Show WHEN THE BREAD ROW CAME OUT by dy W CALVER copyright 1902 by dally daily story publishing co oo put dat hicl el on de bread row flat what billie you goin up against the wheel yes I 1 got a straight steer tor for tt it sure dreamed abo t bread last night and see a big p ie le of it at de baker s dis mornin it was not the first time he had played pol C I 1 he wait waif of the streets begins to indulge in this form of gain bling at an early age and billie was one of those city sparrows whose origin is more r less clouded in ob bounty he had been taken to raise by an irish wash who had succumbed to a too strenuous life when her aas still P a very small boy billie did not become a public charge he I 1 0 it in life by sell ing newspapers for the other boys and it was not lorg before he had his own bundle and v was as able to get along very well tor for a newsboy with the same charitable spirit which bad had been such a pronounce trait of his foster mother he had i undertaken a trust one of his competitors met with an accident which rendered him a help less cripple when ben was brought back from the hosp tal billie said he could sell tor for both and so the thing was settled he ile had succeeded in selling for both so well that he was able to lay by a I 1 atle money occasion ally and the hoard had grown to very comfortable proportions billies billie a savings were ere not the ac of an embryo miser the doctor had said that ben must have a brace for his back and billie hoped to have enough money to buy one at christmas in the evening D hie ille would carry his friend down from their garret room to the noisy street the boys had become great favor ites t e s with wt the players and also with J jack a c k burk who was the proprietor of the place bi bt r t was a little dark skinned irishman with nith a big grey mustache and the inevitable swagger that accompanies prosperity billie had a i 1 enod ot of bad luck newspapers did not sell as read readily lly as they should have and day followed day without any addition being made to his hoard the brace seemed far ther off than ever A hen he had a sud den inspiration he lie would go up against the wh el A few hits would give him all the money he need ed then came the dream he ile would have I 1 een entitled to receive five dollars if his numbers had appeared among tl ti ose drawn that evening but his n abers did not appear and the next day he staked five cents in the morning borni ig and the same amount again in th evening with no greater success he lie continued to play twice daily I 1 u i t 11 I 1 the winning of five dollars would have only relm buried him for the sum of bis his stakes then he increased the amount of the stake to ten cents the possible profit on this was soon almost ah ab sobbed and the amount rose from ten to fifteen from fifteen to twenty and from twenty to twenty alve billie became anious antous the weeks week passed by rapidly he was not as sturdy as he had been it was becoming more and moie more difficult 4 k Z billie had a period of bad luck to carry his ct el aise aige down to the street sometimes he brought food to ben and sat quietly by while it was eaten eatn he didn dian t hungry or he had eaten his on he way up it billie went to bed hungry then nobody but dille was to be aur an the wiser As the pile ile of savings c kindled away his habit of eating it on the way up in creased proportionately the hungry maw of pol cy ey was ever open and re quiren fool alet as often as ben as tor for himself veil vell this condi tion of things c I 1 not continue for ever there is alimia a limit even to the physical endri ance of a newsboy billie s absence was q lickly i noticed by the older y players layers where s B I 1 lie gonea asked one ond of them one evening oh he hes s alel answered a young fellow aho ft ho was busily chewing to bacco and sp ting at regular inter vals vats you been runn ng his playa asked the first questioner yes I 1 was just goin to tale tal e the slip up to him when yo i asked what s the matter with him any howa then I 1 get a hu hundred billie stir eked dunno just kind of fagged out and weak like a sick cat don t think he hell 11 ever live to see it come out been hissett to make his play like as not what tal in a play from a sa s1 silt 14 kida asked a man who felt jubilant over the winning of a few dollars next thing it 11 bo be ill hie e sallie wig gins who placed played the rent row till she hadn haan t no money left fer rent and got put in the street the day afore it come out this anecdote appealed to his hear ers who joined in a loud guffaw all except burl burk who laughed at anything and every ir ng dropped his cigar and fol followed tollo lowel wei the young man who had gone into the shop say mack s all this about billie why he s sick and I 1 ve been run ning his play for him burkie burkle how heavy is the kid playing 9 half a dollar flat the deuce you ou bayl say well III be the young fellow opened his eyes and muttered his astonishment under his breath it was not the profanity caused his hig s prise u io no it was the expression on bis his employers face and be he could see no reason why burk should go daft at a half halt dol lar flat mack I 1 guess ill go tip up and see the kid myself the dusty stairs creaked out their misery as bui dui climbed to the top floor of the tea te dement ement house one of women told bim him that nothing more could be done for billie and there was a lump lun p in bis his throat as he entered the dingy little room why its it s burkie hello burkle how are they knocking you called billie jack burk was burkie burkle to every one but the friendly tone in which the nick name was uttered the note of welcome and pleased surprise from bis his victim made that lump in his throat grow row larger and more jobstl nate hate he crossed over to the bed and sat down billie feebly reached out his hand burl took it and then released it nith ith a shudder could that little bunch of bones such thin bones really be the hand of a boy his eyes became accustomed to the half light and he saw that the hand vas that of a little skeleton like crea ture who had without doubt been billie the newsboy well bill dill e they ain aln t doin doln a whole lot that is not many of them ain aint t somebody make a hit hita asked bil lie seeing the implication yes you hit me and hit me heavy too what I 1 hit you you was the bread row wasn gasn t you youa 9 yes cried billie excitedly I 1 knew it would come out here s me play fifty flat it its s more than come out said burk who was not going to under set act his part its come out in both wheels both wheels then I 1 git a nun hun dred billie rrie ked his eyes bulged with the surer se of it all and be he rose to a sitting posture but tbt th exertion was too much and he bank sank back with a gaan gasn yes yo yon d git a hundred I 1 brought you the money burk counted out one hundred gol 1 lars from the roll that fairly made the eyes of the boys water there was a s moisture in bis his own eyes water 9 perhaps billie ran bis his hands lovingly over the money and then handed it to ben den you can git de brace now I 1 guess I 1 wont last long bit you can git de brace anyhow the lump seemed to be T rising n g again so it had all been for the sal e of the I 1 atle cripple burk was suffer ing as he had never suffered before rum had dulled the edge of other sorrow b t this was mas the kind hind of a thing that would last tie little pinched face of billie the newsboy bould haunt his dreams borener would rould rise up between him and pol icy yes low was as the time to close the shop did you bring a slip so I 1 could see tl e n ambers 7 B hie life s voice was vi as v weal eal er and the room seemed to be growing darl er and dail er the gnawing pain had left him and he te t very comfortable and drowsy ol 01 it 0 o drowsy no I 1 forgot it said burk burl pie tending to search fn Vs ts pocket bring you one in ile e morning yes in the mu ning said bil bit lie in the morning when morning came it found the little cripple sitting sadly by the bed he would get the brace for his poor weak back but his friend was gone and the roll of green paper in his hand seemed to mean so little after all |