Year: 1869




Maggie Murphy was alittle girl five years
old, who lived IN the dirtiest quarter of New
York City, in squalid tenement-house not
far from Five Points. Her father and
mother we're not nice people: but they were
all the father and mother Maggie had ever
had for her own, and she did the best she
could to get along


Dan Murphy was day-laborer; and
though he was rather fond of whisky, il
seemed, for he spent almost all his money
on whisky, and little on his child. Her
mother, too, was fond of whisky, and she
was dirty and ragged; and besides Maggie,
she mad five other children, who were all as
dirty and ragged as possible.


Mrs. Murphy seldom occupied herself in
the welfare of her children during the day.
She turned them into the streets as soon as
they got out of their dirty bed In the morn
ing, each with crust In her hand, and
never thought of such a thing as combing
their hair or washing their faces. As for
dressing them, they wore eny rag they
happened to have on the night before, when
they went to bed on the floor; and as they
slept in them all night and wore them all
dav. they were not in nice condition.


Maggie was the littlest, and the only
things about her that could be called pretty
were her eyes. Bright black eyes she had,
which ali the dirt in Five Points couldn't
rob of their charm; for God has arranged a
washing g-machine in every little girls head,
that washes her eyes itself; and so Mascie's
eyes were always washed


Maggie was pretty well acquainted with
the immediate neighborhood of her misera-
bic home; and though she was out all day
every day, she never failed to get back to
father and mother when night came, in
hopes ofa piece of bread but she didn't al
ways get it


One Fourth Of July when Maggie was
turned out as usual, she got SO excited
over the noise and tumult, the fire-crackers
and torpedoes, and the procession that
came down Broadway, with great blare of
drums and brass instruments, that she
wandered away and when night came, she
found out she didn't know the way home
Then she began TO cry, and the washing
machine in her head washed her eyes so
hard that the water overhowed and ran
down her cheeks; and if Maggie had had
clean towei. she might have wiped her face
clean perhaps. But she had nothing bat
her dirty little fists, and so, the more she
rubbed the dirtier she grew.


A big policeman, with a blue coat and
brass buttons, and a silver shield on his
breast came and asked Maggie where she
lived; but Maggie didn't know, and so the
policeman took her in his arms, and car
ried her off to the place where they carry
all the lost children in New York 1t was
grand place indeed compared with Mag
gies wretched home in Five Points, great
marble building in the fourth story of
which Maggie found a resting-place


Don't cry any MORE" the woman said,
when Maggie came in; ''your mother will
come for you, / dare say"


So Maggie stopped crying; and the wo-
man took her and began performance so
mysterious, that Maggie cried again for she
didn't know what to make of it.


This mysterious performance was moth
ing more nor less than the washing of Mag
gie's face and the combing her tousled
hair; and you may imagine what the little
girl suffered. Such thing had never hap
pened to her before in her life. that she
could remember. When the performance
was over, ii was enough to make one laugh
to see what handsome little girl Maggie
was. Her face was almost white, and her
cheeks were brilliant red, and her black
hair curled in the loveliest manner possible.
Maggie felt so comfortable when she was
clean, and great slice of bread and cheese
given her to eat, that she began to hope
her mother wouldn't miss her, nor come
after her at ell. And by and by, she went
to bed and fell asleep along with more than
hundred other little children, who had
been picked up like herself in the streets
that day.


When Dan Murphy came home that
night after his supper, he was not so
drunk but that he missed his little girl
and asked his wife where Maggie was.


'Faix, dom know, Dan," said she.


'.Han't she bin home ?"


z '.No, Dan, / amt seen her the day."


'sGo an find her then, swore Dan; san
anice mother you are to lose your chilther
in the street.


So Mrs. Murphy went off to find her,
and Dan Murphy went over to the liquor
shop on the corner.


Mrs. Murphy asked the first policeman
she met. if he had seen Maggie, and the
policeman told her to 60 to the Central of
fice, and no doubt her little girl would be
there.


The children were asleep when Mrs.
Murphy got to the place and told her story;
and they let her into the room where Mag
gle was curled up with her head on her arm
and her eyes shut.


Mrs. Murphy looked among the children
carefully; and then turned away in
great distress saying that Maggie was not
there.


She didn't know her own child with It's
face washed and its hair combed, and if
she had not come back the next morning
when Maggie was awake, she would never
have got her little girl back. Maggie ,cas
awake though, in the morning, and as
soon as she saw her mother; she cried out
''Mam y and Mrs. Murphy clasped her to
her heart in mute amazement.


at the effect produced by little soap and
water, that she went home and washed the
other three children; and from that day, 6
reform began in that household which con
tinued until the Murphys became respecta
bic people. WRT SYKES