The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-09-11
A Little Story
Of a Big Town
BY M. QUAD
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1913, by American Lit
erary Press.

chased bit here and there to stock
the family cupboard for Sunday. On
Canal. on Grand, along the Bowery,
In Chatham square. men and women
are laughing in good nature as they
elbow each other and throng the stores
to purchase ornaments and luxuries
Here men and women are sullen and
silent, many of them wondering where
the barest necesSaries are to come
from
IF you won't help me we shall have
to go hungry tomorrow"
1t was Il little Old woman who had
approached so softly that l did not
hear her
Where do you live?" | asked
She pointed to four story tenement
almost opposite
ANY family:'
"a sick husband and four children
sir
VERY well: lead on. and will fol
low"
She kept looking back, and there was
puzzled expression Old her face
This way-thats chiId--kepp tu
the rail-don't fear the dog-we're al.
most up
"And as we reached the upper hail
we turned TO the right, passed down IA
blind hall running the other WHY. and
presently she pushed open door and
we entered a room lighted by a smok
ing lamp.
John. children. it's a stranger come
to see u.s. said the woman as stood
and looked about
Here We're two small rooms three
chairs. cupboard. an old table, a
wretched bedstead and more wrett.hed
bedding. on which lay a man. Across
the room WIS Il mattress. on which the
children We're lying as entered In
the other room | saw Il stove a wash
tub and Il bucket of coal
'St down. sir said the woman as
she placed a chair
The husband looked to be fifty years
old. He had the bright eyes and the
hollow cheeks of a consumptive
Are you doctor?" he asked as sat
down
mo"
THE rent is overdue. but re haven't
even bread to eat" he said.
81 am not your landlord nor his
agent. l simply came up to see YOU
to see II you were sick, to see what
you needed
"John. you know how it is with US.
/ asked him on the street for money.
and he's come up to-to''-
ITO see If you We're really in need
of help" l said as she paused. Have
you had any supper?"
Just a crust for him. sir. but moth
ing for the rest, and but for you the
children would be crying with hun
ger.'
VERY we'll I'll mind the house
while you go out Get bread, butter,
tea, milk, sugar potatoes and meat"
''4ou-you don't mean it?" she
gasped.
The man rose up on his elbow to get
better look at me, and | saw some
thing like alarm in his face. To quiet
him l said:
The case is clear enough You used
to get along all right. but sickness
came; you could no longer work; you
have reached your last penny Why
shouldn't help you bit?"
Its sadly enough we need it. God
knows. but-but''-
But you can't make out why
came up here?"
NO, SIR
well, don't worry about 1t. Queer
things are always happening to all of
US. How long have you been ill?" /
Over year. sir"
And how have you lived?'
BY using the few dollars l had put
by and by selling whatever we could
spare until we are as you see us. l
once earned my So day, sir. and no
poor mans family was better cared
for
And today you are penniless and
hungry"
AYE. sir. and as laid here I'd have
cut my throat if l had g knife"
BY and by. as we talked. the mother
and children returned. l heard the
AollCi oHoulluS, CNcu VII luc lp"tl
stairs. Each had a load and the wife
returned after lamp. a bottle Of wine
and some other things. Poor soul!
She was laughing and crying by turns.
and to have seen those forlorn chill
! dren sit down on the floor and eat the
dry bread as furnishing wolves devour
their prey was something to pain your
heart
Its real meat, John" said the wo-
man as she came to his bedside
real meat, and real potatoes, and real
sugar and tea. and there Is God
after all!'
"Yes there is God, Nary he
whispered as he wept
And while | sat there the wife cook
ed supper, and the hunger of all was
satisfied and the two smaller children
afterward knelt at the bedside and
repeated the Lords Prayer and were
asleep three minutes later
1t was only a drop. only little ray
of hope shining through the darkness
and gloom Of their poverty and de
spair. but to have caught that one
ray filled them with new strength to
battle in the future. and | had touched
elbows with still another phase of hui
manity.