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GOD, FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS
n§OW;
LBSE §1^: HIM, all creatures here below,'
him above, ye heavenly host;
pE FATHER, SON and holy giiost!
WOTTLES AND RAGS.
A THANKSGIVING STORY.
Bottles had been declaiming from the
Lof a barrel which stood among other
pchandise upon the dock, when a slim
te of a girl came toward him from the
per tell s/de of the wharf. Bottles jumped
from the barrel, and, with a stage
tide, faint approached the girl. They are a
pair; he a gatherer of empty bot
[H, slie a rug picker. If ever they had
jrnes |y they are now no longer the quarters spoken, they for
It are known among
as Bottles and Rags. They were
Lion street waifs.
Bottles is one mass of tatters and flit
rs from crownless hat to torn shoes,
rough Ll which his frost bitten toes peep.
the girl, if anything, is more ragged
an he. As he grasps hold of the hand,
p spirit of the man within him speaks:
[‘Poor little Rags! cold as a hunk of
1 tat Where you b’en? what you got? and
fni y ou goiu’ to do with it? If you’ve
and got nothin’ and can’t do any
.‘n’, then come with yer father. He’s
ft ten cents, and ten cents ’ll buy a plate
i 1 fried cakes, kid.”.
K jn was interesting to study the expres
of utter trust which came upon the
H’s face while the boy is speaking. Her
(her! Tnat was only a pet term he was
Bit L' to use, expressive of his guardian
over her.
“Bottles,” said the girl, after a short
iise. “what’s the most money you ever
li in all yer life?”
fTo onct, do you mean, Rags?”
IkYup.” Fa
ell, let me see; I had—why! last
• Istmas I had as much as one seventy-
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BOTTLES AND RAGS.
You poor thing! yer too poor fur me to
iate with,” broke in the girl, as she
her ragged skirt away with mock
i here, Rags, you’ve allers b’en
iwith yer father. You've got sun
I yer mind. Jist tell me the hull
v—1 11 cut you off with ten cents,
i^i’ the reg’lar shillin’.”
r said the girl,
ii-^ont the hand which she had con
* .nYTiehind her.
[ie -d boy fell the article back a which step or slie two held, as he
upon lietter
& ags. hain’t I brought you up
ner this? You, you who I picked out the
gutter! Oh! it’s sharper than a snake’s
tail to have a priggin’ darter.”
“But 1 didn’t prig the puss,” quickly
exclaimed Rags.
“Ah! spoken like me own dutiful child.
I say, Rags, is the puss well heeled?”
4 4 I hain’t looked; it’s heavy, though,
and it jingles. I only found it while ’go
over on India wharf. I run all the way
to find you.”
Bottles took the purse in his hands. As
he felt the magic touch of its contents
through the silken meshes it drove all
thought of cold or hunger away.
In the purse was more money than
either had ever before touched. In it
was warmth and victuals, though Bottles
gave no thought to either, so overjoyed
was he in the possession of the precious
money, real gold and silver, for he could
tell that by its clinking.
The two waifs finally, cold and tired,
reached the tumble down structure in
South street, where they lodged. They
climbed up the rickety stairways, passed
through the narrow, dark and ill smelling
halls Until they reached the attic door,
upon which Bottles tapped softly.
A small circular disk in one of the
upper panels slid back, and a thin, beak
like nose with a pair of red rimmed eyes
appeared in the opening, ns a sharp, raspy
voice inquired:
“Who's there?”
“Bottles and Rags,” responded the boy.
The door was opened and the pair passed
into the low, musty smelling room.
“Got Tithing?” asked the raspy voiced
female.
“Nixy,” returned the boy. The purse
in his pocket seemed determined to jingle.
This would have been a dire calamity; for
the old woman would have pounced upon
it like a hawk.
4 4 And you?” asked the woman, turning
toward Rags.
The girl held her hands out, palms down
and open.
“Huuipli! purty pair. No bottles, no
rags; got nothin’! Can’t stay here to¬
night.” I’ve
4 4 Oh, yes, mammy—I forgot. that?” got
a dime. Can’t you let us stay fur
broke in Bottles.
“A dime! small ’nuff. I—well, gi’ me
the money,” said the woman.
Bottles laid the piece upon her out¬
stretched palm. She threw a bag hood
over her iron gray locks, and taking a
noseless pitcher from the window sill
went out.
“Good. She’s gone fur beer. Wher
she drinks beer she sleeps, and when she
sleeps, we counts the contents of this puss.
Rags, I say, kid, we’ll have a daisy time
to-morrow. Did you know to-morrow
was the day fur doin’ big eatin’? It’s a
reg’lar hol.’erday, and all us rich coouf
don’t have to do nothin’ but injoy our¬
selves. ”
“A hollerday! will the band and tin
p’lice and fireworks”
“Rags, yer out of yer lattytude, as the
sailors down at the Hum sez. To-mor¬
row \s Thanksgiving, kid.”
“What’s that, Bottles?”
“The day set ’part for doin’ big feedin’,
sabe?”
“Yup,” responded Rags.
“I say, Rags, did ’ny one see you pick
it up—the puss?”
“No; I jist seen it kinder jammed down
in a big crack. I knowed it was ducats,
and, when knowin’ a thing of that sort, I
made sure no one was lookin’ when I
lifted it.”
“And a purty good lift it was, Rags.
That one lift means big feedin’ fur you
and I ’long with the swells. If there’s
nuff ducats left we'll get sum new togs
and board round a spell ’fore settlin’
down to biz ’g’in. Nixy, now, here comes
the old woman.”
The latter entered with the pitcher of
beer. The waifs went to the snuff box win¬
dow and gazed out upon the chilly look¬
ing roofs and the slippery street below.
The old woman drank the beer, after
w hicli she rolled herself in a tattered
blanket, laid down upon a creaking bed,
turned her face to the wall, and was soon
lotidlv snoring.
“She’s gone up, Rags. Now fur it, but
hang a rag over the keyhole first,” said
the j^y qq, c g; r j uhl as he requested,
then came and sat down by him. He
po Ure a the clinking pieces upon the soap
box under the window sill.
“Hags, I reckon there’s nuff ducats here
to buy a hull house from bottom to ca
baza.”
“Really, Bottles?” I hain’t .
“You hear your fftther talk!
much on the couut, but I uuess I can
strike it within a few hundred, .Tist fol
ler me—-hello! here’s sumthin' else in the
puss. A ring. Bah! I don't take no
stock in them things. Can get ahull
cartload jist like it down in Salem street
fur ten cents a one. Put her on, kid.”
The ring, evidently designed for a child,
just fitted the dirty little linger over which
the girl slipped it.
“Now fur the ducats. Rags, ducats is
the root hog er die; an’ I’m jist porker
miff to root into ’em. One, two, three
—grand and galorious signors, here’s
more’n ten double buzzards. Them stands
fur $20, two of ’em is $40, and so on
xcetry. Here goes fur a count. One,
two, three, four, live. That’s jist an even
$100. Phew! rich is no name fur it. Put
yer finger on that pile. Hags, yer boldin’
down $100. Does it burn yer fingers?
I’ll even up with that pile and—presto!— dollars and
there’s $200. Two hundred
other chicken feed too numerous to men
tion!” exclaimed the boy, sweeping the
money into the purse. “Better drop the
sparkler in. If the old woman gits on to
it, good evenin’ ducats, sparkler, big
feedin’. and all. 1 reckon we’d better get
sum ba’nty sleep now.”
“But, Bottles, I’m hungry. I want
somethin’ to eat first,” said Rags, turn¬
ing her big blue eyes up at him.
“Chew on that then, you poor little
hungry kid you. All I got. Eat ’way,
Rags; I can stand it till mornin’—no, till
dinner to-morrow.”
The boy lay down upon a pile of rags,
and after the Kill 1> ml eaten the>
cracker which he had (deen to her sho
ton lay down near him and «
wrapped In sin,niter, ahoy a wtUned
early rose an, 1 stole from the att.e, lea,
mg the old woman still asleep.
***
“I say, Rags, hain’t this jist old scrum
shus?”
“Yup,” mumbled Rags, as she took a
great bite of bread.
“See here, kid, don’t be wastin’ yer
oatitite on sich common grub as bread.
Sail into the beans and salard, and ham ’n
eggs,and eramberry and sass and—turkey.
Turkey is the galorious bird of freedom
today,” urged Bottles, helping himself in
turn to each of the dainties as named.
Perhaps the Crawford was never graced
by such a pair during the w hole of Its ex
tent of catering to the public,
Bottles had purchased two regular din
ner checks, and chosen a table in the cor¬
ner so as to be as free ns possible from
the hungry crowd which thronged the
place. The waifs’ faces were washed
clean; they were as tidy as their dilapi¬
dated garments would permit.
A new yellow'ribbon held Rag’s curls
back from her really pretty face, with its
roguish, big, blue eyes, cute little mouth
and turn up nose. And Bottles, he had
laid out a portion of the wealth on a paper
collar, green tie and huge, glaring, red
glass pin. The ring which the parse lmd
contained was upon Rag’s forellnger.
“Hold up, Rags.” whispered the boy,
touching her foot with his; “don’t lick yer
fingers. Hain’t 1 learned you better ner
that? I’m goin’ to make a lady of you,
kid, and I’m bound to have you git on to
them small items.
“All right, Bottles; I guess yer right.
I hain’t up in sich catin’ as this, and you
must para in slips.”
“Here’s the wine list. Do we want
Muimn?”
“Nixey. ’T ain’t fur sich as us, Bot¬
tles, ’Sides, you’n I has started out on
c « ket, and it hain’t the
thing «... ur us to a budge.”
4 4 Yer speakin’ in a right toot now,
Rags. I only mentioned the fackfurfun.
Can’t you smuggle one of them tarts,
Rags?” girl,
“Hain’t it stealing?” asked the
looking up quickly.
“Not if the court knows hisself. I
paid for all that comes to this table in the
way of grub. 1 own all, but them dishes,
spoons, forks and sich, and— But hold
up. I'll go put a flea in this feller’s ear
who sold me the checks.” Bottles rose
and went to the cashier’s desk. A pc
culiar expression came upon his face as
the boy six/kc to him. Then he reached
down under the desk and handed out f
paper sack. The boy’s face was wreathe*
with smiles when he came back.
“It’s all right, Rags. I told him a
howl reckoned we’cl have to make thi:
fcedin' Inst till next Thanksgiving; also
Hint we wasn't bloated bankers and had
hard diggln’ fur grub. Hegiveme this
bag. and said 1 could take all’that we
couldn’t eat. Hain’t it slick?”
i 14 WCU, I should smile. Here’* two jam
fc.rts”
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“hain’t this jist old horumfsiti’s?”
: “Hold on, Rags; put the solids in first
Pr you’ll smash the tarts.”
A smile passed over each face as the
waifs loaded their bag with the remains
of the meal.
“Ready, Rugs?”
j “Yes; let me git my op’ra hat on all
j | square.” arranged her headgear to suit, her.
. She
, , „ oU1 , : , tl> ti ,e,loor.
Then-all tide hrluhtnew. turned to
, , for „ lm . ,. lml fonn , , vi „,
j ( ,„„ hIe „ f bl , lss „ uttou8 the
, ,
,. a , v( „, eakl the oltlccr,
i taking hold of each by the shoulder.
“Yob don’t mean us? I say, boss,
you’ve got the wrong party, We hain’t
done But nothin, little have Hags we, liajjH?” crying. The
poor was
bine coats hod always been the terror of
her life. She had heard terrible stories
about them, L*ow% she and Bott les are in
t he care of one, and she is ready to drop
j u fright.
“What’s the racket, boss?” asked Bot
ties. He, too, was troubled; but he must
put on a brave face for the girl’s sake.
j “Lifting a purse. Come on.”
And this was the end of the poor little
waifs’ grand dinner. On the way to the
} Nation house w ith an ofllcer.
A curious crowd of street boys, news¬
paper venders, 1 mot blacks and the like
followed the policeman and his two little
prisoners to the station house,
His honor was taking dinner; would not
hold court today, and the two waifs were
put into a comfortable cell upstairs,
it fl gs ( . r j e( i herself to sleep, while Bot
Hen, hero like, sat by her side upon the
cot and kept cheering her up by telling
her that it would be all right in the
morning,
And down stairs, nrnler lock and key,
the unlucky purse and ring were lying in
the desk drawer.
* * *
“Next.”
The two waifs, Bottles and ltags, were
pushed forward until they stood in front
of the desk before Ids honor.
“Bless me! what’s this? Little ones*
what are you doing here?” asked the kind
faced judge, beaming down upon the pair,
through a ret of gold bowed glasses.
Bottles knew it was not proper for him
to speak, and Rags could not.
“Officer, what is the charge against this
pair?” asked the judge of the policeman
who had made the arrest.
“Stealing o purse, your honor.”
“Ah! that is a serious charge.”
“But, sir, ’t ain’t”
“Never mind, my little nmn; your turn
will come. TaT the party who made the
complaint stand forward.”
A tail man, clad in clerical garments.
with long drawn visage, stepped fOt¬
ward. The corners of his trap like
mouth were drawn down in a
mast solemn expression. He clasped
his bauds in front of him, and turned
his eyes upon t lie little waifs, as though
even their presence waa unholy to his
cloth.
