certainly entitled
to praise for bringing out Timme's talent. They
patronized him literally, and every evening wit
messed an outdoor performance that the manager
of grand opera might envy, for the popularity of
the tenor always brought down the house-or rath-
the street.
The Sunday dress parade of the children
their way to mass held no allurements for Jimmie
Perhaps he too young to feel an awakening of
The soul he may have been so sure of his posi-
ton that he scorned to enlist the aid of dress On
one occasion. however, his mother, fired. by the
ample of the neighborhood, sent him forth arrayed
in conventional garb collared, booted, hated, yes
even WASTED like the ignoble rank and file of in
fancy.
Poor ambitious mother. She succeeded merely
in niicting misery her offspring. But his suf-
ferine was shortlived For a brief hour he hob
bled along the pavement, so conscious of his abase
to the ranks of the conventional that he could
not hold up his covered head, and then he disap-
peared-to reappear in the afternoon tear-stained,
but triumphant his old self once more, with the
suspender again doing duty. Needless to say, he
was not ostracized.
For one fleeing season he remained with us,
then dark days fell upon Jimmie and his people.
The ambulance bore away the ambitious mother
toll combined with ambition, had done It's work.
Jimmie was only vaguely conscious of the family
trouble Otherwise he could not have investigated
the interior Of the ambulance while the doctor
in the house. or surveyed in his usual bedonair man
ner the juvenile nonentities grouped below, who
had not the distinction of having such turnout
at their door.
few weeks later "To Let" stared at us from
over the way. The boarder and Jimmie longer
breakfasted in the early morning, and the child
longer sang to his delighted curbstone audiences.
He was such tiny thing that he really should not
have been missed but we did miss him-he was so
smart and buoyant, and saucy Alas! he had gone
down a step in the scale of fortune, and when he
appeared now and again in his old haunts we, who
had grown to love his radiant personality, greved
to see how i'll the world was using him.-Anna
Morgan in Donahoes Magazine.
Life is made up of chances and trials, given to
L., Il