POOR LITTLE TOMMY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1891, 1 May 1890, Page 35

POOR LITTLE TOMMY.

Only one short, sharp cry, followed by the hoarse shouts of several men, that was all. They carried him to the sidewalk, and as the crowd gathered round him some one coming by stopped and asked "What is it ? " " Only another bootblack hurt," was the careless response, 'and the questioner passed on. The ambulance came. The crowd made way, then separated, and the incident was forgotten. Nobody knew him, nobody cared. Tbo hospital slept, all but one silent watckor, who kept her vigil beside one little cot, rising at intervals to scan the little pale face that lay on the pillow, No sound but the breathing of the patients and the monotonous tick lick of the great clock broke the stillness. Presently there was a movement, and the little white faoe turned its eyes towards the watcher, and a feeble voice asked, " Say, where be I ? " "You are in a good place, child." " Say, mi3sus, Where's by box ? " " I don't know. I expect it was lost," " Lost ? Ob, yes, now I know. I was runned over, wasn't I?" " Yes. What's your name ? " " Tommy." " Tommy what ? " " Jest Tommy." 11 But you must have another name." "No'm.lain'fc." " Well, what is your mother's name ? " " I ain't got no mother. I had onc't, but she's dead." The kind face bent down to kiss him, and he murmured, " She used to do that. Say, I'd like to see her agin," " Well, perhaps you will. But there, don't talk any more." A short silence followed, but presently be inquired, " Kin she come baok ?" "Who?" " My mother." "No, she can't do that, but maybe you will be able to go to her." "When?" " Pretty soon." He dozed again, and the hands of the great clock dragged themselves wearily on. The hands of the clock had barely passed the hour of 2 when he woke with a cry and start. " Say, what makes me feel so queer ? I feel," and the words came with more diffioulty, ' ' as — though — somethin' — heavy — wwars — r estin' — on— me." The lights were turned up, and noiseless feet hurried to and fro, while willing bands raised the little form from the pillow. Brighter grew the eyes as they seemed to gaze at something towards whioh the little yearning arms were outstretched. Fainter and fainter came the breath, feebler and feebler grew the voice. " You— was— right— Missus." They raised him higher, and he whispered : " You — was — right. I kin — I kin—go." "Where, dear ? ? ' "You— said — I could, and—l—kin—goto— " The little outstretched arms fell, and the last loving word was spoken on the other side of the river.— The Home Visitor. LETTEBS FROM LITTLE FOLKS. Deab Dot, — I am in the Fourth Standard, and I have two guinea-pigs and a little dog. Sometimes the river is very dangerous, for when it floods it goes into the people's bouses an I damages the gardens. I had a cat, but i* got lost in the flood. Three of my brothers are working at a flax mill. Once there was a big flood heie, and some men had to go in a boat to take the people out of their houses. To prevent the floods some people have built a large bank on the side of the river. You mußt excuse this bad writing, as I fell on a tin and cut a-piece out of my wrist.— Yours truly, Jessie Giloheist (aged 9 years.) Thornbury, April 27. [Notwithstanding the out wrist, Jessie writes very nicely considering her age, and there is no occasion whatever to apologise for ?t. — Dot ] Deab Dot, — I have often been thinking of writing to yon, and I have at last made up my mind. I have been to the Dunedin Exhibition, and liked it very much, and I am very sorry tbat it is closed. I have two kittens. One of them is a tortoiseshell and the other a black and white one. Would you please give me names for them both. I have a little dog called Spring. Dear Dot, I am going to school, and I am in the Sixth Standard.— Yours truly, Elizabeth (aged 13 years.) [Call the kittens Hop and Step, and then you can teach the dog and kittens to bop, step, and spring in accordance with their names.— Dot. Deab Dot, — I think the fernery is the prettiest part of the whole Exhibition. All the walls are covered with moss and ferns. Some of the ferns grow very high and then droop over ; others are quite small, The corners are well filled up. In the centre, ferns grow out of the stones and moss. Here ferns are growing out of the branches and trunks of a decayed tree. There is also an artificial well formed out of the fernß and stones. The water drops from above. In the New South Wales Museum is a big alligator, also a ferret, fox, and porcupine, and some small birds and animate Xdo not know the names of. At the bottom of the Mosgiel Company's exhibits of tweed? and blankets is the motto, " A' ac 'oo," which means "All one wool." There is also gold and silver and tin ore, quartz, greenstone, kauri gum, New Zealand varnish, earthenware, glassware, and a glass-engraving machine. The glass is engraved with sand, which comes up through a cylinder, engraving only the part of the glass required. There is also a dairy faotory in the Exhibition where butter and cheese are made. In the Fisheries Court there are salmon and trout, a sunfish, a shark's head, and a whale's skull. There are also some goldfishes in a glass case. In other parts of the Exhibition are stuffed salmon, caught in the lakes. The grottoes or caves are very pretty.. Some of them are quite blue, and others are covered with ice and snow. One very pretty one is of large icicles of every shape, with ice and water dropping ever so far below. Another shows a house on a bdowcovered mountain. One end is filled up witb a large lake. The caves are lighted with lamps, and all through them is a smell of burnt eulphur. There is also part of the trunk of a very large cedar tree and a kauri pine, besides native woods and small shrubs. There are also the horns of sheep, cattle, pigs, and the heads of two or three black goatß. I also s,.w a man making furniture puzzles. He seemed to take a small block of wood, and after working on it for a few minutes with a fretsaw he took it pieces in a perfect suite of furniture or an Eiffel tower. I also saw the skin of a horse called Musket and some old silver coins. I suppose it is in tbe Armoury court the cannon

and guns, pistols, knives, bayonetp, and other sharp things are placed. Please, Dot, where I did the Maoris get the big gun in Dr Hooken's court? Ido not think I would have noticed so many things only Mr Patrick, the master, was bo particular to point out what he thought would interest us. Dear Dot, I thank you for telling me about Little Lord Faunteleroy. I will try and get the book now.—Yours truly, Fernbank, April 26. Bessie Ryan. [The old cannon in the Early History ourt is interesting because it was regarded as of sufficient value by a native chief for him to sell the land comprising the provincial district of Marlborough for it. The purchasers were a party of whalers.—Dot.] Dear Dot, —l have never written to you before, but some of my friends write to you, so I thought I would do so also. I have been to the Exhibition a lot of times, and I like the switchback best, and the pictures next best. I like the " Traitor," only it is a very Bad one, and then I like the Sfc, Barnard dogs and lots of others. I like going to see the frogs and lam so sorry it is going to end. I have got one pet; it is a kitten called Whitepaws. It is so playful, and now, Dear Dot, goodbye. — Yours truly, Gertrude O. Stanporp, (age 13£ years). P.S. —Dear Dot, could you tau me of a place where I could sell New Zealand stamps all sorts.—G. 0. S, [A collector at Wellington used to buy them, but I forget his name. However, he gave so little for them that it was .scarcely worth while sending them to him. I think you had better use them yourself than sell them. If you are tired of putting them in a book you can make a very pretty table top of them. Arrange them according to their colonies and paste them on to the Stable, covering over the whole of the top. If this is tastefully done, and the top afterwards sized and varnished, you will (think it well worth fche trouble you have taken. — Dot.] Dear Dot, —l hope you are quite well. I am well, but there is a lot of people very sick with colds. I took mamma to the Exhibition, and we enjoyed ourselves. Papa was sick, and did not go to work all last week. One of my punts was so sick. My other aunt is coining out from Ireland with my grandmamma, I have only one grandmamma. When Aunt Bena oomes out I will tell her to write to you. She writes to me sometimes. She is going to bring mamma and me something. Dear Dot, my exercise book is all done, and lam going to get a new one. I have 10 pretty cards and an album. lam going to a party next week, and there is to be a concert, and I think I am going.—Yours truly, Henry S. Crawford. Barrfield, Mornington, April 23. Dear Dot,—l live ia the country with my aunt. My mother is dead. I have only one brother, but he is a long way from here. He went away after mamma died. I missed both mamma and my brother very much at first, but I am getting used to it now. He was up here at Christmas time, but be did not stay long as he had to go back to work again. He Bays when he getß a house of his own that I shall go and stay with him. And, dear Dot, I hope he will get a house soon. I have a lot of cousins. One of them is going to write to you too. I hope you will not think my letter too long. Excuse this as it is my first letter. — Yours truly, Theo Dosia ChabiiOtte Gbay. [Not a bit. It is a very nice letter, and I hope you will write again.—Dot.] Dear Dot, —l go to school, and lam in the First Primer. I do not like going to school, as I have bard lessons to learn, I have got a doll, I call it Lily. I have five sisters and four brothers —Yours truly, Miva (aged 6 years). Elerslie, April 23. A LETTER FROM A MOTHER. Dear Dot, —l have a little girl going to Bohool —l would rather not say where —and once a week she gets lessons in cooking, and many times a week I wish she did not. This morning while gazing intently into the depths of a cup of water, supposed to be clean, she observed, " I know what' inferior' is, mamma. It's an insect that grows in people's throatß, and it's all up-country, and everyone ought to drink boiled water, because it comes from water that isn't good," That last sentence enlightened me. I knew then my learned little , daughter meant diphtheria, and now I know | that the first time one of the family complains of a sore throat she will be anxious to experiment. She also informed me that the reason why we have two lungs is that we might be permitted to live a little longer in case one should get diseased. It didn't matter so much if only one lung was bad. Comforting, isn't it, Dot ? Next week I daresay she will be able to afford us some interesting information ontbe Bubject of germß.—Yours truly, Mother. LITTLE FOLKS' RIDDLES. 385. By Jessie Gilohrißt, Thornbary :—What is the difference between a schoolmaster and an enginedriver ? 386. By Shiela S. Mackenzie, Melness •.—I washed my hands with water that neither ran nor sprang, I dried them with a towel that was neither wove nor apun. ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK'S JEIDDLBS. 385. By Mary Winslade, Kelso: —F ashi on. 386. By Elsie Willis, Montecillo :—Parchment, peas, and wax.