How Jakey Died

Southland Times, Issue 5089, 19 November 1884, Page 4

How Jakey Died

Eight or ten newsboys and bootblacks stood on a down-town corner listening with open mouths and bulging eyes to the narrative of Limpy Ferguson : — 'It all happened between Saturday night and Sunday mornin'. J v wud ov told yez afore dia, but what wid de shine and de papers and de errands I ain't had no time. Well, you 'uns know — tbe gang all knows, in course — tbat Jakey was weakly like, and he didn't have no more wind to call a paper or a shine than a sparrer. No truck, nor omnibus, nor fire engine goin' by could stop yourpipe^norkey, nor yours, Cheyenne, nor yours, Biler, nor mine, but a trottin' sulky a drivin' over the pavement would ay drowned him out like a cyclone wud a jewsharp. Well, he stood on his coi-ner a shivering and a shaking like, when I comes aloDg going to de show, aud he sez, ' Limpy, I'm awful tired, and I don't know how to walk any more.' I walks up to him and takes hold ay him, and I jumped back like when I put my clamps on I: is arm. It was just like taking hold of a gas fixture done up in a rag — no meat on him at all, and he looked at 7iio savage-like, kinder as if his eyes kirn up from his boots. Well, I stud Lira off to one side where de glim v.-uddent shine on him so much, 'cause hi/ kinder made me feel shaky a lookin' at me, and then sez I to meself, ' Dis \ i-e kid has got ter go home, and I must do it fur him.' *Sv> 1 shoulders him and started off lively, thinking I wud jjet him home an*! then take de cable car back down town and g^o to de show yet. I walks up (Jlark-street all the cops a lookin' at me, and wan or two ay them asking what was up, and after a long and hard pull I got him home. It pretty nigh broke my back, but I kept a singing out to him, ' Brace up, Jakey,' and ' We'll soon be dere, Jakey.' Well, when I got him to his house h'3 ole mother kirn out and say, ' What, Jakey got run'd over ?' and I sez, sez I, ' is r om Jakey's just tired and su-k like, and I carried him home, 'cause he wuz shivering aad crying down town.' Well, I laid him down on de floor and den I stud him up, but he dropped again, aud den de ole woman she stud him up but 'twan't no good. He had croaked somewhere on de way up, and'twain't no use tryin' to work him any m re. Den I took de papers' outen his hard — he gripped 'em tight all de way vp — and we laid him out on de bed and de old woman folded his hands. That's de way wo buried him Sunday, and de preacher — none of yer big 'uns, but a student feller — he said Jakey was asleep. * A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep,' sez he, w'en J knew all de time he was deader'n a pavin stun. He wuz, boys, and I knows it.' — Chicago Herald.