ONLY A RAT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 2715, 11 December 1876, Page 3

ONLY A RAT.

By A. db FoNBiANQtra. (Temple Bar.) He was a levoo " rat " (the levees aro artifioial banks of the river Mississippi, upon whioh, at New Orleans, all the business of lading and discharging ships is done), and his name was Diok. Diok what P Nothing j and I do not think that ho ovon got Diok through Riohard being given to him by godfathers and godmothers in tho usual way. As a ohild ho managed eomohow or othor to osoapo tho massacres whioh thoso modern Herods Want, Negloot, and Dlseano aro allowed to hold in our great oitipsj and wo find him a small wild animal in tho shape* of a boy twolve years old, living whoro ho may, eating what he can got j his hand against overything (that will bpII at tho junk shop) and ovory ono's hand against him. A human, rat—a thing to hide itself in dark places, and to bo ohasod and worried when it dares venture into tho light. His oostumo is a pair of old hluo ootton pants, kopt up ovor a faded flannel shirt by a wonderful contrivanoo of old braoos and t^ine. His feet aro bare. On his head is a folt hat, whioh (whatovor was its original colour) has now the bluo of a well soaked toa loaf, and (whatever wao its original shapo) has long taken that of a jolly bag. Perhaps if ho wero washed ho would boa good looking Bat, under his grimo 5 for his oyes are very bright. He does not know what school moans. No ono has ever told him it is wrong to steal, though tho inoonvonioncos of boing oaught stealing have been mado manifest to him in many ways. His last hairdresser was a polioeman, as you might perceive, if his jelly bog hat did not oomo -down so low. Experience is not thrown away upon him, andi 1 j becomes rathor hard to oatoh. "Why don't he workP" Ho doos work in his way. How do all young animals work for a living ? By pioking up what they can get, to be suro ! and keeping out of the way of bigger things who want to piok them up.

That is the natural law of life, and Diok tho "Bat" has boen taught no other. He lives as othor «' Bats" live-- on what ho can sorapo out of a barrel of sugar, or draw from a bolo of ootton, or out (no ono looking on) from tho rigging of a ship. Ho does this iust as a blaokbird eats a ohorry, or a rabbit nibbles turnips. Tho loveo whioh Diok infests is that of Now Orleans j down by tho foot of Jaokson street, whoro the English steamers lie, is his happy hunting-ground, and on the day whon we mako his acquaintance it has not boen produotivo. Tho hunting has been all on one side, and Diok (discovered hiding between two boles of ootton) is tho quarry. Ho is kiokod, pushod, dragged, jostled backwards and forwards, by tho stovodore's men, liko a ragged shuttleoook. Evoryone has a ourso ond a blow for tho "Bat," with whom things ore going hard, when— — "Oh, how shameful to boat that poor ohild sol" oxolaitns a soft voioo, with a ring of genuino indignation in it. Tho speaker is a lady clad in orisp, 000 l muslin, elegantly drapod— a lady, boautiful in fao© and form, and aseiatod by every accessory that oan heighten female charms. From her dainty littlo bottinoß, whioh fit her liko gloves, to tho soft ourls of her hair, whioh tho river broozo caresses, she is stamped with tho hall-marks of riohnoss, Bimplioity, and good tosto. Sho ie half-way up tho stago whioh loadß tho English stoamor, whon tho ories of our hunted Bat attraot hor attontion, and "Oh," she exolaims, "how shamoful to beat that poor ohild so ! Do please, Oaptain Gilbort, mako thorn leave him alone." Captain Gilbort, whoso guest she is, and who leads her up the stago, shouts— " Halloa 1 quit that! Let tho boy go, and got on with your work." For you see, one oannot boat " Bats" and roll ootton at tho same timo $ and tho formor oooupation, though porhaps tho moro oxoiting, '.a tho less profitable of tho two. Diok— who, unable to dodgo his tormentors, has emulated tho oxomplo of a hedgehog, and made himsolf as nearly sphorioal as possiblo against a ootton bale— docs not riso. Tho foo has not sufficiently retreated, but he keops a bright look out from tho oornor of his oyo, so as to be ready for a jump. " They have hurt him," says the lady j " ho oon'fc get up, poor littlo fellow 1" and, beforo anyono can interfere, she trips down the stage, and is stooping over tho "Bat," who is so taken abaok by tho apparition that he forgets to jump, and rolls over straight. His plight— when it appears that no bones aro broken— makos tho lady smile. He has boen kioked into a coal heap, and is blaok. He has boon ouffod against a lot of oiloake, and is russet brown. Ho is fluffy all over with ootton waste. His mouth is open, and his eyes aro wild with astonishment. He had novor boen so noar to a lady, and ho don't know what will be dono to him. " Como, get up," says tho captain j there's nothing the matter with you." " Can you rise P " asks tho lady ; and sho touches him with tho most wonderful thing that Diok over saw— her hand 1 The oreamy glove upon it, tho shimmer of laoo and glitter of gold at the wrist, and tho soft, whito flesh beyond! novor had ho seen the like! Novor had ho felt suoh a touch, or boon spokon to in suoh a tono. " Oh, ain't I in fer it now I " ho muses j and then ho looks up into tho lady's faoo. Ho saw an expression thero that ho did not understand. Ho had seen anger in the faces of thoso who had oaught him suddenly. Triumph— he know tho look of, when atter a long ohaso ho had been takon. Scorn—that was common ; plenty of that at all timos. This was pity— so ho oould not mako it out at all. A Hebrew inscription would not have , been more unintelligible to Diok. Thero was no ohanoe for a bolt now. The lady, tho gentlman who oamo with hor, the oaptain of tho steamer and its ohiof offioer, formed a semioirolo in front ; bohind him was the bale of ootton against whioh he had rolled himself up for proteotion. Ho sits up, drinking in that strango expression whioh at onoo scares, puzzles, and ploases him, till a sort of sleepy, faint feeling mako him olose his eyes. "He's going to faint," says the lady) "I knew he was hurt. Oh, sco how ho is bleeding! " Ho is bleeding badly. Big dark drops aro triokling fast down his ragged sleevo, whioh will soak no more. Thoso como from an ugly tear (caused by a nail in tho wharf planking on his arm, just above the elbow. " Don't you look, Mrs Austen," says the Captain) "I'll have him attended to. Oh, quartermaster! oomo and oarry this boy on board, and givo my oompliments to the dootor and ask him to plaistor up his out." Diok has no power to resist. Ho is oarried on board muttering, " Oomo, I ain't done anything to you ! " A oold lunoh is served undor tho awning on tho main deok. Two othor ladies and their escorts arrivo, but tho moal is delayed hy the i appearanoo of some of tho orew, bearing squad, heavy boxes, whioh jinglo as thoy are lowered through a trap-door in the deok, partly under the lunoh-tablo. " Moxioan dollars," explains tho captain. " What a lot of monoy ! " tho lady remarks. " Not so muoh as you suppose, but a tidy sum. Eaoh box oontains two thousand dollars, and thoro aro fourteen of them— eh, Mr Mansflold P " This is the officer in oharge, who confirms tho count. They havo got to their first glass of ohatnpagno, whon tbo dootor joins thorn. " Well, how's your pationt P " asks the oaptain, " All right ; and oloan, for onco in his lifo, but rather weak," is tho modioal roport upon the Bat. " Poor ohild ! " sighs tho lady ) " what ought ho to tako ? " " I should prosoilbo something to eat," tho dootor replies, helping himself to a slice of tongue. " Captain, I should so liko to givo him somo dinnor." It is unnecessary to say who speaks, and the skippor would indeed havo boon a stern man if ho could have rosiatod the pleading of those kind brown eyos. Tho quartermaster is summoned again, and appears loading Diok, who walks " groggy," It has begun to dawn upon him that ho is not going to bo abused, and he goes along thero " like a littlo oook-o'-wax," as ho is told. " What is your namo, littlo boy P" asks the lady. " Diok," " Aro you hung*y, Diok P" " Ea-thor !" " Only rathor ?" ?n a tmo ot disappointment. " ' Bathor,' " explains tho captain, "in that tone, means ' very.' " The lady takes a plate and fills it with oold chiokon, stuffing, salad, bread, and what not, adds a knife and fork, and gives it to Diok.

Tho knife and fork are no uso to him. Ho squats on tho deok, and eats with Nature's implomonts. He has no idea of gostronomio combinations. First ho eats tho ohiokon, thon the stuffing, then tho salad, thon tho bread ) and, this dono, takes a long breath, and looks up wifch a look thafc says moro, as plainly as Oliver said tho word. Moro he gots, from tho sumo kind hand, whioh ho watches with dimly owakonod fcolings of delight. Gloved, it was a wondor ; baro and glittoring with costly rings, so whito, so small- it bewildered him. Why did evory ono do what she told thorn P How could she keep all thoso gold things P Sho oouldn't " lick" any ono witb thoso hands 1 Diok mused. Tho plate is full again, and ho turns his attontion to its oontents with apparently undiminished appetite. " I should koop somo of that for to-mor-row, if I were you," observed tho dootor. " Then you'd bo a fool 1" Diok replied with a scoff j " the big fellows on tho levoo'd toko it from you beforo you'd gono two blooks ! To-morrow ain't hero, bufc the grub is, ond so I'm a-going to get outsido it while I can." Thero is a goneral laugh at this philosophy, ond the lady asks if ho moy hove a gloss of champagne. " Yos," the dootor says, " but I think he'd prefer whisky." " Whisky P a ohild tako thafc !" she expostulates. " Try him," roplios tho dootor. He is triod, and tosses off threo fingors doop of raw Bourbon without winking. " That's so'thing liko !" ho observes, smaoking his lips. This feat somewhat lessens tho lady's sympathy. Diok " gots outside " his grub without furthor oomment, and is walking off whon the oaptain calls him baok with a—" Why, you young rascal ! aro you going without saying thank you P" "Thank yo." " No, not mo. Thank the lady." " Thank ye kindly, ma'am," says Diok. It was tho first polite speeoh he had evor uttered, and Heaven knows whore ho piokod it up. Tho party remained on board till about six o'clook, and by tho time it broko up overy one had forgotton the 1 ' Bat j" but as Mrs Austen was crossing tho lovee, bo ran up, muoh to tho onnoyanoe of her companion, who had had onough of him. " I say," says the Rat ) "do you liko him P" with a ohuok of his thumb towards tho stoamor. " Oaptain Gilbert P" " Yes— is he your feller P" " Got out, you scamp !" cries tho gentleman, indignantly.