THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 Mrs. Ben B. Lindsey
 
 THE 
 
 LITTLE SUFFERERS 
 
 A STORY OF THE ABUSES OF 
 THE CHILDREN S SOCIETIES 
 
 BY 
 
 G. MARTIN JURGENSON 
 
 Author of "The Social Mirror * 
 
 BROADWAY PUBLISHING CO. 
 
 885 Broadway, New York 
 
 BRANCH OFFICES: WASHINGTON. BALTIMORE 
 
 INDIANAPOLIS, NORFOLK. DBS MOINES. IOWA
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY 
 G. MARTIN JURGENSON
 
 PS 
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I. A Story of the Abuses of the Chil 
 dren s Societies 5 
 
 II. The O Neils in the Cell 13 
 
 III. A Racket at the Flanagans Home . . 24 
 
 IV. The System s Agents 35 
 
 V. In the Magistrate s Court .... 48 
 
 VI. The Critical Dilemma of Lankey 
 
 George 58 
 
 VII. Jack Stevenson Reduced from Ranks 67 
 VIII. The Kidnapping of the O Neil Chil 
 dren 75 
 
 IX. Mrs. O Neil s Visit at One of the Sys 
 tem s Homes 84 
 
 X. Lankey s Arraignment of the System 95 
 
 XL A Visit to Hastings Farm .... 106 
 
 XII. Red Hook Dan Connors Letter . .122 
 
 XIII. Harry O Neil Disappointed . . * . 134 
 
 XIV. Jack Stevenson upon the Juvenile 
 
 Question 151 
 
 XV. A Light-Hearted Dinner Party . .172 
 XVI. The Defeat of Jack Stevenson . . . 190 
 XVII. May Thornton s Appeal to her Old 
 
 Lover 202 
 
 XVIII. The End . 218 
 
 1106175
 
 Utttle Sufferers 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A STORY OF THE ABUSES OF THE CHILDREN S 
 SOCIETIES. 
 
 "Truly, Harry, I m very happy that you got that 
 job, even though it is a few dollars less a week. No 
 matter, dear," said Mrs. Harry O Neil, as she helped 
 her husband to a breakfast of liver and bacon. Tak 
 ing a seat beside him, she continued: "By and by, 
 dear, you ll get a position like the last one; anyway, 
 twelve dollars a week is not so bad, though everything 
 is expensive. I m not extravagant, nor do you spend 
 anything for drink, so of course we ll get along nicely. 
 Besides, perhaps Willie can sell a few papers and, in 
 a pinch, once in a while our Louise can stay home 
 from " 
 
 "You are awful good, Nelly," broke in her husband, 
 "but it must come hard, my child, for you and the 
 children to get along on so little; it means just two 
 dollars a day, including carfare and " 
 
 "I know, Harry, I know," she exclaimed. "But did 
 we not figure out last night that by moving to South 
 Brooklyn, where you are going to work, we could save 
 a few dollars a week in rent? And besides, you ll 
 have no carfare to pay ; so, after all, dear, it is not so
 
 C&e Little Sufferers 
 
 much of a difference, and soon we ll get used to it. 
 Truly, Harry, we ll be as happy as ever. Where 
 mutual love exists, no matter what befalls, all other 
 troubles can easily be overcome. You were always 
 so good and willing, and have tried so hard to please 
 me and have our home so pleasant, that surely row I 
 can help you a little, and we can perhaps save a few 
 dollars. I can t do anything too much for you, and, 
 as I said before, Louise once in a while can mind the 
 baby so that I can take in a little sewing and washing. 
 Every little helps and does no harm." 
 
 Endeavoring to conceal his emotion, Harry arose 
 and, embracing his wife most lovingly, said in a trem 
 ulous voice : "Thank you, Nelly, but you shall not, as 
 long as I have all my limbs, do a stroke of work to 
 earn a cent." 
 
 Harry now hastened to his new job as teamster in 
 a South Brooklyn planing mill, which lay close to Go- 
 wanus Canal. 
 
 After having completed her household duties, Mrs. 
 O Neil, with her three children, left for South Brook 
 lyn, in search of a cheap apartment convenient to her 
 husband s work. As she passed up and down the 
 dirty avenues of that part of Brooklyn, the contrast to 
 what she wished to find was so great that she suffered 
 intensely. A fear came over her, as she saw women 
 and children carrying cans of beer from the saloons 
 which were run by some of the aspiring politicians in 
 that ward. Her route lay directly past a resort fre 
 quented by political aspirants, ne er-do-wells, ward de 
 tectives, and other law-breakers, who leave their 
 tainted money at the bar, and in return look for the 
 favor and protection that a saloon-keeper s influence 
 or pull can provide. 
 
 "I ll bet my last nickel that that piece of calico and 
 6
 
 C&e Little >tifferer0 
 
 the fine kids are something new about here," said 
 one of the gang. 
 
 "Just look at her, Jim, she d have made a fine po 
 liceman, had it not been what failed her," said an 
 other. 
 
 "Ah, let her chase herself, we re all right," drawled 
 a sleepy-looking individual sitting on the sidewalk. 
 
 Mrs. O Neil paid no attention to these idle remarks, 
 although they added to her misery. 
 
 Finally, worn to a compromising frame of mind, 
 she got suited, in a way, in the lower end of Bond 
 Street, within a couple of blocks from where her hus 
 band was employed. There she engaged four fairly 
 decent rooms at a rental of ten dollars a month. 
 
 Having completed her task, Mrs. O Neil started for 
 home. On passing the ice-house, she saw at a corner 
 about two dozen idlers lying about with some beer 
 cans, and among them stood a policeman. Being a 
 stranger in that neighborhood, she asked the officer 
 how to reach the cars for East New York. 
 
 "Well, well," drawled the officer, fumbling his boy 
 ish face, "I m on my vacation; and, anyway, I m not 
 a street directory. I am assigned to catch " Be 
 fore he could answer, a boy offered for a cent to guide 
 her to the nearest car. 
 
 She gladly accepted, and within an hour she reached 
 home. A more unhappy woman than Mrs. O Neil 
 could hardly be imagined. The thought of leaving her 
 quiet surroundings and cosey home to dwell in a lo 
 cality where there was neither law nor order, discour 
 aged her and nearly broke her heart. 
 
 A month and a half had now elapsed since the 
 O Neils moved into their new home in Bond Street, 
 and those few weeks had seemed years to sensitive 
 Mrs. O Neil. Indeed, she had ample reason to feel 
 
 7
 
 Little ^sufferer* 
 
 badly, for the children thereabouts were totally de 
 prived of training and the merest infants were left 
 running about the streets without proper oversight. 
 The O Neil children from their earliest infancy had 
 been properly trained, but it is easily conceived that 
 children as young as they may be readily led into 
 the habits of their fellow-playmates. At first the 
 little girl and boy consulted their mother as to the 
 impropriety of the remarks heard in the streets, but 
 they became inured to the life into which they had 
 been thrust. Twelve-year-old Willie soon fell victim 
 to the cigarette habit, and, although not practising it 
 openly, with the boys of his own age he would fre 
 quent alleys and hallways in order to smoke, gamble, 
 and use profanity. His mother openly tried to in 
 fluence him to retain his former good habits, thereby 
 causing other mothers of the neighborhood to ridi 
 cule her. 
 
 Her neighbor, Mrs. Flanagan, tried to placate her 
 by saying: "Sure enough, Mrs. O Neil, boys will be 
 boys, and my Jimmie, as smart a lad as ever was 
 reared in the Tenth Ward, and fit to be alderman in 
 the best ward in town, can smoke with any grown 
 man in McGarry s district. Sure he s only the age 
 of your Willie, and could smoke cigarettes ever since 
 he was weaned." 
 
 Mrs. Flanagan was hopelessly vulgar. Her hus 
 band drove a coal cart, and they lived on the same 
 floor with the O Neils. Both drank and encouraged 
 their children to do the same. When too far in ar 
 rears in rent, they would move to other quarters, and 
 continue to practise their habit. They had a large 
 family of dirty children; their little girls were sent 
 out to beg, and the boys to plunder passing carts and 
 wagons, stealing food and fuel for the use of their 
 parents. After church on Sunday the children were 
 
 8
 
 C6e JLfttle 
 
 sent out with the black bag in which the beer can was 
 hidden, as was the custom in that neighborhood. 
 
 One Sunday morning, while the children were still 
 in bed, Mrs. O Neil said to her husband: "Well, 
 Harry, here is twelve dollars which I have saved up, 
 without having earned a cent of it myself." 
 
 "Nonsense, child, though you do no washing for 
 others, you earn that money as much as I do, and 
 perhaps more so. I probably would spend it all, were 
 it not for you, my dear." 
 
 "I would like you to spend a few cents now and 
 again advertising in the paper for a better position," 
 : ; aid Mrs. O Neil. "You can meanwhile hold on to 
 your job, and I ll attend to seeing the persons who 
 answer your advertisement, so you needn t lose your 
 present position until you get one to suit you. I m 
 sure, Harry, this one must be hard for you, who have 
 been used to a position as foreman. When you have 
 a better job we can live in a nicer neighborhood." 
 
 "It would, perhaps, be a good way to better our 
 selves, but I m all right where I am if you can stand it 
 here. The wages are rather small, but I m not worked 
 so hard, dear, nor are there so many cares resting 
 upon me as if I were looking after a gang of men." 
 
 Harry O Neil proceeded to the stables to look after 
 his horses, and Mrs. O Neil went to mass, leaving 
 the baby in the care of little Louise. On her return 
 from Father Duffy s church, upon entering the hall, 
 she found her Willie with the oldest Flanagan boy, 
 Jimmy, sliding down the balusters and smoking a 
 cigarette. Mrs. O Neil felt that she ought to punish 
 the boy, for long since she had suspected that he 
 smoked cigarettes and told her falsehoods to keep it 
 from her. 
 
 Willie said that Jimmy Flanagan had begged him 
 to smoke, and Mrs. Flanagan, overhearing this with-
 
 Cbe Little 
 
 out any provocation whatever, laid violent hands upon 
 her neighbor. Mrs. O Neil was younger and stronger 
 than Mrs. Flanagan, and broke away from her after 
 a slight scuffle. Mrs. Flanagan rolled into the street 
 just as Officer O Sullivan, whom she knew, passed 
 the house. The officer, refusing to hear Mrs. O Neil s 
 explanation, promptly arrested her for assault and 
 let guilty Mrs. Flanagan go. Then calling for a 
 patrol wagon, he took the shrinking and protesting 
 woman to the station house. When they reached their 
 destination the policeman found that his prisoner had 
 fainted from fright and mortification, and the officers 
 had to carry her in. 
 
 Officer O Sullivan said to the sergeant: "This 
 woman is only shamming, or else she is drunk. She 
 nearly killed a respectable woman comin home from 
 church, and sure enough a murder would have been 
 committed if I had not been attendin to me duty." 
 
 Mrs. O Neil revived in a few moments and, rising 
 to her feet, cried : "Oh, please let me go home to my 
 children. I am innocent of any wrong." 
 
 "Shut up! Give us none of that," growled the offi 
 cial in charge, as he ordered the two officers to put 
 her in a cell until morning. 
 
 Just then Mr. O Neil entered and, going to his wife s 
 side, he said excitedly : "Leave her alone ; she s my 
 wife, and is guilty of no misconduct." 
 
 The doorman, who stood by, attempted to come be 
 tween O Neil and his wife, but Harry, who had al 
 most lost his senses through what had happened, gave 
 the officer a stinging blow and knocked him down. 
 Then, turning toward O Sullivan, who was holding 
 Mrs. O Neil, he struck him and also knocked him 
 down. 
 
 "Why don t you use your clubs ? We can t have ruf 
 fians come to the station house and do us up at their 
 
 10
 
 Little Sufferers 
 
 own liking," said the sergeant, in no mild tone, lean 
 ing over the rail. Officer Jack Stevenson, who was 
 attracted by the scuffle, rushed from an inner room 
 and with a wrestler s grip laid the infuriated man on 
 the floor. O Sullivan, angered by the blow he re 
 ceived, hit him several hard blows upon the head, 
 lacerating his cheeks. The doorman, too, prepared to 
 avenge himself, but here Officer Jack interfered and 
 tried to raise O Neil upon his feet. 
 
 This beating not only took the fight out of Harry, 
 but it dazed him. The officers could not support him 
 on his feet, and he sank helpless to the floor. 
 
 Scratching his head, the sergeant said : "You landed 
 him pretty tough, all right. Throw the gent into the 
 cell, and be quick about it, too, as he might die on our 
 hands." 
 
 These brutal occurrences occupied but a few minutes. 
 Mrs. O Neil had become frantic, and was now wildly 
 fighting to assist her blood-smeared, dazed husband. 
 Upon the sergeant s assertion that he might die upon 
 their hands, she uttered a loud screech and dropped to 
 the floor. 
 
 While the doorman and Officer O Sullivan dragged 
 Harry, helpless and stupefied, into a cell, Officer Jack 
 picked up the poor, unconscious woman whom he car 
 ried into a separate cell and stretched upon the floor 
 to revive as best she might. 
 
 The officers then returned to the desk, all of them 
 looking somewhat disturbed, and the sergeant most 
 of all. This condition was not to be wondered at, as 
 he was on the promotion list for Captaincy, and, 
 though a strong favorite of the chief, he could not af 
 ford to be publicly criticized or investigated. 
 
 Looking at the three officers, the sergeant said: "I 
 wouldn t care if you had killed the dog (meaning Mr. 
 O Neil) if it had been near the canal where you could 
 
 ll
 
 Little 
 
 have kicked him in, but every reporter in town is down 
 on us; they ll roast us in the papers, and we don t 
 want no investigation, see?" In a cautious tone he 
 noted: "Them folks in the pen got more n what s 
 good for em, and we must fix up things so the job 
 looks straight. You, Officer O Sullivan," he now di 
 rected, "go down to Pikes McGinn s distillery and 
 get two flasks of his rankest booze. Then you go into 
 their cells and if you can t get the stuff down their 
 throats, souse it all over em, so they smell like a 
 rum shop. I ll ring up the hospital so they can come 
 and give us a clean bill of our duties." 
 
 In a few minutes O Sullivan returned with a couple 
 of flasks, each containing a quart of whiskey, and with 
 his brother officer proceeded to the pen of Harry 
 O Neil, who had not yet come out of his stupor. They 
 managed to pour down the helpless man s throat fully 
 a pint of the stuff, the remainder they spilled over his 
 clothes. As he lay there he truly appeared a helpless 
 drunk. Mrs. O Neil, wretched and semi-conscious, 
 was still stretched on the bare floor, and she was sub 
 jected to the same ordeal. "This is good stuff fer ye, 
 me gal," crudely joked one of the officers, as, despite 
 her protests, he forced a good part of the contents 
 down her throat. The balance of the vile brew was 
 dashed upon her face, hair, and clothes. 
 
 Meanwhile, the sergeant had noted the occurrence 
 upon the record in two separate paragraphs. The 
 first read : "Unknown woman too intoxicated to give 
 any address, brought by Officers Jack and O Sullivan ; 
 besides being intoxicated, she created a disturbance." 
 
 The second consisted of these words: "An intoxi 
 cated unknown man, terribly bruised and cut, followed 
 unknown woman to the station house. Upon his enter 
 ing he fell down in a drunken stupor." 
 
 12
 
 Little %>iifferet* 
 
 Beneath both of these entries was marked "Ambu 
 lance call required by cause of their apparently ex 
 treme intoxicated conditions." 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 THE O NEILS IN THE CELL. 
 
 Some little time passed while the officers were in 
 the cells of the unfortunate couple. The sergeant 
 spent these moments walking up and down behind the 
 desk, apparently speculating. Was it possible that with 
 in his guilty self he nourished a feeling of cowardice 
 to look on and encourage three strong, brave officers 
 to attack an unarmed man and so severely beat him 
 while he was down? 
 
 He had become a police officer after a three years 
 sojourn in this country, having managed to secure 
 witnesses to testify to a five years stay. Like some of 
 the coarser of his race, upon finding certain powers 
 vested in himself, he had allowed his love of author 
 ity to run riot. 
 
 "Well, fellers, did you make a good job of it?" he 
 asked, in an encouraging tone, as the officers returned 
 from the cell. 
 
 "I bet yer me brass buttons and three days pay 
 that dem folks never had such a soaking before. The 
 ambulance surgeon will diocese it to be perfidious 
 drunkedness, and in last stage, at that," reported 
 O Sullivan learnedly. "They ll be sure livin grog 
 shops in any sober man s eyes. But what I have fear 
 o most, sergeant" he drew in partial whisper 
 "they won t live the day ter tell their story." 
 
 "Oh, hell, we only done our duty," quickly entered 
 
 13
 
 Cfje Little Sufferers: 
 
 the sergeant, in a matter-of-fact way ; "should the 
 junk die on our hands, our record will show clean." 
 
 "Sure, sure," corroborated O Sullivan, throwing his 
 chest forward proudly. 
 
 The sergeant went on : "We have bums enough in 
 this ward, anyhow, that would be a good way to git 
 rid of some of em. I bets you a platoon if I get my 
 promotion I ll jest make an example of the rest of 
 them !" 
 
 While Officer Jack made no reply, O Sullivan 
 agreed: "Sure on yer life, sergeant, Brooklyn is a 
 bum town, and there ain t a dasen man livin in it, but 
 we ll soon cervilize em." 
 
 Barely had the speaker finished when the ambulance 
 clanged up in front of the station house, and there 
 quickly alighted a dapper young doctor with a satchel 
 in hand. 
 
 "Hallo, Cap," he saluted, with pleasant freedom, 
 "what s the trouble ?" 
 
 "A couple of the finest drunks you ever seen, Doc. 
 Since I took to my uniform, I never seen the like," 
 announced the sergeant soberly. 
 
 "Yis," promptly corroborated Officer O Sullivan, 
 "what they have drunk would float a vessel, and it 
 smells loike nicotine," he ended, in a wise assurance. 
 
 "Whew ! I guess by that I d better get my cork 
 screw," answered the doctor, as he returned to the 
 ambulance, where he removed from a chest certain 
 implements. "This will do some little sipping out," 
 he said assuringly, as he showed the stomach pump. 
 
 "Where are the creatures," the doctor now asked, 
 preparing for duty. "Let s go and take their index," 
 he added, throwing away the butt of a cigarette. "Show 
 me the woman first ; she is probably the weakest from 
 the effect of drink." 
 
 The officers thereupon led him toward the cell occu- 
 
 14
 
 C&e Little Sufferers: 
 
 pied by Mrs. O N eil. But to the surprise of both offi 
 cers and the doctor, when the door was opened, lean 
 ing against the partition, stood Mrs. O Neil, looking 
 sternly calm. She had much the aspect of a martyr. 
 Stepping toward the incomers with dignity, she said, 
 in a tense tone : "Where is my husband ? Let me get 
 him and go home to my children, and I shall forgive 
 all." 
 
 The doctor looked greatly astonished as the beauti 
 ful, clear face and eyes gave no sign of dissipation. 
 The officers, disappointedly surprised, had to cling to 
 each other for support. They now realized that the 
 whiskey with which they had saturated the woman 
 had been only a means of reviving her. 
 
 However, the doctor kept on stirring. Finally he 
 said to one of the officers : "Haven t you brought me 
 into the wrong cell? This woman is no drunkard, 
 nor does she appear to need medical attention of any 
 sort." 
 
 Officer Jack looked greatly ashamed, while Officer 
 O Sullivan said : "Upon me oath, doctor, she was as 
 drunk as a beet when we brought her here, or else 
 she was shammin . Jest smell at her garments, if they 
 don t smell loike real fire brand I ll never draw another 
 
 pay." 
 
 Here Mrs. O Neil broke in : "I remarked some pe 
 culiar odor about my person, and I, too, felt that some 
 one had given me something strong internally which 
 has brought me out of my fainting spell. But, truly 
 sir" she now addressed the doctor "I never drank 
 a glass of intoxicating liquor in my life. If some one 
 has given me something now, it has perhaps aided me. 
 If you will only just let me go home to my little chil 
 dren I shall be happy," she ended her appeal, with a 
 strain of strong self-possession in her voice. 
 
 The doctor was deeply touched by her purity and 
 
 IS
 
 Cfte Little Sufferers; 
 
 sincerity. He realized that a good woman had been 
 wronged for some cause. Of course, he was not called 
 to look into details; she needed no aid from him. In 
 a tone of strong sympathy he said, as he prepared to 
 leave: "I am sorry, my good woman, it is not in my 
 power to release you and send you home to your chil 
 dren, though I will vouch for your ability to look after 
 them. I am but an ambulance surgeon and not a mag 
 istrate. I will say, though, that should the charge of 
 intoxication be brought against you in the morning, 
 I ll take the stand in your behalf " 
 
 "Oh, in the morning," here broke in the poor 
 mother, with a wild cry, "but what will become of 
 my poor children all night ? All alone all alone ! 
 Oh, my husband ! Oh, my children ! Oh, what shall 
 I do?" 
 
 The poor, wretched mother sank back upon the 
 hard floor and piteously wept and moaned. The sur 
 geon who could vivisect both humans and animals and 
 listen to cries of suffering without any great show of 
 pity, here felt tears rush to his eyes. Mrs. O Neil 
 soon faintly leaned back; her moanings and whisper 
 ings for her loved ones grew fainter ; the pupils of her 
 eyes began to set, and she seemed to undergo a proc 
 ess somewhat akin to death. The good doctor, with 
 a strong emotion, pleaded : "Cheer up, madam, it will 
 all come out right." 
 
 The doctor now felt her lowering pulse, and at 
 once removed some stimulant from a vial which he 
 carried in his vest pocket, and, after some persuasion, 
 he finally revived her. "For the sake of your children 
 you must live. If you succumb now what will be 
 come of your home and little ones?" 
 
 This little cheer and strong suggestion did much 
 toward stimulating her. She arose to a sitting posi 
 tion; sending the doctor a feeble look of thanks, she 
 
 16
 
 C&e JU ttle %ufferet0 
 
 said weakly: "Yes, that is true; I shall try to be 
 brave." 
 
 It was without a doubt the most touching scene 
 the doctor had ever witnessed. Pain of the mind, of 
 the heart, and a mother s feeling and a woman s love 
 for husband and home spoke through it all. Its true 
 sincerity could not fail to awaken the coldest of spec 
 tators. 
 
 The police officers felt very uncomfortable at wit 
 nessing this tragic scene, and if it gave them no 
 warning for future, it at least made within them a 
 mark that now and again would be touched. In their 
 uncomfortable position they felt much relieved when 
 the sergeant poked his head in and asked and de 
 manded to know what all the fuss was about. He had 
 become alarmed at the doctor s unusually long visit. 
 His guilt nagged him, but he had to show a brazen 
 spirit in order that at least his outer skirts should ap 
 pear clean. 
 
 However, the doctor, in a like brisk tone, returned : 
 "This lady is not intoxicated, and in my opinion never 
 has been. She needs most of all to be released and 
 sent home to her children. I own no real estate to 
 pledge as bond, but will you parole her in my care 
 till morning, and I ll see that she answers the call in 
 court, and " 
 
 "Here! Here! Here!" abruptly broke in the ser 
 geant, in strong ill-temper. "Your duty has ended if 
 she does not need your assistance, so you may go." 
 
 "I am very sorry for you, my good woman," sym 
 pathetically remarked the young doctor, as he was 
 forced to depart. The officers, much pleased to have 
 an end to the scene, locked the cell door, leaving poor 
 Mrs. O Neil alone in torture. 
 
 As he thought of the situation, the doctor had be 
 come touched with anger, both in the treatment of
 
 Little Sufferers 
 
 the unhappy woman and the sergeant s rough answer 
 to him. "Where is that other drunk that you said you 
 had?" he roughly demanded. 
 
 The sergeant had motioned his men not to lead the 
 doctor to O Neil s cell, for he feared that a similar 
 result would follow. 
 
 "Oh, the fellow is sobered up, and don t need no 
 body," answered the sergeant abruptly. 
 
 Whereupon, the doctor, who felt grieved, replied : 
 "It don t cost anything nor does it harm, while I am 
 here, I might as " 
 
 "Here, that ll do !" cut in the sergeant savagely. 
 "I don t want to stand for no ruse from any of yer 
 ambulance fellers," he returned, with a strong glance. 
 
 Upon this ultimatum, with a disgust upon his face, 
 the doctor departed with his unused stomach pump and 
 surgical outfit. 
 
 As the ambulance clanged and rolled away, the ser 
 geant remarked : "I d leave off my vacation if I could 
 nap that cheeky ambulance pacer and chuck him in 
 my woodbin fer a week s spell. I will bet he d soon 
 learn ter mind his own business." 
 
 "Hey you, Jack," he now instructed the officer, "go 
 and see how the feller is getting on with his booze; 
 maybe the stuff woke him up, too." 
 
 O Sullivan followed Jack. As they reached the cell 
 they breathlessly opened the door and peeped in. The 
 whiskey had had a similar reviving effect upon O Neil, 
 but his whole face showed unmistakable effect of ill- 
 treatment. The injured man noticed them, and said: 
 "Officers, I ll be willing to stay over night in the cell 
 and face any charge you may prefer against me, but 
 permit my wife to go home. She has three children, 
 the oldest but twelve and the youngest a baby. We 
 are entirely without friends and acquaintances here, 
 
 18
 
 Little Sufferers; 
 
 and it is within human reason that you cannot permit 
 those little ones to be alone." 
 
 "Well, we ll see what we can do for you, though 
 you was pretty fresh," replied Jack, in a conciliating 
 tone. 
 
 "Perhaps I was," answered Harry. "But I was 
 drawn into it ; I knew my wife was innocent, and " 
 
 "That ll do ye/ broke in O Sullivan pompously. 
 "We re officers of the law, and act according to our 
 sworn duties. Had yer wife bin innocent, she wouldn t 
 hive bin arrested ; it ain t fer yers ter lay rules fer 
 the perlice." 
 
 It was evident to Harry that there would be noth 
 ing gained by pleading for clemency or his wife s in 
 nocence. Controlling himself, he said : "It may all be 
 true as you may say, but I am sure you ll not see those 
 innocent children punished and deprived of care." 
 
 "If it was in my power, I would free her, all right, 
 but the best I can do for you, friend, is to speak to 
 the acting captain," consoled Officer Jack, as they left 
 the cell. Upon reaching without, Jack remarked : "I m 
 awful sorry for this couple. The sergeant has made 
 a blunder of it, and I ll have to confess I lent my hand 
 to it, too." 
 
 "Ah, ye re a molly Jack," was all that O Sullivan 
 answered, and they proceeded toward the desk. 
 
 "The stuff we gave him took the fight out o him, 
 but it. made him as sober as a teetotaler," reported 
 O Sullivan. Whereupon, Jack added pacifically : "He 
 wants us to leave his wife go home to her chil 
 dren " 
 
 "None of that," interrupted the sergeant, with a 
 chastising look ; "we have made a job of it, and must 
 stick to the bluff. The entry is made upon the blotter, 
 and I won t stand for no softin up." 
 
 19
 
 C6e Little Sufferers 
 
 At this moment the door of the main entrance 
 opened, and a respectable looking workman entered. 
 Before he had reached the desk, the sergeant, in his 
 customary "bulldozing" tone, accosted him with: 
 "Well, what do ye want?" 
 
 "Well, well, I " 
 
 "I asked what do you want?" the sergeant snarl- 
 ingly interrupted, before the incomer had been able to 
 explain. 
 
 "I came to see about Mrs. O Neil, who was taken 
 away from her home in the patrol, and also to inquire 
 if her husband is here. They have little children 
 home, and " 
 
 "Hey, not so fast, you !" broke off the sergeant. 
 "Who are you, and what s your name ?" 
 
 "My name is Tom Ryan. I work in the Planet 
 Mill with Harry, and live a block away from his home. 
 He has no friends around here, but from my short 
 acquaintance with him I learned that he s a decent 
 fellow, and I want to help him if I can." 
 
 "I know none by the name of Harry or O Neil, but 
 I have some drunks in the cell too soused to give 
 their names, so you better not bother yerself about it. 
 Go home and mind your own business. To-morro 
 the judge will act accordin to his duty." 
 
 "Well, captain, you wouldn t for a moment think of 
 leaving that woman in the cell over night with her 
 little " 
 
 "Here, here, damn you; I m running this precinct, 
 and won t stand for no meddlin !" snapped the ser 
 geant. 
 
 "You must hear me. That woman you brought in 
 your wagon is Mrs. O Neil. She just came from 
 church, and as I understood it from inquiry, she does 
 not drink, and I know Harry, her husband, don t touch 
 liquor at all, so there " 
 
 20
 
 Little Sufferers: 
 
 "Have you got any real estate property to go on 
 their bail with?" demanded the sergeant sarcastically. 
 
 "No; but but " 
 
 "But you git out of here or I ll clap you into a 
 cell till mornin ," cried the sergeant angrily, as he 
 partly arose from his seat. 
 
 For fear the sergeant would carry out his threat, 
 the interceder in the unfortunate couple s behalf re 
 treated. He gained courage enough as he reached the 
 outer threshold to hurl back: "You people here have 
 made a miserable blunder, and though I have no 
 bonded real estate to pledge for their release, I ll have 
 his boss and others who know them in court to-mor 
 row to expose your shameful actions." 
 
 "If I had that dog back again I d fix him up so he d 
 get a six months stretch on the Island. I d give him 
 a lesson for sassing back an acting captain," snarled 
 the sergeant, as Torn Ryan closed the door. 
 
 "Well, I ll mighty quick nab him fer yer, sergeant," 
 responded O Sullivan, as he hurried to intercept the 
 departing one. But the sergeant quickly reflected 
 and called him back. 
 
 "No, it won t do, Sullivan ; we must be a bit care 
 ful, though we have the law with us ; but," he added, 
 vindictively, "if any of youse meet that young upstart 
 in a dark alley, don t fear to bale him with your night 
 stick and haul him along so we can get the feller 
 mugged and have his likeness tagged in the gallery." 
 
 Jack meanwhile looked rather absorbed in thought, 
 and the sergeant noticed this, and in no mild tone ex 
 claimed : "Say you, Jack, you ll never make yer mark 
 on the force ; you d be better fit fer police matron. I 
 ain t got no use fer. that kind ov men weakin in the 
 middle of a job." 
 
 "I ain t going back on no job, but I feel for the 
 couple. I have three little children and a good wife, 
 
 21
 
 Cfje Little Sufferers 
 
 too, and can t help feeling their position," answered 
 Jack sadly. 
 
 "Say, ye are a beeswax, Jack, and should be made 
 ter trot post on the cemetery and weep o er the dead," 
 returned the sergeant in ridicule. 
 
 Barely had the sergeant spoken the last syllable 
 when the telephone rang. Reaching for the receiver, 
 a voice was heard: "This is the juvenile system. We 
 have a report that you have in your lock-up the par 
 ents of three little children." 
 
 "Maybe we have, and maybe we ain t," answered 
 the sergeant, not wishing to commit himself. How 
 ever vulgar the sergeant was, he felt that the pair had 
 been punished enough without taking away their chil 
 dren. He knew the practice of this alleged humani 
 tarian society, which describes itself as the juvenile 
 system, a chartered private incorporated company. He 
 was also aware that when this system once gets chil 
 dren within their clutches, no judge in the country 
 can release them. But of course, like a good, true 
 officer, sworn to law and duty, he could not go back 
 on his own report on the blotter. 
 
 As he prepared to hang up the receiver he said : "I ll 
 look into it and let ye know." 
 
 The sergeant did not feel altogether at ease. For 
 his own sake he would much have preferred that those 
 arrests had not been made; it began to dawn upon 
 him that something unpleasant might arise from it. 
 Though he had the backing of the commissioner and 
 all his precinct men, withal, such brutal treatment of 
 a good couple might work him an injury. 
 
 After a little deliberation and fumbling with his red 
 mustache, he said to his officers : "You needn t push 
 the case for the judge in the morning unless it comes 
 to a strong test. Then ye must stand by the charge 
 and you put the two empty whiskey flasks in evi-
 
 C6e Little 
 
 dence which you must swear to that you took out ov 
 their clothes. And get a couple ov more officers to 
 swear that the pair were drunk and disorderly." In 
 a threatening tone he added : "That ambulance sur 
 geon may be there in the morning. But I ll bet yer 
 me buttons he ll lose his job if he does." 
 
 After another pause, he continued : "You, Sullivan 
 and Jack, bundle off yer uniform and git inter plain 
 clothes and go ter Bond Street and get some evidence 
 that the pair were disorderly and drunk. I don t care 
 where or how ye gits it, either." 
 
 "Sure I ll scare half ov the ward to swear ter what 
 I say," answered Officer O Sullivan with a wink, while 
 Officer Jack said nothing, but reluctantly went along, 
 according to bidding. 
 
 A few minutes afterward that pair of officers were 
 on detective duty. As they reached Butler and Bond 
 Streets, Jack was heard remarking firmly : "I ll not 
 for all the police jobs in the country help to plot up 
 any further than I have. I m going to see if I can 
 get some kind neighbor to look after the unfortunate 
 children till morning. Just suppose these poor chil 
 dren should be abducted by the Juvenile System?" 
 
 "Oh, ye should be in petticoats, Jack !" replied 
 O Sullivan, who looked for great fame upon the po 
 lice force. 
 
 Upon this they turned and walked toward the lower 
 end of Bond Street. Officer O Sullivan said: "Say, 
 Jack, let s take a spin up to Flanagan s and we ll find 
 enough ter clear our record." 
 
 "You do as you like, O Sullivan, but if I want evi 
 dence I want it from a different source. But candidly 
 there could be no evidence strong enough to satisfy 
 me that those people in our lock-up are anything but 
 respectable," answered Jack firmly. "I do not hold 
 myself above going a little out of the way where no 
 one is to become the sufferer, and I ll do anything to 
 
 23
 
 C&e Little >ufferet$ 
 
 aid my superiors in posing strong, but I ll mangle no 
 souls in order to do so." 
 
 "All right, Jack, ye know best," returned O Sulli- 
 van, with a mild scorn, as he turned on his heels, 
 walking toward Flanagan s. 
 
 Officer Jack remained standing on the corner for a 
 few moments, speculating upon what course to take 
 in order to save those unfortunate O Neil children 
 from the System s claws. He had learned from the 
 telephone conversation that this organization was upon 
 their tracks. 
 
 His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by loud 
 clanging and soundings from gongs and clattering 
 hoofs, which came from the direction of lower Bond 
 Street. His brother officer was only a few paces off, 
 so hurriedly Jack turned and followed him. Both 
 walked quickly to the point to discover the cause of 
 the commotion. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A RACKET AT THE FLANAGANS HOUSE. 
 
 None in the neighborhood of the O Neils, beyond 
 the fact of a patrol wagon having carried away Mrs. 
 O Neil, had any knowledge that her husband had 
 suffered a similar fate; nor did the fact awaken any 
 unusual interest. Fights, disturbances, and police 
 buses, in this and similar sections, are daily occur 
 rences, though more particularly so on Sundays and 
 holidays, when the habitual roughness and coarseness 
 have opportunity to run riot. 
 
 However, this O Neil couple were comparatively 
 strangers, and not, by any means, favorites ; so, while 
 they suffered in the lock-up, their little ones were left 
 
 24
 
 Cfje Little Sufferer* 
 
 entirely to themselves. Of course, Mrs. Flanagan and 
 her pals in the same building knew it, but their spirit 
 of joy ran in the vein of punishing any one belonging 
 to the O Neil family, and so they took no heed con 
 cerning the fate of the little ones. 
 
 When the wagon took Mrs. O Neil away, her boy 
 Willie ran into their home and hid away, crying ; this 
 no doubt being the severest punishment for any of his 
 deeds. While his sister sat trembling, weeping, and 
 hugging the baby in her tiny arms, her poor little 
 brother piteously cried and pleaded to be given back 
 his mamma, and loudly promised that he would never 
 swear or smoke cigarettes again if only his mamma 
 would come. But alas ! his sorrowful heart in begging 
 forgiveness had no one to offer consolation, but his 
 little sister, who also suffered as keen a pang. Thus, 
 while these children despaired in tears, their mother 
 was kept in a cruel cell, suffering a similar torture. 
 
 Of course, the two larger O Neil children knew 
 that their father had gone for their mother, but they 
 could not grasp so cruel an idea as what had hap 
 pened, nor the cause of their desertion. At last, after 
 suffering long distracted absence from their parents, 
 the children became faint and weak. In their help 
 less plight they twined themselves close together in a 
 corner of their front room and cried themselves into 
 a sweet, forgiving sleep. 
 
 Across the hall from the O Neils, the Flanagans 
 were having a "racket," this being their term for the 
 debauching revelries common among that class. Mrs. 
 Flanagan had gained a trump and she truly was proud. 
 And to add strength to her honors, she carried this 
 day s festival to the height of fashion. 
 
 The general feeling in the neighborhood naturally 
 ran for Mrs. Flanagan. She was of the general cast 
 and was looked upon in their standard as a decent 
 
 25
 
 Little 
 
 woman. New arrivals to their section must step down 
 to their level before such can become generally popu 
 lar and be permitted to live in peace. The inherent 
 finer qualities of the O Neils could not be lowered to 
 mingle with these coarser natures, and thus they had 
 been constantly annoyed. More than once had Mrs. 
 Flanagan attempted to provoke them to quarrel. That 
 she had gained her contention this day and in so man 
 ifest a manner that her enemy had been cast into jail, 
 gave her an enviable social prominence among her 
 pals. 
 
 As soon as the patrol had carried off the unfortu 
 nate innocent woman, the Flanagans sent out word to 
 their "cronies" around the ward to join them in a 
 "racket." As a matter of fact, the Flanagans held a 
 revelry on every Sunday. It always had been their 
 custom after mass to begin to "rush the can," and with 
 the willing aid of their neighbors carried on until long 
 after midnight one continuous round of beer drinking 
 and horseplay. This evening s festival, in conse 
 quence of the day s happenings, was to break the 
 record. They had laid in a full keg of beer, and any 
 of their clan were welcomed. 
 
 These people, regardless of scale of wages or 
 amount earned, are "broke" in the beginning of each 
 week. In order to maintain existence they commence 
 on Monday, and on each day following till Saturday, 
 to despoil their homes of all chattels from that of 
 wearing apparel to kerosene lamps and holy pictures, 
 leaving them in pawn to be redeemed on the nearest 
 pay-day. 
 
 To all of the set word had been sent that Mrs. Flan 
 agan had upheld the prestige of the ward by showing 
 newcomers that they must act according to estab 
 lished customs or leave the ward, and soon friends 
 began to pour in and offer congratulations. 
 
 26
 
 little Sufferers! 
 
 The few living rooms of the Flanagans were packed 
 with visitors, and some of the near neighbors brought 
 their own chairs. Girls were held upon the laps of 
 young men, and seats for the elders were provided 
 from soap boxes, the edges of beds or window sills. 
 The keg of beer was placed upon the kitchen table, 
 and the beer was drawn into all kinds of vessels. 
 Now and then, between their drinks, some of the 
 younger members would play a jig upon a harmonica, 
 and the gay ones would stamp upon the floor to follow 
 the tune. There was no dancing room, but there was 
 merriment enough. 
 
 While the O Neils upon this day were suffering a 
 torture of existence, the Flanagans were having "the 
 time of their lives," and between draughts of beer 
 they would comment the difficulty, but the praise was 
 all centred upon Mrs. Flanagan who accepted it with 
 satisfaction. With mingled joy and satisfaction, she 
 would remark : "Sure, a stuck-up woman with her 
 braided kids have no business ter live mong daicen 
 people." 
 
 After some little discourse continuing along this line, 
 one of her pals proposed: "I have the foinest schem 
 in the country that ll settle them stuck-up O Neils for 
 the rest o their days, and let s work quick." 
 
 "That s a go," responded all in glee. 
 
 "We ll send word ter the Juvenile System that three 
 children are left alone and their parents are in the 
 lock-up fer drunkenness and disturbin the pace " 
 
 "Sure, sure , sure, Mrs. Merlone ; ye r alright/ 
 cheered all. 
 
 "I ll let me brother Mike go an phone up the Sys 
 tem and tell m the three little ones are alone." 
 
 As a tribute to this excellent suggestion, each had 
 a refilling from the diminishing contents of the keg. 
 "That s a good way ter fix them parents what thinks
 
 Cfje Little Sufferer* 
 
 themselves more n us ole warders," agreed Mrs. 
 Flanagan. "Sure, an she sid my Jimmy spoiled her 
 kids there s none finer boy then moin in the whole 
 ward," she concluded boastfully. 
 
 "The Juvenile System closes their shop at six 
 o clock, and now it is ten minutes off, so we better 
 make the job quick," remarked one who all along had 
 sat currying love with a couple of young girls, one 
 of them being his betrothed. The speaker was Dan 
 Connors, better known as Red Hook Dan. 
 
 "Ye er all right, Dan," agreed the first speaker. "If 
 we want the System ter take the kids it must be this 
 noight, fer ter-morro the Judge will have her out o 
 jail and she ll fight for them. Ye r mor edjercated ner 
 me brother Mike, so ye better spake in the phone, 
 Dan." 
 
 "Sure, I can speak in the phone," responded Dan, 
 feeling proud of being looked upon as educated. "It ll 
 but take me three minutes to get the perceiver a-goin , 
 and that ll finish the job," he added, emptying his ves 
 sel of beer and preparing for the street. 
 
 Here the girl, May Thornton, drew him towards her 
 and whispered into his ear, upon which both walked 
 into the front room. Looking straight into his face 
 she said : "If you have any love for me, Dan, don t send 
 for the System s agents. Those poor children will 
 never " 
 
 "Ah, forget it !" broke off Dan impatiently. "You re 
 a big toad bothering yourself about some little brats." 
 Then, in a conciliating tone, he added, "I m trusted 
 with the job and wouldn t for all the rags in the ward 
 go back on my word. You ll like me the better for it," 
 he ended in little self-assurance, to which the girl re 
 plied that he would see. Upon this Dan departed to 
 attend his mission. 
 
 May Thornton, like her lover, had been born and 
 28
 
 Little Sufferers 
 
 brought up in Red Hook section. He was twenty- 
 three years and she was twenty. May was a pretty 
 little blue-eyed lass, and looked upon by all as the belle 
 of the Erie Basin and Red Hook Point section. Her 
 father had died while May was a child of six, and she 
 now worked at the handkerchief factory at South 
 Brooklyn. There were, besides May, several brothers 
 and sisters, all of them aiding their widowed mother to 
 keep the house and attend to household duties. The 
 Thorntons were a respectable lot of poor people, and 
 held themselves above the average Flanagan class ; but 
 through Dan, whom the girl so blindly loved, she had 
 of late been frequently brought into relation with this 
 lower element. 
 
 Dan Connors, or Red Hook Dan, was of the Flana 
 gans set. He had been permitted to grow up without 
 schooling and in idleness, and even among the worse 
 element he was looked upon as a bad character. Long 
 before he was old enough to vote he would lead gangs 
 of repeaters to the various polling places and be of 
 much political use .to whichever party required him. 
 Just now he had reached a stage at which he could 
 qualify for the police, an appointment which he, owing 
 to the merit of his pull and his influence he had just 
 received. He was now an officer on probation, and 
 two weeks hence would be awarded the regular uni 
 form of patrolman. 
 
 That Dan Connors always had many girl admirers 
 is not to be wondered at. He was well -built, stalwart 
 and strong, and a bully naturally carries considerable 
 force with inexperienced hearts. Truly, very otten the 
 best of girls fall victims to this sort of character. 
 Very often this trait is the cause that many a good 
 little mother is pining away her life and suffering end 
 less torture. It is easily understood that May Thorn 
 ton should love Dan,, and now that he was about to be- 
 
 29
 
 Cbe Little Sufferers 
 
 come a uniformed officer, she reasonably should love 
 him the more. 
 
 Dan soon returned from the telephone booth, fol 
 lowed by Lankey George, a man of odd jobs. Lankey 
 found a seat upon an upturned bucket and Dan joined 
 his sweetheart, who had remained dejectedly seated in 
 the same place. In a mildly bullying way he ap 
 proached her. "Well, aren t you over your grouch 
 yet?" 
 
 May remained in same position and gave no reply. 
 
 Seating himself beside her Dan reached his arms to 
 embrace her, but she removed herself and looked as 
 though she were offended. "Ah, you only want to be 
 coaxed," he sneered, "and you can bet yer rats I coax 
 no hairpin when I needn t go further un to any fac 
 tory, and I ll get the whole bunch pegging to get at 
 me. And two weeks from now, when I get my uni 
 form, the whole Point will want to marry me." 
 
 "But I will never marry you," announced May, ris 
 ing and entering another room. 
 
 "Two weeks from now, when you see me in my uni 
 form, you ll do some whining for this, my job lots," 
 returned Red Hook Dan, the probation officer, with a 
 light scorn as he walked into the kitchen. There he 
 leaned against a window-sill, where he began to carry 
 on with a couple of Baltic Street belles. 
 
 Dan and May were to have been married upon his 
 first pay-day. Of course all their girl acquaintances 
 looked upon it as a lucky catch for May, and naturally, 
 in consequence, were jealous of her. 
 
 The Flanagans festival went on in this manner of 
 raw carousing, unharmonious singing, harmonica play 
 ing and stamping upon the floor. Their keg of beer 
 had been renewed and every one appeared happy, ex 
 cept May Thornton, who gloomily sat in the corner of 
 
 30
 
 C6e Little Sufferers; 
 
 the adjoining bedroom with her cheeks buried in her 
 hands. 
 
 Her girl friends, envying her luck, though conceal 
 ing their jealousy, now pretended to encourage her. 
 "Don t have the blues for such a little spat as that ; it ll 
 be all right again with you and Dan. Sure he thinks 
 his life of you, but he s just like all the fellers they 
 want to use their rough edges on us girls once in a 
 while." 
 
 "Yes, indeed, May," elucidated Lizzie Tims, a War 
 ren Street damsel. "You re beating us all with your 
 good catch. Should you be left a widow the city ll 
 pension you." 
 
 Here the girls attention was drawn to the kitchen, 
 where strong words and argument were heard. 
 
 Lankey George had upbraided Dan for sending for 
 the Juvenile System s agent. "Why, ain t the poor chil 
 dren and the parents punished enough as it is," he 
 exclaimed, "without breaking up their home ? Nobody 
 understands the ill cause and effect of this Children s 
 Society better than I do. That Juvenile System is the 
 cause of my misfortune. It robbed me of my children, 
 it broke up my home and drove my wife to drink. She 
 is now dwindling her days in the Kings Park Hospital, 
 hopeless and demented. It brought me to where I am 
 to-day." Here Lankey s voice faltered a moment in at 
 tempt to suppress his emotion, and the tears glided 
 down his worn face. 
 
 "This Juvenile System is terrible, really it is. What 
 he says is all true, so it is," sadly murmured May 
 Thornton as she heard part of George s tale, while 
 Dan jeered him with taunting slurs. "I ll forgive a 
 set of petticoats to soften up and bale out dewdrops, 
 but it ain t for a man to show tears for nothing," he 
 said, looking contemptuously at Lankey. "Anyway, I 
 
 31
 
 Little 
 
 don t see why a feller should be chicken-hearted for 
 these little brats what don t belong round here." 
 
 Dan Connors was of a quarrelsome disposition, and 
 would nag at any one not agreeing with him, and was 
 always ready for a fight. While under the influence 
 of intoxicants this disposition was even more pro 
 nounced. He had drunk a good deal of beer this even 
 ing, and, aided by his growing police spirit, it urged 
 him on to emphasize his own conviction. 
 
 The rest of the Flanagan party remained silent while 
 Lankey and Dan quarreled, though most of them, of 
 course, agreed with Dan. He was both feared and ad 
 mired, and his promotion from civilian to police 
 weighed vastly in their respect. 
 
 Lankey George, however, made no reply to Dan s 
 sarcasm. He still sat as though absorbed in deep 
 thought. 
 
 "I never took you for much of a man, anyhow," con 
 tinued Dan in- a quarrelsome tone. "I phoned for the 
 System s man, and he s going to take away the kids as 
 sure as I m going to trot in my uniform two weeks 
 from now. And if you don t mind your own business 
 I ll show you what kind of a hitting cop I ll make. If 
 you wasn t an ole man I would throw you down the 
 two flights of stairs right now," he ended, having 
 worked himself into a fighting mood. 
 
 "Well, I fear you ll never wear your uniform, then," 
 coolly replied Lankey with a sharp gleam in his eyes, 
 and arose. "As to being a hitting cop, you are, in my 
 opinion, only a stuffed cop. The agents of the Juvenile 
 System will never kidnap these children so long as I 
 have a spark of life. And if I am to go down two 
 flights of stairs, you ll follow me. A man who has 
 no regards for women and children, has no regards for 
 age, so you need not consider my age," he finished in 
 so strong a note of defiance that it momentarily 
 
 32
 
 Cbe Little Sufferers 
 
 thwarted the bully probation officer, and partly awak 
 ened the Flanagans and their guest out of their maud 
 lin state. 
 
 Fights and squabbles were customary, and as much a 
 part of these poor people s festivals as were the re 
 freshments. It was only natural that such outbreaks 
 became free, rough-and-tumble until one or the other 
 was beaten. Of course there were none among them 
 who would not have staked their all upon Dan. George 
 was a good deal older, and, though apparently strong 
 and wiry, he could not be looked upon as a match for 
 Dan, who was in his best (condition, and always in 
 practice. 
 
 Of Lankey George very little was known; but he 
 was about thirty-six years of age, and had lived in 
 the ward about twelve years. He did not mix greatly 
 with people, and was not known to have relatives or 
 friends. His acquaintance with the Flanagans had 
 been brought about through some little favor and as 
 sistance which he received a couple of years back 
 while laid up with an attack of la grippe. George had 
 a furnished room next door, but out of courtesy he 
 would pay an occasional visit to the Flanagans. While 
 not a heavy drinker, he enjoyed his beer. Upon close 
 observation he showed a trend of intelligence, and ap 
 peared of better stamp than the average warder; and 
 he always carried an engaging air of mystery about 
 him. 
 
 However, Red Hook Dan needed no further invita 
 tion for an attack. Measuring up Lankey, with an ex 
 pressive contempt, Dan swung his left arm, which, to 
 the astonishment of all, was neatly parried by Lankey. 
 With the fleetness of a prize-ring expert, the older 
 man returned a heavy blow, which landed straight 
 upon his opponent s jaw, and drew blood. Dan became 
 furious by meeting so sudden and unexpected a re- 
 
 33
 
 &e Little Sufferers! 
 
 pulse, and rushed upon Lankey, who here showed the 
 agility of a cat and equal cleverness, and besides proved 
 himself a hard hitter. 
 
 The Flanagans guests crowded into a corner and 
 close to the wall to give room. In the tumult chairs 
 were upset, the partly rilled keg of beer was knocked 
 off the table and rolled into the adjoining room, while 
 the table became tilted upon its end. 
 
 It was a lively fight, but purely without prize-ring 
 rules. Dan was severely overexcited from disappoint 
 ment, and much the aggressor, but without real ef 
 fective tactics, while Lankey showed more coolness and 
 good judgment, and throughout the scuffle maintained 
 and used his strength to the best purpose. 
 
 The Flanagans cronies had entirely sobered up by 
 surprise of the apparent outcome. A moment ago all 
 would have laid down their lives on the certainty that 
 Red Hook Dan would have finished George in a single 
 round, and now, as it was, their champion was receiv 
 ing blow after blow and gasping for wind. There was 
 barely a scratch upon Lankey, but Dan was all cut, and 
 his left eye had been discolored and closed. 
 
 In his disappointment of beating Lankey by fair 
 means, Dan now picked up a heavy bowl from the 
 floor and, with a wild curse, hurled it at Lankey, who 
 quickly dodged. The vessel made its mark in the 
 (centre of a large holy picture adorning the wall above 
 the mantlepiece. The force scattered the glass and 
 pierced the cloth, throwing the picture off the hook, so 
 that it fell in a heap upon the floor back of the stove. 
 
 Upon this arose a great commotion. "Oh ! Oh ! 
 Oh! The Virgin s picture!" loudly screamed Mrs. 
 Flanagan, with a quick flow of ready tears upon per 
 ceiving the damage to her idol. She was joined in 
 loud cries of sympathy from the other women. 
 
 While Mrs. Flanagan cried sins upon their souls, the 
 
 34
 
 Cfje Little 
 
 combatants fought on. Lankey George, for the first 
 time, now appeared to make real use of his saved en 
 ergy. Swiftly he drew Dan out into the hall, tilted 
 him over the baluster in order to throw him down 
 stairs. Dan clung on to him in desperation, and the 
 pair landed at the second floor. 
 
 Dan was biting and kicking, and it was now plainly 
 in Lankey s mind to have his opponent upon the street 
 and in a freer scuffle, so he managed to whirl Dan over 
 the baluster and clear himself of his hold. Into the 
 lower hall rolled the probation officer, Dan Connors, 
 much bruised, and with his left shoulder-blade dis 
 located. 
 
 The tumult and noise had aroused the remaining 
 tenants, and also crowds from without the street. How 
 ever, as Dan lay there helpless, he sorely needed attend 
 ance. Some bystander immediately telephoned for an 
 ambulance, and in a little while an ambulance and a 
 police patrol rattled up. 
 
 Red Hook Dan was removed to the hospital, and, 
 of course, Lankey George, in order to avoid arrest, 
 had, for the moment, to betake himself to some other 
 quarter, where he stayed until things had quieted down. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE SYSTEM S AGENTS. 
 
 Officers O Sullivan and Jack reached this lower sec 
 tion just as the ambulance swung up into Douglass 
 Street toward the precinct station. 
 
 "I wonder what can be the trouble," called Jack to 
 his brother officer. 
 
 "I pose it s more ov the junk loike them folks we 
 have in the lock-up. True ter me life, Jack, them folks 
 
 35
 
 Little Sufferers; 
 
 in better rags are all the time stirrin a fuss and gittin 
 themselves and us inter trouble. They think they re 
 more nd us cops. If they d mind their own business 
 and lave the police run things, as we find our duty and 
 we re paid ter do, there would be less jails and perlice 
 shake-ups," philosophically scored intelligent Officer 
 O Sullivan. 
 
 Officer Jack Stevenson, far superior in intellect, gave 
 no reply to this comment upon police requirements, for 
 though he had to take sides with all police injustices, 
 he did so because the rules of the department demanded 
 it. He was an American born; of old New England 
 stock, and had sprung from an industrious, hardy 
 people. 
 
 The two men quickly directed themselves towards 
 where the ambulance had called, which proved to be at 
 Flanagan s. The crowd had thinned considerably, but 
 as the officers were on a more sacred mission than to 
 hunt up the cause of this disturbance, they proceeded 
 to build evidence. 
 
 As O Sullivan turned to go in towards the Flana 
 gans apartment Officer Jack said : "A teamster school 
 chum of mine lives down in Union Street; while you 
 attend to your affair, I ll go and see if some of his 
 women folks won t look after these unfortunate little 
 children till morning. If I didn t live up in West 
 Farms, where I was on duty till I was shifted to South 
 Brooklyn, I d have them to my home to stay over 
 night." 
 
 "Say, Jack, I ain t your superior, but if you ll take a 
 solid advice, you lave them kids fare their own fate," 
 answered O Sullivan. 
 
 "Why, man, for mercies sake, let us not permit 
 that !" said Jack reproachfully. "Should these unfortu 
 nate children be removed by the Juvenile System it 
 would be a cruel outrage. You know as well as I do 
 
 36
 
 C6e Little 
 
 that once within the claws of that Human Hawk Sys 
 tem it means child servitude at the Hasting Hills, or 
 perhaps upon some Western farm for these innocent 
 ones, and it will break their poor mother s heart " 
 
 "I agree with you on all that," broke in O Sullivan ; 
 "but I ain t goin to take no chances of losin my shield 
 for the sake of any kids what s nothing to me. You 
 know the Juvenile System has more pull an power nd 
 half of the judges in the country, and they d mighty 
 quick git us off the force if we wouldn t work ter their 
 loiken. But you go ahead and do as you think best ; 
 I shan t work against you nohow, so long I kin kape 
 meself clear," ended he, and turned towards the stair 
 way. 
 
 At the outer door Officer Jack was met by a tall, 
 neatly dressed and slightly stooped elderly man, with 
 hard-set features, and dull-gray eyes. The incomer 
 did not recognize the officer who was garbed as a 
 civilian, and thus accosted him, "Do you live in this 
 house ?" 
 
 "No, sir, upon what grounds do you ask me?" re 
 turned Officer Jack, who suspected the stranger s er 
 rand. 
 
 Here the man stepped back, compared a note with 
 the street number and, as he passed by the officer, he 
 said, "Thank you, I won t need your assistance," upon 
 which he walked up the two dark flights of stairs, 
 reaching the top floor, upon which lived the Flanagans 
 and the O Neils. Their apartments were divided off by 
 a centre hall. 
 
 Officer Jack turned and followed closely, halting 
 back of him on the upper landing. The door leading 
 from the hall to Flanagan s apartment stood three- 
 quarters open. Officer O Sullivan, who had preceded 
 them a couple of minutes, was sitting on the edge of 
 the stove with a cup partly filled with beer in his hands, 
 
 37
 
 Little Sufferers; 
 
 listening to Mrs. Flanagan, who, with moist eyes, sat 
 complaining of the misfortune which had befallen her 
 holy picture. "Sure, I could always borrow a dollar 
 upon it at McSheeney s to buy vettels, and now it ain t 
 worth a cint." 
 
 The tall, lean stranger walked into the open door 
 without announcement. His dull-gray eyes lit up and 
 twinkled as he saw the disorderly apartment and no 
 ticed a couple of the Flanagan children lying asleep 
 upon the floor in the corner between the coal box and 
 a dish closet. The biggest boy, Jimmy, who was partly 
 the cause of this day s tragic occurrences, sat beneath 
 the table, smoking a cigarette. 
 
 "I guess I m in the right place," announced the 
 stranger, slowly moving towards the children. "I am 
 an agent from the Juvenile System, and I received a 
 telephone message to call here for some children " 
 
 "Oh, mercy !" broke off Mrs. Flanagan with a loud 
 screech which could be heard for a half block. Fol 
 lowed by a couple of pals, she rushed to where her 
 children lay asleep, picked them up and hurried into 
 the front room, where she hid them away in a clothes 
 closet. Little Jimmy, much frightened, dropped his 
 cigarette and crawled back of a chair, upon which sat 
 a spooning young couple. 
 
 Mr. Flanagan, who only spoke when his wife was 
 not present to lead, said : "You made a mistake here, all 
 right." 
 
 "Sure yer did; I ll vouch fer these people," added 
 Officer O Sullivan in a tone of authority, raising him 
 self from his sitting position. "These people are the 
 finest in the ward, and are only havin a little sociability 
 of their own this noight " 
 
 This little incident somewhat amused Officer Jack, 
 who stood in the doorway and viewed the consterna 
 tion which the Agent had caused. He did not directly 
 
 38
 
 Little >ufferer0 
 
 wish the Flanagans children to be carried away from 
 a bad home to something worse, but at least he was 
 certain that the O Neil children were in care of better 
 parents. 
 
 Mrs. Flanagan, in her intense fear that the Agent 
 would follow her and take her children by force, with 
 her women friends, closed and barricaded the door and 
 sat trembling within, awaiting the departure of the 
 Agent. The mere mention of the Juvenile System will 
 throw the average poor mother into hysterics, and very 
 often when one of its Agents appear upon the threshold 
 a weak mother will sink into a swoon and youngsters, 
 like chicks before a hawk, will creep underneath beds 
 and bureaus and hide away in the furthest and darkest 
 corners. No "Boogy man" scares a child as does the 
 mention of the Juvenile System. Now after a moment 
 of speculation the Agent viewed O Sullivan and re 
 marked, "You appear to be a police officer, are you 
 not?" 
 
 Of course O Sullivan felt proud to be so identified 
 without his uniform, and answered impressively, "Ye 
 are sure ter that, sir. I m a regular appointed officer," 
 he announced. 
 
 "Well, I m a representative of the Juvenile System," 
 showing his badge. "We are empowered to call upon 
 your department upon any occasion we may choose in 
 aiding our system. I therefore want to know and de 
 mand the arrest of the ones among these people who 
 have wilfully sent a false message to our Humani 
 tarian System and thus brought me on a fool s errand." 
 
 "Ye are sure ter that, Mr. Agent," replied Officer 
 O Sullivan. "We are instructed ter assist yer upon 
 call, and I ll do me duty if ye ll tell me who to lock 
 up." 
 
 Here the Agent reflected a moment, fumbled in his 
 vest pocket and drew out a scrap of paper, and in a 
 
 39
 
 Little 
 
 modified tone remarked: "Oh, that s so, I am looking 
 for the O Neil children, whose parents are in the lock 
 up for drunkenness." 
 
 Of course all the party knew it, but none had felt a 
 desire to acquaint the Agent thereof. Officer O Sulli- 
 van would rather not have been confronted so close 
 with the question. He had noticed his brother officer s 
 motion of silence upon the matter, but, on the other 
 hand, he feared to offend the Juvenile System. He 
 would have preferred to deceive his own chief, the 
 commissioner, than the power behind this Humani 
 tarian System. "Ter be sure, the O Neils are in the 
 lock-up, and their guilt will be settled by the Magis 
 trate in the mornin ," answered the officer evasively. 
 
 "The Agent meant the children across the hall," 
 here innocently announced a little lass among the 
 party. 
 
 Upon this information the Agent passed Jack and 
 crossed the hall to the O Neils room. Turning the 
 knob of the door he found it locked. He gave a few 
 loud raps, but received no reply. 
 
 "Some kind neighbor no doubt has taken the children 
 in charge till their parents release," ventured Officer 
 Jack, with a view to discourage the Agent s further 
 activity. 
 
 Manifestly the Agent could not afford to leave the 
 premises without being fully assured that the ones he 
 sought were not there. Now, to assure himself, he bent 
 forward and peeped through the keyhole and breath 
 lessly listened, after which he also tried to force open 
 the door. 
 
 Upon this Jack jumped forward, and with a firm 
 hand clasped him upon the shoulder as he said firmly : 
 "Do not step beyond your authority; you will get your 
 self into trouble " 
 
 "Authority? Trouble? What are you talking 
 
 40
 
 Cf)e Little @>ufferer0 
 
 about? Who are you? Here, lock that man up for 
 interfering with our System s right," he sharply de 
 manded of Officer O Sullivan. 
 
 "Here, don t talk so fast, old man, or I will lock you 
 up," now exclaimed Jack in a serious tone. 
 
 The Agent jumped back and demanded, "Are you an 
 officer ? Show me your shield." 
 
 Jack promptly complied, upon which the Agent be 
 gan to explain his rights and authorities, which he did 
 not conceal, superseded those of any police power or 
 judge of the land. 
 
 "We need no warrant. We can simply break into 
 any house upon our suspicion of certain conditions ex 
 isting therein." 
 
 "This has been all true to your System," replied Of 
 ficer Jack hotly, "the private corporation which you 
 represent has been granted privileges which all work 
 against the poor, defenceless class. The privileges you 
 there exercise are contrary to the very constitution of 
 our land. Your authority and right would get a set 
 back were you to attack and practise your method 
 upon a class with money to defend themselves." 
 
 "If you prevent me or interfere with my duties, I 
 shall prefer charges against you before the Commis 
 sioner," threatened the Agent. 
 
 "I repeat, I ll not permit you to break into homes 
 where doors are locked and bolted, unless you have 
 stronger authority to act from," firmly replied Officer 
 Jack. "If you make another attempt to push in the 
 door I will lock you up." 
 
 The System s Agent understood fully the power and 
 position which the System he represented held. Turn 
 ing towards Officer O Sullivan he said : "As a police 
 officer, I demand your protection in carrying out my 
 rights. Whether it be your brother officer or not," he 
 added, pointing at Jack, "is of no concern if he hinders
 
 Little Sufferers; 
 
 me from entering that apartment. It is upon you to 
 lock him up and I ll follow along to the station house 
 and make a complaint against him." 
 
 Poor Officer O Sullivan had been two years on the 
 police force, and in all but seven years in this 
 country, so naturally he felt himself in a dilemma. He 
 feared the Juvenile System, but in his short experience 
 on the force he had never been called upon to lock up 
 one of his own class. Of course, with an ordinary citi 
 zen, it would have been entirely different. He realized 
 that his brother officer was determined, and he felt 
 that an attempt by him to lock him up would meet 
 with failure, as Jack was without doubt the abler man 
 and had an equal advantage with clubs and pistols. 
 Deliberating a moment, and scratching his head, he 
 said: "Sure, this is new law ter me. If you will 
 break no door," he directed the Agent, "till I go to the 
 phone and spake to the Sergeant, I ll lave it ter him." 
 
 Here Officer O Sullivan prepared to go to the near 
 est telephone and call up his precinct for advice. A 
 slight laugh escaped Officer Jack; but he said no 
 words. 
 
 Officer Jack was becoming angry with the obstinate 
 Agent, who persisted in forcing the door. A slight 
 scuffle ensued, and the door into O Neil s apartment 
 flew open. Jack lost his grip as the door yielded, and 
 this caused the Agent to fall full length upon the floor. 
 Raising himself quickly, he ran through the apartment, 
 which was dimly lighted by a kerosene lamp, but what 
 was not his disappointment and anger upon finding 
 that no one was there. 
 
 Officer Jack who followed close upon the Agent felt 
 as surprised as the System s man, but he was infinitely 
 pleased to discover that the children were removed 
 out of the System s clutches for the time being, at 
 least
 
 Cfie Little Sufferer* 
 
 Flanagan s guests, who had been as neutral specta 
 tors throughout the altercation, upon learning of the 
 disappearance of the O Neil children, also felt anxious 
 to learn what had become of the little ones. 
 
 "Oh, God, hive mercy on the poor little kids, any 
 how," now begged Mrs. Flanagan, who had ventured 
 out from her barricaded door and felt some twinges 
 of conscience, induced by her own threatened predica 
 ment of losing her own children. "Sure enough, the 
 Juvenile System is no place for any woman s children, 
 even fer the O Neils." 
 
 However, upon finding that the children were not 
 anywhere within the apartment, the Agent began 
 strongly to denounce Jack as being in compact with 
 some clique to foil the System, and he threatened to 
 make a charge against him before the Commissioner. 
 Then he hastily left the building, much to the relief of 
 all. Immediately the Flanagans party broke up for 
 the night, the gathering having the record for excite 
 ment and novelty of sensation. 
 
 What had become of the O Neil children is in itself 
 a little narrative. When the ambulance called to take 
 away injured Red Hook Dan, the excitement and at 
 tention of course was directed towards him and the at 
 tending surgeon. The entire Flanagan party, except 
 ing Mrs. Flanagan and a couple of her pals, had fol 
 lowed them out into the street and mingled with the 
 crowd there gathered. 
 
 Lankey George, upon his victory, sought a safer 
 quarter. On his way to escape, it flashed through his 
 mind to carry the O Neil children with him. He fig 
 ured that this would prove an opportune moment while 
 everybody s interest was momentarily secured to the 
 ambulance call. 
 
 Turning back into the dark hall and ascending one 
 
 43
 
 Cbe Little Sufferers: 
 
 flight he encountered May Thornton, who, in the dark 
 ness, he barely recognized. She stood alone, support 
 ing herself against the baluster. A stress of sympathy 
 possessed George s breast as he noticed little May s 
 dejection. He knew that Dan and she were lovers, 
 and he suspected that the girl was too overcome with 
 grief at the humiliation of her lover to remove from 
 her position. 
 
 "I m very sorry for you, little girl," he said sympa 
 thetically, resting his hand gently upon her shoulder. 
 "I was kind of forced to do it; but poor Dan will 
 come out all right, and it ll make him a better man." 
 
 "Don t feel sorry for me, Lankey. While I am sorry 
 for Dan, and hope he will come out all right, don t let 
 that bother you. I hope, as you, that he will be a bet 
 ter man for it," answered May quietly. George now 
 proceeded to the upper floor, whereupon again May 
 exclaimed : "Oh, I am sorry for the helpless children 
 upstairs, and if I could I d love to prevent the Juvenile 
 System from getting hold of them." 
 
 "Thank you. You are just on my turn of mind, May 
 Thornton," responded Lankey George as he turned 
 back. "I need a good little girl like you to give me 
 a hand. My plan is already laid out, but we must act 
 quickly. A moment s delay might mean failure," he 
 added, as he took May by the hand and drew her with 
 him. Hurriedly, and on tip toes, they reached the up 
 per hall. 
 
 The door leading to the Flanagans apartment stood 
 ajar. The few sympathizers within were sobbing and 
 crying blasphemy upon the fighting pair who had 
 (caused the destruction of the holy picture, and so no 
 notice was paid to the light steps without. Thus, un 
 observed, George and May managed to enter the 
 O Neils apartment. Fortunately the key was stuck in 
 the door it was unlocked. 
 
 44
 
 Cfje Little 
 
 A glare of light from the street without shone in 
 through the windows and showed the position of the 
 sleeping children, still clinging to each other. Lankey 
 did not have to give instruction as to what part May 
 was to take in the abduction. Gently she folded her 
 arms about the peacefully slumbering trio and tenderly 
 whispered, "Children, dear children." 
 
 The unhappy little ones broke their sound sleep with 
 a suddenness mixed with fright and joy. The two 
 larger ones cried out: "Oh, mamma, mamma, 
 mamma !" while the baby in the darkness fumbled out 
 and reached May s neck, crying piteously as though its 
 little heart would break. 
 
 "Oh, I m so happy, mamma," cried little Louise, 
 casting herself weeping into the lap of May who had 
 bent down into a sitting position. Willie threw his 
 arms around her waist and wept. "Mamma, I ll never 
 smoke cigarettes again, and I ll always do as you tell 
 me, and always be a good boy." 
 
 Lankey stood some little distance away unobserved! 
 by the children. As he saw them so suddenly awaken 
 into happiness from which they were again to be dis 
 turbed upon finding that it was not their mother to 
 whom they so fondly clung, the tears streamed down 
 his cheeks. May Thornton wept bitterly, too, as these 
 little ones happily clung on to her in their security. 
 
 "Children, children, dear children, I am not your 
 mamma; but your mamma sent me to bring you to 
 her," gently whispered May, caressing them all, and 
 kissing the baby who had been the first to realize that 
 they were deceived. The two larger ones in a tremor 
 and much frightened attempted to draw away, but 
 May, with a mother s instinct, gently held them close. 
 She said softly, "Good children, do not fear nor worry, 
 I m going to bring you all to your mamma. Surely I 
 am." 
 
 45
 
 Cbe Little Sufferers 
 
 "We want our mamma," Willie and Louise now be 
 gan to cry, though they made no attempt to draw 
 away from the little foster mother who never for a 
 moment ceased caressing and whispering encourage 
 ment to them. The baby at first reached out to return 
 to Louise, but it was finally won over by strong caress 
 ing from May. 
 
 "Who is that man?" Willie suddenly cried as he saw 
 the dark figure of Lankey George. Louise also noticed 
 it, and with a cry of fear they both buried themselves 
 deeper in the arms of May, whom a moment ago they 
 had shunned. 
 
 "He is with me, children, to help to bring you to 
 mamma," she said hastily in a soothing tone, and with 
 light strokes upon their cheeks. 
 
 As Lankey noticed that he had frightened them, he 
 quickly said : "You are all right, little children ; your 
 mamma wants you. Don t be afraid," he ended in 
 good cheer as he drew a step nearer. 
 
 Willie was the first to overcome his fright, and now 
 lightly inquired, "Where is papa ?" 
 
 George and May strongly suspected that their fa 
 ther was incarcerated with their mother, and both 
 simultaneously answered, "Your papa is with your 
 mamma ; they want us to fetch you to them." 
 
 Their childish surprise and fear quickly vanished. A 
 few more reassuring nods and words made them feel 
 that they were in good hands and soon thereupon they 
 were calm and happy to go to join their parents. 
 
 George struck a match and lit a kerosene lamp which 
 stood upon a centre table, and bade May prepare the 
 children to go out. Meanwhile he made certain that 
 the exit was clear. Hurriedly he went out into the 
 hall, where, in the corner, a stairway led to the roof. 
 This was covered with a scuttle, which he quickly re- 
 
 46
 
 Little Sufferers 
 
 moved and returned ready to smuggle the children out 
 of the house. 
 
 The children were now eager to go, and were all 
 the while talking about their papa and mamma. May 
 Thornton carried the baby and took Louise by the 
 arm, while George led Willie. For fear that some one 
 would go in and despoil the neat and well-furnished 
 apartment, Lankey locked the door and stuck the key 
 into his pocket. 
 
 "Don t make any noise now, youngsters. We want 
 to get away from these bad people to your mamma," 
 whispered May, and they, without a sound, stole up 
 the stairway to the roof. After they crawled through, 
 Lankey placed the scuttle back into its position, and 
 with light steps they hurried over the roofs, reaching 
 |he last of the row of six similar houses. 
 
 "I know a family in this house who will be all right 
 till their mother comes," lightly whispered George to 
 May, as he bent forward to open the scuttle of that 
 house by which to effect an entrance. 
 
 "No, no, we want to go home to our mamma now !" 
 cried Willie, who partly understood it. Louise joined 
 in the demand while the baby hugged its rescuer 
 closer. 
 
 With a look at George May said : "We will take 
 them down to my nice little house, where their mamma 
 told us to bring them." 
 
 Lankey George understood May, and in like tone 
 responded: "Sure we will." They walked down the 
 couple of flights of stairs and out into the street and 
 hurried towards Hoyt Street, where they halted just 
 long enough to enter a confectionery shop to buy some 
 candy. Then they boarded a Hamilton Avenue car, 
 and in less than twenty minutes reached their destina 
 tion. Thus, instead of dropping into the apartment of 
 
 47
 
 Little 
 
 Lankey s acquaintance with the little ones, they went 
 on towards May s home unnoticed by any one. 
 
 Though it was close upon midnight, May Thornton s 
 mother and sisters were happy to be disturbed in so 
 good a cause, and proved as kind and good companions 
 as little May herself. Some food was urged upon the 
 children, as it was understood that they had had noth 
 ing since early noon, just before the arrest of the 
 mother. 
 
 It was decided that Lankey George should go to the 
 Magistrate Court in the morning and give any aid he 
 could to the children s parents, and inform them that 
 the young ones were in good care. Meanwhile May 
 was to remain with the little ones and make them 
 happy until such a time as they could be restored to 
 each other. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 IN THE MAGISTRATE S COURT. 
 
 Lankey George arranged to be in the Court as early 
 as eight o clock the next morning. The regular Court 
 opening at these petty courts is set for 8.30. He took 
 a seat in the front row in the outer circle, which is 
 spaced off for spectators. Lankey was soon followed 
 by scores of others, who filed into the seats as they en 
 tered, and at the time designated for proceedings to be 
 gin, the stuffy little court room of Brooklyn swamps 
 was packed. 
 
 The spectators were an odd variety, but all were 
 from the poorer class. Youths and the aged parents 
 and relatives and friends of those within the pen, were 
 there, as well as some disinterested ones who, in their 
 idle moments, felt a desire to witness the tragedies and 
 comedies so freely offered. 
 
 48
 
 be Little %>ufferers 
 
 The walls about the stuffy court were lined with civ 
 ilian-dressed and uniformed officers, who were detailed 
 for certain purposes. Within the railing were a few 
 regular court lawyers, mostly ravening wolves, who 
 could be had for hire. Agents of the Juvenile System 
 were also on hand, for these are as busy and important 
 in all of our poor man s courts as the judges them 
 selves. A few "Slum Ladies" were also on hand. 
 These social workers aim to aid human progress, 
 though they mistakenly work hand in hand with the 
 Juvenile System. 
 
 Mondays are usually heavy calendar days in these 
 lower courts. The offenders brought there have but 
 one day in a week in which to indulge their appetites, 
 and this fast swells the list upon this particular day. 
 
 As the dial of the clock showed nine-forty-five the 
 Magistrate appeared, and with dignity seated himself. 
 His honor, the Judge, was a personage of medium 
 height, slimly built and of declining age. He wore a 
 heavy, dark, drooping mustache, and did not look over 
 intelligent, nor well read, one would judge him to be 
 sitting there more for show than for justice. 
 
 Several cases were handled in fast routine; the 
 charges were mostly drunkenness and disorderly con 
 duct. Other social offenders of higher crimes were 
 also brought there, but none were held for punishment 
 who were lucky enough to have some influential friend 
 to arrange matters. Where the complaint was not di 
 rectly backed with power, it was apt to be disregarded. 
 
 The O Neils case had not yet reached his honor, as 
 these friendless people had no one to hurry it. The in 
 fluential ones, of whom the Magistrate had previously 
 been informed, were disposed of with merely a cus 
 tomary rebuke. 
 
 The first case in which punishment was dealt out was 
 the one preceding that of Mrs. Q Neil. This offender 
 
 49
 
 Little 
 
 received a sentence of thirty days on "the Island" for 
 failing to pay a board bill to the Juvenile System for 
 his children. The indicted man claimed that this was 
 not due the System, as it had taken and withheld his 
 children without particular cause, and he proclaimed 
 his own ability to board and maintain them at his own 
 home. But justice must yield to superior rule, and 
 ithe protesting delinquent was detained for punishment. 
 
 When Mrs. O Neil s case appeared she was desig 
 nated as having been entered as an unknown intoxi 
 cated woman. The ordinary habitual "Pen" fre 
 quenter hastily responds to the penkeeper s call, but to 
 Mrs. O Neil the ordeal was new. Besides, she was 
 weak, humiliated and nervous. Her face showed deep 
 worry and anguish. "Here, here, here ! ole gal, git a 
 mov on yo ; the jedge kin t sit her all day waitin for 
 ye," roughly declared the doorkeeper as he stepped 
 within the pen, reaching to drag her out. 
 
 "O h," she drew with a piteous cry and staggered. 
 "Why am I so punished ? Where is my husband ? And 
 give me my little ones," she sobbed. 
 
 Another officer rushed to the assistance of the door 
 man and aided in holding the fainting woman upon 
 her feet. These officers of less intellect and of rough 
 manner are not quick to feel nor to perceive real suf 
 fering; their daily contact with brutality, sins and de 
 ceit does not refine nor soften their hearts. 
 
 "None ov that shoin ov and kids playin , me gal, 
 we v used ter that. The jedge will lave ye go iv he 
 sees fit," remarked the penkeeper in light sympathy as 
 with his brother officer he dragged her limp form 
 through the door. 
 
 That Mrs. O Neil was not shamming soon dawned 
 upon the officers in whose hands she was. "Sure this 
 is the real thing," whispered the one to the other, as 
 they heavily brought her before the bar and were 
 
 50
 
 Cfte Little 
 
 compelled to clasp their arms around her waist to 
 maintain her in an upright position. 
 
 His honor measured her and looked up kindly, real 
 izing that the person before him suffered greatly. He 
 remained silent and mildly gazed at her, permitting her 
 to be relieved by her free flood of tears. 
 
 Police officers, clerks and attendants whispered to 
 each other and stepped closer. The spectators in the 
 outer circle arose and craned their necks. All felt that 
 this woman was no habitual social offender, nor was 
 she acquainted with prison and court ordeals. There 
 was a momentary stillness as of the grave, which was 
 only interrupted by the faint spasmodic sounds of her 
 violent emotion. 
 
 Lankey George, who knew the O Neils only from 
 casual description given by the Flanagans, suspected 
 this unhappy woman to be Mrs. O Neil. Lightly he 
 left his seat and entered within the enclosure where 
 she stood. He was promptly met by a court lawyer, 
 who, in confidence, offered for a five dollar bill to 
 have her acquitted. Disregarding the lawyer s propo 
 sition with a glance of scorn, he walked close to one of 
 the officers whose embrace held the tottering woman. 
 
 The Magistrate had noticed Lankey, and seemed 
 glad that some one should appear for the woman s re 
 lief. Officer O Sullivan and Jack Stevenson were the 
 complainants. The latter looked at her piteously, but 
 both of them moved nervously. The sergeant, who 
 had feared Stevenson s attitude to the force, had also 
 come to court, and stood a little distance off, con 
 stantly sending strong glances to Jack. 
 
 The complaint had been drawn up in customary 
 form at the precinct house. It charged an unknown 
 woman with being intoxicated and disorderly. The 
 Magistrate re-read the complaint. Looking first at the 
 officers, he then mildly addressed Mrs. O Neil without 
 
 51
 
 demanding her name : "This complaint charges you 
 with " 
 
 Here he halted, leaned back and combed his hair 
 with his fingers. Sending a reproachful look at the of 
 ficers, without finishing reading aloud the charges 
 which appeared against her, he said : "You may go 
 home, where you belong, my good woman." 
 
 "T-h-a-n-k you," with an audible sob, answered Mrs. 
 O Neil, who had been somewhat relieved by her tears. 
 Raising herself from the officer s support, she steadied 
 herself against the bar and in faint collected voice de 
 manded : "Where is my husband ?" Turning her head 
 she looked around disappointedly as she cried out: 
 "Oh, they have killed him ! My husband is murdered ! 
 I saw them killing him," she ended hysterically, and 
 fell, grief-stricken, into a sobbing. Lankey George 
 managed to calm her by strongly pleading for the sake 
 of her little children, who were longing and crying for 
 her, she must bear up. 
 
 At once there arose a strong commotion within the 
 court-room because of this strong accusation of the ar 
 raigned woman, which all knew to be directed against 
 the police officers. The Magistrate looked surprised. 
 Quickly scanning the list of police complaints and 
 finding no one to correspond with her case, he de 
 manded of the officers: "Where is this woman s hus 
 band ? Why don t you bring him ?" 
 
 "He s takin ter the hospital a little while ago, 
 jedge," answered Officer O Sullivan, before the judge 
 had finished his query. "But sure he ll be all right in 
 a day or two, yer honor." 
 
 The Magistrate had not been acquainted with the 
 details of the preceding night at the precinct, nor was 
 it within his jurisdiction to go beyond matters com 
 ing before him. There had been no influence here, 
 either way, to bear upon him. He was free to coincide 
 
 52
 
 C6e JLfttle 
 
 with his own conscience, and naturally he sympathized 
 with the injured woman, and with much kindness said : 
 "I cannot help you now, my good woman ; but after he 
 leaves the hospital, which the officers expect he will in 
 a day or so, he will be brought before me, and you may 
 trust to me that I will send him home to you as quick 
 as I can express the words of release. Now, my good 
 woman," he advised, "go home to your children and 
 don t weep any longer; it will not add to your 
 strength." 
 
 The Juvenile System s Agent listened to this case. 
 Upon hearing of children at home and the husband in 
 the hospital, he measured up the fairly well-dressed 
 Mrs. O Neil, and began to take business-like notes. 
 This Humanitarian System cannot afford to step in 
 and care for children where the conditions of home and 
 parents are shown to be too poverty-stricken. The 
 Agent s conclusions regarding the O Neils were that 
 their system could safely assure guardianship and 
 maintain these children, and that the cost of their sup 
 port would be easy collectible. Mrs. O Neil s dejected 
 spirit therefore caused the Juvenile System s agent to 
 be correspondingly joyful. 
 
 Tom Ryan, a fellow worker, who had called at the 
 precinct in behalf of O Neil, with the superintendent 
 of the Planet Mill, had been called to testify to O Neil s 
 good character and give all the aid they could. Of 
 course, their mission was at an end. They did not 
 know Mrs. O Neil, though both of them knew Lankey 
 George. They knew George to be a decent fellow, but 
 also knew that he never carried large means about 
 him. As they were about to depart, good-hearted Tom 
 Ryan said, "I think we ought to provide a carriage to 
 take the poor woman home, she looks worn out." Here 
 he fumbled in his pocket and remarked: "I think I 
 have enough " 
 
 53
 
 C6e Little Sufferers? 
 
 "You keep your change," broke in the superintend 
 ent. "You work too hard for your couple of dollars. 
 I ll pay and don t say a word." In a second breath he 
 added: "That O Neil has been with us a short time, 
 but he s one of the best fellows we ever had, and I ll 
 see to it that the firm pays him his wages while he s 
 in the hospital." 
 
 The little O Neil children had awakened as early as 
 seven o clock on the morning after their arrival at 
 May Thornton s. Mother Thornton had prepared 
 some cocoa and dainty home-made cake which had 
 been liberally streaked with jam. One of the elder 
 Thornton boys, before going to his work, had bought 
 from a toy store around the corner a small set of car 
 penter s tools for Willie to play with, and May s older 
 sister Katie had provided Louise with a set of kitchen 
 utensils including a set of dishes and a little stove. 
 A large doll which would emit sounds upon touching 
 it brought solace to the baby. 
 
 The good food and the toys caught the little ones 
 interest as soon as they were awake. Though at their 
 first break of sleep they had asked for their parents, 
 the inquiry had died away with confusion of joy. 
 
 Before May would be permitted to dress the baby 
 she had to consent to allow it to play a while with the 
 doll. In an amateur, motherly way it fondly put the 
 doll asleep and was loudly delighted where upon 
 squeezing it, it squeaked like a real little baby. 
 
 The process of getting into their clothes for the two 
 older ones, too, was slow; though they could dress 
 themselves, they had no time to do so. Willie had to 
 try his saw and hammer and examine his tool chest, 
 while little Louise wanted to set her miniature table 
 and pretend to light the fire in her stove. It was 
 only after much persuasion that they found time to eat 
 their cake and drink their cocoa. 
 
 54
 
 Cfte JLittle Sufferers? 
 
 Mother Thornton was greatly affected so suddenly 
 to see these little ones wafted from grief to happiness ; 
 she would intermingle tears with laughter as she stud 
 ied their light spirits. She was a good mother herself, 
 and knew the nature of children, but never before 
 had she had such a chance to study it. 
 
 May s older sister was a forelady in the American 
 Manufacturing Company of Brooklyn, and of course 
 had to be at her work, but May stayed at home. She 
 was the real foster mother, and could not remember 
 ever having felt so happy. The temporary care had been 
 shared with May s mother ; both would join in amusing 
 the little ones, and now and then take a hand in 
 straightening up the house and preparing the noon-day 
 meal. 
 
 As the parlor clock struck ten a messenger knocked 
 upon the kitchen door. It was a message for May 
 from Red Hook Dan, in which he begged her forgive 
 ness and asked her to call and see him at the hospital. 
 He ended his note with the assertion that he begun 
 to realize that May was made of the right "stuff." 
 
 Of course, May had no time to play being sentimen 
 tal with big folks. She always had loved Dan and 
 felt that he loved her, too, but her mind and heart 
 now told her that she could no longer love him, even 
 in his uniform. Upon any other occasion she would 
 have hidden the note from her mother and buried it 
 close to her heart, but without a touch of feeling she 
 now threw it upon the table in front of her mother 
 and, with a faint sigh, remarked : "I m sorry for poor 
 Dan, but I don t love him any more. I shudder when 
 I think of the cruel look in his eyes as I pleaded for 
 these children, and I fear that he ll never make a 
 good " 
 
 Here she halted. Mother Thornton read her 
 thoughts and was much pleased that she had broken 
 
 55
 
 C&e little Sufferer* 
 
 away from Dan, whom she as a mother was better 
 able to judge. She said : "It is no use trying to re 
 form a man if he has not the qualities in him to make 
 a man. No ordinary woman can make him so with a 
 lasting effect. A good woman may improve upon a 
 man who has within him a good conscience and an 
 appreciation of right, but we can never inlay char 
 acter in man where there is nothing to build upon. 
 Dan used to beat his mother and kick his father; and 
 a man who will beat his mother will beat his wife. 
 Be sure of that, May." 
 
 "Don t fear, mother, I ll never marry Dan, even 
 though he should rise to police commissioner," added 
 on May, as she picked up one of the baby s shoes 
 which it had kicked off. 
 
 It was nearly eleven o clock, and, without a mo 
 ment s intermission, the children had played with 
 their toys from the time they arose. The baby had 
 torn off an arm of her doll and had shredded its little 
 dress; Louise had broken three of her plates, and 
 Willie had broken his saw on Mrs. Thornton s kind 
 ling wood. Though they had been awarded much 
 pleasure the first overwhelming joy had now become 
 thinned. Baby began to cling less to her doll and hang 
 more upon May, and the two older ones also showed 
 less interest in their toys. 
 
 Though their grief did not bear heavily upon them 
 as they had a parental care which, while not real, 
 naturally could not fail to convey the feeling of trust 
 from a child. A kind word from May or Mrs. Thorn 
 ton would soon set them at ease again. 
 
 "Oh, Mamma ! Mamma ! Mamma !" suddenly cried 
 Willie, with a loud start, reaching both his arms out. 
 From the window he had perceived a carriage halting 
 in front of the entrance and had recognized the mother 
 who alighted with the help of Lankey. 
 
 56
 
 Little ^>uffeter0 
 
 The joyful words started little Louise from the 
 floor, overturning dishes, which flew scattering about 
 the floor. The baby uttered a few light cries in sym 
 pathy and hugged her foster mother still closer. 
 
 The scene in this lower hall was deeply pathetic, 
 though blended with joy. Their mother, sad and 
 weak, was touched with joy, and could not stand upon 
 her feet. She rested herself upon the steps. She 
 sadly reflected upon what had befallen her husband 
 as she hugged and in turn was embraced and kissed by 
 the little ones who clung madly to her. 
 
 Tears rolled down the cheeks of the trio ; from hap 
 piness, disappointment, and sorrow poor Mrs. 
 O Neil s frame shook with emotion; she could not 
 utter a word. Lankey George was overcome, also, 
 and tears trickled down his cheeks. To overcome the 
 effect, he turned and walked down the lower hall 
 and stood a moment at the door leading to the court 
 yard. 
 
 May had brought the baby down to receive its mam 
 ma. The sight so affected her that she could not con 
 trol herself. The young one stretched out its tiny 
 arms, and gave loud cries of joy. Mrs. O Neil, much 
 overcome and faint, buried her head in the little cluster 
 of lovers and sobbingly caressed them. 
 
 "Oh, mamma, come up and see the nice things the 
 lady bought for me," broke out Louise as the first 
 tension of meeting had worn off. "Oh, yes, mamma, 
 and all the things I ve got," joined Willie, beginning 
 to explain in detail the various little tools and their 
 uses. 
 
 The baby gladly hopped back to her foster mother, 
 and Lankey returned to the group and gently helped 
 Mrs. O Neil upstairs. 
 
 Naturally the poor woman was exhausted ; she had 
 not taken a morsel of food for twenty-four hours. 
 
 57
 
 C&e JLfttle Sufferers; 
 
 The hard prison floor with the other cruel ordeals, 
 fears, and worries was sufficient to have incapacitated 
 even a stronger woman; but she was brave and made 
 strong effort to control herself. Once within the 
 room, she was placed in a rocking-chair, and was soon 
 cheered by her happy little ones and her kind new 
 friends. But now and again, upon thinking of her 
 husband s plight, she would sink into sad spells which, 
 however, would soon be dispelled by the tumult 
 and light hearts of her little ones. Though, of course, 
 they longed for their papa, they remained measurably 
 contented with their mamma and the good people in 
 whose hands they were. 
 
 Mrs. Thornton quickly prepared a cup of tea and 
 toast for Mrs. O Neil. She feared to offer her any 
 thing heavier after so long a fast, but soon after gave 
 her some mutton broth which aided much to strengthen 
 the weak woman. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE CRITICAL DILEMMA OF LANKEY GEORGE. 
 
 Upon his early rounds the turnkey at the precinct 
 house had been attracted by loud groanings emanat 
 ing from the direction of O Neil s cell. It was discov 
 ered that the unfortunate man was suffering from a 
 hemorrhage and lay in great agony upon the floor of 
 the cell. 
 
 The large measure of whiskey which on the early 
 evening had been poured into him, had temporarily 
 revived and eased him, but the effect of the beating 
 had told upon him after the stimulant had ceased to 
 act. The concrete flooring upon which he rested 
 chilled him and stiffened his limbs, so, at an early 
 
 58
 
 Little Sufferers 
 
 hour, in a precarious state, he had been removed to 
 the hospital. 
 
 It was quite natural that the acting captain should 
 feel uneasy, particularly so, as upon his return to the 
 station house from court, he was confronted with a 
 special message from headquarters ordering him to 
 bring over a full statement of the facts which bore 
 upon the case of the man now lying critically ill at the 
 hospital. 
 
 What the sergeant feared most of all was that it 
 would lead to a general investigation, thus depriving 
 him of his captaincy for the present. He also knew 
 that the general public had long felt disposed to re 
 move the head of this department, and was looking 
 for grounds to work upon. Not only the mayor and 
 the governor were taking a hand in it, but the Peo 
 ple s party, a new political organization, was using the 
 inefficiency and brutality of the police department as 
 campaign material for coming election. 
 
 Thus, after a brief cogitation while walking up and 
 down, he called his doorman and Officer O Sullivan 
 into his private room, where he began: "I fear we 
 have to do something to save ourselves. You two 
 officers have always stuck to the department and are 
 good, useful men. This Jack Stevenson I never had 
 much use for; he s one of them proud Yankees better 
 fitted for a Bible class than fer the force ; therefore, I ve 
 made up my mind to shift the entire blame over upon 
 him, and I ve made some erasures upon the blotter and 
 added on a charge against him. Besides," continued he, 
 "I just learned that there has this mornin been lodged 
 a complaint with the commissioner against Jack Stev 
 enson by the Juvenile System. He s charged with 
 interferin with the System s agent in performin his 
 duty, and he not only threw impudence and slurs 
 against the System, but threatened to arrest its agent. 
 
 59
 
 Little 
 
 Of course," continued he, "any sane officer should 
 know that this would never do. This System has a 
 chartered and granted right to act as it sees fit, and 
 naturally a patrolman and officer of the law should 
 have known his place and aided the System instead 
 of hinderin it. This charge alone against Jack would 
 get him off the force, and it s our good luck that it 
 should happen at this time, as he now will be afforded 
 no chance at all at his trial before the commissioner." 
 
 Thus, while the sergeant and his officers busied 
 themselves plotting against unfortunate Officer Steven 
 son, Lankey George and the Thorntons were as busy 
 easing the sufferings of poor Mrs. O Neil. May 
 Thornton had asked permission from her employers 
 to stay away from work for a few days, so she could 
 care for and cheer the stricken woman. Like her 
 husband, Mrs. O Neil contracted a cold upon the bare 
 cemented flooring of her cell, and a terrible cough had 
 set in which, however, the good care of her bene 
 factors soon broke up. 
 
 The first couple of days Lankey took a ride to the 
 park with Willie and Louise, and, upon his return, in 
 company with May Thornton, went in search for dif 
 ferent apartments for Mrs. O Neil, who dreaded to 
 return to her former abode. 
 
 In the next block to the Thorntons was found a 
 vacant apartment, and Mrs. O Neil did not need any 
 urging to take it. Though the neighborhood in which 
 the Thorntons lived was populated with a poor class, 
 comprising many nationalities, there did not exist any 
 clannishness, and a newcomer was permitted to live as 
 he chose. Mrs. O Neil, moreover, now found a strong 
 friend in the Thorntons, who were among the oldest 
 of settlers and respected by all. 
 
 Mrs. O Neil was naturally too weak to aid in mov- 
 60
 
 Cfje little 
 
 ing her furniture to their new home, but she had a 
 good helper in Lankey, who, upon cleaning out and 
 making ready her new quarters, assisted in making the 
 transfer. 
 
 Early the third morning, as Lankey started for the 
 O Neils Bond Street apartment, to take up carpets 
 and pack the goods ready for a moving van, upon leav 
 ing, he called May Thornton to his side, and whispered 
 that she must keep a good look out for the Juvenile 
 System s agent. "They are on these children s track 
 now. I know their methods. Like a shark follows 
 a ship into mid-ocean, they ll keep up a search for 
 prey." 
 
 Lankey George felt himself a very happy man that 
 he could be of assistance to this unfortunate couple. 
 That he had been the means of saving the children 
 from the hands of the System sang like a triumph 
 within his heart. This thought added to his height 
 and spirit. In his late years he had stalked about with 
 downcast face and stooped shoulders, but in this morn 
 ing s walk he stood erect, throwing his head upward. 
 Now and then he would lightly whistle a tune which 
 he would relieve with a murmur of gratitude that it 
 had been his luck to be present that eventful evening. 
 
 Though well known, he had never been popular, but 
 now, since his triumph over the bully, strong Red 
 Hook Dan, the probation officer, he found himself 
 thrust into great popularity. As he walked along the 
 street urchins would cry: "Hallo, Lankey." Corner 
 loafers and gang members would sing out : "Bully for 
 you, George," and factory girls nodded approvingly 
 to him and smiled as they passed. 
 
 Lankey George would return the compliments with 
 out apparent emotion. He knew they were all tendered 
 to him because of his beating Dan Connors, whom all 
 
 61
 
 C6e Little Sufferer* 
 
 feared and considered a fighter. George did not re 
 joice in his victory, but it was the blocking of the 
 Juvenile System which made him happy. 
 
 Upon reaching the house in which the O Neils lived 
 and turning toward the entrance, he was accosted by 
 a guard employed in the Kings Park Hospital, who 
 delivered a message signed by the hospital authori 
 ties which stated that his wife had at two o clock that 
 morning passed away. It bade him call immediately 
 to provide for the body s removal, or she would be in 
 terred in Potter s Field. 
 
 This sudden blow momentarily staggered Lankey, 
 though he knew of his wife s hopeless condition and 
 felt that death would be a relief to her. In an effort 
 to regain his possession, he supported himself against 
 the guard-rail leading toward the entrance. 
 
 Upon delivering his message, the guard departed. 
 Lankey remained distracted, standing as in a trance. 
 This announcement awakened in him his whole life 
 from childhood. He reflected back to the day when 
 he left his home to go out into the world. The first 
 day he met her as a pretty, blooming girl came vividly 
 to his mind. He remembered the first bliss of his 
 married life where his healthy, hopeful, happy wife 
 stood beside him. This brought him remembrance of 
 the one child and then the other and the last that had 
 come into the world to add cheerfulness and hap 
 piness. Suddenly he saw, as a phantom, the black 
 hand of the Juvenile System one day carrying away 
 his little ones. The ghastly thought of breaking up 
 his home and having his wife removed to an insane 
 ward came over him. He trembled as he recalled the 
 hardship and longing which he had endured in past 
 years. His mind whirled as he thought of his little 
 children who had been robbed of him and persuaded 
 by the Juvenile System to go to western farms where 
 
 62
 
 C&e Little >ufferer0 
 
 the last inkling and trace of them disappeared. To 
 Lankey it was all a cruel fate. He now stood alone, 
 bereft of all ; helpless and hopeless, he was left to en 
 dure till the end should come. 
 
 Among his sad reflections, as he there stood, would 
 gleam thoughts of the past few days, where he had 
 aided and relieved the unfortunate O Neils. He pic 
 tured the conditions from which he had saved them. 
 So great was the stress of feeling that to remain upon 
 his feet he had to support himself against the railing. 
 
 Thus in hurricanes of thought stood Lankey George, 
 paying no attention to remarks or compliments paid 
 him by neighbors, in whose esteem he so suddenly 
 had arisen. Presently he was disturbed by a hand 
 laid upon his shoulder, and with a light jerk. 
 
 "You are Lankey George, are you not?" was de 
 manded. The interrupter was a police officer in civil 
 ian attire. 
 
 Lankey drew himself quickly together, a second or 
 two stared at the officer as if in doubt of his query. 
 "What, what did you ask me?" he stuttered. 
 
 The officer momentarily released his hold and re 
 peated his question. Upon which Lankey, now fully 
 aroused, coolly replied : "Yes, sir, that is what they 
 call me." 
 
 "You are under arrest," promptly imposed the offi 
 cer. "At what I have heard of you, you are rather 
 a dangerous person. I think I better put the clippers 
 on you," he said, as he slipped the handcuffs over 
 George s wrist and bade him walk along. 
 
 This arrest, so sudden and unexpected, dealt Lankey 
 George a further stroke. Scarcely able to maintain 
 himself upright, he was dragged to the precinct house, 
 and hauled before the sergeant, who eyed him with 
 his usual accusing glance, void of sympathy. 
 
 George had then no thoughts upon anything. To in- 
 
 63
 
 quire the crime for which he was brought there did 
 not enter his mind. Blank in main, without a murmur, 
 stared at the sergeant, who now said : "You are under 
 arrest for assaulting Probation Officer Dan Connors, 
 who now lies critically ill at the City Hospital." 
 
 Lankey was still too overcome to give reply which, 
 however, would have been of no avail. After under 
 going the preliminaries of taking down his pedigree, 
 he underwent the ordeal of being searched. The note 
 in his pocket from the hospital authorities refreshed 
 his mind, he began to explain, reaching the sergeant 
 the letter. That judicial person returned it, saying: 
 "I ain t reading nobody s papers," but recommended: 
 "Keep it, and show it to the judge if you like. I can t 
 upon so serious a charge even release you on bail 
 bond. You ll have to stay in jail till your case comes 
 up. I never seen the time yet but that you fellows 
 did not have one excuse nor another." He then mo 
 tioned an officer to take the prisoner off to a cell, 
 where he was to await arraignment before a magis 
 trate. 
 
 It was, however, still early, being only ten minutes 
 past eleven o clock, but the court of the swamps had 
 closed a few minutes previously, and his honor had 
 left for private haunts. This caused unfortunate 
 George to remain in the precinct cell over night. 
 
 It was naturally a long and dreadful day and night. 
 There were no accommodations to encourage either 
 sitting or lying down. He had but the bare cemented 
 flooring of this damp basement cell upon which to 
 rest his body. Through ordeal and strain, tortured in 
 mind and body, he slid to the floor. Soon numb and 
 stiff, he was no longer conscious of aches, but his 
 dulled mind could not keep from pounding, and he 
 longed for death. As he thought of his wife s demise 
 
 64
 
 Cbe Little Sufferer? 
 
 he yearned to lie in peace beside her, but this release 
 was not to be ; he had to live and suffer. 
 
 Almost in a state of utter collapse, long before court 
 opening, he was brought to the temporary detention 
 room behind the court to await the arrival of the mag 
 istrate. It was, however, some little relief to the body, 
 for the room had wooden flooring and a few benches. 
 Among many miserable creatures arraigned for guilt 
 or innocence, his uncomfortable mind strove to con 
 sider his situation. He would spasmodically awaken 
 to wonder if he fared worse than half of the world. 
 "As the withering plant dies from lack of sunshine, 
 and the desert suffers from drought, such are man s 
 fortuitous courses in life," mused he. "Yet within it 
 all there is a power of will and strength to endure. 
 What I have suffered will aid another, and my purpose 
 in life shall be to strengthen that of others," thought 
 he. "Every punishment has its rewards. That I saved 
 the O Neils from perhaps a cruel fate atones to me 
 for more than my sufferings." 
 
 Lankey s reflections were interrupted by the "pen- 
 keeper," who opened the door and began to empty the 
 locker. A couple of unfortunate women who appeared 
 dead to the world of shame were the first to be taken 
 before the magistrate. They had, like Lankey, lain 
 in a cement padded cell all night, but liquor for which 
 cause they had been brought there, made endurance 
 possible. Sobered up they now apparently were, but 
 they showed neither sign of repentance nor humiliation. 
 That they were old offenders of the law was evident, 
 but whatever caused their downfall was not consid 
 ered. Society s duties had ended; the stigma was 
 upon them. 
 
 A few more prisoners were brought out before 
 Lankey s turn came. Some were returned to the pen 
 
 65
 
 C6e Little %iifferer0 
 
 for a further hearing, while others received their dis 
 charge. Finally it fell upon Lankey George to appear, 
 and the "penkeeper" grabbed him by the arm. This 
 procedure, a classified dignity of magistrate courts to 
 lead prisoners with a secured hold to the bar, could 
 perhaps here have been spared, as the court swarms 
 with civilian and uniformed officers. Any attempt at 
 escape would seem futile. Though George longed for 
 his freedom, he was far too weak to make any effort to 
 secure it. 
 
 The magistrate looked over the charge, and ex 
 plained the seriousness of the case. Lankey, who had 
 neither enjoyed sleep nor rest and looked decidedly 
 unkempt, made no good impression upon the judge, 
 who answered: "I shall remand you to the county jail 
 to await the outcome of Dan Connors injuries." 
 
 The penkeeper prepared to drag Lankey back into 
 the cell. 
 
 "Your Honor," pleaded Lankey, collecting himself, 
 "my wife just died, and " 
 
 "Oh, I can t help that," broke off the judge. "You 
 had no business to get into trouble. But I ll fix the 
 bail at fifteen hundred dollars, if that ll do you any 
 good," he ended sarcastically, and motioned the pen- 
 keeper to bring out another prisoner. 
 
 Of course, Lankey George, a poor man with no real 
 estate, or rich friends, or political backing, could never 
 hope to reach that amount of bail bond. It appeared 
 to him as though society singled out crime according 
 to material, wealth, and position. The poverty branded 
 are cast upon the reef, while the ones affording a bail 
 bond are picked up from the waves and enjoy the 
 freedom of the social craft. Guilty or not, the poverty- 
 ridden must linger in the pit of crime until the day 
 that justice shall proceed and conclude. "The justice 
 within it all is an iniquity measured by the wrongs of 
 
 66
 
 C6e Little %ufferet$ 
 
 society," thought Lankey, as he was led back into the 
 pen to await "Black Maria," the only public trans 
 portation utility open in common to the poor. 
 
 After Lankey had been assigned to his new prison 
 quarters, realizing the inevitableness of his situation, he 
 begged a guard to attend to the sending off of a mes 
 sage to some up-State relative whom he wished to 
 look after the remains of his wife. 
 
 The guard consented to attend it upon a retaining 
 fee of a one-dollar bill, excluding the cost of the mes 
 sage. But what was Lankey s surprise upon searching 
 his pocket and rinding but a five-cent piece which 
 was hidden in a corner of his trousers pocket. Upon 
 leaving the O Neils, he had two one-dollar bills. Had 
 he been picked by the police? Or was it in the cell, 
 or had he fumbled and lost it during his bewildered 
 spell ? He did not know. But all trace of it was gone, 
 and with it his hope. 
 
 Lankey George now carried the yoke ; he had failed 
 to get his liberty. He was hindered in tendering a 
 last look at his unfortunate wife s remains. He had 
 no way or means to appeal to relatives and the Potter s 
 Field, with no holier ceremonies than such as attend 
 the burying of a dog, was to be the lot of his wife. 
 A hopeless despair engulfed him. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 JACK STEVENSON REDUCED FROM RANKS. 
 
 Several days passed. Lankey had no real estate 
 friends to go upon his bail, nor had he politicians or 
 friends to speak for him. His pleadings gained no 
 concessions. The jail-keepers bestowec 1 no other con 
 solation than a shrug of their shoulders. And thus 
 while Lankey George languished in a cell, his unfor- 
 
 67
 
 Cbe Little %utfztct$ 
 
 tunate wife was without ceremony and without fol 
 lowers or mourners, laid away in the city s free burial 
 place. 
 
 In the meantime Mrs. O Neil stayed at the Thorn 
 tons. May Thornton felt very uneasy as the second 
 and third day passed and Lankey had not reported. To 
 all their understanding he had intended to prepare for 
 the removal of O Neil s household goods. Owing to 
 their short acquaintance with him, they naturally in 
 dulged in many surmises. 
 
 Mrs. O Neil dreaded much to return to Bond Street, 
 so May Thornton, much disappointed in Lankey, now 
 personally took charge of removing the belongings to 
 their new home. 
 
 The third day following Lankey s arrest, as she 
 prepared to go to the O Neils Bond Street home, the 
 postman handed her a letter. It was from her old 
 lover, Dan Connors. She was about to throw it into 
 the fire without reading it, but her eyes happened to 
 fall upon a certain line which bore the name of Lankey 
 George. She withdrew the letter and read therein 
 that Lankey was in jail awaiting the outcome of Con 
 nors injuries. The letter also mentioned that the 
 O Neil children were concealed in her home, but it 
 ended with a plea that if she would forgive him he 
 would not press the charge of assault against Lankey 
 George, nor would he mention the part Lankey had 
 taken in effecting the children s escape from the Juve 
 nile System. 
 
 Thus quickly dawned upon May Thornton what had 
 happened to Lankey. The disappointment she had 
 felt toward him promptly flamed to a desire to go to 
 his assistance. She further despised Dan Connors for 
 his arbitrary attempts to regain her affection. This 
 letter, which so clearly unfolded a distinction between 
 
 68
 
 C6e Little Cofferer* 
 
 law and justice, she secreted, and before proceeding to 
 Bond Street she sought her landlord, who consented 
 to go upon Lankey s bail bond, whereupon he could 
 receive his release until a future trial day. 
 
 Overjoyed at his release, that evening and the fol 
 lowing day Lankey spent assisting Mrs. O Neil to ad 
 just her new home. Though he was happy to be help 
 ful, he was sorrowful that he had not been permitted 
 to attend the last offices to his beloved wife. Both 
 Mrs. O Neil and the Thorntons sympathized strongly 
 with him. Though he did not admit it, they agreed 
 that the cause of present difficulty lay in the fact that 
 he had fought for justice and aided in protecting the 
 helpless O Neil children from the tentacles of the 
 Juvenile System. 
 
 Lankey s trial day had at last been reached; Dan 
 Connors had received his discharge from the hospital 
 and could personally appear against him. The charge 
 preferred against Lankey was assault and interfering 
 against an officer while attending his duty. The Sys 
 tem s agent as a witness in his behalf verified that he 
 was called upon by a probation officer to remove chil 
 dren who were abandoned by a pair of drunken par 
 ents, and that the prisoner had interfered with the 
 officer. 
 
 Lankey had no witnesses to testify in his behalf as 
 to his assertion that the fight had occurred at a pri 
 vate function and was entered in self-defence. The 
 Flanagans and their guests of that night were too 
 friendly toward Dan to go forward and testify to the 
 real facts. 
 
 The judge showed some inclination toward taking 
 side with Red Hook Dan, and began his decision: 
 "While this probation officer was on his post and at 
 tending his duties, as any regular appointed officer, 
 
 69
 
 C&e JLfttle Sufferer? 
 
 you were guilty by your act of interfering 1 , and you 
 committed an assault which might have ended with a 
 loss to life, and I will " 
 
 "Your Honor," here broke in Officer Jack Steven 
 son, stepping forward to the bar, and voluntarily com 
 ing to Lankey s aid, "if you will permit me to state a 
 fact, this probation officer had no business in the house 
 where the fight occurred. If you will kindly refer to 
 the precinct station you will find that he was assigned 
 to duties at some other post than that vicinity." 
 
 As Officer Jack finished, May Thornton stepped 
 forward nervously, and, without a word, reached the 
 judge the compromising letter which she had received 
 from Dan Connors. 
 
 His Honor read the letter, weighed the matter over 
 a moment, and in a changed tone directed to Dan 
 Connors said : "I begin to think you got what you de 
 serve, and you can feel yourself lucky if your police 
 job does not end where it began." Turning to Lankey, 
 he nodded : "You are discharged." 
 
 The System s agent, who had appeared in behalf of 
 Dan Connors, had recognized in Jack Stevenson the 
 officer who had interrupted him in his act of carrying 
 away the children, and could barely hold himself from 
 upbraiding him before the judge. 
 
 Officer Jack did not know at this time that the Sys 
 tem s agent had preferred charges against him, but he 
 did not have to wait long to become so acquainted, 
 for upon his return to the precinct at noon roll call, 
 he was served with a command from the police com 
 missioner to call on a subsequent date to answer to 
 various complaints filed against him. 
 
 While Dan Connors felt greatly disappointed with 
 the outcome of his trial, May Thornton was highly 
 pleased, and innocently pressed Lankey s hand which 
 
 70
 
 Little ^>ufferer0 
 
 he returned with a thankful look, as both departed for 
 her home in Van Brunt Street. 
 
 The trial day of Officer Jack Stevenson was eventu 
 ally reached, but he was not to enjoy a fate similar to 
 that of Lankey George. The charges preferred against 
 him were serious. While they were garbled and false, 
 they were backed by authority, and the poor officer 
 saw before him the worst experience of his life. 
 
 Harry O Neil, it had been reported, was still in a 
 dangerous state, his sickness had developed into pneu 
 monia, and the entire blame had, by threads of false 
 hood, been strongly turned against Jack Stevenson. 
 The acting captain and Officer O Sullivan and the 
 doorman all testified falsely that the injuries were re 
 ceived with kicks and blows from Jack, and that it was 
 only their timely intervention which saved the sick 
 man s life. 
 
 Poor Jack Stevenson could offer no defence; his 
 words were strongly overweighed by those of his su 
 periors and his fellow officers, who thus planned to 
 conceal their own outrage. O Neil, of course, was not 
 present to testify in his behalf. 
 
 The next complaint against Officer Jack was assault 
 and interfering with the duties of a Juvenile System s 
 agent. This charge proved as serious and strong as 
 the preceding one. High officials of the System were 
 permitted to be present and forced the complaint. His 
 fellow brother, Officer O Sullivan, here also testified. 
 He stated that the System only demanded its right, 
 while the agent complained that Officer Jack Steven 
 son, besides refusing to assist him, actually hindered 
 him in performing his duty, and cuffed and kicked him 
 and used abusive language. 
 
 Officer Jack again saw himself in a sad dilemma. 
 He was not, however, permitted to admit that he had
 
 Little 
 
 interfered in the agent s attempt to force the door, and 
 to explain his conduct. He had simply violated a 
 right of an institution which ruled with a hand of 
 iron. 
 
 That poor Jack Stevenson was doomed to fare worse 
 is obvious. The commissioner, much inflamed, arose 
 and commanded Jack to step forward. Removing the 
 shield and cutting off his buttons from the officer s 
 coat, he sternly cried : "You re a disgrace to the force ; 
 you should be swung in the stirrups and hung in the 
 gallows ! It s the likes of you what puts a blot upon 
 our police force, which has the reputation of bein the 
 finest in the world." Turning to the System s agent, 
 he continued : "I shall advise you to swear out a war 
 rant for his arrest because of his cowardly way of 
 kickin you while in your act of rights and duties." 
 
 This charge the agent forthwith preferred, being 
 encouraged to do so by high officials of the System. 
 It aided them in showing and maintaining their full 
 power; besides, it should ever be a wholesome lesson 
 to the public to respect their officials. 
 
 As poor Jack Stevenson was dishonored and placed 
 under arrest, he bravely replied : "The first charge 
 against me is an infamous lie, and will in time righten 
 itself; as to the second charge, I will say as a free- 
 born man I shall never yield my rights to fight for 
 anyone born under similar statute. I only upheld the 
 Constitution of the United States, which this individual 
 private corporation is daily violating and is permitted 
 to violate. In my ten years of police duty, you have 
 never before had occasion to find an offence against 
 me, and I am indeed proud that you could find no truer 
 cause than the one of infamy against the force, and 
 the other of resisting an injustice against society." 
 
 That Officer Jack Stevenson had been dismissed 
 from the force and was now under arrest for assault- 
 
 72
 
 C8e Little 
 
 ing the Juvenile System s agent flew through all bor 
 oughs. Evening papers were full of details; some 
 sided with the dismissed officer, while others took an 
 opposite view. Reporters interviewed the unfortu 
 nate man in his cell, where he coolly and without com 
 plaint explained that all would soon right itself. 
 
 May Thornton had been on an errand downtown, 
 and learned from the news bulletin of the trial and 
 dismissal of Officer Jack. She recognized in him the 
 officer who, a couple of days ago, had come to her 
 rescue in having Lankey freed, and she heartily wished 
 that she could return his kindness. Upon reaching 
 home, she sorrowfully recounted the officer s fate, but 
 neither of the Thorntons, nor Mrs. O Neil believed 
 that Jack Stevenson could have been guilty of bru 
 tality. 
 
 Scarcely had May finished relating the news when 
 Lankey George hastily opened the door and entered. 
 He had just returned from a visit to the hospital. 
 "I have good news," he exclaimed, as he smiled and 
 threw himself upon a chair. "Harry O Neil is doing 
 fine; he sat up in bed, and we had quite a chat to 
 gether. He expects to be out in a " 
 
 "Oh, my ! the bulletin said that he was very low 
 with pneumonia," broke in May, as she asked : "Didn t 
 you hear about the police trial ?" 
 
 "Certainly I did," quickly responded Lankey. "It 
 was a put-up job. Jack Stevenson was a man of no 
 use to the police force, and the Juvenile System had 
 made up their mind to break him for interfering with 
 its agent. Between the police and the System it was 
 thought an opportune moment to get him off the force 
 while Harry O Neil was sick. It was feared that 
 upon his release from the hospital that testimonies 
 might be brought out involving other officers, and 
 the charge of the Juvenile System alone would then 
 
 73
 
 Little Sufferers: 
 
 not have been sufficient ground upon which to break 
 him. All these details," he added, "had been over 
 heard and confided to Harry O Neil by a fellow who 
 lay in the cot next to Red Hook Dan." 
 
 While elder Mrs. Thornton and May sat listening 
 in shocked surprise, Mrs. O Neil sobbed from joy 
 that she might soon expect to have her husband home 
 again. Lankey lighted his pipe, and continued : "Why, 
 Red Hook Dan, with his dislocated shoulder, was in 
 the same ward with Harry. Of course, they had never 
 seen each other, so the one did not know the other. 
 Officer O Sullivan called twice to see him, and, though 
 Harry recognized in him the officer who kicked him 
 so awful, the officer appeared not to have known 
 him." 
 
 Here Lankey was interrupted as Katie Thornton 
 entered, looking greatly dejected. All eyes turned 
 upon her. "What is the matter with you, dear child ?" 
 inquired her mother, as she prepared to set the table 
 for the evening meal. 
 
 "Oh, the firm is in difficulty, and the factory has 
 closed down," she replied sadly. "They say it will 
 never reopen again/ she added, with a sigh. 
 
 "Ah, don t worry about that, my Katie; the boys 
 are bringing money enough to the house to keep us 
 all," replied her mother encouragingly, while her sister 
 May in light mood added : "I am going back to my 
 work to-morrow, and I ll keep you in pin money till 
 something else turns up." 
 
 It was quite natural that Katie should feel unhappy 
 at the unfortunate turn in her affairs. She had started 
 to work in the American Manufacturing Company at 
 the age of sixteen, and had worked her way to the 
 high position as forelady, and, though she was able 
 and competent, it would not be altogether easy for her 
 to obtain such a satisfactory position. 
 
 74
 
 Cfje Little Sufferers 
 
 However, gloom did not hang over the party long. 
 Presently they joined each other at supper, following 
 which they went with Mrs. O Neil to view her new 
 home. May and Lankey George had taken great pains 
 in helping to set this in order, and the results were 
 surprisingly artistic and comfortable. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE KIDNAPPING OF THE C/NEIL CHILDREN. 
 
 The next two weeks carried much of sadness with 
 them. On Monday noon the older of the Thornton 
 boys was brought home from work with his right hand 
 severely lacerated by a machine. The financial de 
 pression had reached the firm where May Thornton 
 worked, so she was permitted to work only half time. 
 So, with Katie altogether idle, it left the good Thorn 
 ton family with but very little income. Food, cloth 
 ing, and rental had steadily gone up, while wages 
 nominally remained the same. The Thorntons, though 
 commendable people, could never manage to lay money 
 aside. The only one now working steadily was a lad 
 of sixteen, who earned but six dollars per week in 
 a box factory, and this concern, too, for want of 
 work, was laying off hands every day. 
 
 Lankey George, who had worked in the coal yard 
 with Flanagan, through Red Hook Dan, had lost his 
 place, and, though he needed work, he felt not par 
 ticularly uneasy about it. His recent experience had 
 awakened the better spirit which was dormant within 
 him. He had grown to long for something better 
 than jobbing among the lower and underpaid workers. 
 Being originally a carpenter by trade, he was a skilled 
 man with the tools. Up to the time the Juvenile Sys- 
 
 75
 
 6e Little %>iifferet0 
 
 tern had broken up his home, he was industrious and 
 had lived comfortably. 
 
 Thus, while ill luck suddenly fastened itself upon 
 the O Neils friends Mrs. O Neil was fated to undergo 
 worse ills than she had previously experienced. Al 
 though her husband was steadily improving, he was 
 not yet able to leave the hospital. The Planet Mill s 
 superintendent had sent the first week s salary, but 
 thereupon ceased, and the few dollars of her husband s 
 earnings which she had saved dwindled away for rent 
 and needed food and clothing for the little ones. 
 
 The saddest stroke that befell the unfortunate 
 woman was at the middle of her third week in her 
 new home. It was on a Monday, little past noon. 
 She had this day sent off her boy, Willie, for school, 
 and had begun to prepare Louise and the baby to make 
 a short visit to their father in the hospital. 
 
 It had been noticed that a couple of suspicious per 
 sons had been seen hovering about in the vicinity. Of 
 course, Mrs. O Neil was unknown there, and but for 
 a visit to and from the Thorntons, she had kept en 
 tirely to herself. Though she had heard of the Juve 
 nile System s former attempt to kidnap the children, 
 and had been warned of a likely recurrence, her sus 
 picion was not so strong that she felt she had to hold 
 her children under bolts and locks to keep them away 
 from the System. 
 
 However, it happened this noon that her landlord 
 was making some repairs in the water inlet to the 
 house, which caused the water to be temporarily shut 
 off. Mrs. O Neil bade little Louise go to the next 
 block to the Thorntons and fetch a kettle of water. 
 The Juvenile System s agent, by their secret service 
 methods, had recognized the child as their legitimate 
 prey. Though they have the law with them in all 
 their attacks and have been known to raid whole fam- 
 
 76
 
 Little Sufferers 
 
 ilies of children without particular pretext, at this mo 
 ment they found good cause for procedure. As Louise 
 walked by the agents through the hall, she was ac 
 costed by one of them with a rough demand: "Hey, 
 what have you got in that can, kid?" 
 
 Louise, in reply, screamed for her mamma, and 
 ran for the door of her home with both the agents 
 closely following. Mrs. O Neil met the stern inter- 
 cepters with an inquiry, and at the same time relieving 
 the child of the can. "What have you sent her for 
 in that can?" the agent gruffly asked, as one of them 
 reached for the can. Upon finding it to contain only 
 water, both felt angry and disappointed. A beer 
 kettle in the child s hand was sufficient ground for 
 action, regardless of the contents. Thus, while the 
 System s agent had long ago marked the O Neil chil 
 dren for their prey, it gave them at least a new ground 
 upon which to apprehend. Amid protestation and 
 pleadings from Mrs. O Neil, the agents tore away with 
 force the crying and resisting children. The little 
 arms of the baby, encircling its mother s neck, had to 
 yield to unfeeling hands. 
 
 The agents boarded a car for the Juvenile System s 
 store room, which is located near the Borough Hall. 
 Poor Mrs. O Neil, who had suffered so much of late, 
 by this shock was rendered nearly insane. Hysterically 
 crying and screeching, she followed the agents, who 
 held the struggling children and boarded the car. 
 
 A few women passengers realized unfortunate Mrs. 
 O Neil s position, and sympathized with her, but feared 
 to interfere. They knew the System, and dreaded it 
 more than the Black Hand. A couple of men passen 
 gers appeared rather disgusted with the scene, and in 
 their slight judgment felt that this woman was no 
 safe person to care for the children, and so accepted 
 that this was the reason that her children had been 
 
 77
 
 Little Sufferer* 
 
 removed. One laboring man, in blouse and overalls, 
 soiled from work, who sat in the farthest corner, paid 
 the unhappy woman s fare as the conductor persisted 
 in putting her off unless he received her nickel, an 
 item upon which she could gather no thought. 
 
 Upon reaching the System s local station, the squawl- 
 ing children were hustled within by the agents, while 
 Mrs. O Neil was barred from entering with threats of 
 arrest. She was told to appear in the Juvenile Court 
 on the following day, and there to offer any evidence 
 she might wish. Wildly and hysterically she remon 
 strated, but of course with no avail. The superin 
 tendent of the institution finally phoned for a police 
 officer who, in a kindly tone, persuaded the unfortu 
 nate woman to go home and, in the morning when her 
 children were to be arraigned in court, she could ap 
 peal to the judge. 
 
 Bewildered and heart-broken, she hurried home. In 
 her haste of departure, she had left her change in the 
 house, and so she was compelled to walk the distance. 
 Utterly exhausted, she reached home, to be met in 
 the doorway by May and Katie Thornton, who had 
 heard of the incident. Helpless as they all were, the 
 best they could do was to console the grief-stricken 
 mother and encourage her with the hope that she 
 would surely get her children again. 
 
 It was now past four o clock. Inconsolable, she 
 staggered up and down her apartment, wringing her 
 hands. Suddenly she screeched out in terror: "Oh, 
 my Willie, where is he? Did they take him, too?" 
 Without further delay, she ran toward the school- 
 house where he was attending, but, alas, the poor 
 woman was too late. The System s agents had drawn 
 from Louise that her brother, Willie, was at school, 
 and forthwith its sleuths had proceeded to the school- 
 
 78
 
 Little >uffera0 
 
 house, and upon dismissal had carried the lad along 
 with them. 
 
 The agony that Mrs. O Neil suffered that night 
 cannot be described. She would cry for her husband 
 and for each of their children. Her own incarcera 
 tion now appeared insignificant. The Thorntons, who 
 had done so much for her and whom she loved, could 
 give no aid to her mind. In her distress she begged 
 to be left alone, so she might cry in peace. 
 
 Without sleep and rest, terribly nervous and appre 
 hensive, long before court opening she appeared at 
 the entrance to the juvenile branch. Katie and May 
 Thornton had begged to go along to give any aid 
 they could. 
 
 Within this court-room, which deals with juvenile 
 offenders, was shown one of the saddest blots upon 
 human progress. It meant either depravity of chil 
 dren or depravity of parents. It disclosed sad and 
 haggard faces. There were fond and indulgent par 
 ents who could not manage and punish their children, 
 but had to ask the judge to discipline them. It showed 
 the lack of a proper fulfilment of parents and also 
 the lack of our organized society to deal with delin 
 quent and careless parents. Most of all, it showed 
 innocent children being punished for parents crime, 
 and the good children who were seized from worthy 
 parents without cause. But all combined to show a 
 grand industry, a most profitable course for this our 
 private incorporated Juvenile System. 
 
 That other mothers suffered a fate similar to Mrs. 
 O Neil s was evident by the many clean women with 
 sad faces. While perhaps some brought their children 
 to the court to be scolded by the judge, or else had 
 incorrigible youths in the hands of the law, it is 
 apparent that a majority among them were worthy 
 
 79
 
 Cfje Little Sufferers 
 
 and able to be guardians of their own children, or at 
 least could have been brought to be so, were the laws 
 applied to them instead of to their little ones. 
 
 At ten o clock court began to show signs of activity. 
 The Juvenile System s agent scurried within the rail 
 ing among the clerks and court habitues, holding whis 
 pered conversation with officials, looking up records, 
 taking notes, and writing down accounts. At spaced 
 intervals in an enclosure set apart were placed desks 
 for the sole use of these guardians agents, where 
 notes, accounts, data and "tap-keeping of youths" were 
 filed away for further reference. A similar lot of 
 lady agents, a specie of slum ladies, showed a like 
 activity. These queer angels are daily demonstrating 
 their methods and peculiar ideas in our juvenile 
 courts. They work for the miserable youths and for 
 the mothers. Their part in our juvenile farce lies in 
 investigating homes, looking into complaints, in in 
 terfering and intervening. Their opinion is based upon 
 trivialities and notions and prejudices. They throw 
 much influence upon the action of the court. 
 
 One of these women was seen approachng dis 
 tressed Mrs. O Neil. She patted her upon the shoul 
 der, whispered good cheer in her ears, and offered her 
 advice. But in the next breath, upon turning her back, 
 it was learned that she whispered strong words of 
 condemnation into the ears of the court and the Juve 
 nile System s agents. She not only betrayed the 
 wretched Mrs. O Neil, but drew upon her imagination 
 to do so. 
 
 As the System s agent, from a little enclosure, 
 brought forward the O Neil children, the tortured 
 mother experienced something of a convulsion; every 
 limb and muscle contracted and expanded in a spasm. 
 It was a ghastly sight, lasting a couple of seconds. 
 But then she revived and sprang from her seat and, 
 
 80
 
 Cfje Little Sufferers 
 
 with nervous haste, made toward the judge s seat, in 
 front of which the children were placed. A court 
 officer roughly pushed her back, and bade her to keep 
 her seat till his honor called her. Crazed, Mrs. O Neil 
 was neither used to court etiquette, nor had thought 
 for her own self. May and Katie Thornton, who sat 
 beside her, tried to calm her, but the sight of her im 
 prisoned children impelled, and in wild anger she 
 rushed by the officer and reached within the enclosure 
 where stood the children. 
 
 The scene was most pathetic. Before the court had 
 called her case, she stood begging and pleading to 
 get her children back. A police officer restrained her 
 from laying hands upon the children. The agents of 
 the Juvenile System held a strong grip upon Willie 
 and Louise, who, weeping, struggled to get to their 
 mother. The infant, too, which was held in a matron s 
 arms, cried furiously and scratched and fought to 
 reach its mother. 
 
 The judge looked uneasy, though he was accustomed 
 to all sorts of scenes, real or pretended. That Mrs. 
 O Neil was sincere he did not doubt, but he feared 
 that she was demented. Very often his Honor sternly 
 rebuked the ones overstepping court etiquette, but in 
 his good feeling and judgment for whatever might 
 be the cause, the judge laid aside court rules. 
 
 "Now, my good woman, be calm, and I will hear 
 you first," he said, "and you shall not suffer injus 
 tice." 
 
 "Sure, ye ll be hurtin yer own case, mum, by losin 
 yer grit," simultaneously and encouragingly whispered 
 an officer, who stood close by her, but poor Mrs. 
 O Neil, who had been tried so much of late, could 
 not collect herself. She could only find words to the 
 effect that she was robbed of both her husband and 
 children. 
 
 81
 
 Cfje Little Sufferers; 
 
 May and Katie Thornton had followed Mrs. O Neil, 
 but had not been permitted to enter within the railing 
 where stood the demented woman. One of the girls 
 from without the railing began to explain to the judge 
 the unfortunate condition of the woman, and assured 
 him that she was entirely sane, and was only crazed by 
 the tremendous blow of being robbed of her children, 
 and begged in the poor woman s behalf to have the 
 children restored. 
 
 Mrs. O Neil became calmer as her friend spoke, and 
 she forced herself to be strong, hoping every second 
 the judge would deliver her and the children. But 
 of course courts of justice deal with two sides, and 
 the other side being the strongest, had to be heard, 
 and it dealt a blow to Mrs. O Neil that could not have 
 been more fatal. 
 
 "If it pleases your Honor," now out of patience and 
 without show of feeling, broke in the System s agent, 
 "this woman is not the proper custodian for the chil 
 dren. We have proof that this woman and her hus 
 band were both locked up for drunkenness and disor 
 derly conduct. Her husband is now in the hospital, 
 and I don t doubt but we can find more against them 
 if it pleases your Honor to have us investigate," 
 ended he, with courteous bow, being much accustomed 
 to the ordeal. 
 
 The judge looked uncertain. The young and re 
 spectable appearing Thornton s story had appealed to 
 him ; he would have liked to return the children to the 
 mother; but, though he was a judge, he must, to a 
 great extent, bend himself to the wishes and demands 
 of the powerful Juvenile System, whose influence 
 could both make and break him. He could not safely 
 release them except upon stronger proof of her fit 
 ness and ability properly to guard and maintain them. 
 As he sat speculating a moment or two with Mrs. 
 
 82
 
 C6e JLfttle 
 
 O Neil s eyes resting pleadingly upon him, a tall, 
 clerical-looking person stepped behind the judge s 
 chair and whispered a few words. 
 
 The intruder was a Presbyterian minister called 
 Headstrong. He was a regular court runner and de 
 bauched religion with all his bunco courses and per 
 fidious acts of false mercy. Being a staunch sup 
 porter of the Juvenile System, he also worked hand 
 in hand with any movement that tried to infringe 
 upon nature s course and siarved the soul of man. 
 
 That his words were not in the unfortunate woman 
 and miserable children s behalf was soon clear. The 
 judge also showed it as he forthwith and without fur 
 ther uncertainty, though with a strain of sympathy, 
 said : "From all appearances the Juvenile System acted 
 within its right. There appears proof that the System 
 was appealed to to take care of the children, and, be 
 sides, you, my good woman, are not fully rational and 
 able to care for them in your present state, so " 
 
 At this point Mrs. O Neil, who understood the re 
 verse decision, dropped upon her knees, piteously im 
 ploring and crying for the judge to change his de 
 cision; but her plea was of no avail. Nervously and 
 uneasily he moved about, but he dared not to change 
 the verdict. 
 
 "Your Honor," again said one of the Thornton girls 
 with her hand stretched forward appealingly, "the 
 baby is still nursing upon its mother s breast, and it 
 may mean " c 
 
 "Oh, don t worry about that, Miss," sharply and 
 with a victorious grin broke in the System s agent, "we 
 have special prepared food for infants." 
 
 The harrowing final scene, where the children were 
 dragged away by the victorious agent, and the mother 
 lugged out of court by attending court officers, cannot 
 be described. That Mrs. O Neil did not entirelv sue- 
 
 83 ;
 
 Little Sufferers 
 
 cumb was due to her physical strength, but never a 
 moment did the Thornton girls fail to ease her an 
 guish. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 MRS. O NEIL S VISIT AT ONE OF THE SYSTEM S HOMES. 
 
 Our "shake-up" or "shifting-about police system" 
 leaves the officers with their families regularly on the 
 move, and prepared to obey a political order for the 
 good of the force. This gypsy system had been an 
 advantage to Jack Stevenson. In his ten years on the 
 force he had been shifted twenty-four times to vari 
 ous localities, and in all parts of the boroughs. It had 
 made him popular. All good citizens soon recognized 
 in him a respectable and trustworthy officer; he was 
 looked upon as an exemplary man, and it had been 
 predicted that one of his character would not wear out 
 his uniform upon the police force. His sudden dis 
 missal from the force had doubled the public s interest 
 in him. 
 
 The opposing political parties had began to make 
 campaign material out of Jack s abrupt dismissal from 
 the force without sufficient ground. While the de 
 partment was clogged with discredited and doubtful 
 characters, there at least had never been proven any 
 thing against Jack Stevenson. The sick man, Harry 
 O Neil, had not appeared against him, and should the 
 Juvenile System, a private directorate, run the police 
 force as it does our special session judges and its 
 courts, then the time would soon come when it would 
 claim guardianship over the entire metropolis. In this 
 and like manner ran the general public s opinion, and 
 a few newspapers pictured Jack Stevenson as a mar- 
 
 84
 
 Little 
 
 tyr. In some journals he was lauded as a hero for 
 his fearlessness in casting himself against the powerful 
 Juvenile System. 
 
 The old political party, who owns and controls the 
 police system, and whose protege the Juvenile System 
 is, soon realized their error and made overtures 
 through Jack s friends that he should apply for re-in- 
 statement on the force upon technical grounds. He 
 had assurance that simple formalities would re-install 
 him. By this course the politicians anticipated closing 
 the matter. 
 
 However, Jack Stevenson was able and intelligent, 
 and felt that he could make his livelihood within other 
 limits, and so declined it. He planned that he would 
 right himself and clear his name and then punish 
 those who had brought about his downfall. This little 
 friction in Jack s life stirred his ambition; he took up 
 social affairs vigorously and in these he received en 
 couragement and support from all boroughs. 
 
 The People s Independent Party was well formed, 
 and every district had its organized quarters. Its 
 head-quarters was in the Borough of Manhattan, and 
 Jack Stevenson was made chairman. He was also a 
 leader of his own home district, and affairs were soon 
 satisfactory to him. 
 
 Jack s ten years on the police force had furnished 
 him ample experience. By one or two speeches he 
 proved himself eloquent and forceful; this added to 
 his popularity. He gained respect and it brought him 
 a tremendous following. Had he desired to run inde 
 pendently as mayor, he would have received unani 
 mous support. But at present his wishes were to reach 
 the assembly only, and thereto he laid his plans. 
 
 His first thoughts, upon reaching the assembly, were 
 to introduce and influence the passage of a bill to wipe 
 
 85
 
 C&e Little 
 
 out of existence all the private juvenile institutions or 
 systems, which Jack looked upon as the most danger 
 ous foes to future generations. He had long recog 
 nized them as a breeder of crime. "The course of 
 committing spirited and neglected children to strict, 
 unnatural courses of development, must either stunt 
 or corrupt them," he always argued. He not only 
 planned to destroy the powerful juvenile institutions, 
 but he also aimed at entirely abolishing the children s 
 courts and establishing some means whereby the par 
 ent branch should be held responsible for their own 
 progeny up to its mature state. 
 
 He held the opinion that courts are mature stages, 
 and that children who are immature should be regu 
 lated only through natural phases of parenthood, this 
 being the only right channel of influence. It is not a 
 court s duty to systematize a child ; its duty should lie 
 in systematizing and compelling parents to do their 
 best duty. 
 
 Upon one of his electioneering trips in South Brook 
 lyn for the coming election, he had heard of the out 
 rageous capture of the O Neil children by the Juve 
 nile System. While such methods were common, in 
 this instance, at least, where he knew there was no 
 reason for stepping in as guardian, and a proper in 
 vestigation would have ended in the System s defeat. 
 It made Jack s blood boil, and forthwith he planned 
 to effect an inquiry into the methods of the institution 
 and its treatment of the children. He felt, too, that 
 the outcome of an investigation would be an aid in 
 furthering his bill aimed at abolishing the institution. 
 
 Of course, Jack was not acquainted with the 
 O Neils, nor had he held further association with 
 them than being thrown in touch with them at the pre 
 cinct house. But long before this unfortunate occur- 
 
 86
 
 Cfje Little >ufferer0 
 
 rence he had singled out the Juvenile System as a 
 brutal parody upon benevolence, and more than once 
 had he been eager for a chance to check its ravages 
 upon the social body. 
 
 After two months lingering, Harry O Neil had been 
 discharged from the hospital as cured. But it was a 
 sad home into which he entered. His children were 
 gone, and his true, strong wife had grown aged and 
 broken in spirit. Her dark-brown hair had turned 
 gray, and her smooth features were furrowed from 
 suffering. The eyes that always sparkled, now shone 
 as a dim light hid away in deep hollows. 
 
 The O Neils savings through this hardship had en 
 tirely been used. The Thorntons, with only May on 
 half time and the youngest lad with a few dollars a 
 week, had scarcely enough for themselves, but Lankey 
 George had been fortunate. He had taken up his 
 trade, and obtained a position as foreman with a 
 building concern, and regularly he supplied May 
 Thornton with sufficient money to carry on the 
 O Neils household. Lankey had become a strong 
 friend of the O Neils, but sought always to aid them 
 through the Thorntons, so as to avoid the embarrass 
 ment of the gratitude of the unhappy couple. 
 
 Harry had been home from the hospital now nearly 
 two weeks, but was hardly strong enough to under 
 take hard work. He felt, however, that he must do 
 something, as he had not been accustomed to live upon 
 charity. His old place in the Planet Mills had been 
 filled, but Lankey had spoken for him at a near-by 
 lumber yard, where his firm bought building material, 
 so his prospects were good for the future when he 
 became ready for work. 
 
 One morning, as he was going to his new job, the 
 postman brought Harry O Neil a letter from the Juve- 
 
 87
 
 Cfje Little 
 
 nile System. It bore the signature of the superin 
 tendent, and read : 
 
 "MR. HARRY O NEIL, 
 
 "DEAR SIR : You are herewith informed that Justice 
 Bilking of the Court of Special Sessions has directed 
 that you shall pay toward the support of your children 
 in the Juvenile System the sum of $16.50. A failure 
 to make this payment on your part will be reported to 
 the court for such action as it may deem proper to 
 take. Respectfully, 
 
 "H. CLYDE PRESTAGE, Supt." 
 
 Harry begged leave to remain away from work to 
 attend to the matter. He called at the Brooklyn branch 
 of the Juvenile System, and declared his willingness 
 to pay the demand, providing his children were re 
 turned to him. The clerk in charge curtly informed 
 him that the Juvenile System was not open for any 
 proposition, and to avoid further inconvenience he had 
 better pay the demanded amount. Harry O Neil re 
 monstrated and begged to see some higher authority. 
 
 The superintendent was conveniently at hand, and 
 replied with sarcasm : "You would like to get your 
 children, eh? You think your $16.50 will make cur 
 institution rich? Why didn t you provide a proper 
 home for them ? Your wife is a drunkard, and I have 
 evidence that she runs with other " 
 
 The superintendent did not finish his last sentence. 
 Harry had understood him. The accusation of drunk 
 enness struck him as vile, but when he touched upon 
 his wife s fidelity O Neil, inflamed with fury, reached 
 over the railing and demanded : "Another word out of 
 your foul lips and I shall get in there and tear you to 
 pieces." 
 
 The strong words and threatening combat drew 
 other assistance from within an adjoining room. The 
 
 88
 
 Cfie Hfttle Sufferers 
 
 superintendent, a moral coward, a "brow-beater" of 
 weak women and children, in whose contact he was 
 mostly thrown, felt that Harry would attack him, and 
 stepped behind his assistant and edged his way into 
 an adjoining office. The assistant saw in O Neil a 
 man who could not be trifled with, and in a meditat 
 ing tone, replied: "I m sorry, my good man; but this 
 is but a branch of the Juvenile System; the main of 
 fice is over in Manhattan. We cannot release anyone 
 unless by approval of the board of directors." 
 
 Mr. O Neil answered : "Well, your branch seems to 
 have taken it upon itself to kidnap my children " 
 
 "It s no use arguing, my friend. This is the rule of 
 the System ; if you wish you may go to the main of 
 fice," broke in the assistant lightly. Not caring to in 
 flame the man further, he bowed and left for an inner 
 room. 
 
 Harry concluded that it was useless to proceed far 
 ther here, and prepared for the head-quarters of the 
 Juvenile System in Manhattan. As he entered the 
 spacious office he was met by a young man who in 
 quired his mission. Though treated politely, he was 
 firmly made to understand that there laid no remedy 
 at present ; it was a matter of the special committee to 
 decide upon children s release, at whose option they 
 were bound to the age of twenty-one. 
 
 Heart-broken, O Neil went home to his longing wife. 
 While he was always open and confided everything to 
 her, he felt it here his duty to deceive her. Patting 
 her sunken cheeks, he cheerfully said : "Don t worry, 
 my Nell, we ll soon have the little ones back." 
 
 The Juvenile System condescendingly grants a day 
 of grace to the unfortunate mothers and children. It 
 is termed visiting day, and occurs at a stated time at 
 the last of the month. The institution is open for 
 visitors from one o clock, noon, until five P. M. All 
 
 89
 
 C6e Lfttle 
 
 inmates on that afternoon are permitted to throw off 
 their rough blue jeans working- costumes for a better 
 attire, so as to look neat and attractive, and thus imbue 
 a feeling of extreme care and attention among rela 
 tives and strangers who may call. The windows, 
 floors, and panels of the hall, library, and reception 
 room for that afternoon have been carefully cleaned 
 and scrubbed, so the abode resembles a saintly retreat. 
 
 While Harry would have loved to visit his little 
 ones, he feared to lose his job, as they were pretty 
 busy and he had then been there less than a week. 
 Therefore, he applied for a special permit for a Sun^- 
 day visit, which he heard was now and then granted. 
 It was decided that Mrs. O Neil should go. May 
 Thornton wished to accompany her, but it was her 
 day at work, and Katie could not leave the home, as 
 her injured brother needed constant attention. The 
 elder Mrs. Thornton at this time was down with a 
 severe attack of rheumatism. 
 
 Though Mrs. O Neil was robbed of the joy of hav 
 ing her children constantly with her, she was momen 
 tarily happy to be permitted to see them. She bought 
 them candies, fruits, and little delicacies. Her broken 
 heart was light as she left the car near the institution 
 and entered the corridor, where she hoped to meet 
 and embrace them. 
 
 "Oh, you are Mrs. O Neil? Glad to meet you; so 
 you are to visit your little Louise and the baby ?" said 
 the matron, in a pretended kindness, motioning her to 
 take a seat till little Louise came downstairs. "The 
 baby, I am sorry, you cannot see to-day ; we sent it to 
 the hospital ward at Randalls Island ; we couldn t have 
 it here, you know. But it s in good hands ; the city is 
 taking care of it," continued the matron encourag 
 ingly. 
 
 90
 
 C6e Little 
 
 A shudder went through the mother. Her little 
 speck of happiness had gone; she was bewildered. 
 Why did they send away her baby to the hospital 
 ward? Was it sick or dying? Why was her little 
 Louise not here to meet her? Where was Willie? 
 These and other questions surged through her trou 
 bled mind. The shock nearly dazed her anew. She 
 caught the arms of her chair to support herself and 
 tried to speak, but her tongue seemed paralyzed. 
 
 The matron, noticing Mrs. O Neil s agitation, went 
 on cheerfully: "Your children are all right. Your 
 Louise is a good, pretty child, and is getting the very 
 best of care. The Juvenile System is an institution 
 which every mother should be proud of." 
 
 Mrs. O Neil suddenly gained her faculties and de 
 manded impatiently : "Is baby ill ? Why don t Louise 
 and Willie come?" 
 
 "Why, now, my good woman, the baby is not ill, but 
 don t you know we can t be bothered with such tiny lit 
 tle ones. Louise is dressing herself. But your boy is 
 not here ; he s up on the farm at Hastings Hill among 
 the bigger lads," said the matron, in the same forced 
 tone. 
 
 At this moment Louise came down the stairway. 
 She noticed her mother, and both flew to embrace 
 each other. Poor Mrs. O Neil dropped on her knees 
 and hugged her child around the waist, while the 
 child threw her tiny arms around her mother s neck. 
 Both kissed each other wildly. "I knew you was 
 downstairs, but I had to make the teacher s bed, clean 
 the windows, and help other girls to scrub the matron s 
 room before I was permitted " 
 
 The matron never allows the hardships imposed 
 upon the little ones to be laid open to parents or vis 
 itors, and so in feigned kindness she interrupted little 
 
 91
 
 Cjje Little >ueferer$ 
 
 Louise by saying: "You are so happy to see your 
 mother, poor child, that you imagine what you really 
 would do." 
 
 As Louise entered the visiting room, her eyes and 
 thoughts fell upon her mother, and she had not no 
 ticed the matron. Though she was only a recently ar 
 rived inmate in the institution, she had already learned 
 that she must hold her tongue regarding her duties 
 and the System s course. Like other children of the 
 institution, she had reason to fear the matron. 
 
 While the matron wore an air of pretended kind 
 ness, her presence chilled Louise. The poor child 
 trembled as she tried to whisper and talk to her 
 mother, frequently stealing glances at her guardian. 
 
 Mrs. O Neil appreciated the situation, but was help 
 less in assisting her child. This forced embarrass 
 ment at last culminated in the girl breaking out in a 
 spell of piteous crying. She buried her little head 
 into her mother s breast and sobbed convulsively. She 
 uttered no word, but in spasms of sobs clung faster 
 and faster to her mother, who sat straining herself to 
 withhold her own sorrow, begging the little one to be 
 brave. 
 
 Matrons of such institutions are not required to 
 have a too sensitive nature, for fear that their better 
 inclination would revolt. Yet in this instance she was 
 sensibly affected. She arose and walked over and 
 kindly stroked the child whose little body convulsively 
 shook with her smothered sobs. "Be brave, my little 
 child; don t fear me. I assure you I shall be really 
 good to you so long as you are with me." 
 
 That this bidding came from the matron s heart was 
 manifest; she wiped a tear from her eyes, and left 
 the room, saying : "My dear little girl, tell your mother 
 all ; I shall not punish you." 
 
 Other visitors, relatives, or friends now came. Sev- 
 
 92
 
 JLittle 
 
 eral of the inmates had reached the reception room. 
 Many touching and pathetic scenes were witnessed 
 through the meeting of parents and children. Little 
 ones who had been in the institution but a short time 
 spoke openly and freely, but those who had stayed 
 there for some while whispered and in their weighing 
 words would keep their eyes roving about in the di 
 rection where the matron or attendants sat with com 
 placent smiles and watching demeanor. 
 
 Mrs. O Neil remained there to the end of the visit 
 ing hour. The matron who had entertained her then 
 appeared and bade her good-bye. She said encourag 
 ingly: "Do not worry for your child, so long I am 
 here with her." In a low tone she added earnestly, 
 as she pressed her hand : "I feel that you are one of 
 the good many wronged mothers. You should have 
 the custody of your own children. I am working here 
 for hire, and wish to God I could find other employ 
 ment and not be forced to play sympathy here and 
 give a wolf s tender." 
 
 The visit to the institution had not invoked a better 
 spirit in the unfortunate mother. She worried about 
 the baby and about Willie, whom she had not seen, and 
 little Louise s tale about the institution which she had 
 been permitted to learn in full depressed her that she 
 could hardly breathe. The child complained of the 
 work exacted from the tiny children. As Mrs. O Neil 
 understood it, it was a place of detention for little 
 underfed slaves. All the neatness, cleanness, and pol 
 ished interior represented hours of child slavery. 
 Aroused from their childish morning slumber, it was 
 sewing, mending, polishing, sweeping, cleaning, scour 
 ing, scrubbing, washing, bed-making, dish-washing, 
 pantry and kitchen work and general labor from the 
 early hour till tired knees, arms, and backs found ref 
 uge in their lightly covered cots. The only real rest 
 
 93
 
 Cbe Little Sufferers; 
 
 afforded them was at their few hours of schooling, 
 where the poor grade of teachers sat yawning and 
 eager to be rid of them. The little inmates had to 
 toil and the institution was kept in proud condition 
 on the drain of their youthful bodies. 
 
 Perhaps, with all, had the little ones been properly 
 fed and nourished, their young faces would not have 
 been blotted with scars of premature age. Louise had 
 complained of their daily routine of food, which con 
 sisted of oatmeal and molasses, dry bread, with a cup 
 of thin milk, bean soup and pickles and some thick stew 
 without a morsel of meat in it. A heavy plum pudding 
 was the only extra allowance, and this was dealt out 
 each Sunday. But once the child had the taste of 
 fish, a morsel left from one of the teacher s plate and 
 given her in appreciation of extra service she had 
 tendered. 
 
 Butter was as scarce as fish and meats. Eggs they 
 never saw nor fruits nor delicacies, unless parents 
 brought them on visiting days. None of them, while 
 there, ever enjoyed as good a meal as is afforded even 
 among the poorest of the poor. 
 
 These deplorable conditions preyed greatly upon 
 the poor woman s mind. She feared that her boy fared 
 similarly and was overworked and underfed. And 
 what would become of her infant? She hoped it fared 
 better, as it was in the city s hands. While not receiv 
 ing home care and food, it was at least under no pri 
 vate money-making scheme, like that of the Juvenile 
 System. 
 
 That night she complained to her husband. She 
 did not weep, nor could she weep ; but she was singu 
 larly depressed. She felt so heavy-hearted and so 
 tired and weak that she scarcely could move about. 
 While she had managed to cook Harry s supper, she 
 
 94
 
 JLfttle 
 
 could not walk about to clear the table. Hopelessly 
 worn out, and as one longing for eternal rest, in de 
 spair she threw herself upon her bed. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 LANKEY S ARRAIGNMENT OF THE SYSTEM. 
 
 The next few days followed uneventfully. It was a 
 Saturday noon and half holiday. Harry had just re 
 ceived his first full week s pay. Though he had been 
 at work two full weeks, it was a custom of the firm 
 to hold back one week s salary. As he opened his 
 envelope which contained fifteen dollars he said to 
 himself : "I think I had better pay the Juvenile Sys 
 tem half of its demand and the remaining eight dol 
 lars and twenty-five cents next week, or else I fear 
 my little ones will suffer for my show of disobedi 
 ence." He had noticed a sign displayed in the office 
 of the Juvenile System to the effect that the office kept 
 open every day as late as eight P. M., and he decided, 
 after changing his working attire, to prepare thither. 
 
 As he reached the entrance to his home he was ac 
 costed by a man dressed in a blue serge suit, who 
 stood leaning against the sill of the show window of 
 the store floor. "Are you Harry O Neil?" he in 
 quired, stepping toward him. 
 
 O Neil s troubles of late had made him somewhat 
 nervous. He had suffered much, and learned to look 
 upon guilt, innocence, and justice as mere courses of 
 fate; so momentarily he looked uneasy, stared, and 
 made no reply. 
 
 "There is no use denying it," quickly applied the 
 stranger, and handed him a paper. "I m a court offi 
 cer; this is a summons for you to obey." 
 
 95
 
 Cbe Little >uffeter$ 
 
 Harry gave a sigh of relief as the detailed officer 
 executed his mission and left. "Any more trouble to 
 come my way?" he remarked, as he opened the paper 
 and read : "The Court of Special Session. The Peo 
 ple, complainant vs. Harry O Neil, defendant." 
 
 He pondered while he continued to read. It or 
 dered him to appear in court on a certain day under 
 threats of certain penalty for his failure to obey. "The 
 People vs. Harry O Neil," he murmured. He could 
 not grasp the idea, as he had committed no crime in 
 which the people or the public could find cause to 
 prosecute. But then again he realized by his last ex 
 periences that justice was crimsoned with guilt, and 
 that innocence was no adequate shield for protection. 
 
 Suddenly it occurred to him that he had received a 
 letter a few days previously from the Juvenile Sys 
 tem under threats of prosecution for his failure to pay 
 their demand. He drew the letter from an inside 
 pocket and re-read it. True enough, it mentioned the 
 Court of Special Session, and also one of the special 
 judges name was attached. "But why, then," thought 
 he, "does it not say the Juvenile System against Harry 
 O Neil, instead of the People?" 
 
 Harry was no scholar, but he possessed sound in 
 telligence. He figured that there must be some rad 
 ical wrong with our laws and courts where it permits 
 a private corporation like the Juvenile System to cloak 
 themselves as the People and prosecute for selfish 
 ends in the People s or Public s name. He deposited 
 the papers in his pocket and decided, instead of going 
 to the office of the Juvenile System, as he had planned, 
 to wait and have a talk with his friend Lankey George, 
 who had some knowledge beyond his in the matter of 
 law. 
 
 Lankey, who was a steady visitor at the O Neils, 
 
 96
 
 Little 
 
 was sitting at the kitchen table and reading the morn 
 ing news as Harry entered. It was half holiday, too, 
 upon Lankey s job. He knew that Mrs. O Neil was 
 sick in bed and unable to provide her husband s din 
 ner, so he had hurried there in time and brought with 
 him meat and vegetables for a good meal which his 
 good friend, May Thornton, was now preparing. 
 
 Katie Thornton had obtained another position in 
 which she was to start the following Monday, so her 
 sister May concluded as her firm was not overbusy, to 
 stay away from work and remain daily in attendance 
 upon Mrs. O Neil, who was constantly in bed, help 
 less, and too weak to provide meals for herself and 
 husband. It was a great sacrifice on May s part, but 
 she had learned to love Mrs. O Neil for her good 
 qualities, and greatly sympathized with her in her af 
 flictions. 
 
 Lankey George was studying May Thornton. 
 Though young, she was a woman in all respects, and 
 very much to his liking. They had been together a 
 great deal of late and entertained much of the same 
 feeling toward each other. While George was a good 
 deal older, he was very much of a man, and looked 
 young for his age. He had greatly improved in per 
 sonal care and habits since he had met May, and very 
 often she chided him for any laxness she detected. 
 
 Harry O Neil could not thank May enough; his 
 wife had always pictured her as a true angel, and he 
 learned to know it himself. Much of the assistance 
 was derived from Lankey, however, who did it with 
 out thought of reward. But Harry now bore a broth 
 erly feeling toward George, and would not have done 
 less if positions were reversed. 
 
 May had prepared some broth for Mrs. O Neil, 
 which she partook of sparingly, and, while the men- 
 
 97
 
 Cfje Little >ufferer$ 
 
 folks sat a* their noon meal in the kitchen, she dished 
 something out for herself, and sat in the bedroom 
 within view of the sick woman and ate her dinner. 
 
 "It is a great time they are having along the canal 
 at the coal pockets," began Lankey, putting down his 
 paper. "The yard I worked in is burnt down by the 
 strikers, and my old fellow-worker, Flanagan, is in 
 the hospital with a fractured skull. The poor fellow 
 was taken for a scab as he came out of the yard with 
 some clothes, and a strike sympathizer hit him with 
 a brick." 
 
 "Those strikes are not happy occurrences," replied 
 Harry. "One reduced me down to where I am to 
 day. I sympathize greatly with the men who strike 
 for more pay, when they need it, for they are ground 
 down to the lowest ebb of living. And I also greatly 
 sympathize with the scabs who are forced, by their 
 own wants, to take hold of something. Many scabs 
 are good men, it is but their temporary position what 
 makes them scabs ; they are as anxious as the strikers 
 to get as much wages as they can, and would them 
 selves be ready to strike if they dared to. It is their 
 stomachs, their needs, my friend," ended he sadly, 
 thinking of his late and former position with a family 
 to provide for and the wolf at the door. 
 
 "That is so," agreed Lankey. "In my judgment, 
 where all is controlled by trust and monopolism, and 
 no real supply and demand counts, there should be 
 means of public arbitration to regulate compensation 
 of the producing element, the laborers, in order that 
 they can exist." 
 
 "You are upon the right issue, George," said Harry, 
 "methods and means to properly live and exist is as 
 much of a public concern as is the general health it 
 self, and should be regulated on basis of cost of liv- 
 
 98
 
 Cfie Little Cofferers 
 
 ing and supply and demand of labor. Were hours and 
 wages regulated by a public commission, the saintly 
 trust people would then be at liberty to swell their 
 price, as the money value on labor would be in con 
 formity, and follow suit." 
 
 "Yes, that would be chips for money, and money 
 for chips, and enough of it to play the game through," 
 jokingly remarked Lankey. "The whole of life 
 throughout is exchanging products. When the public 
 is compelled to pay the trusts demands, the trusts 
 should be compelled to pay the public s demand." 
 
 "Yes, it s a poor rule that won t work both ways," 
 responded Harry. "At present it works only one way, 
 and that is the trusts end of it. Not until the public 
 takes hold of it at the other end will starvation, hunger 
 and strikes be avoided. Strikes, idleness, and starva 
 tion naturally follow ill causes." 
 
 "You are quite a philosopher," complimented George 
 laughingly, "but while we speak of it, tell me about 
 the strike which affected you." 
 
 "Oh, yes, that was the Rapid Transit. It was a 
 Wall Street deal, but it was said that some .million 
 aires sold short, went short, or whatever we call it, 
 and got cornered and bought out the labor leaders to 
 force a strike so the stock would decline sufficiently to 
 let them out even." 
 
 "Did the stock drop ?" 
 
 "I suppose it did. At all events, there was a great 
 tie-up. You remember the militia were out and the 
 people ran riot. In my judgment there was no cause 
 for strike at the time, but it was a case of being mis 
 led by leaders." 
 
 "Just so, as I said a while ago," recalled Lankey. 
 "Had there been a public arbitration or commission, 
 I suppose things would not have run that way. The 
 
 99
 
 C&e Little 
 
 road would have run until matters could have been 
 looked into. Truly, it would do away with much flim- 
 flamming from all sides." 
 
 "Yes, and it would do away with all labor unions 
 and labor leaders ; the maintenance of either is ex 
 pensive, and they effect nothing but grievance and 
 discontent. A regular established public board of ar 
 bitration could compel and arrange things to corre 
 spond with conditions of things. Well, ah, but what s 
 the use of talking?" he said abruptly, with an expres 
 sion of disgust upon his face. 
 
 Lankey George reached for the paper and, after a 
 moment, remarked : "I see that Roundsman O Sulli- 
 van received a " Here he halted a moment, re 
 flecting, though without changing the position of his 
 paper. It had just occurred to him that this O Sulli- 
 van was former Patrolman O Sullivan, who had 
 gained his promotion to roundsman principally at 
 Harry s cost, and he did not care to recall those sad 
 experiences to his friend. 
 
 Harry had not caught the officer s name, nor did 
 he expect any cause for repression, so he blandly 
 asked : "What did you say the roundsman received ?" 
 
 "He acted so brutally with his night-stick in dealing 
 with strikers and sympathizers that a gang assailed 
 him. He was kicked and beaten so he is not expected 
 to live." 
 
 "I am sorry for the poor fellow," cried Harry, 
 "though I do not approve of police officers taking an 
 active hand in such matters one way or another, be 
 yond protecting the innocent public. Who knows but 
 that those uniformed officers might themselves either 
 have been among the scabs or among the strikers if 
 circumstances had not favored them better?" 
 
 "You are talking good sense," said Lankey. He 
 
 100
 
 C6e Lfttle Sufferers! 
 
 would have said more, but just then May entered. 
 Their eyes met, and he thought of something else. 
 
 The meal having been finished, May wanted to clear 
 the table and wash up. "Say, child," said Lankey, 
 "I m not born to do a woman s work, nor do I like a 
 man who does it unless on stated occasion ; but I think 
 you are entitled to a little rest while Harry and I do 
 our own cleaning up. I have cooked and washed 
 dishes many a time when I found it part of my duty, 
 and I can do it again, and I am sure my friend can 
 do it, too. If you ll let us look out for this end of the 
 house a little while I will feel you do me a favor," he 
 ended smilingly, and lightly pushed her away. 
 
 This was much to Harry s liking; household duties 
 were to him not altogether new. Though he would 
 prefer a hard day s physical labor to a woman s mo 
 notonous work, he had, like good men among the poor 
 class where servants are not within reach, given a 
 hand now and then to relieve his wife, whose cares 
 with the children at times overburdened her. Both of 
 these strong men thereupon began to clear the table 
 and wash their dishes and put them in place, as though 
 it were their customary work. Upon the end of their 
 task May had returned from the sick room and nat 
 urally complimented them. 
 
 Both men now lit their pipes and re-seated them 
 selves at the table. Harry drew the court summons 
 from his pocket and handed it to George, asking him 
 the meaning of it. At the same time he handed him 
 the letter he had received from the Juvenile System 
 a few days previously. 
 
 "Why, of course this complaint," quickly replied 
 Lankey, "is the Juvenile System against you, and not 
 the People, as it reads. I m not a lawyer, but I dare 
 say upon common reason that they have no more right 
 
 101
 
 Cjjc Little 
 
 to use the claim of the people than any other private 
 concern that may sue you. To be sure," he continued, 
 "the courts and judges commit children to the insti 
 tution, but private as it is in its tenor, where neither 
 books nor accounts are open for public inspection, I 
 doubt much that any higher court would find the term 
 legal. Nay, I doubt if the true interpretation was put 
 to the Constitution of the United States, if it would 
 not be found that the commitment by the judges and 
 all the System s courses are illegal. It is as though 
 the Juvenile System rules and regulates our courts 
 and judges (which it does, however) and take pro 
 ceedings above the statutes and it makes a dishcloth 
 out of the Constitution of the land." 
 
 "Well, what would you advise me to do?" 
 "Why, Harry, if you pay the Juvenile System s de 
 mand they profit by it and will continue to hold the 
 children in order to have you to draw on, and again 
 you take your chance. The court may impose a sen 
 tence upon you at from one to three months in the 
 workhouse. The Juvenile System people have every 
 thing to gain and nothing to lose. It reaches out for 
 the children to have a full house of young ones. Of 
 course, it is rather a show-card for them to have a 
 big stall of youngsters. Philanthropists and the char 
 itably inclined donate out of good faith in their wish 
 to provide good homes for the little ones. Were the 
 institution empty, the contributions would cease; nat 
 urally it is part of the System s scheme to have their 
 hopper full to show off with, and they generally at 
 tack and reach out for the better poor so they can levy 
 on both sides. While the donors give to the institu 
 tion s support, the System, with aid of courts and 
 judges, impose board money upon the parents of the 
 unfortunate children. It leaves, as you see, a surplus 
 from both sides, which is ample for the directors and 
 
 102
 
 C6e Little 
 
 officers of the institution to live on like lords and grand 
 dukes among the swells at Newport and Tuxedo or 
 to travel abroad and mix among London s aristo 
 crats." 
 
 "My observation has been that the System never 
 reaches out for the real poor where there is absolutely 
 no chance to collect board money. If such are thrust 
 upon them, they manage to serf them out to far west 
 ern farms and in turn draw upon these for dona 
 tions. Another note which has come before me is that 
 stupid, incorrigible, backward, crippled, or deformed 
 children, or anyone the least lacking physically or 
 mentally, this Juvenile System manages to shove over 
 upon the community or public charity. Furthermore, 
 any who, through ill treatment in the Juvenile Sys 
 tem, where frequently children decline physically or 
 mentally or otherwise, and thus become a burden to 
 the System, are sent to Randalls Island wards or 
 public supporting quarters. 
 
 "The Juvenile institution s greediness is in all in 
 stances linked with shame. The practices in some are, 
 besides, inhuman and indecent," continued he. "It is 
 a fact that girls with luxurious growths of pretty hair 
 have suffered the injury of being sheared and their 
 pretty locks have been disposed of by the System s 
 officials to the highest bidder among the dealers in 
 human hair. The System s revenue upon that score is 
 said to be tremendous, but can only be guessed at. The 
 records of the Randalls Island wards, the System s 
 handy agent, where the shearing is done, could prob 
 ably disclose how many crops of marketable hair is 
 trimmed and turned over to the Juvenile officers. 
 
 "The System wants all the benefit there is in it. It 
 means much to have a strong, clean stock of children. 
 These little serfs with their own labor practically 
 work the home farm at Hastings Hill, New York, 
 
 103
 
 C6e Little S>ufferer0 
 
 and support the institution and themselves. Thus all 
 money reaching the institution from private donors 
 and forced from children s parents is practically clean 
 profit. Besides, our State government pays into the 
 System s treasury fifty thousand dollars per year. It 
 is a huge shame," he went on, in bitter anger, "that a 
 people of our day can be so imposed upon. It uses; 
 nay, rules, our public courts, judges, hospitals, and 
 wards. It exacts money from the public treasury; it 
 draws money from poor parents; it deceives and de 
 frauds the generously inclined out of handsome sums 
 of money; but, worst of all, it half feeds and over 
 works these little immature children so that upon their 
 release they are like withered flowers, all nature and 
 spirit is crushed out of them, criminally tainted, worth 
 less and useless ; they die a burden to themselves and 
 to society," ended he, wiping away a dew of perspira 
 tion which had found its way through his sincere and 
 passionate argument. He would probably have said 
 more, but just then May brought a letter and laid it 
 in front of Mr. O Neil. 
 
 May again withdrew, though only after having ex 
 changed a few happy glances with George. That they 
 were fast growing into a deep affection for each other 
 was easily discerned. Harry opened the letter while 
 Lankey, like a boy of twenty, rested his cheeks be 
 tween his two flat hands with the elbows resting upon 
 his knees. 
 
 "It s a pass from the Juvenile System allowing me 
 to visit my Willie to-morrow," happily exclaimed 
 Harry, looking at his friend s peculiar position, though 
 without taking particular notice. 
 
 "What what what did you say?" quickly said 
 Lankey, straightening himself and smiling, though 
 whether he smiled from a dear reflection of May Thorn 
 ton, or from finding himself in so awkward a position, 
 
 104
 
 JLittlc 
 
 he did not disclose. However, Harry repeated his 
 words. 
 
 May again entered the room where they sat, as 
 Mrs. O Neil was sleeping quietly. She took out from 
 a closet a sewing basket, and, seating herself at the 
 table, began to mend a gown which Mrs. O Neil had 
 torn. Harry told her of the pass and of his desire to 
 go and visit the boy in the morning, as long as she 
 was so kind as to stay with his sick wife. 
 
 "I love Mrs. O Neil as a sister, and would give my 
 life to save her. I shall not leave the house until she 
 is able to be up and about. I promised her that, and 
 I ll keep my word," said May earnestly. 
 
 "I ll take a trip with you up to Hastings Hills, 
 Harry," said Lankey. 
 
 "And I ll have a nice supper ready for you both 
 when you return home," chimed in May. 
 
 "Well, you and May can have a talk by yourselves 
 while I go out to the stores and buy something for 
 the little fellow to make him happy with upon our 
 visit," said O Neil, leaving the room. 
 
 The little chat that May and Lankey had we can 
 reasonably imagine was a happy one, and to their 
 liking. Both were flushed and red-cheeked and looked 
 as happy as young spooners when Harry presently re 
 turned. After enjoying tea together and having some 
 more discussion, Lankey went home. O Neil took up 
 his night quarters in a spare bedroom, while May 
 joined Mrs. O Neil. 
 
 105
 
 C&e Little 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 A VISIT TO HASTINGS FARM. 
 
 Sunday was beautifully bright, and it added cheer 
 to Harry O Neil in his proposed visit. Though his 
 sick wife could not share with him the joy of the jour 
 ney to her boy, she at least showed animation at his 
 going. For the first time since she took to her bed 
 she sat in an upright position, though weak and scant 
 of breath, she spoke a good deal before he departed. 
 Her talk consisted of longing expressions and hopes 
 of future reunion, and as Harry kissed her good-by 
 it was as though her soul and heart accompanied him. 
 She fell back upon the pillow, exhausted at her effort, 
 but her face was full of expression, ^and there was a 
 cheerful and hopeful cast in her eyes. 
 
 Harry went about with a happy, light heart. The 
 flicker of life and hope within his wife had added a 
 fortune in joy to him, and the prospect of seeing his 
 boy gave life a roseate hue. Despite his weight of 
 suffering, it was a happy day, and what would it not 
 be for his poor boy, he fondly pictured. Tucking his 
 bundle of precious little gifts under his arm, he and 
 Lankey set out for the Hastings farms. 
 
 "I m so happy, dear May, for that supper you prom 
 ised us upon our return," smilingly remarked George, 
 as the girl bade them good-by. 
 
 "You cannot anticipate it more than I do." She 
 went to the front window and watched the pair till 
 they turned the corner. 
 
 Lankey also had bought some fruit and candies for 
 the boy and also a dozen two-cent stamps. Harry did 
 not quite see the necessity of bringing stamps along. 
 He thought at least if writing was permitted that the 
 
 106
 
 C&e Little 
 
 inmates would receive free postage from the institu 
 tion, as long as they had no chance to earn it. 
 
 "Ah, yes, earn it," said Lankey, with some little 
 force. "They earn it, all right. There are boys there 
 who work as much as a man, but get only one cent a 
 day." 
 
 "One cent a day? You are jesting," exclaimed 
 Harry, in a doubtful tone. 
 
 "Why, it s like this. Boys in the institution are put 
 to work and must work. The lads may be kept there 
 until they are twenty-one years of age, and the law 
 prescribes that even a prisoner must get a certain 
 compensation for his work. To be within the law, the 
 System had adopted a minimum scale of one cent per 
 day, though some earn and are worth as much as 
 three dollars per day. As to writing being permitted, 
 it is to the extent that letters have to pass the censor 
 ship of the institution. Never a letter goes in or out 
 of the institution that is not opened and read by the 
 censors. If matters therein from either side is not 
 satisfactory to the System, the letter is destroyed." 
 
 "Why, I can hardly believe it !" cried Harry, in sur 
 prise and disgust. "It would be a federal offence to 
 withhold or open mail. These inmates are not mur 
 derers. Even if the institution could be looked upon 
 as a lawful guardian, laws do not give it the right to 
 open and withhold mail." 
 
 "Well, they do it, nevertheless," was all Lankey 
 answered. 
 
 Each bought a paper and boarded the train, and for 
 some little while both sat scanning the news. Sud 
 denly Lankey brought Harry s attention to a para 
 graph, which read : "Candidate for the Assembly, Jack 
 Stevenson, the former police officer, whose dismissal 
 from the force was laid to the Juvenile System, has 
 driven the first nail into the coffin. The governor has
 
 Cfje Little >ufferer0 
 
 appointed a commission to look into the treatment of 
 the unfortunate inmates of the Juvenile System, and 
 also its methods of acquiring custody of the chil 
 dren." 
 
 Three columns were devoted to explaining various 
 accusations and complaints. The article spoke de 
 cidedly against the Juvenile System, and expressed the 
 warmest approval of Jack s action, with wishes of all 
 success in his efforts to bring to light the facts. 
 
 O Neil was joyous to hear it, and read the matter 
 through twice. Lankey George, too, felt pleased, and 
 he would have given much to have been assured of 
 Jack Stevenson s success in ending the System s prac 
 tice. Lankey had not forgotten Jack s kind turn in 
 his difficulty, and there was perhaps no man he wished 
 stronger success. But he was skeptical of any suc 
 cess in "showing up" or retarding the System s prac 
 tice and progress. He remembered several attempts 
 upon the part of reformers and investigators, but the 
 backing and influence of the Juvenile institution upon 
 every turn was able to vindicate it. The commissions 
 were wined and dined and shown other favors by the 
 rich directors of the System, and these attentions on 
 all occasions secured a general good report. Lankey s 
 observation had been that after every investigation the 
 System had so riveted its armor, as to be able to defy 
 both the public and the Constitution. It would take 
 nothing less from a Martinique calamity to right con 
 ditions and wipe out the Juvenile System. 
 
 Lankey, however, did not wish to discourage his 
 friend, nor could he lend himself to give false hopes. 
 Carelessly he said: "If Jack Stevenson carries out 
 what others have failed in, he has more than earned 
 what he will get the gratitude of tens of thousands 
 for no better man than Jack ever trod within the As 
 sembly chamber." 
 
 108
 
 Cfje Little Sufferers; 
 
 "But he s only a candidate," reminded Harry. 
 
 "Oh, that s so; I forgot," corrected Lankey; "but 
 whatever failure or success he may meet with here 
 after, the general feeling is now that he will be 
 elected." 
 
 "He was the officer who was on trial for beating me, 
 was he not?" 
 
 "Yes, but I believe he was the innocent one," re 
 sponded Lankey, with warmth. 
 
 "It s a pity that I was not there. I swear that I 
 
 could pick the brute among " Here he abruptly 
 
 halted. His features changed with surprise. He had 
 turned a page of his paper and recognized Jack Stev 
 enson s picture. "Oh, why," he cried, gathering him 
 self, "that man saved my life! Another officer jumped 
 on top of my breast, and this man pulled him off with 
 a warning to act humanly, but after that all was blank 
 to me." 
 
 "Too bad, too bad ; but he ll be vindicated yet," sadly 
 noted Lankey. 
 
 "It will be a happy day of my life if I can aid him," 
 nodded Harry. 
 
 At this point of their conversation they had reached 
 the end of their journey by rail. They had yet a great 
 distance of ground to cover by foot, as the so-termed 
 Juvenile Village was located in the centre of the great 
 stretch of farm land, and lay farther on. The extreme 
 outer parts were obscure wilderness, hilly and over 
 grown with underbrush. The System had shrewdly 
 selected a model place, in that it required more than 
 a youngster s skill to find a straight road in order to 
 escape. Nervy and venturesome boys, who have at 
 tempted this, have nearly always been apprehended 
 before reaching the outer limits. 
 
 A handsome, broad, well-tended automobile track 
 ran to the main village, but this was too far and too 
 
 109
 
 Cije Little Sufferer* 
 
 roundabout for pedestrians, its use being designed for 
 the rich directors and officials, and wealthy contribu 
 tors and public men of standing. Visitors, approach 
 ing thus, were apt to wonder at the coziness and com 
 fort which the children of the underworld were de 
 riving gratis. 
 
 Of course, poor parents had no money for automo 
 bile hire. Weak mothers, who were the most frequent 
 visitors, took any or all courses through rough ground, 
 brush, and underwood, with an occasional rest here 
 and there till, tired and footsore, they reached the 
 sanctum of their children s destiny. Harry and George 
 followed this same unrelied track. They had, how 
 ever, the advantage that the sun shone clear, which 
 stood for them as a compass; it saved them many a 
 turn which a dark and sultry day would have caused. 
 
 The monotony was interrupted only now and then 
 by the sight of a tired, sickly mother with a child or 
 two by her side, resting upon a rock or fallen log. 
 These were upon the same mission as Harry and 
 George, but had not the same physical advantages. 
 
 After a few more turns Harry and his companion 
 finally caught sight of the distant cottages, a place of 
 child serfdom. The distant prospect was most beauti 
 ful with lines of handsomely built cottages, modest and 
 neat in architecture, independently arranged. Each 
 was surrounded with pretty little lawns and flower 
 beds, and had well-tended pathways leading to both 
 entrances. The houses on either side had a front view. 
 The shingles of the roof and the portals and exterior 
 walls and woodwork showed no lack of paint. The 
 windows were shaded and curtained. In fact, the 
 sight bespoke neatness and excellent care, and appar 
 ently was a fit place to house a king s son. 
 
 Harry s heart leaped with joy as they neared the 
 cottages. He was happy at the thought of meeting 
 
 no
 
 Cfte Little 
 
 his son and the appearance of the home banished his 
 fears of his boy s well being. Had his dear wife only 
 been along to see the condition under which their boy 
 was kept, it would at least, to some extent, have re 
 lieved her mind. But he was glad that he would have 
 some good news to take home. 
 
 Neither spoke as they walked in the direction of the 
 cottages. Lankey guessed his friend s thoughts, but 
 did not care to shake his views, for fear of depressing 
 his spirit upon meeting his boy. 
 
 The cottages were arranged and known by numbers, 
 and were some fifty rods apart from one another. 
 The one in which Willie O Neil was assigned with 
 nineteen other boys, was known as No. 40. Upon 
 inquiry the cottage was pointed out. The two visitors 
 turned into the neat path towards the entrance and 
 pressed the electric button. Harry hugged his bundle 
 tight as he heard sounds at the door. His heart, beat 
 ing with hope that it was his boy whom he longed to 
 embrace. 
 
 The door was opened by a boy. It was not Willie, 
 but a lad about a year or so younger. They were 
 ushered within and invited to take a seat in the sitting 
 room till the matron came. The interior of this pretty 
 cottage corresponded with the exterior. The recep 
 tion or sitting room in which they sat was remarkable 
 for neatness and taste ; the flooring was inlaid parquet, 
 the walls laid in hardwood panels halfway to the ceil 
 ing, the remaining half was covered with heavy furred 
 burlap. The room was furnished with light rockers 
 and easy chairs. In the centre was placed a Japanese 
 pedestal upon which stood a beautiful winged palm- 
 leaf tree. At the end of the sitting room, which ran 
 oblong, were two pretty panelled sliding doors which 
 stood open to afford visitors a view of the cleanness 
 and tidiness with which they were arranged. 
 
 Ill
 
 Little >ufferer0 
 
 On the left, as they entered, was a larger one, this 
 being the children s dining room. It held a half dozen 
 tables, with four chairs to each, arranged at suitable 
 intervals and giving ample space for comfort. The 
 furniture was hardwood, and there were handsomely 
 polished tables. All had pretty white damask, newly 
 laundered coverings ; on each was placed a silver cas 
 ter. The ceiling was bluish white, the walls were 
 panelled three-quarters up to the ceiling. The win 
 dow panes and woodwork were free from specks of 
 dust and the hardwood flooring was polished and re 
 flected as though it were a mirror. Everything showed 
 scrupulous cleanliness, and could not help command 
 ing approval at a glance. 
 
 The other room upon the left, the boys library, was 
 somewhat smaller. In the centre stood a large, oblong 
 table covered with writing material and illustrated 
 pamphlets. A bookcase, which contained forty or fifty 
 books, was placed against the wall between two win 
 dows. All within, too, looked as span and clean as 
 though it knew no occupants, yet distributed about the 
 room were sixteen or eighteen boys. An observer 
 could not at first thought fail to be impressed with the 
 extreme care and neatness which must affect the minds 
 of the young who came within its influence. 
 
 One wing of the floor above was occupied by the 
 matron, and the other as a sleeping apartment for the 
 detained boys, and this was connected with a broad 
 staircase railed with turned baluster. The newel- 
 post in the lower end of the stairway, which was di 
 rectly in front of the sitting room, was handsomely 
 carved. On its top arose a heavy electric bulb which 
 was rested upon a crown. 
 
 The whole gave an impression that it could not be 
 a detaining place for bad or wild boys ; it seemed more 
 like that of a sunny retreat for little angels. Harry 
 
 112
 
 Little 
 
 O Neil looked at it all with amazement, and momen 
 tarily he forgot his mission. As he recovered he 
 thought that it was not possible that his boy could be 
 put in so fine a place. He looked about at all the 
 youngsters who wore neat blue uniforms with brass 
 buttons and behaved like gentlemen. "This must be 
 some one of the director s home, and these neat chaps 
 must be visitors or relatives of the better class," he 
 mused. 
 
 Lankey remarked his perplexity, and said : "The 
 whole thing is a game ; but I shan t tell you just yet." 
 
 Harry did not have to wait long before learning 
 something. While they were sitting awaiting the 
 matron to present to her the permit to visit, one of the 
 youngsters in his slippers which he wore, upon his 
 tiptoes, walked to where they sat and in a whisper 
 asked if they were to visit any one in their cottage. 
 
 "Willie O Neil is in this cottage, is he not?" quickly 
 queried Harry. 
 
 "Yes, but but he is " he stuttered, looking 
 
 around. "Well, you better see the matron. If I was 
 to speak a word without permission I d be clipped into 
 the drill squad over in the fifth ward on a sixty days 
 turn." He spoke, in a suppressed tone, and furtively 
 watched the stairway in which direction the matron 
 was expected to appear. 
 
 Harry s heart sunk as he wondered what it could 
 mean. His son s absence; this little boy s fearful and 
 guarded manner, and his mention of punishment, drill 
 squad, and the fifth ward. These thoughts flashed 
 upon him with his eyes meeting this extremely neat 
 home with apparently nothing wanting to give the 
 appearance of true benevolence. What could he think ? 
 
 Awakening from his first blow, he was determined 
 that he would learn more of the inside conditions. 
 To give no show of fear for his boy s safety and the
 
 Cije Little Sufferers; 
 
 conditions under which he now lived, in a pretended 
 carelessness, he said : "You boys have pretty nice times 
 here, and a neat and tidy home." 
 
 "Gee, mister, if you only knew !" whispered the 
 boy. "We are put in our good clothes on Sunday to 
 show off for some o them big guys what come in 
 automobiles and other visitors. But we cannot go 
 outside the place nor stir from the room. Instead 
 of going outside to play, we must sit and read the old 
 books over and over again. It makes a feller sick," 
 he ended, in disgust, as he threw another look at the 
 stairway. 
 
 In a whisper, he proceeded : "Dem fine floors, stairs, 
 walls, and windows, and all that junk o brass we must 
 scrub clean and polish all the time and every day, so 
 our knees and hands blister and our backs ache like 
 anything. It s all well for you folks coming up ter see 
 it, to cut up bout a nice home and a clean shack, but 
 we boys have to do it," he said reproachfully, having 
 mistaken Harry s view. "We can t even walk, but 
 must sit for fear of scrapin the floor. If we talk 
 the matron scolds us and reports us to the Super. 
 And that means a spell in the drill squad in the fifth 
 ward," he continued expressively, as he pointed out 
 through the windows toward a large brick building. 
 
 Harry was about to ask further information about 
 the fifth ward and the drill squad, but was hindered 
 as the lad resumed: "You see them fine table cloths? 
 If a feller should happen to spill a drop of bean soup 
 on it, it s good-by to him. And the stuff we get to 
 eat is so rank that we can t eat it, and then we don t 
 get much of anything but the same mince every day." 
 
 "Sure, mister, what we get we work hard for," he 
 continued ; "some of us what works always in the cot 
 tages are chased out of our bunks every morning at four 
 
 114
 
 Cfje JLittle >tifferer$ 
 
 o clock and have to begin to set the tables and then go 
 way up on the road to the bake house and kitchen and 
 fetch the grub for us and the matron. Then we have 
 to clean and scrub and set tables again and again for 
 grub, and then clean, wash, and scrub, and again " 
 
 "Don t you go to school?" broke in Harry. 
 
 "Gee, school? A couple Misses what don t know 
 nothing about nothing sit and read a book and then 
 we go to sleep, but that is only about three hours a 
 day sometimes. The rest of the time we work, either 
 in the cottages making beds, house-cleaning, or over 
 in the bake shop and kitchen, or in the tailor shop or 
 shoe shop, or in the garden or cutting grass, hoeing 
 potatoes or other work in the field. When it rains 
 them fellers what work outside are sent in and clean 
 pig-pens or other work. Gee whiz! we have to work 
 here, all right," he came, with a shake of his head. 
 "If I was working like that in the city I d make lots 
 of money, you bet," he ended, with a nod of assur 
 ance. 
 
 "How old are you ?" asked Harry. 
 
 "I m thirteen years, but lots of smaller boys work as 
 hard as I do, and there s big fellers, too, as big as you, 
 mister. They mostly work on the farms, and don t get 
 nothing for it." 
 
 "It s all work and no play with you boys," remarked 
 Lankey sadly. 
 
 "You re right, mister, but nobody believes it. Them 
 old guys coming up in their automobiles and fine car 
 riages think we do nothin but eat and sleep and go 
 to school, and they praise the matrons and the Super 
 for all the work they don t do nothing of. And then 
 they come oncet in a while and speak down in the hall 
 near the ferry, and tell us about how lucky we are. 
 The minister in the church tells us to pray for our
 
 Ci)e Little Sufferers 
 
 good home and thank the good people giving it to us. 
 Gee whiz! it s tough, ain t it?" he ended, shrugging 
 his shoulders. 
 
 "How long are you here for?" asked Harry. 
 
 "Search me, boss," replied the lad; "we re all here 
 for so long as they can keep us, I guess. If our par 
 ents don t send no money and clothes to the institu 
 tion, they try to tell us that there is some rich farmers 
 out West who wants to adopt us and give us a good 
 home with plenty of fruit, candy, and good clothes. 
 But no Westloe for me; this is tough enough." 
 
 "What do you mean by Westloe?" asked Harry. 
 
 "Three of the bugs what runs this business sits in 
 the room up in the office buildin one day each month 
 and have some of us lads, what they think will go 
 west on farms, up and see them. They tell us our 
 parents are drunkards and bad, and we ought to go 
 out West. That is what we call Westloe." 
 
 "Won t you tell us about the fifth ward and the drill 
 squad ?" 
 
 "Gee! that s a hole," exclaimed he; "we are sent 
 there for doin nothin . I was there once for pickin 
 an apple and eatin it when I worked on the farm, and 
 one time we had a drill practice for paradin on the 
 anniversary day. My old man happened to come up 
 ter see me ; he had no visitin permit, as they don t 
 grant them always, but he walked over near the pa- 
 raders. I spied him and turned my head just a little 
 bit like this" here the lad turned his head in a one- 
 eighth position from a straight point. "Gee! the 
 Monitor hit me awful hard. After the parade day I 
 got sixty days in the fifth ward, but got off thirty 
 days for good drill." Here he halted a moment, and 
 then continued: "Fifth ward is a ranker, you bet! 
 There s always a dozen or more there. It s on the loft 
 over the powerhouse. We drill all day from six 
 
 116
 
 C6e JLittle >ufferet0 
 
 o clock mornin to dark ; no chairs, no bench, nothing 
 to sit on, and nothing to lay on exceptin the floor and 
 we get a half quilt to sleep on sometimes when it s 
 real, real cold" he indicated with a shudder "and 
 only water and dry bread all the time. Beatin and 
 kickin fer ours if we get tired. Sometimes we have 
 to stand with both arms outstretched for fifteen min 
 utes, so it gets black before our eyes. It hurted me 
 onct so in my back and on the left side of my breast 
 that I dropped and the blood ntnned out of my nose 
 like anything. For fear of a beatin , I asked permis 
 sion to go to the toilet, where I rested a few minutes ; 
 then the Monitor came and slapped me a good one 
 and made me run round the floor for a long, long 
 while. Gee !" 
 
 "Are visitors allowed in your fifth ward?" asked 
 Lankey. 
 
 "You bet no ! Not even the fine ladies and big guys 
 what come up ter see the place. They are shown about 
 by the matron and Super, and only around inside 
 here, and in our bedroom, which looks real fine. And 
 then as they stand and look at the cottages and the 
 fine little gardens, they smile to each other, and say 
 something what we don t hear nothing of. Then go 
 away." 
 
 "When is the anniversary day?" 
 
 "Next month; but it ain t for nobody but the fine 
 people and their family and big judges. We are 
 walkin up and down for them like sholdiers, and make 
 motions with hands up and down like real sholdiers 
 what s in the army," he answered. "But it ain t for 
 our parents and anybody what ain t invited," he said, 
 in a warning tone. 
 
 "Can you tell me something about Willie O Neil?" 
 asked Harry finally. 
 
 Again he cast a glance at the stairway, and in the 
 117
 
 JLfttle 
 
 same cautious tone continued: "Gee! don t tell any 
 thing what I told you to nobody; or it ll be all up 
 with me." 
 
 Harry assured him of their silence and bade him to 
 go on. 
 
 "Willie and another lad what the matron calls 
 Piggy, cause he can always eat, and cries cause he 
 can t get enough," began he, "were sent to the ferry 
 for mail for the office. Some one had broken open a 
 chew-gum box and taken som t of it out. Piggy was 
 seen chewing gum and he got the blame, though he 
 said he didn t, and Willie was sent sixty days in the 
 drill squad in fifth ward, cause he wouldn t say Piggy 
 took it. I wouldn t have squealed anyhow. Would 
 you ?" he asked, and then he went on : "We never get 
 much of anything nice anyhow, even if our parents 
 bring us sompt in and our matron don t like us. 
 Sometimes she keeps it for us and when we want it 
 she sells it to us for the few pennies " 
 
 The lad abruptly broke off. Steps were heard upon 
 the upper landing. Lightly, and as quick as a cat, he 
 bounded from the visiting room into the library, picked 
 up a book, and pretended he was quietly studying. 
 The other lads, who, in their free spell of oversight, 
 had been tiptoeing about and whispering to each other, 
 likewise quickly sought seats. Whether reading or 
 not, none ever dared to gaze aside from his book while 
 the matron was there. 
 
 "Well, well, how do you do? Pleasant day, isn t 
 it?" said the matron in a most affable manner, with 
 smiles and a bow to Harry and Lankey, who, in re 
 turn, responded : "Well, I suppose you are up to see 
 your boys? Have you with you your visiting per 
 mits ?" she inquired, before their bow had ended. 
 
 As Harry handed her the permit she pleasantly 
 118
 
 &e Little 
 
 bade them be seated, and, as she unfolded the permit, 
 she made a slight motion with the hand, and said: 
 "Don t you think this is a pleasant home for the boys ? 
 Why, why, Willie O Neil? You are Mr. O Neil, I 
 suppose? Glad to see you," she followed up, as she 
 noted the name, and slightly tinged her tone with 
 sadness : "But I am very sorry, for I feai you cannot 
 see the boy to-day he " 
 
 She halted a moment, and with more ease said : "He 
 is put away over in another building with some other 
 boys for an infraction upon our rules. We don t pun 
 ish children, but we simply make them understand that 
 they must obey, and have at times to put them aside 
 to shame themselves. You understand?" 
 
 Harry O Neil had by the little lad s tale been pre 
 pared for the worst, and the shock did not unnerve 
 him. On the contrary, he could barely compose him 
 self from anger. He finally demanded : "The visiting 
 permit states I can see my son this day. I must see 
 him, and I demand to be shown him." 
 
 "No, the visiting permit says you may, but not nec 
 essarily that you can," responded the matron. "If you 
 wish, however, you can go to the office building, where 
 you can see the superintendent, or some one else. I 
 can do nothing further for you." 
 
 It took but a few minutes for them to reach the of 
 fice building. The superintendent happened to be 
 present, and he met them with measured curtness. 
 He was used to meeting similar disappointed and 
 grieved parents, and made it a rule to be short. "I 
 cannot help it; the matter does not lay with me. The 
 boy is punished for insubordination " 
 
 "For not telling a " broke in Harry hastily ; but 
 
 stopped short as he suddenly remembered that the lit 
 tle informant in the cottage had requested him not to 
 tell of their talk. 
 
 119
 
 Cfje JLfttle Sufferer* 
 
 "What? For not telling a what, did you say?" 
 flurried the superintendent. 
 
 "For not telling me not to waste my time and money 
 to come all the way up here to suffer a disappoint 
 ment," with a flash, replied O Neil. 
 
 The superintendent appeared satisfied, and said : 
 Well, we can t help these things; you wrote for a 
 permit, and the clerk sent it ; we have no special meth 
 od to compare applications for visits and infractious 
 children. You must take your chances on that, my 
 friend," he ended, shrugging his shoulders. 
 
 Much discouraged, Harry now pleaded : "Is there 
 no way I can see my boy to-day? His mother is in 
 bed and very sick, and will feel disappointed. And I 
 have brought him some little things that would please 
 him, so it will be a great joy, both for him and me, to 
 meet just for a greeting and good cheer. His 
 mother " 
 
 "It s no use arguing; our rule forbids it. When 
 children are under discipline no one can see them. 
 Parents in this particular instance play no role. Our 
 System is by court and law appointed the child s 
 guardian. If you have any clothing or matters to give 
 him, you can leave it with the matron at his cottage. 
 Upon the end of his discipline, it will be handed to 
 him." This speech was delivered abruptly ; and, with 
 a bow, he said : "Good-by, gentlemen." Whereupon 
 he returned to an inner room in the office building and 
 closed the door. 
 
 Lankey had not spoken a word throughout. "It s 
 no use knocking your head against a stone wall, 
 Harry," he said, touching upon the shoulders his 
 friend, who stood dumb and paralyzed. 
 
 But still wishing to leave the remembrances for his 
 lad, at such a time as he would be free, they returned 
 to the cottage where he delivered his package to the 
 
 1 20
 
 C6e Little Sufferer* 
 
 matron, begging her to give it to Willie as soon as 
 the rule permitted. 
 
 It was still early. Broken-hearted and disgusted, 
 and cursing the System and its rules, Harry stag 
 gered homeward. The disappointment, anger, and 
 impressions received had momentarily weakened him, 
 so he was forced to grasp Lankey s arm for support. 
 
 Beautiful nature, which had so enlivened Harry 
 upon his morning start, had not suffered with him. 
 The sun shone just as brilliantly. The sparrows and 
 humming-birds and other feathered things of joy flew 
 from branch to branch, hopping and chirping. Chip 
 munks and squirrels played hide-and-seek on the 
 branches and boughs. 
 
 It was as though kindness and beauty and love were 
 expressed in all creation. But within Harry was a 
 gnawing, unsatisfied sense of longing and a baffled 
 hope. His hopes were scattered ; upon his return home 
 he was to crush out the last glow of life held within 
 his wife. He had nothing to convey her but sad tales 
 of miserable torture which must befall her son. Worst 
 of all, he had not been permitted to hear or see him; 
 if, indeed, he was still among the living. 
 
 Physically strong and powerful as Harry was, he 
 could not stand upon his feet, so deadening was his 
 despair. Without speaking, he pointed to Lankey to 
 take a seat, and, exhausted, sank upon a log. His 
 friend read his thoughts and knew his feeling. Laying 
 his arm upon Harry s shoulder, he said : "Dear friend, 
 I feel for you; I know what you would say if you 
 could speak. Your mind is in a tumult; but calm 
 yourself; you have yet not foundered upon the reef." 
 
 "Thank you, good friend; it is perhaps a weakness 
 not becoming a man, but I cannot help it," answered 
 Harry, a bit relieved. "I love my home, I love my 
 children, and I love my wife. But she will never sur- 
 
 121
 
 C&e Little 
 
 vive the shock of to-day, and I shall have lost all. I 
 stand with a shattered past and a broken future." 
 
 "Ah, it s far from being a weakness; nor is it a 
 coward s trait to fight the battle you have fought, but 
 whatever be your sorrows of the past, they will aid 
 you in the future," said Lankey. "I suffered the loss 
 of my children as you did. Their lives were lost to 
 me upon far western farms. My poor wife was be 
 reft of her mind. She was not strong enough to 
 carry the load, and so I lost my home and all that was 
 dear to me. Though it left me a broken pathway and 
 scars in life, it has added to my heart s depth and 
 soul s capacities. The pleasure I have in being with 
 you in this, your trouble, more than rewards me for 
 all my sorrows." 
 
 "Good friend, George, I will bear it all with a brave 
 heart," answered Harry, much encouraged. "Life is 
 but a short span, a tick of eternity. Shall dawn of 
 yonder shores meet me, I shall feel that my life has 
 not been wasted," he said, as he arose, followed by 
 Lankey. 
 
 These little thoughts which had eliminated from the 
 pair, much inspired and refreshed them. It dispelled 
 the deep sadness which had settled over Harry, and 
 relieved his friend Lankey, who shared the pains with 
 him. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 RED HOOK DAN CONNORS* LETTER. 
 
 As Harry expected, Mrs. O Neil suffered a relapse 
 upon his return from the Juvenile Farm on Hastings 
 Hills, for she had strongly cherished hopes of news 
 of her boy. 
 
 Time passed, but little May Thornton stood pa 
 tiently by her. The poor woman felt a cheer with 
 
 122
 
 C6e Little 
 
 May beside her, and for hours they would sit and 
 lightly discourse, but their talk would always drift back 
 to her lost children. May felt hopeful that the children 
 would soon be restored to her, and never ceased to as 
 sure the lamenting mother that the day was not far off, 
 bidding her have courage and patience. 
 
 In her prayers May never failed to plead for the 
 children s return, and she laid awake till many a mid 
 night racking her little head with thoughts of means 
 by which she could get the little ones returned. Some 
 times she would plan to disguise herself as a Sister of 
 Charity and carry them away. As such she knew she 
 would be permitted access and freedom anywhere, and 
 in particular in homes of the System, which caters 
 to anything that can aid its false benevolence. An 
 other time she planned to obtain a position as servant 
 in the home of the System, and thus find means to 
 get away with the little ones. Once she urged her 
 oldest brother, a strong favorite among his associates, 
 to join in politics and use his influence among leaders 
 and high politicians to intercede for the release of the 
 O Neil children. 
 
 Naturally she confided all her plans to Lankey 
 George. Their love had grown so they had reached to 
 an understanding that they were to marry as soon as 
 the O Neil home had been restored. Though Lankey 
 did not discourage her various plans, he put no faith 
 therein. The children were at different stations, and 
 a plot to recapture them must be carried out simul 
 taneously. May s hope of obtaining a position as serv 
 ant in the System s home was not at all probable. 
 George urged as reason that the Juvenile System, 
 which has its lockers full of little slaves for each of 
 which it draws pay and can at any time reach its fangs 
 for more, would hire no one on pay, not even for free 
 board.
 
 Cfte JUttle Sufferers 
 
 The plan that her older brother should take a hand 
 in local politics and make a mark around the primar 
 ies and polls appealed to George. "Politicians and 
 the Juvenile System reciprocate ; if you control many 
 votes, you can make a demand upon your district 
 leader." 
 
 One morning May Thornton received a note from 
 Red Hook Dan Connors. It began with a slight re 
 proach for not acting in his favor in court upon the 
 day Lankey George was on trial for having beaten 
 him, but he wrote that he had forgiven all and would 
 be glad, if for nothing else, for friendship s sake, to 
 see and speak to her. Owing to the outcome of that 
 trial, he further wrote that he had not attained his 
 position upon the police force. His police job as pro 
 bation officer had ended, but through strong influence 
 he had obtained a position as agent with the Juvenile 
 System, and for her sake would help to get the O Neil 
 children restored to the family. 
 
 His letter was not couched in the terms of passion 
 ate love, as had been his former writing. On the con 
 trary, it ran with a distant respect, and was in a lan 
 guage more intelligent than she knew Dan to be able 
 to write. It ended with deep wishes to her and the 
 whole Thornton family, and with a kind request to 
 meet him at the Flanagans home on the following 
 afternoon at two o clock, where they would lay plans 
 and devise the best means for the release of the chil 
 dren. 
 
 May read the letter three or four times ; she studied 
 it, and asked herself if it could be true. The style of 
 the letter was manifestly not his, though she recog 
 nized the handwriting. She had passionately loved 
 and trusted Dan at one time, but now she despised 
 and mistrusted him. She pondered a long while on 
 
 124
 
 C6e Little 
 
 how to treat the letter. "If he proposes to renew our 
 friendship, that can never be," she murmured to her 
 self, and her thoughts turned to Lankey George, to 
 whom her deepest feelings turned. 
 
 Could Dan have suddenly become so much a better 
 man as the letter would indicate? Would he aid the 
 O Neils without making any demand upon her ? These 
 and other questions she asked herself, as she hid the 
 letter away. She did not wish to lay a false hope for 
 her sick friend, but decided to consult first with her 
 mother and afterward with George. The matter 
 pressed her so much that she could not wait till even 
 ing when Harry returned. So, after attending the 
 present wants of her sick friend, she prepared herself 
 to go home. 
 
 Mrs. Thornton looked the letter over carefully and 
 shook her head, warning May that it was some trick. 
 "He may love you, but if the quality does not lie buried 
 alongside his heart, it s a dangerous love for you to 
 enter into." 
 
 "Oh, don t fear, mother ; I ll never marry Dan Con 
 nors, even though he was the president of the Juve 
 nile System itself," protested May. "I think too much 
 of George for that. But what I wanted to know is, 
 do you think he is sincere when he offers to aid me 
 in getting the children back?" 
 
 "Certainly Dan Connors is sincere. He will get the 
 children for you ; but his action is not impelled by love 
 for the suffering little ones or their parents. You are 
 the price he will demand." 
 
 "I ll die before I marry him," May exclaimed firmly. 
 "But oh, I must help that poor woman; she will die 
 if " 
 
 "Don t worry, May; there will be other means by 
 which to get the children," interrupted Mrs. Thornton 
 
 125
 
 C&e Little 
 
 comfortingly. "I wouldn t take any stock in that let 
 ter; just forget it and burn it; anyway, I fail to see 
 how, while others fail, he could get the children." 
 
 "That s so, mother," returned May, relieved. "Dan 
 always talked and promised too much. I won t mind 
 a word he writes ; but truly I would do mostly any 
 thing, could I help poor Mrs. O Neil and the children." 
 She arose, threw the letter into the stove, and returned 
 to Mrs. O Neil. 
 
 This afternoon was the regular visiting day at the 
 institution. Mr. O Neil, whose work would not per 
 mit him to lay off, generally took advantage of the 
 Sunday special permits, and would visit in turn one or 
 the other of the children. 
 
 Visits are economic factors to the Juvenile System, 
 as relatives and parents and friends on such days never 
 fail to bring along supplies of underwear and other 
 miscellanies which will cover or fill the body of the 
 inmates. While Mrs. O Neil was not strong enough 
 to join her, May prepared to go alone, and of course 
 took with her a package of gifts. 
 
 Little Louise was naturally glad for everything, but 
 while the matron absented herself, she had a chance 
 to whisper into May s ear, bidding her not to bring 
 any more clothes. "Dem children what is sent out 
 west on big farms get all our good things what peo 
 ple bring with them, and we get nothing but these 
 old things which is so cold." Here she turned up her 
 outer gingham wrapper and showed threadworn mus 
 lin underwear two sizes too small. The child had 
 lots of other tales of complaints which all ran in the 
 same tone. The burden of it was that it was a 
 wretched life, with neither home nor love, pleasure nor 
 joy, feeling nor sympathy. It was work, and nothing 
 to gratify nor satisfy ; nothing to humor one ; withal, 
 it was a longing and a pleading to be taken home. 
 
 126
 
 Cfte Little 
 
 May Thornton stood helpless ; she could give no 
 help. She loved the child as a little sister, and it sad 
 dened her much to hear and think of the little girl s 
 plight. She would, however, mildly interpret condi 
 tions to the sick mother, for fear of aggravating her 
 ills. 
 
 That night after supper Harry O Neil attended a 
 meeting of the Lumber-handlers Union. He left May 
 alone with Lankey and the sick woman. George was 
 her steady visitor, and she naturally divided her time 
 with him during the evening hours. 
 
 "Say, May," suddenly asked Lankey, as they had 
 sat together, "do you know your old sweetheart, Dan 
 Connors, is employed by the Juvenile System?" 
 
 As Lankey so suddenly made this inquiry, May re 
 flected upon the letter she had got. It brought a 
 rush of blood to her cheeks. George noticed it, and 
 remarked : "What is the matter, child, your face is 
 getting as red as a brick wall ?" 
 
 Lankey s remark did not aid her any; she stuttered 
 a moment, tried to speak, but couldn t. She felt guilty 
 that she had not told him of Dan s letter. 
 
 "What s the matter, dear ? I love you as God loves 
 the truth, and would shorten my life to bring you 
 happiness ; but I want no tinkering of hearts. If your 
 heart beats for Dan Connors let it beat his way only. 
 I will bravely surrender and aid you both to become 
 happy," said Lankey, as May was endeavoring to 
 command words. 
 
 "Well, I know I should, butbut I " she stut 
 tered, and made a further effort to calm herself. 
 
 "You know you should what?" broke in Lankey, 
 sincerely touched and not grasping her meaning. "But 
 you have not been fair to me by concealing it. That 
 you love him is neither a shame nor a blame ; but you 
 
 should have " 
 
 127
 
 Cbe Little %>ufferet$ 
 
 "George ! George ! Dear George, please let me 
 explain! .While perhaps I am wrong by not having 
 
 told you, you are doing me a great injustice by " 
 
 exclaimed the girl; but she again was interrupted as 
 the door suddenly opened and May s sister, Katie, 
 entered. She held in her hand a letter which, upon 
 noticing Lankey, she made a slight attempt to conceal. 
 That George and May were emotionally stirred she did 
 not suspect, for in her presence both had forced calm 
 ness upon themselves. Lankey spoke to her as usual. 
 After exchanging a few words of general observation 
 and of current news, Katie excused herself to Lankey, 
 and asked her sister for a moment s private conversa 
 tion. The girls drew into an adjoining room. 
 
 Quick of perception, Lankey noticed that Katie had 
 attempted to conceal the message she carried. He 
 also remarked an air of unusual secrecy about her, 
 and for some few moments he speculated upon it. 
 May s action a moment since had roused suspicion. He 
 felt jealous and feared that she was not true to him. 
 Why did she deceive him? Could she not have told 
 him that she loved Dan best ? Such thoughts agitated 
 his mind, and he reproached himself that a man of 
 his age should think of marrying again. Had he not 
 had trouble enough? "Oh, it s just as well that it 
 should happen as it did. The poor little girl is not 
 bad; she just hasn t learned to know her heart. God 
 give her luck and spare her to happiness," he sighed, 
 feeling a bit relieved that he could view the situation 
 so sensibly. 
 
 May and her sister remained but a few seconds 
 within the adjoining room. As they re-entered, May 
 carried in her hand the letter which her sister had 
 brought. Lankey quickly collected himself and tried 
 to appear unconcerned. "Sit down and let us have a 
 chat," he bade Katie, forcing a smile. 
 
 128
 
 Cfje Little 
 
 May could read Lankey ; there was something about 
 him which did not speak content. She felt that his 
 mind had not been satisfied, and was anxious to ex 
 plain what she was interrupted in saying at the time 
 of her sister s entrance. Gazing perplexedly at him, 
 she seated herself on the opposite side of the table. 
 Katie begged to be excused, as a girl friend was wait 
 ing for her at her home, and departed. 
 
 As Lankey s eyes met the gaze of May, which was 
 beautifully true, though sad, he blushed and felt much 
 ashamed. He had been too hasty in judging her guilty, 
 and he longed to offer her an apology. He was about 
 to speak, when May said : "Have whatever thought of 
 me you like, but I must explain " 
 
 "Ah ! when I look upon you, dear, that is all the 
 explanation I require ; I feel like a silly boy that I could 
 have distrusted you." 
 
 "Nevertheless, I must explain," she said. 
 
 Then she told of her former lover s letter, dwelling 
 upon its contents. She stated her mother s views and 
 her own conclusion, and that she had destroyed it as 
 absurd. As she finished she smilingly handed George 
 the letter which she still held in her hand, saying: 
 "This, too, is from Dan Connors. I want you to open 
 it and read it for me." 
 
 This request did not affect him happily. He knew 
 enough, and trusted her implicitly, and hated himself 
 that thoughts to the contrary could have entered his 
 head. "I shall not read it, my child ; read it yourself," 
 he answered, returning the letter. 
 
 "Oh, you read it, please," she exclaimed persist 
 ently, handing the letter back; "you read so much 
 better than I." 
 
 Reluctantly he consented, but begged leave first to 
 explain how Dan Connors name had come into his life 
 that very evening. To this she consented; whereupon 
 
 129
 
 Cfje Little 
 
 Lankey unfolded an evening s paper and read aloud : 
 "Laws and the Juvenile System s rules prevent par 
 ents from getting their children. The System s agent, 
 Dan Connors, yesterday locked up in the Juvenile 
 System s room two well-dressed babies, one not a year 
 and a half old, and the other three years old. The 
 children were taken into custody within a few rods 
 of their home, because their nurse was found slightly 
 under the influence of liquor. Daniel Murry, a well- 
 to-do broker, the children s father, and their frantic 
 mother, accompanied by a lawyer, drove in their auto 
 mobile to the office of the Juvenile System. The anx 
 ious parents were told they could neither get their 
 children, nor see them until the court and the System 
 had decided upon the matter. They learned, more 
 over, that the System was, till further notice, their 
 lawful guardian. Furthermore, the Juvenile System 
 refused to allow the frantic mother to see the unhappy 
 children. 
 
 "Mr. Murry, with his counsellor, scoured town and 
 tried to get judges to order their release ; but it was 
 learned that they did not have such jurisdiction." 
 
 The paper further commented : "Such incidents are 
 not infrequent in any good family. While wife-beat 
 ers, assaulters, and all grades of criminals can imme 
 diately be released from jail upon bail bond by any 
 district judge, innocent children or infants who need 
 their mother s immediate care must remain in jail. 
 Does not such a remarkable and astounding condition 
 show the immensity and authority of the private Juve 
 nile System and the limited power of our social sys 
 tem?" 
 
 "Awful ! Awful !" repeated May, "that such cruelty 
 can exist in a great, good country. Let us now see 
 what Dan has to say." She nodded to Lankey, upon 
 which he opened the letter and read: 
 
 130
 
 Cfje JLfttle 
 
 "DEAR MAY: I waited for you at the Flanagans 
 house as my former letter stated. Knowing of the 
 interest you take in the O Neil family, I feel that had 
 you received the letter you would have come. You 
 surely cannot fear that an old friend will do an injury 
 to you. For the next few days I will be away in the 
 country, delivering some little children to their farm 
 ing destination, but will return two weeks from to 
 day. So, if you have the matter at heart, please meet 
 me at same hour and place two weeks hence. With 
 kind wishes to your family and self, very sincerely 
 yours, DAN CONNORS/ 
 
 The letter was thus postscripted : 
 
 "The nature of the matter requires absolute secrecy, 
 and for that reason I beg you to meet me entirely 
 alone." 
 
 The letter was intelligently written, and it showed 
 nothing to lead her to suspect danger to her nor any 
 proposition of a reunion. Lankey considered it a mo 
 ment and advised her to go. 
 
 "Well, but if he he " here she stopped for 
 
 words to go on. 
 
 Lankey understood her, and added : "If he proposes 
 to reopen a union, let it rest with your heart. Dan 
 has political influence, and, as agent for the System, he 
 is in a position to do a great deal toward having the 
 children released. When I look upon my good friend 
 Harry and the unhappy woman in her bed within, and 
 think of the unfortunate children who are doomed to 
 far Western farms to forget their parents and prob 
 ably die immaturely from labor and drudgery, my 
 blood curdles. It reflects upon my life of misery and 
 all who are gone and have suffered with me." 
 
 "I will go," she said, with a spirited look; "I will 
 plead with him upon bended knees. I have learned
 
 Cbe Little Sufferer* 
 
 to love them all as they were my own. But I ll never 
 marry him," she added, with determination. 
 
 "He would not be cur enough to insist upon that; 
 but our duties lie in helping each other. Life is but 
 short, and your earthly acts are your heavenly abodes. 
 You could not offer your life for a better cause than 
 to give it to save a family of five who, in my judg 
 ment, are otherwise doomed to dissolution and final 
 destruction," said he gravely. 
 
 "Oh, I will ! But, no, I can t ! I I love you," she 
 cried, and buried her head in her hands. 
 
 Lankey, greatly touched, continued gravely : "Don t 
 borrow any worry, dear child ! I hardly believe it will 
 come to such a demand as that. You are the corner 
 stone of my life ; the only speck of hope I now have. 
 Your loss to me would rip my heart asunder, but my 
 soul, my spirit of heaven, would brighten, were I to aid 
 in securing others happiness, to save others from a 
 doom that not only staggers the body, but kills the 
 soul." 
 
 "But but would you that I be sacrificed ? I would, 
 
 I would, but " painfully exclaimed the poor girl, 
 
 as she broke off, sobbing deeply. 
 
 "I would not have you sacrificed, dear May. Life 
 to me will be withered without you, and God forbid 
 that it should come to where you should be sacrificed. 
 It would be an immense blow to all our hopes, but our 
 duties must be considered. My atonement would rest 
 with my soul s proclamation ; it bids me suffer myself 
 for others." 
 
 "But, oh, how could I make such a sacrifice?" ex 
 postulated May. 
 
 "You shall not suffer yourself, unless you are per 
 suaded by your own spirit of thought. I shall not ask 
 you to sacrifice yourself, but if fate so bids I must, 
 with my life and hopes buried within you, stand aside 
 
 132
 
 C&e Little 
 
 and permit its course. The loss of you would be a 
 lasting blow, from which I could not recover. It would 
 be a sacrifice for us both. Within the depth of our 
 souls, inextinguishable lights would gleam, and there 
 would always point the better way. Though the suf 
 fering be for others, the reward would be our own. 
 But it has not yet come to that, and I pray for our 
 souls relief that it will not come. Let us not despair," 
 he ended cheerfully, stroking her gently on the cheek. 
 
 "No, what you say is so. While it would be my 
 life s glory to help the unfortunate O Neils, I hope it 
 can be accomplished without yielding our own happi 
 ness," returned May, looking up cheerfully. 
 
 They remained sitting and lightly touched upon little 
 details in relieving the O Neils, and presently shifted 
 over upon their own future hopes. At length they 
 were disturbed, as Harry O Neil entered. After hav 
 ing cast a glance at his sick wife, who was peacefully 
 sleeping, he took a seat at the table beside them. He 
 described the tremendous parade and demonstration 
 which Jack Stevenson, candidate for the Assembly, had 
 received. The People s Independent Party were 
 thronging through all boroughs and proceeding with 
 bands of music and illuminations with lanterns, torches 
 and banners with inscriptions. They lauded Jack as 
 a proper candidate. Upon the canvas of one wagon 
 was printed in large letters : "The Cruelty of the 
 Juvenile System must end. The obsolete method of 
 punishing children for parents neglect must, to save 
 the generation, receive its death-knell." The other 
 wagon s transparency bore the inscription: "Take po 
 lice out of politics. Let us have a force to protect our 
 interests and not blunderers and brutes to act for poli 
 ticians and their parties." 
 
 Harry was happy, and May felt cheered with hope 
 as O Neil related Jack Stevenson s strong progress on 
 
 133
 
 Little 
 
 his attempt to overthrow the System, for this meant 
 the ultimate release of the little ones. 
 
 Lankey tried to show buoyancy though he did not 
 feel it. He had for years watched and studied the 
 various attempts, by a few individual reformers, to 
 take away the tremendous power of the Juvenile Sys 
 tem and lift the yoke which is now carried by many 
 innocent youths and good parents. But his hopes had 
 been blasted, as every attempt had met with failure 
 and the System had fattened and now towered above 
 all as a guardian angel and a benevolence to abused 
 childhood. In order to add courage to his girl s hopes 
 and that of his friend Harry, Lankey remarked : "The 
 people will some day awaken to the fact and shove 
 away the blinds which now shield the unchristian 
 charity of the System." 
 
 "In the morning," now said Harry, as they arose 
 and parted for the night, "I have to be at the Special 
 Session Court in answer to the complaint of the Juve 
 nile System, or rather the People as complainants, in 
 which name it reads." 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 HARRY O NEIL DISAPPOINTED. 
 
 At ten o clock sharp, as the summons read, Harry 
 O Neil stalked inside the Special Session court-room 
 of Brooklyn Swamps. He took a seat within the 
 crowded enclosure. The chairs and benches were 
 crowded with all classes of criminals, new and old 
 offenders. Their crimes attributed to them ranged from 
 receiving of stolen goods, highway robbery, assault 
 and battery, up to that of delinquency in payments to 
 the Juvenile System. All of them were at present 
 free; either out upon bail bond or upon summons. 
 
 134
 
 Cfte Little >iifferer0 
 
 In conjunction with its public duties, this people s 
 court is a tributary to the private Juvenile System. 
 The court exacts, collects, and coerces for it. Nat 
 urally with these extra duties it is a busy forum, and it 
 requires three judges. 
 
 Upon matters of irregularities in payments into the 
 Juvenile System, the dignitaries are relieved from the 
 burden of adjusting guilt or innocence. There is no 
 question of that kind. Towering above them is the 
 System s superintendent. He renders the verdict; 
 upon him hangs the decision. The descending judges 
 simply consent and deliver the verdict of the System. 
 
 As the case of the People against Harry O Neil 
 was called, the System s superintendent appeared. He 
 was stern, and he read the court his order which the 
 judge again conveyed. Interpreted, the command was: 
 "You pay or you go to jail. I will give you to the 
 twenty-ninth." 
 
 Harry had brought money with him. He concluded 
 not to take advantage of the grace of time, and pro 
 posed to make an immediate settlement. He was re 
 ferred to the System s local branch office to pay his 
 judgment, and he forthwith repaired there. He soon 
 reached the System s handsome building. As he en 
 tered the office he gaped with wonderment. Though 
 only a local branch, it was wholly alive with activity. 
 It had the appearance of a banking system. Spaces 
 were railed off and glass partitioned. A line of un 
 fortunates, mostly women; some well-clothed, and 
 others in rags, stood awaiting to take their turn in 
 depositing their money with the receiving clerk. Each 
 depositor held a pass-book in hand, and, upon reaching 
 the window, the book with money was handed in above 
 the counter. The clerk within counted the bills or 
 change and receipted the book with a stamp, where 
 upon he again returned it. 
 
 135
 
 C6e Little Sufferer* 
 
 All these depositors pass-books bore credit vouch 
 ers only. There was a receiving window, but none 
 for withdrawing money. Once passed over the - counter, 
 it is saved from withdrawal; it becomes a part of the 
 System s hoardings and of no concern to the depos 
 itors or to the public. 
 
 Harry O Neil as yet had no pass-book, but was 
 credited by the clerk with the amount he paid. It 
 was stamped into a brand-new book and handed him, 
 with instructions to call regularly. He left the insti 
 tution with the rank and file of the socially mulcted, 
 and soon reached his home. The day was gone, which 
 added to his fine, meant one day s loss in pay. 
 
 Harry O Neil, however, showed no sign of despon 
 dency; he was a brave man, and had partly become 
 accustomed to abide fate s working. He cherished the 
 hope that things would soon come his way, but did not 
 lie idle to await that deliverance. 
 
 Harry had worked himself into favor with his firm, 
 who now offered to aid him in getting his children 
 released. It was a little after nine o clock this fol 
 lowing morning that Harry, light at heart, set out with 
 one of his employers, the head of the firm. He kissed 
 his wife good-by. The sick woman was hopeful of 
 success as her husband, and thought she felt strong 
 enough to sit up. 
 
 There were none among them there who looked for 
 a more speedy relief than May Thornton. In fact, 
 she had never abandoned the hope of getting the chil 
 dren released, for these last couple of days, since her 
 receipt of Dan Connors second letter, she had however, 
 been a very unhappy girl. She had promised the be 
 reaved mother that she should have her children, 
 though it be the cost of her own life. The piteous 
 clamoring of little Louise had been silenced by the 
 promise that she could surely depend on her soon to 
 
 136
 
 &e Little 
 
 have her released. In her evening prayers she had 
 implored God to suggest means by which she could 
 bring about the release of the little ones. And now 
 her prayers had been heard ; she could fulfil her prom 
 ise. But alas, was it at the cost of her own happiness, 
 her own life? In order to establish their release, 
 would she have to marry Dan Connors? This would 
 indeed be a sacrifice of herself. It would mean a liv 
 ing death, a continued torture to soul and body. 
 
 May would carry herself bravely in front of her sick 
 friend and Harry. George felt as touched as the poor 
 girl. He loved her, and would have fought and risked 
 his life for her, but he was not selfish enough to bid 
 her to stay by him if her duties called her elsewhere. 
 He knew that a man in Dan Connors position, and 
 with a varied political influence, would be the one 
 most likely to effect the children s release. Past rec 
 ords and experience had convinced George that openly 
 to fight the Juvenile System, as Jack Stevenson was 
 now doing, and cause them to be subject to investi 
 gating commissions, would aggravate the System. In 
 the end it would clinch them more, hand in hand, with 
 the political machines. 
 
 The Juvenile System cannot afford to weaken nor 
 relent, no matter upon how* strong a public demonstra 
 tion ; it would be an acknowledgment of the System s 
 wrong course. To attack it is like fighting fire with 
 kerosene. The only remedy for its not becoming more 
 powerful is to leave it devour what it has, but save 
 what it has not yet secured. Watch your little ones 
 as a shepherd watches his flock," was Lankey s logic. 
 
 George, however, would never for a moment discour 
 age May. He would say: "Bear it up, child. Noth 
 ing is really so bad as it looks. What enfeebles us 
 most is that we are always looking for worse to come. 
 Our minds are too apt to go to extremes upon either 
 
 137
 
 Cbe Little Sufferers 
 
 side. It is likewise so with our hopes and happiness, 
 upon realizing them, they often show but very faint." 
 
 Elder Mrs. Thornton would worry with May; and, 
 though she would encourage and hope for the best, 
 she felt anxious over the outcome. She knew what it 
 meant, should her daughter marry Red Hook Dan, 
 and she also felt that May s mind was so strongly set 
 upon helping the O Neils, that her happiness depended 
 thereupon. 
 
 All this day, while Harry and his employer were 
 scurrying about, appealing to various heads of weight 
 and power in the Juvenile System, Mrs. O Neil and 
 May were doing but very little else than speaking of 
 the joy it would bring them, were they to obtain the 
 children s release. May had heard that many rich 
 business people or men of power very often got chil 
 dren released for their parents, by either having the 
 judge speak for them to the System, or else speaking 
 through friends who were large donators, or else di 
 rectors or associate members of the Juvenile System. 
 It was natural they would fasten some hope upon this 
 day s understanding, as Harry O Neil s firm were, 
 besides rich and reputable business people, known as 
 generous contributors to most institutions which ap 
 pealed to them for aid. It might reasonably be ex 
 pected that the Juvenile System also derived some ben 
 efit from Harry s firm, as the System s course was to 
 beg for funds from any known individual or firm which 
 were charitably inclined. 
 
 The parlor clock struck seven. May long since had 
 supper ready and the table prepared, but Harry had 
 not as yet appeared. "Probably they will bring the 
 children along with them," hopefully ventured Mrs. 
 O Neil. She felt so improved and cheerful that she 
 begged May to give her another cup of tea. They 
 agreed that Harry s long absence meant good news. 
 
 138
 
 CJe Little Sufferers 
 
 They had left early in the morning for the sole pur 
 pose of having the children released, and Harry s em 
 ployer was not likely to spend a whole day without at 
 taining results. Both of them would listen at every 
 footstep to catch the first tiding of the children s re 
 turn. 
 
 As the dial of the clock showed seven-thirty, Lankey 
 George entered and joined the women in the sick 
 room. He was happy to see Mrs. O Neil so much im 
 proved, and he also noted May s good spirit. As he 
 seated himself, he lightly inquired if there were any 
 good news. 
 
 "Don t you think Harry is detained so as to bring 
 the children with him, since he stays so long? He said 
 when he left that he would be back about three or four 
 o clock," said Mrs. O Neil buoyantly. 
 
 "You know that Mr. O Neil would not stay away so 
 long unless something kept him," added on May, in a 
 similar tone. 
 
 Lankey had been much tried of late in showing a 
 false spirit. It pained him to hold out rash hopes, and 
 it also hurt him as much to give them his discourag 
 ing ideas. In his opinion, had Harry returned early, 
 it would indicate a good result ; but the longer the time 
 the less hope he held out. It meant too much scouring 
 about to fulfil the object. Had they to go too much 
 out of the way, and through many different channels, 
 he feared that the chances diminished. 
 
 Of course Lankey had to offer some kind of opin 
 ion, as both of the faces looked at him for a reply. 
 "Well, to me it seems an ill omen to stay so long, but 
 again it takes time to produce anything good. Let us 
 hope for the best, and not be discouraged." 
 
 Barely had he expressed himself before footsteps 
 from the hall were heard. Mrs. O Neil and May lis 
 tened with their breath in suspense, but only the steps 
 
 139
 
 Cbe Little 
 
 of one were heard ; it was Harry which all recognized. 
 Their spirits immediately sank within them ; it was the 
 first step of their disappointment. Mrs. O Neil, who 
 was about to drink her tea, without taking it, let the 
 cup sink back upon the saucer. 
 
 Harry, covered with mud, entered, looking much 
 tired and worn. He tried to assume a pleasant look, 
 but his dejected spirit could not be hidden. His wife 
 and May measured him with disappointment. Mrs. 
 O Neil tried to be heroic, and lay back upon the pillow 
 smiling to her husband, for whom she felt as strongly 
 as for herself, and she said : "Let us not worry, dear, 
 but live in hope." But the poor woman deceived to 
 encourage her husband, who looked crestfallen. She 
 was worrying herself, and it gave a sting to her long 
 declining hopes. 
 
 "Yes, that is so, my Nelly," returned Harry, in 
 forced cheerfulness. "If we but have patience and 
 courage, things will come out right." 
 
 May was as unhappy as any of them. She had 
 brought her mind to look upon it as a duty to save the 
 O Neils at any cost, and she loved the family enough 
 to do so. The only hope she now bore was that Dan 
 Connors would release them. But what would it cost ? 
 She could not think ; she leaned back in her chair and 
 gazed blankly about. 
 
 Lankey noticed it ; he felt for the three, and he feared 
 the worst. Others joy would mean his and May s 
 sorrow ; but now it was all sorrow and no happiness. 
 Could he and May but purchase their happiness, their 
 own sorrow would be somewhat tinged with joy. 
 
 A few moments of silence followed, which George 
 broke by saying: "A black sky does not always bring 
 rain; let us await and look for the clear patch back 
 of it." 
 
 Lankey George grew to be much of a philosopher as 
 
 140
 
 C6e Little 
 
 he became older. He was well read in his younger 
 days, and had in humble life of late years continued 
 to read. His manifold sad experiences in life, com 
 bined with his good qualities and knowledge, had made 
 him broad and deep. His words and influence greatly 
 prevailed upon his friends, who always felt a relief 
 in his presence. 
 
 "George and I will go out in the kitchen and take 
 a bit to eat," said Harry, rising. He was too disap 
 pointed and heartsick to eat anything, but was anxious 
 to explain to George this day s experience, which he 
 cared not to do in his wife s presence for fear of ag 
 gravating her ills. 
 
 May followed to take the things out of the oven 
 where she had placed them. "To get my children and 
 save my wife, my only hope now lies in Jack Steven 
 son s success," began Harry, after seating himself. 
 
 May, who overheard it, said nothing. She cast a 
 glance at Lankey, which he met squarely, though both 
 hearts were heavy. Neither Harry nor his wife sus 
 pected that May s heart could be the means of, or 
 stood in readiness to break for the healing of theirs. 
 Had the good O Neils been aware of her intention, 
 neither of them would have consented, as they both 
 had learned to love her as one of their own. 
 
 After having supplied himself with some little food. 
 Harry again said: "At seven-thirty to-morrow night 
 there is to be the biggest demonstration at Cooper 
 Union which has ever been held in the city. Jack 
 Stevenson is going to speak upon the Juvenile Sys 
 tem s course, and he invites a debate thereon. He 
 bids every mother and father come and listen, and 
 every citizen to meet with him and decide if the Juve 
 nile System s charter and rights are not entirely un- 
 American." 
 
 "That man Jack Stevenson, if for nothing else than 
 
 141
 
 Cfje Little 
 
 his courage, has earned the right to be mayor of the 
 best town in the States," remarked Lankey, a little 
 sceptically, as he lightly thumped his ringers on the 
 edge of the table. 
 
 "You don t seem to have much expectation of his 
 success ; don t you think it will work to a good effect ?" 
 searchingly said Harry. "I hope you will come along 
 to hear him, anyway." 
 
 "I certainly will go to hear him," answered Lankey. 
 "I love to hear a good man, particularly if he speaks 
 from the heart, which I feel Stevenson does. As to 
 the effect, it is at least an agitation. No brook was 
 ever so clear but a stirring would throw something 
 upon its surface. Churn up the Juvenile System, and 
 the stench will awaken Satan ; but then, my friend, the 
 rest of the world are not angels," he ended cautiously. 
 
 "You never commit yourself, George," lightly 
 laughed Harry. "If I did not know you so well, I 
 would take you for a pessimist. But whatever be the 
 result from Jack Stevenson s crusade, I shall forever 
 remember him with thanks." 
 
 "Yes, I am pessimistic when I deal with hell and 
 fire. The brimstone of the Juvenile System had burned 
 into the heart of society. It is crowned with wreaths 
 of shame, and will remain a master foe until the curse 
 which made it will crush and swallow it," returned 
 Lankey savagely. "But then let us not despair, friend. 
 The remnant of heaven is the happy glow within us, 
 and I feel the joy of heaven that I bore my sufferings 
 as I did. At the end of it all I shall feel I was the 
 victor." 
 
 Harry was carried away from his purpose of ex 
 plaining his day s journey by his friend s utterances, 
 and remained sitting a moment, as if to take up the 
 thread. Lankey aided him by asking : "Did you meet 
 with reverse results all along the line?" 
 
 142
 
 C&e Little 
 
 "That is just what I wanted to tell you!" cried 
 Harry. "Yesterday you know I was at court, and aft 
 erward in the Juvenile System s clearing house, as you 
 call it, and squared my accounts. I explained to you 
 last night of the sumptuous office and their clean up- 
 to-date banking system, but I meant to ask you what 
 the System s purpose is in having around the walls in 
 its outer room so many and various pictures of ragged 
 and cadaverous-looking little children? Each picture 
 had a clipping with printed matter thereon, and a num 
 ber pasted upon it." 
 
 "If you read the clippings you would notice that it 
 explains of cases where the System had been called 
 upon. These are but extremely low cases which the 
 System generally steer clear of; a few are seletted 
 which they hold out merely as a business card, so as 
 to have it appear that the System is caring for the 
 real homeless and neglected, and thus awaken donors 
 sympathy. These miserable scrapings from the slums 
 are, however, soon disposed of by the System ; they 
 are either merchandised out west to do firm labor, or 
 else shoved over upon the city training schools. Of 
 course, if they are good, healthy workers, they are re 
 tained, for the System keeps no one to eat his head off. 
 As to the numbers by which each picture is identified, 
 this is a convenient method of their own to keep track 
 and trace their stock. Every picture in the rogues 
 gallery also carries its number; so do carcasses in 
 slaughter-houses, and every merchant numbers his 
 goods. Don t you see ?" 
 
 As George finished Harry began : "Well, I was very 
 much disappointed and my boss felt as disgusted as I. 
 Our first visit was to see the session judges. We saw 
 Bilkings, Clemmons, Amus, and a couple of others in 
 this borough and Manhattan. All of these judiciaries 
 sit upon Juvenile cases, and are known to be friendly
 
 Little 
 
 with the System. While they perhaps have no power 
 to direct the System upon any course, they at least 
 are so close that a word of recommendation would be 
 considered. These judges scanned us over and they 
 would probe to find out if we carried any letter or 
 held strong affiliations with any of the established po 
 litical parties. My boss, interceding for me, had no 
 individual standing upon any political score, which 
 fact they soon grasped, and each of them ventured 
 the contention that the children were better off in the 
 Juvenile System. 
 
 "One judge, whose name was O Keen, or some name 
 like it," he continued, "was extremely frank and more 
 courteous than any of the others. He shook his head 
 gravely and explained to us that the Juvenile System 
 grants no release to children, except upon its own de 
 sire. Judges are helpless to act or to interfere. When 
 once a child is committed, unless a judge has a good 
 standing with the Juvenile System, his recommenda- 
 itions have no weight at all. He was powerless to aid 
 us, but he advised us to go to the branch and lay our 
 pleas before the superintendent. 
 
 "Thereupon we proceeded to the local branch of the 
 System. We dropped into a seat, awaiting the super 
 intendent, who, with his assistant, was busy negotiat 
 ing a deal with a man named Miller who was anx 
 ious to have his seventeen-year-old son released, as he 
 was very poor and had a sick wife and could not af 
 ford to continue payments. As I understood it, Miller 
 owed the System thirty-six dollars. It would not de 
 liver the youth up unless the full amount was paid, or 
 they were given some security that the money would 
 be paid, and meanwhile the amount, or ratio, per 
 week accumulated. The superintendent and Miller, 
 after some dickering, finally came to terms of settle 
 ment. The System was to receive one-third cash upon
 
 C6e JLittle g>ufferer$ 
 
 the delivery of the goods the lad I meant" he cor 
 rected himself "and the System was to draw fifty 
 cents per week out of the young man s wages from a 
 promised job until the balance was paid." 
 
 "That is a clean game of legalized ransoming," ex 
 claimed Lankey. "While upon its exterior it seems to 
 be but a petty scheme, it is monstrous in gross re 
 sults, and it strikes at the hearts of the poor mothers." 
 
 "Well, I d be glad to pay nearly any amount for my 
 children, and I would break a bank to get the money," 
 said Harry reflectively. 
 
 "Yes, many a parent," responded Lankey, "when 
 idle for want of work, in order to meet the System s 
 demand, is forced to defraud his landlord, grocer, and 
 butcher. Nay, I have heard of instances where mothers 
 sell their honor to get a few dollars to hand over to 
 the System for fear of arrest in failure to comply. 
 However small the amount appears which the System 
 requires, it is not always so easy for a poor family to 
 meet the demand, besides caring for their own imme 
 diate needs. While it no doubt cost something, were 
 parents to keep them, it would but be nominal, as rents, 
 fuel, and care remain the same. There can be noth 
 ing so preposterous," continued he, "as that poor work 
 ing parents should be compelled to pay a monthly 
 bondage for their children. When children reach 
 sixteen or seventeen and up, they should rather be a 
 help than a burden. But of course it is by this course 
 that the Juvenile System thrives; besides tolling the 
 parents of these young people for board and clothing, 
 it enslaves them on its farms." 
 
 "The System s method of holding children is clean 
 up-to-date, as their little serfs are held out as bait 
 for innocent donors, and, through its systems of 
 courts, it blackmails the parents. It is a clear gain 
 at either turn." 
 
 145
 
 Little 
 
 Both men now remained still for a few moments 
 whereupon Lankey again began : "As to the lad sev 
 enteen years old you spoke about which the System 
 saw fit to release upon moneyed terms, it is probable 
 that some influence had been brought to bear upon it. 
 However, the superintendent s persistency in securing 
 himself and getting what he craved, notwithstanding 
 the man s pleading of poverty, is a further evidence 
 that the Juvenile System is not run upon a charity 
 basis." 
 
 "Well, as I said," replied Harry, "upon the close of 
 the deal between the superintendent and the father, 
 we were motioned by the clerk to step near. The 
 superintendent remained standing in the background, 
 viewing us out of the corner of his eyes. He listened 
 attentively, but said nothing. I am Mr. X., began 
 my boss, and handed his card through an opening in 
 the glass partition. I came to see what can be done 
 about this man s children. He is very respectable, and 
 an able man, and his home " 
 
 " Well, you needn t mind about all that ; that is for 
 the System to decide. Have you got a letter from any 
 of the judges? broke off the clerk. 
 
 " We have been to several of the judges/ answered 
 my boss, but it appears that they have no control in 
 the matter. 
 
 " Nor have they/ the clerk again broke in. It lies 
 entirely with our committee at Hastings Hill whether 
 it feels disposed to release the children or not. I am 
 sorry we can do nothing for you here this time/ he 
 ended abruptly, and began his work. 
 
 "The clerk s demeanor discouraged further present 
 ment of our case. Disgusted, we proceeded to Hast 
 ings Hill. My boss hired a carriage at the railroad 
 terminal, which took us up the hill to the Juvenile 
 
 146
 
 C6e Little Sufferer* 
 
 Village, which you know lies in the centre of the 
 farm. 
 
 "Happy, and in anticipation of seeing my boy, I 
 alighted from the carriage at the office building and 
 ran to his cottage. The matron in charge met us 
 with a stern rebuke for calling without a permit. 
 
 " It is only on regular visiting days and by special 
 Sunday permits that parents are received. Children 
 cannot be disturbed in their duties, she remarked, and 
 recommended us to go to the office upon any other 
 business. 
 
 "However, the superintendent was not then in. 
 While awaiting him, we walked around the grounds. 
 But truly, George, if you ever read any fairy tales of 
 dwarf lands you would think the writer had copied it 
 from the Juvenile System. The grounds thereabout 
 were swarmed with these little half-grown young 
 sters. All were clothed in overalls and jumpers, soiled 
 and dirty from labor. It was a hurry and hustling 
 everywhere. In the shoe-shop, tailor-shop, upon the 
 fields, gardens, and all around the System s territory 
 these little mites were each at their post. They all 
 appeared alike, excepting some looked more tired than 
 others. Although it all had the atmosphere of reality, 
 it appeared like a colony of matured dwarfs. 
 
 "I was anxious that my boy should notice me, that 
 we might greet each other, but their strict discipline 
 has taught them to watch their work and stay at it. 
 And in their gait, to and fro, look straight ahead. 
 However, after waiting three quarters of an hour, 
 the superintendent of this famous spot met us. 
 
 " What can I do for you ? he asked, in a measured 
 politeness. 
 
 "We began to explain our mission, but had scarcely 
 spoken the sentence out as he half turned and said:
 
 C&e Little 
 
 Oh, you are on the wrong track. I m not tending to 
 that part of the business. You will have to go to the 
 main office down in Manhattan, where the committee 
 sits upon all official matters. 
 
 "Angered and disappointed, we re-entered our wait 
 ing carriage and drove back to the train, reaching the 
 main office just before the closing hour. The commit 
 tee was still in session, but busy. A clerk bade us to 
 take a seat till we were called. The door into the com 
 mittee room stood ajar, and this enabled us to over 
 hear and follow the proceedings. 
 
 "It appeared that a friendly interceder and a father, 
 who had a son in the institution, were calling upon a 
 similar mission as ours. How old the lad was which 
 the System held in captivity can be guessed at, as he 
 was committed past his fifteenth year, and as the con 
 versation ran he had now been in the System s charge 
 for two years. The interceder spoke nothing for a 
 long while. The father was heard complaining: I 
 am working for small wages and need all my earnings 
 to keep up my home; every dollar is a great deal to 
 me. That boy I supported for more than fifteen years, 
 up to two years ago, when he was committed to the 
 institution, and now when he reaches an age when he 
 could be of some help to me and earn some little 
 
 " Ah, you want your boy out so he can go to work 
 for you? sneeringly snapped one of the sitting com 
 mittee men. 
 
 " Not exactly, sir, retorted the pleading father, 
 but it at least relieves me of caring for him any 
 longer. I have other little ones to look after, and 
 that lad is big enough to earn his own support. 
 
 "Here a voice which I learned came from his 
 friendly interceder was heard. He said : Yes, I guess 
 he earns his support where he is. I have looked thor 
 oughly into the matters, and I find this man s son was 
 
 148
 
 little >uffeter0 
 
 committed and held under Penal Code 675. It is no 
 criminal offence, but simply a charge of disorderly 
 conduct, for which a grown or mature person receives 
 at most but a punishment of a three months servitude 
 at any public institution. This boy has now served 
 two years with his release apparently far off, and you 
 maintain that you have a right to call on his parents 
 to contribute for his 
 
 " Here, here ! Whom are you who dare to speak 
 thus? For your imprudence I will now hold the lad 
 until he is twenty-one, interrupted a stern, loud voice, 
 evidently one of the committee members. 
 
 " Oh, very well. I shall proceed to have the lad out 
 upon habeas corpus/ returned the interceder. As a 
 matter of fact, the boy s commitment was based on 
 no actual offence of being disorderly. It was a tech 
 nical charge preferred by the boy s mother, to break 
 him of the habit of running about with other boys. 
 She asked the sitting judge at the Juvenile Court to 
 send him away for a couple of weeks. As to whom I 
 am/ continued he, I am a reporter for The Knocker, 
 and I thank you for having given me material for an 
 excellent story. 
 
 " Well, well ! Here, my dear sir, in a much modi 
 fied tone, came from the same committee man, let us 
 not become so hasty and lose our heads. Your ex 
 planation of the boy s commitment which you say was 
 adopted to keep the boy away from bad company en 
 tirely alters my position in the matter. Under the 
 circumstances I don t see how we could hold the boy. 
 I cannot release the boy at once, but two weeks from 
 to-day, which falls on the nineteenth, his father may 
 call for him at Hastings Hill, he ended, with affa 
 bility, and thanked the reporter for having called." 
 
 At this point of Harry O Neil s narrative Lankey 
 George broke in: "The delay of two weeks in releas- 
 
 149
 
 Little Sufferer* 
 
 ing the lad was the committee man s clever thought. 
 On the seventeenth, don t you know, is the System s 
 anniversary day. Every inmate is needed to make a 
 show and impress the rich invited guests." 
 
 "The System s people in this instance, however, met 
 their Waterloo," remarked Harry. 
 
 "An elephant will trumpet and tremble for fear 
 upon seeing a mouse," returned Lankey. "The giant 
 Juvenile System could not suffer the least attacks upon 
 it by any measly writers. It is not the fear of effect, 
 but the vision of being gazed at from all sides which 
 makes the System tremble." 
 
 "However," said O Neil, "we were not so fortunate 
 as the ones preceding us. We were roughly motioned 
 into the committee room, where the three members sat. 
 They all looked a bit flurried and a bit mild, but soon 
 became stern. Well, what do you want? was de 
 manded by the committee s spokesman. 
 
 "My boss, a man of personality and a fluent speaker, 
 after introducing himself, informed them of my de 
 sire, and offered the System to vouch for the chil 
 dren s safety and good care. He also explained my 
 wife s serious illness, and added that if the children 
 were not returned it would mean their mother s death. 
 
 " Well, dryly replied the spokesman, the children 
 are there too short a time to be on the home list. The 
 best we can do for you is to send an attendant down 
 to see their mother once. Anyway, she is not fit to 
 take care of them if she is as sick as you say. 
 
 " Oh, God! said I. Had she the children, the 
 mother would be cured and herself again in less than 
 a week. 
 
 " You are a good prophet, my man. We sit here 
 and hear so many excuses it nearly tires us to listen/ 
 answered the spokesman, looking at his watch, as with 
 his associates he arose and prepared to leave. I don t 
 
 150
 
 Cfce Little ^uffercrs: 
 
 see how we can consider the matter at present. You 
 will have to excuse us, the time has drawn out so late/ 
 wherewith the trio passed us and left the building. 
 They entered a waiting automobile and sped away. 
 
 "How I felt I need not explain ; and my boss well, 
 you know it all," abruptly ended Harry, with disgust 
 upon his face. 
 
 "I m sorry for you, friend," sympathized Lankey. 
 "While your firm is one of high standing in the busi 
 ness world and regarded well, I never look for much 
 influence from such sources when dealing with tardy 
 and shady problems. Why, a vagranted, repeating 
 voter from any of the Bowery or Pell Street lodging 
 houses would have had more weight and influence in 
 this and like instances," cried Lankey, as he bade them 
 good night. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 JACK STEVENSON UPON THE JUVENILE QUESTION. 
 
 May Thornton daily read the paper for Mrs. O Neil. 
 She greatly revived her sick friend this morning, as 
 she showed her a page which spoke of Assembly Can 
 didate Jack Stevenson s contemplated meeting for that 
 evening at Cooper Union, where he promised publicly 
 to lay open the flaws of society s dealing with the chil 
 dren, and agitate an upheaval against the formidable 
 Juvenile System. 
 
 "God bless that man ! He s fighting for a grand 
 cause, for every child he returns to its mother he earns 
 a heaven. For truly, dear May, a mother s love for 
 her children has no comparison," said Mrs. O Neil, 
 and she added longingly : "If I only felt a little bit 
 stronger I would go over ; I should love to hear him."
 
 Cfte Little >ufferer$ 
 
 "Harry and Lankey are going ; I should love to go, 
 too, but " and May halted reflectively. 
 
 "But you don t like to leave me alone?" added on 
 Mrs. O Neil. "How can I live to repay you, dear 
 May, for what you have done for me ? A sister, nay, 
 a mother, could not have watched more faithful over 
 me than you have. In my bereavement you have shone 
 as a star of hope; you are illuminating my wretched 
 life. I should love to live to see that you would at 
 least be rewarded for your tender care." Raising her 
 self into a sitting position, she said to May, as she 
 reached out her hand: "You must go to hear Jack 
 Stevenson to-night, I beg you. I feel very strong and 
 well and can easily get along alone." 
 
 "Indeed, if I go," quickly said May, "mother and my 
 little sister will be here and keep you company. Katie 
 is " here she halted. 
 
 "Katie is going out with her company?" surmisingly 
 said the sick woman, smiling gently. "You began to 
 tell me the other night as the men folks came and in 
 terrupted us. He is a policeman you said ?" 
 
 "Yes, and he is doing duty in Jack Stevenson s 
 home district. Quite a coincidence, isn t it ?" answered 
 May. "He knows Jack well, and thinks he s a fine 
 fellow, but he dare not show his good feeling toward 
 him because of the animosity which the Department 
 holds against him. For the least little thing these po 
 licemen do which does not suit certain politicians, they 
 are transferred, and are given double post, or they lay 
 in fear of some plot to fine or break them. He told 
 Katie all about it." 
 
 "But you will promise me to go to-night then?" 
 asked Mrs. O Neil, as May finished. "We ll have lots 
 of things to talk about to-morrow. Oh, I so long to 
 hear it ; I know his plan must be good and will help us 
 mothers. But," she added, "if it is not convenient 
 
 152
 
 C&e Little Sufferers; 
 
 for your mother, I really feel well enough to remain 
 alone." 
 
 "Don t speak that way," mildly reproached May. 
 "You know that mother loves to spend a little while 
 with you, she " 
 
 "All right, dear, thank you," broke in Mrs. O Neil. 
 "I know she does, and I feel so happy when any of 
 you are around me, that I cannot explain it. God was 
 kind to me that he sent me in my affliction such good 
 people as you all are. It is truly as Lankey says, 
 There never was a night so dark but light could be 
 made to reflect/ " she ended. 
 
 As Mrs. O Neil mentioned Lankey s name May s 
 face flushed. Though they often spoke of George, 
 she at that moment fancied something of the joy it 
 would afford her to be with him for the entire even 
 ing. Though O Neil was to go along, his company 
 never interfered with their talk and thoughts. Gen 
 erally he would, when in their presence, appear too 
 absorbed to regard them. However, May was fully 
 awake to what her friend said, and with a bow of ac 
 knowledgment replied: "Yes, truly, that is so." But 
 then a dark cloud drew over her face, she sadly re 
 flected upon Red Hook Dan s letters. What would 
 be to lighten her burden? Was she ultimately to give 
 herself to effect the release of the little ones and re 
 store the health of her friend? 
 
 But May did not remain in sad thoughts long, for 
 her friend was in too good spirit for her to feel de 
 pressed. The night s promised event quickened hopes 
 that Jack Stevenson would, by his forceful attack, 
 break the Juvenile System and release the children 
 and thus scattered the last of her depressing thoughts. 
 
 May busied herself with everything, as was her cus 
 tom ; she was never idle, if not engaged in house- 
 cleaning, cooking, or ironing, she would sit beside Mrs. 
 
 153
 
 Little 
 
 O Neil and mend, sew, or knit. Nevertheless, this 
 day seemed to drag out longer than usual. George was 
 to be there at six o clock, and join them at supper, 
 after which they were to go to the meeting. Every 
 fifteen minutes she would stir restlessly. At last when 
 it reached five minutes of six, George entered, with 
 Harry following ten minutes later. 
 
 After ending their meal, May set her little sister to 
 work, cleaning the table and washing the dishes, while 
 she herself prepared to join Lankey and Harry, who 
 were both in readiness. The trio reached the meeting 
 hall an hour before the appointed time. That they 
 were not too early showed itself, as half the hall was 
 then filled, and they were followed by streams of lis 
 teners. Half an hour before the time announced, there 
 was barely standing room. 
 
 The assembly was of a greatly mixed variety ; it 
 had neither political nor religious aspect ; there seemed 
 no one class nor nationality. On the seats beside an 
 ill-clothed, careworn mother, would sit a finely dressed 
 lady or maiden with comfortable expression ; beside a 
 gentleman with gold-rimmed spectacles would crowd 
 a dusky laborer or mechanic. It was a joining of old 
 and young, rich and poor, happy and gloomy, to hear 
 Jack Stevenson, who had of late sprung into promi 
 nence for his bravery in his single-handed attack upon 
 the Juvenile System, which was by this civilized nation 
 looked upon as an empire within a kingdom. 
 
 The audience did not have to wait long; Jack ap 
 peared ten minutes ahead of time. The hall rang with 
 applause as he took his place upon the platform. Be 
 side him were a couple of his friends and perhaps a 
 dozen jurists and other eminent men of talent whom 
 the Juvenile System had hired to step up and defend 
 any attack which might be directed against it. 
 
 Jack Stevenson easily looked their superior. His 
 
 154
 
 Clje little 
 
 clean-cut, stalwart and healthy appearance was easily 
 noted. He had a soul and heart, and feared not to 
 expound the truth. His opponents, though richly 
 dressed and wearing the tender of gentlemen, were 
 haggard. They stood beside him as a Judas to defend 
 the System ; they were to sell their blood and crucify 
 children on the cross of shame. Jack Stevenson was 
 cheered and lauded with praises ; he had won the vic 
 tory before he had begun. 
 
 While not a college graduate, Jack was well edu 
 cated, and was intelligent, forceful, and convincing. 
 He had a natural gift of words. He had of late been 
 thrown much before the public and had delivered many 
 addresses, which fact aided him to impress masters 
 of mind, and gave effect to his every word. 
 
 He introduced himself, not with any political flour 
 ish, nor as a candidate, not to force himself upon a 
 public, but simply as an American, as a citizen who 
 had a right to be heard upon a topic of burning im 
 portance. 
 
 "Ladies and gentlemen," he began, as he drew near 
 the outer edge of the stage, "did it ever dawn upon 
 you that the childhood of to-day is a nation s future? 
 The bane of the young is the course of the old. Child 
 hood and youth are a nation s wealth and strength ; as 
 it is reared, it becomes effective. Let me say, that if 
 we cannot improve thereupon, we cannot build 
 thereon. 
 
 "Take a glimpse inside of the panels of our Juve 
 nile or Children s Courts," he continued, "and you are 
 gazing upon a wholesale depraved system, a hamper 
 ing of youthful growth. You will see many good 
 little ones of able and thrifty parents brought there 
 for no crime whatever, and you will see a cesspool of 
 misguided little ones stagnated through parental neg 
 lect, who are flowing through society and to pollute 
 
 155
 
 Little >ufferer0 
 
 the rest of the world. These unfortunate little ones, 
 immature in mind, innocent of their own plight and 
 conditions, are for causes, or no causes, made to face 
 stern mature courses of courts and justices which 
 grown society had established to deal with mature con 
 ditions only. This young growth is ripped away from 
 nature s bosom of true parental care and planted out 
 in artificial nurseries, kindred asylums, and institu 
 tions, which thrive and wax fat from profits wrenched 
 from the marrow of these little ones. 
 
 "A Juvenile Court and Institution is by no means a 
 good start in life; it not alone casts a shadow upon a 
 child s future, but it reflects upon its parents and it 
 reflects upon the child s future father and motherhood. 
 Children s courts and institutions are sinful because 
 they do not consent to correct evil where the evil lies. 
 A child s guilt lies only in the extent of its parental 
 grant. Whether this grant be hereditary or due to 
 too much liberty, these little ones cannot be held 
 responsible beyond their own understanding and teach 
 ings as to right and wrong. 
 
 "Children s courts are crimsoned with guilt for its 
 lack of good and fundamentally true purposes. They 
 are the elementary course which aid and abet the 
 seizing of innocent little children and turning them 
 over upon to be guarded and cared for, or rather rup 
 tured in mind and body, by juvenile corporations, 
 cloaked under names of benevolent juvenile institu 
 tions " 
 
 "Sir! Sir! Sir! I protest," interrupted a vener 
 able appearing judge, who had been called to defend 
 the System. "On behalf of our good government, 
 which ordains laws and saw fit to establish such courts 
 which stand for the principles which it represents, I 
 hereby, as a citizen respecting such laws, ask you to 
 
 156
 
 Cbe jLtttle Sufferers 
 
 rescind your statement and express yourself with more 
 regard for our worthy State and its laws." 
 
 His Honor bowed pompously as he reseated him 
 self. The hall was a tumult of loud hisses and whis 
 tling, and with this sentiment of encouragement Jack 
 Stevenson proceeded. With a bow toward his Honor, 
 he began : 
 
 "Thank you, sir, I have nothing to withdraw, but I 
 shall be as regardful of rights and as moderate as 
 circumstances will permit, but I shall not hide facts, 
 nor shield wrong. That the best of governments can 
 be in error is evident by the fact that we people are 
 constantly learning and changing our thoughts and 
 making laws to suit. What I have said is but mild 
 toward what I contemplate saying." He paused to 
 look toward his large audience, who madly applauded 
 him as he threw this bomb. The defenders of the 
 System shifted nervously about. "The land with its 
 trade-mark of freedom and liberty, with a constitu 
 tional grant, tolerates a private institution to go into 
 homes and abduct children, imprison, punish, exact 
 ransoms, drudge them and chattel them about the coun 
 try to slave for farmers. This is as much an avowed 
 fact, as it is a fact that our juvenile courts and ses 
 sion judges aid, abide, and approve thereof." 
 
 The twelve or more gentlemen who had appeared 
 to defend the Juvenile Course and System winced and 
 moved uneasily upon their chairs, but remained seated. 
 Jack Stevenson continued: "Among others we have 
 one a private incorporated company with a consoli 
 dated board of directors which acts and works upon 
 self-made laws. It handles youngsters from all around 
 the States as though they were herds of cattle or com 
 mon merchandise. This private incorporated Juvenile 
 System which lives and exists under our State laws 
 
 157
 
 Cfte Little 
 
 has apparently more right and power than is vested in 
 any really public institution. Wonderful, is it not? 
 But it is nevertheless a truth. (Great applause and 
 hissing.) This private System," resumed he, "draws 
 from the State fifty thousand dollars annually; it has 
 a chartered right to enter homes of the poor and, 
 without warrant or any established course, seize the 
 children from this miserable class and through mech 
 anism of courts and justice, under threats of arrest 
 and punishment, blackmail parents for payment for 
 the keeping of their children. 
 
 "These little ones are half fed, half clothed, half 
 schooled, and are worked from their tiny age up to 
 their final release. They neither see freedom, real sun 
 shine, nor receive a caressing nod ; no word of love or 
 encouragement ever reaches them. It is all true," he 
 added dramatically. "Were I to lay it all before you, 
 it would read like a tale of Siberian cruelty. 
 
 "Now while this System draws from the tax-payers 
 fifty thousand dollars annually, and has the use of our 
 courts, judges, police, hospitals, and other allied pub 
 lic properties, no system of accounting has ever been 
 offered or given out. In fact, it could not be forced 
 from the governing body. It is none of the public s 
 business, is the System s answer. Now, in addition, 
 this System extorts from parents, grafts upon the 
 sympathy of individual donors, and sweats the little 
 ones to the drain of their marrows." 
 
 "Will you permit me?" said a speaker from the 
 group, stepping forward. "Our friend, Mr. Stevenson, 
 is inconsistent and unfair; he is talking under a spell 
 of prejudice against the Juvenile System. Some of 
 you are, perhaps, well aware of that he was dismissed 
 from the police force some while ago for some indis 
 creet act or failure to live up to his duties. One of 
 the System s agents appeared against him for just 
 
 158
 
 little Sufferers: 
 
 causes, and his dismissal from the force he lays to 
 the Juvenile System, and now he seeks revenge by 
 circulating false rumors." 
 
 That this speaker was not as generally approved as 
 Jack instantly was apparent. Not a single sound of 
 applause was heard, but only continued groans and 
 hissing. He was about to reseat himself when Jack 
 Stevenson challenged his statement. "If any one is 
 inconsistent and unfair, it seems rather to be laid to 
 you, as you are becoming personal. Though I beg to 
 say that you were very modest in arraigning me, were 
 it not more of good form for you to disprove my state 
 ments with some facts to the contrary?" 
 
 Upon this the former speaker again moved forward. 
 "I will disprove it, sir," he began hotly. "The Juve 
 nile System has been in existence for fifty-three years ; 
 this fact alone adds honor to its title. A patriot, a 
 noble veteran of American wars, who bears pure old 
 English aristocratic blood, established it. Of excel 
 lent character, honorable of purposes as he was, he 
 would never have lent himself to a scheme where the 
 slightest thread of dishonor and injustice were ever 
 likely to be shown in effect. To show you some of 
 the System s splendid doings, I will read you a recent 
 abstract of work done," he added, and drew a type 
 written slip from an inner pocket, and read: "One 
 branch of the Juvenile System in their four months 
 work, comparing with ten years ago, shows there is 
 an increase of 180 per cent, in the number of investi 
 gations, and an increase of 1,600 per cent, in the item 
 of prosecution upon the juvenile cases, with a 300 
 per cent, increase in the number of children indefi 
 nitely detained," ended he, satisfied, re-seating him 
 self. 
 
 "Thank you, I shall discuss your last statement 
 first," responded Jack Stevenson. "Your own proof 
 
 159
 
 C6e Little 
 
 of facts is that the community must be simmering in 
 juvenile filth, and grows lower in sin at a tremendous 
 rate. Your abstracts of facts also admit or otherwise 
 accuse the weakness and lack of our government sys 
 tem that cannot compute its own statements upon so 
 vital a matter as childhood, the corner-stone of the 
 nation. Does it not show, sir," directed Jack, "that 
 there is need of reform where a private money-grab 
 bing corporation can lay claims and exercise itself as 
 a clinic to perfect a coming generation? While we 
 speak of it, let me state," said Jack, "there is alone 
 in some single division of these children courts 
 brought before judges yearly six thousand children, 
 all ranging from infancy to sixteen. Upon both of 
 these shown facts, does it not prove that courts and 
 institutions to deal with children are no proper social 
 remedies ?" 
 
 "Let me again say," he continued, after a second 
 pause, "our children s courts are unnatural institu 
 tion schools for our youths. A reprimand there 
 tendered does, at best, but imbue fear, and truly a 
 child cannot blossom upon fear; its impulsive mind 
 and unruly spirit cannot be corrected by a mild nor 
 severe judge. The force of character and bidding 
 must be forced upon children by natural care, which 
 must lay within their very homes. A children s court 
 should be within a child s own home; the parent 
 should be encouraged and required by society to aid 
 and correct. The delinquencies should be brought 
 upon the parents who are the natural and true guar 
 dians. Our juvenile courts are but truly an imposi 
 tion upon the child s right. 
 
 "So, likewise, is a juvenile institution. A system 
 for a child to be brought up and reared in should be 
 within the home of its parents. There he was de 
 signed to receive instructions and refreshments, to 
 
 160
 
 Cbe Little >ufferet0 
 
 nourish both body and soul. Its parents are the only 
 ones who can fully develop the child. It is their duty 
 and their care, and they should be the ones to suffer 
 and be punished upon shirking responsibilities which 
 they have taken upon themselves. Let me impress 
 upon you," he continued, "a child brought into life has 
 a natural right to be taught and reared until it reaches 
 a state of physical and mental independence when it 
 is able to satisfy its own wants as existence demands. 
 
 "Courts and institutions are but exterior social at 
 tributes and incidents of mature s dealings, an imma 
 ture soul cannot be brought close thereto. Pampered 
 institutions, as the Juvenile System and likewise the 
 Catholic Protectory, which act as guardians of these 
 unfortunate children, and which are depraved in them 
 selves, can add nothing to better their conditions. 
 While the bodies of these little juvenile victims are but 
 half nourished, the soul part of the child is entirely 
 starved. They are reared under conditions that can 
 not show real humanity, real warmth and love. Such 
 miserable children, as they grow older, become 
 dwarfed in body and spirit. 
 
 "The natural training of all growths, whether it be 
 plant, vegetable or human life, must be in the manner 
 designed by the Creator; artificial application stunts 
 all. The system of training and rearing must be of 
 natural blend, or else the entire impulse of growth 
 will wither and fail to unfold." 
 
 After halting a moment he continued : "Touching 
 back upon our Honored Judge s remark that this par 
 ticular Juvenile System or Society has existed fifty- 
 three years, and was planned with the noblest of spirit 
 and started by a God-sent of man, adds nothing to its 
 present methods, which are faulty and false. What 
 ever the original purpose of this private organiza 
 tion was, I shall not question, but the Tammany order 
 
 161
 
 C6e JLittle Sufferers; 
 
 and also the Mafia of Italy were originally formed 
 for good purposes, but now both of these have de 
 generated, and are the black hands of society, each 
 after its own peculiar effective manner. The one 
 makes and has the law and uses it to extort, and 
 the other " 
 
 "Here, here!" broke off a speaker threateningly 
 as he jumped from his seat. "Do you liken the 
 Juvenile System to the dreaded Mafia order of Italy? 
 By your intimation you are not only insulting the 
 courts, and our honored judges who in their duties 
 deal with the system, but you betray the fate of our 
 government, who grants it to exist." 
 
 This little incident provoked a turmoil in the audi 
 ence. Men arose to their feet, stamped, clapped, 
 whistled, hooted and shouted. Mingled with this was 
 an uproar of laughter, and, as Jack began again, he 
 was tendered a fresh ovation of cheers. 
 
 "There is no need of taking offence at my state 
 ments," he resumed, as the excitement abated and 
 {he offended speaker reseated himself. "If I likened 
 the Tammany and the Juvenile System to the black 
 hand, I should perhaps have added that their hands 
 are gloved. We don t see them. No other apology 
 can I extend you. In some respects I should apolo 
 gize to the two organizations. I named " 
 
 Now arose another from among their midst, a de 
 fender of the System. He held in his hand some en 
 larged pictures of the Juvenile Village. They were 
 pretty, handsome cottages, which showed extremely 
 neatly laid out surroundings. He began to explain 
 the beauty of it all, of the physical and natural ad 
 vantages to the city youths, the superior facilities for 
 training of youths taken away from the slums. He 
 did not, however, dwell upon conditions under which 
 these beautiful surroundings were maintained, nor the 
 
 162
 
 C6e Little &uffcret$ 
 
 cost of the youthful strength exacted to keep up ap 
 pearances. He did not reveal the fact that it was a 
 moneyed system of the strictest order, too raw in dis 
 cipline, too severe for a young and growing child 
 who needs kindness and living guidance. He also 
 omitted to state the effect it had upon an incarcerated 
 child. Truly it was but a picture of a grim bird in a 
 handsomely gilded cage. The speaker, however, was 
 not sincere; he could not arouse effect, he merely 
 warbled and made a motion and shortly reseated 
 himself. 
 
 "What this gentleman showed you was a soulless 
 heaven. As to its design, it may well be likened 
 to a negro plantation system of old, remodeled upon 
 up-to-date ideas and standards of our new benevolent 
 slave masters and industrial syndicates. These grind 
 the souls of the poor and defenceless as much in these 
 days as in the days of old. Only, as I said, the modes 
 are different. The System has built handsome cot 
 tages, but the souls herded within are as lifeless, 
 hopeless wrecks. It has finely carved cupboards, but 
 nothing therein to strengthen their worn bodies. It 
 has etiquette and schools, but nothing to strengthen 
 the mind. It is exterior display and interior cruelty. 
 It is a farce, and will remain so as long as it is based 
 upon money consideration. While in public institu 
 tions there is much lacking, they nevertheless show a 
 less taint of dishonesty, and can be tolerated if 
 need be." 
 
 "My experience as a judge is," volunteered a per 
 son with snow-white hair, who looked kind and sym 
 pathetic, "that in so large communities as the one in 
 which we live, that we need both courts and institu 
 tions to correct the evils of youth where parents are 
 neither able nor willing. The separate children s 
 courts are an advantage over the old method of bring- 
 
 163
 
 C&e Little %>uffeterg 
 
 ing the little ones before the magistrate courts. While 
 I agree that juvenile crime is not decreasing, I believe 
 in treating it with kindness and consideration, which 
 can be done only by having an individual branch to 
 apply to and deal with this class." 
 
 He seated himself, looking as if he had scored a 
 point. Jack Stevenson quickly arose and replied: 
 
 "Your Honor is right in saying that we need 
 courts and institutions to correct the evils. But the 
 evils of the young are the examples and doings of the 
 old, and it is there the punishment should be laid. 
 When parents are neither able nor willing, as you 
 said, they should be made to care. It is not a court s 
 duty to systematize a child, but to systematize its par 
 ents. Where the parental system is proper, a child 
 must naturally follow in the right course. A social 
 system is not a propagator of youth, but a propagator 
 of principles. It is a mature s position, and must 
 deal only with those past their majority. Until a 
 minor child has reached the System s growth, it re 
 mains part and parcel of its maker. It does not re 
 quire wealth to produce good children, poverty- 
 stricken homes can bring as good results if there is 
 no barrier for children to founder upon. A mere men 
 tion of Lincoln s name proves this. 
 
 "Mischievousness and wildness in a youth is not 
 necessarily a criminal nature, it leads thereto only if 
 permitted to develop upon stronger lines. Young 
 sters, if permitted to shift about and rear themselves 
 upon the street, for lack of true parental care, nat 
 urally must degenerate and go astray. But to gather 
 them in an asylum to finish their growth under cruel 
 artificial surroundings is a cruel remedy, if it will at 
 best remedy it. 
 
 "As to the idea of kindness which his Honor a mo 
 ment ago touched upon, I wish to state that, to bring 
 
 164
 
 Cbe Little >ufferer$ 
 
 a spirited boy before a judge to be patted on the 
 cheeks with encouragement, and told that he is a 
 pretty good boy, will not make him so. It is true we 
 can gain more by a system of kindness than by one 
 of cruelty, but it is as true that no result can follow 
 a cause where there is neither system nor method to 
 build from. And again," he continued, "a judge at 
 best can but inspire fear. Upon fear we cannot re 
 trieve good feeling and regards. Whether the judge s 
 tenor was mild or hard, it would only affect the lad 
 externally. Would he not obey, and could he not re 
 spect his parents without the aid of courts, it would 
 add no influence to his better inner self to go into 
 court for admonition. Would he yield to the judge s 
 demand it would then, at all events, but be in a spirit 
 of contempt for his parents inability to exert com 
 pulsion. 
 
 "A boy who must be brought to court for a repri 
 mand cannot be a pretty good boy. Such a coaxing 
 from an exterior source will have no effect upon a 
 self-willed youngster; it only sours his spirit. He 
 sees his upbraiding parent ridiculed, and he feels that 
 the fault lies with them. 
 
 "Your Honor reflected upon the separate children s 
 court system as being an advantage over the old sys 
 tem of magistrate s courts," Jack said, directing his 
 attention to the former speaker. "I will say that, 
 though it may appear humiliating to drag unruly 
 youngsters to a court where drunkards and disor 
 derly characters are brought, it is worth remarking 
 that these unruly youngsters grow, thrive and asso 
 ciate daily among that class, and have become so ac 
 customed to the lower order of life that they cannot 
 be humiliated by remaining a few minutes before a 
 judge who sits before a class of their own associates 
 and familiars. 
 
 165
 
 Cfje Little Sufferer* 
 
 "It is a fact that since the advent of children s 
 courts juvenile crime or mischief has increased. We 
 believe it lies in the fact that mischievous youngsters 
 look upon these juvenile courts somewhat as a stage 
 drama. Many brought before that court of whom we 
 have knowledge consider themselves heroes ; at all 
 events they hold less fear for this mild form of pun 
 ishment than for that in magistrate courts, where 
 stronger examples are shown. 
 
 "While both parents and children formerly showed 
 a fear, or at least respect, for a regular magistrate 
 court, the juvenile courts have to them no meaning 
 other than that of kindergarten. The neglectful par 
 ents who, by their own disposition and example, are 
 unable to control their children find it very often con 
 venient to hand their unruly offspring to this little 
 petty system, and have the judge scold them. The 
 parents in most cases are not serious; they do not 
 want their children punished. It is natural that there 
 can be no lasting effect where neither seriousness nor 
 principle exist. 
 
 "However, neither magistrate nor children s courts, 
 nor asylums, nor institutions can correct or assume 
 natural guardianship, nor mould the mind of a child 
 whose true parents still live. This is because an im 
 mature mind cannot understand the cause of the in 
 stitution s existence, beyond being a dispenser of 
 punishment. These miserable youths will lack the 
 confidence and will awaken to the fact that there is 
 neither real love nor feeling to be found there. They 
 will awaken to realize that it is coarser obligations 
 which bind them. Truly such children have less to 
 cling to than the ones entirely orphaned." 
 
 "Aye, yes, how about orphaned children?" asked a 
 loud voice from among the audience. 
 
 "Orphaned children," replied Jack, "may, through 
 166
 
 Cfje JLittle 
 
 kindred Asylums or Institutions, grow up and reach 
 the better estate of man by reason of their feeling of 
 helplessness; their sole lone position in the world. 
 Their little moulding self is set to reflect, they know 
 they must lean against the external world. The 
 coarser obligations of Society smile upon them less 
 hard. Their own little self does not feel its bereaved 
 position laid to them as a punishment for their er 
 rors, nor as a reflection upon the depravity of their 
 parents. In their unfortunate position they learn to 
 appreciate any kindness. Their speck of soul, their 
 natural love for their parents whom they have not 
 learned to disrespect, stirs them and keeps aglow their 
 better sentiments. Aye, their inspiration and hope for 
 meeting their departed parents at a future day encour 
 ages them on; thus they can grow good despite all 
 disadvantages. 
 
 "Again, remove a youth from his parents, place him 
 in an Institution. This child will feel himself a mar 
 tyr, punished for some cause it really cannot grasp. 
 The child s spirit immediately becomes inflamed; nat 
 ural instinct conveys to him that he has a right to be 
 where his parents are. Restraint invokes hatred, not 
 only against Society, but against parents who the 
 child, by a certain grain of reason, feels to be the 
 cause of his unhappy plight. 
 
 "Thus we may conclude that children removed or 
 committed through parental cause to Institutions find 
 nothing therein to inspire their minds. Though they 
 look forward some day to receive their freedom, and 
 to meet their parents, it is with a feeling blended 
 with reproach. Their cruel detention, their youthful 
 restraint, upon their rightful freedom and liberty add 
 nothing inspiring to their minds; they learn to de 
 spise that which they felt they should have loved. 
 These juvenile youngsters who grow up with no ex- 
 
 167
 
 Cfre Little Sufferers 
 
 amples before them, while not really bad when com 
 mitted, will soon become so, or at best will not im 
 prove. 
 
 "Now then, let us reverse positions and we will es 
 tablish the remedy. Reprove the parent instead of the 
 child; not only would the father and mother assume 
 their responsibilities, but this method would install a 
 deeper fear within the child. The most stubborn and 
 incorrigible child has still a speck of good nature. 
 No boy is so strongly unruly that he would not 
 awaken, were his parents to suffer punishment for 
 him. It would take away that bragging pose of being 
 a hero. It would break his colt s nature. He would 
 feel that he martyrs his parents ; it would strengthen 
 his love and respect for them. Verily, study a child s 
 nature and you will find within it lies a rule that says : 
 inflict a punishment upon another and it has a strong 
 and more lasting effect upon his mind than were he to 
 suffer it himself. 
 
 "However, can it be more preposterous that a hu 
 man race with seeds of endowments should bear so 
 reprehensible children that their infant state and young 
 pliable minds cannot be controlled and taught 
 righteousness by their own makers? And that in or 
 der to sustain a right growth external forces and 
 courses have to be subterfuged to? Is it not a mortal 
 sin that a child in its teens should be hauled before the 
 Courts of Justice, while the parents are complacently 
 permitted to root in evil and in fact thus encouraged 
 in it? Does it seem intelligent that a mere infant 
 should be immured in an Institution, deprived of its 
 freedom, while the parents, the whole cause, are al 
 lowed to saunter at large, free to enjoy nature and 
 to continue their work of corruption ? 
 
 "Furthermore, should a parent s obligation to par- 
 entdom but consist in bringing children into the world 
 
 168
 
 Cfje Little Sufferers 
 
 and throw in upon Social Institutions to be provided 
 by public funds? Should not the burden imposed by 
 themselves be carried by themselves? Truly, the 
 Courts and Institutions which now blight the lives of 
 youths should be invoked to punish the guilty ones, 
 which is to be found in the parent branch. The disci 
 plinary training schools and parochial Institutions 
 should be clinics for delinquent parents, and there 
 would be less disgrace brought upon an innocent hu 
 man mind, and Society would grow better for it." 
 
 "Permit me to remind you," interrupted a Sys 
 tem s sympathizer, and stepped forward. He was 
 clean shaven and lean, and wore a Prince Albert, and 
 looked in all pious. "While I do not wish to reflect 
 upon the working of our great good government sys 
 tem or upon the working of any of its Institutions, I, 
 though, however, wish to say that there is none among 
 our private Christian Endeavor institutions which 
 treat their charges so cruelly and neglectingly as is 
 prevalent and proven in and among the city s disci 
 plinary and training schools." 
 
 He reseated himself, and it was noticed that sev 
 eral sympathizers pressed his hands. All of them ap 
 peared extremely pleased. 
 
 "Ah, my friend," quickly flanked Jack, "I am glad 
 you brought this question forward. The burden of 
 real bad, incorrigible and untrained children, and the 
 ones mostly in need of sympathy and care, your Chris- 
 tion Endeavor System does not bother with. Your 
 adopted are of a class of children who, in most in 
 stances, are in no need of strict discipline, and should 
 have remained in their own homes in care of their 
 own parents, who are all able and could be made to 
 care and rear them themselves. Another fact is that 
 these private benevolent systems pick their own 
 charges and select their own stock of youngsters. The 
 
 169
 
 C&e Little 
 
 ill and the scum of society they shove or throw over 
 upon the public as unredeemable, or perhaps as un 
 profitable, whichever way we choose to look upon it. 
 And still another fact is," continued he, "that nearly 
 all of these unfortunate inmates now imprisoned in 
 our public, disciplinary, and training quarters have, 
 upon one time or another, or rather, suffered their 
 first incarceration in some one of the various private 
 systems. Aye, a primary course from which they 
 graduated a medium to influence and inflame their 
 ills " 
 
 "Sir ! Sir ! I bid you guard your utterings," broke 
 off a little individual, as he sprang to his feet and in 
 a threatening manner shook his fist at Jack Steven 
 son. "Are you insinuating that our good charitable, 
 Christian institutions are perfecters of crime?" He 
 was too excited to speak further, his words clogged 
 in his mouth, and exhaustingly he threw himself back 
 upon his seat. 
 
 This little incident created a tremendous stir among 
 the listening circle. A thunderous shouting, hooting, 
 stamping, clapping, and whistling rung through the 
 hall, so that the building vibrated. Jack stood cool 
 and looked piteously at the infuriated little capacity 
 who sat wriggled up in the corner. 
 
 "I am not insinuating," responded Jack, in slight 
 defiance, as the turmoil had subsided. "I am accusing, 
 and a thorough investigation will verify my complaint. 
 What is further, there would be proved as strong ill 
 treatment of inmates within the walls of those pri 
 vate benevolent institutions as has ever been laid bare 
 among the ones entirely run by the public. 
 
 "Now in all fairness, let me ask you gentlemen," 
 he addressed the entire group of System s sympathiz 
 ers, who apparently sat as beaten. "Does it seem sane, 
 does it seem true, that a government as ours, framed
 
 Little %>ufferer0 
 
 upon strict co-allied public principles, should be un 
 able, unworthy, and incompetent of treating, caring 
 for and correcting its own factious portion of so 
 ciety; attend its own neglected subjects? And, in 
 order to fulfil human obligations and social duties, our 
 standard form of government must throw into private 
 cares, private dungeons, this miserable, neglected por 
 tion of our commonwealth? Is it not a vital shame 
 that private courses, individual modes and systems can 
 step in and take precedence over our government in 
 stitutions and plank down rules, punish, lead, and af 
 fect part of the society? Where is the Constitution? 
 Where are the rights of the remainder of society? 
 Where is self-government?" 
 
 As Jack received no answer but weird looks, he 
 continued: "Inabilities and failures by our adopted 
 form of government to control and regulate its own 
 functions and care for its own burdens, enforce its 
 own examples, such a public system should be met 
 with dissolution. Should it not? Our form of gov 
 ernment must, after your view, be a weakling shame. 
 Patriots as you desire to shine, you are by your acts 
 and courses proclaiming monarchial sovereignty and 
 individual rule, against which our forefathers put 
 their lives down. 
 
 "In concluding my talk, I will state, this free, hu 
 man-loving country, it is estimated, has one hundred 
 and fifty thousand of these little neglected children 
 stowed together within solitary brick walls of cruel, 
 heartless institutions, who, through unnatural train 
 ing and lack of true care, are blossoming into imbe 
 ciles and surging society with bad growth, implanting 
 into our newer race a grade of moral, physical, and 
 mental defected. I wish strongly to recommend this 
 proposition: If we cannot presently lead ourselves to 
 compel a proper parental system to care for their own 
 
 171
 
 C&e Little 
 
 progenies, let us not ruin these youths, but seek to 
 have them distributed throughout the country in proper 
 and individual homes, where they at least, to some ex 
 tent, will derive part of that which nature designed 
 them," added he, bowing, and thanked the audience. 
 
 The applauding and cheering was tremendous, while 
 the various speakers who had come to defend the 
 Juvenile System hurriedly sneaked off with their hats 
 nearly covering their eyes. Jack Stevenson remained 
 standing, as a hero, in the fight against the System 
 of courts and institutions. As he proceeded to leave 
 the platform, he was borne on the shoulders of strong, 
 approving men. Weeping and crying mothers sur 
 rounded him with thanks, and pleaded that he should 
 help them to have their little ones released. 
 
 Harry O Neil and May Thornton both wept with 
 joy, and hoped that he had not failed to deal a final 
 blow to the System which caused them so deep a 
 worry. Lankey George approved of all of Jack s 
 speech, and would have loved to press his hand; but 
 the crowd which surrounded Jack hindered any of 
 the trio from coming within reaching distance of the 
 much-honored and beloved speaker. But, glad in heart 
 and satisfied in mind, the three left the hall. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 A LIGHT-HEARTED DINNER PARTY. 
 
 Sunshine now lit up the O Neils household. Mrs. 
 O Neil, though weak and colorless, was much im 
 proved. She began to sit up a greater part of the 
 day, and would faintly walk around the room and sit 
 in the kitchen with May, while she was at work. 
 
 Jack Stevenson s successful progress in his cam- 
 172
 
 Little 
 
 paign against the Juvenile System imbued her with 
 such strong hopes of the release of her little ones, 
 that in her thoughts she would plan a reception for 
 their home-coming. May Thornton felt similarly hope 
 ful, and had decided not to meet Dan Connors on the 
 day he appointed, and, as the time passed, the ap 
 pointment had slipped her mind. She no longer gave 
 it a thought, but longed for election day, when Jack 
 Stevenson would be elected to the Assembly and hurry 
 through his bill to abolish the System. 
 
 Harry O Neil felt as happy as either of them; he 
 worried no longer for his wife, who showed contin 
 ual improvement, and he had as much faith in Jack 
 Stevenson s success as did his wife and May. They 
 bought two or three papers daily and read accounts of 
 the strong progress the People s Party were making 
 throughout all boroughs. Jack Stevenson was through 
 it all a Lincoln of the day. He was fighting to free 
 the white little human slaves, who suffered and en 
 dured more than the negroes of old, and he sought to 
 establish a proper and good remedy, whereby condi 
 tions could be righted and the nation buttressed with 
 a healthy growth of youths. Of course, some of the 
 dailies which were controlled by other political fac 
 tions and who were friendly with the Juvenile Sys 
 tem, severely criticised and belittled Jack Stevenson, 
 and pictured him as ambitious for his own political 
 purposes. One or two issues went so far as to say 
 that, if elected and seated, he would vote for shelv 
 ing his own bill affecting the Juvenile System. Papers 
 which were antagonistic to the hopes of the 
 O Neils, it is natural that they did not read. Harry 
 might hurriedly scan them, but he took no stock in 
 their attitude. 
 
 Lankey George was not too over-buoyant, and never 
 spoke much on Jack s coming success. "The sun has 
 
 173
 
 Little >uffeter0 
 
 its spots," he always said, when things shone too 
 bright, but he sincerely hoped for the best. He felt 
 that Jack was true and sincere, but he would not dis 
 count his victory. Lankey s study of politics had 
 taught him that it was not the public or people who 
 ruled and regulated things, but political machines, run 
 by the unscrupulous few. Should the People s Inde 
 pendent Party carry all the boroughs, it could not ex 
 pect to do so upon fair methods. 
 
 A week hence would be settled the political outcome 
 of Jack s efforts. Both of the good women looked 
 forward to election day with a bridal longing, and 
 every public tongue had Jack elected, consequently to 
 all exterior view there could be no failure. Every 
 day passed happily, merrily, and full of hope; on the 
 evenings the Thorntons would call and spend a few 
 hours in Mrs. O Neil s and May s company, and over 
 their cups of tea they would renew their discourse 
 which always ran in the same strain. 
 
 The Sunday before election all the O Neils rooms 
 were lighted to their fullest degree. Mrs. O Neil had 
 this day herself helped May to cook a dainty afternoon 
 dinner. Mrs. Thornton and both of May s sisters had 
 joined them at the table, and, with Harry and Lankey, 
 they made quite a light-hearted dinner party. Over 
 the table Harry and Lankey began to discuss Jack 
 Stevenson s meeting, and passed remarks upon the 
 various speakers and speeches. 
 
 "Jack certainly gave it to some of those judges; he 
 made them turn black in spots. They had to pull hard 
 and still they could not draw their load," remarked 
 Harry, with such glee that he nearly swallowed the 
 chicken leg which he was picking. 
 
 "You nearly caught it," responded Lankey merrily. 
 "A mule and a beer pump are both made to draw, and 
 so are those poor judges. The politicians hang on 
 
 174
 
 Jlittle 
 
 them, so does the Juvenile System, and also their 
 conscience or feelings of right draw upon them. It 
 is consequently not to be wondered at that they should 
 turn black in spots. Most of our judges are no doubt 
 learned men, at least more so than the average lay 
 man," he continued, in a more serious tone, "but eco 
 nomic conditions they never study; theirs is but cool 
 theory. They have book learning to the extent of a 
 writer s pen, and system of dead laws without meas 
 urement of circumstances and conditions. They can 
 not understand practical conditions, as all matters 
 come before them in blended form. You cannot tell 
 a saw by its buzz, nor can you understand the sys 
 tem of the poor unless you have seen the inside of 
 their homes and their everyday conditions. Let these 
 judges take a stroll about the vicinity of the poor, and 
 view the parents sitting sipping their beer at nights 
 and roll tipsy into bed while their children run about 
 the streets until midnight or frolic in hallways and 
 alleys. Naturally these youngsters must go wrong, 
 nor can it be expected that these children can respect 
 their parents. Such offspring grow up wild as an 
 ungardened plant. It is as Jack says: Punish and 
 teach the parents to do their duties, and there would 
 be less bad children, and there would be no need of 
 children s courts nor kindred Juvenile Institutions." 
 Here Lankey lit his pipe, and took up the conversa 
 tion: "Juvenile depravity is so common that it is 
 looked upon as a social necessity. Many of our phil 
 osophers on the bench give sanction to the idea that 
 child depravity and vice are categorically one, and as 
 baser qualities of man both must have space and room 
 to thrive and to a certain extent be tolerated. It s an 
 other way of saying that wild oats are to be expected. 
 In their opinion neither parent nor child is responsi 
 ble. Their philosophy is, that angelic existence would 
 
 175
 
 Little Sufferers: 
 
 be mythical, were all the world shorn of devils. 
 Aye, some of our most learned go so far in reasoning 
 that they look upon hell as the primary course to 
 heaven, and the deviltry of man as angelic irrigation 
 and as essential to mankind, as is a steam valve to a 
 boiler." Here he added laughingly: "Of course, we 
 are not all philosophers, and, therefore, must think 
 slowly." Lankey moved his chair closer to his friend, 
 and, in a light tone, mixed with seriousness and mirth, 
 he went on : "While our system of courts and institu 
 tions take it upon themselves to maternalize and regu 
 late infantile and immature growth, why not as nat 
 urally enter upon a plan of propagating youth? 
 Planting and raising are relatively one issue, and re 
 main paralleled until it has been perfected to a com 
 plete state of development. 
 
 "However," added he, after a moment s pause, "this 
 method of our children s court to fine-comb the chil 
 dren and let the parents continue to heed vermin, does 
 not end the spread of the disease." 
 
 "By the way, while our republican form of govern 
 ment grants so unlimited rights to a private corpora 
 tion under which it may act as keepers, guardians, 
 teachers, and also to correct and punish our young 
 folks," suddenly broke in- Harry, "why should not as 
 just and proper that grant apply to the grown folks? 
 
 "Truly, this half-shingling a house makes a rudely 
 cover. As the Juvenile System has a tackle upon one- 
 half of Society, it would be in conformity to hand 
 over the remainder. All public schools, almshouses, 
 reformatories, prisons, and kindred State institutions 
 might, as socially proper, be run by a private chartered 
 clique. 
 
 "We enjoy but a partial government by the people. 
 A semi-public " 
 
 "A semi-feudal system," broke off Lankey. "And
 
 C&e JLittle 
 
 it will remain so, so long as one or a body can ac 
 quire laws to rule, punish, and infract upon a whole 
 people as now it does. Indeed, our government should 
 be broad enough to handle all matters pertaining and 
 affecting its own people, regardless of age, stage, and 
 conditions in life. Let me say," continued he, "in a 
 country as this, which proclaims religious freedom, 
 we have altogether too much religious hysterics. We 
 are certainly not far removed from the dark ages, 
 the old friars state, where the monks and cloisters 
 laid the rules and yoked the people, so long as we 
 permit any religious sect of humanitarians disguised 
 to lay edicts for the general people to go by. 
 
 "Search into the methods of any of our benevolent 
 lauded systems," resumed he, "whether such are 
 termed Children s Aid Society, Prevention of Cruelty 
 to Animals, Catholic Protectories, Vice-Crusaders, or 
 various linked others of moral tenders. All are laden 
 with graft and shame. Vandals of our constitutional 
 grant. But it is as Jack says, Their hands are 
 gloved, " ended he. 
 
 Here he was interrupted by Mrs. O Neil, who said : 
 
 "Mrs. Thornton was just telling me she read that a 
 learned man wrote that a mother s love and feeling 
 for her children is but simple animal nature, like that 
 of the coarser herd. A hen will scratch for her brood 
 of chicks; an eagle will claw for hers, and a tigress 
 will fight for her cubs, as will a wretched mother 
 fight for hers. I think that man was insulting. Don t 
 you?" she ended inquiringly. 
 
 "Well, yes, I think he was rather mean, if he ended 
 there," answered Lankey. "While there exists the 
 same acute fondness in both animals and humans, we 
 can but compare it as sunlight and twilight. The 
 lower orders will discard their offspring upon the ar 
 rival of a new brood; the cord of connection here
 
 Ci)e Little Sufferers 
 
 breaks. The human or motherly love is supplanted 
 with a more lasting intelligence and sense of duty. A 
 mother will live on and cling to hers by her own feel 
 ing of responsibility and love. Her reflective mind 
 and her memories are the connecting thread of con 
 tinued attraction. A woman s love for her husband 
 can be as deep as a bottomless ocean, but her love for 
 her child is as an endless chasm in the universe." 
 . "Well, now I think I love my husband as much as I 
 do my children," entered Mrs. O Neil, sending a look 
 from her eyes to her husband which spoke the truth. 
 
 "There is no end to a woman s love in either sphere, 
 but it affects differently ; she might die for either. 
 Her love for her husband is acquired ; it is linked with 
 sense and reason, and can be broken by the same cord ; 
 a mother s love for her child is natural, it is her flame 
 of soul and self, there is no cord to break, for it is 
 an integral part of her." 
 
 "We can love others, besides our husband and chil 
 dren," remarked Mrs. O Neil, sending a loving glance 
 toward her true friend, May, which was ardently re 
 turned. 
 
 Lankey George understood her meaning, and fondly 
 stared at May as he said : "She is like a sunbeam, she 
 radiates from the centre of her heart." 
 
 May thanked them, and blushed ; but said nothing, 
 whereupon her sister, Katie, in a teasing tone, re 
 sponded : "Ah, George, don t flatter her too much, you 
 may later find flaws you didn t look for." 
 
 All of them laughed, and George mildly assented to 
 the possibility which he thought quite unlikely. "Very 
 true," he went on, "every star has its measured depth. 
 But, nevertheless, dear May, a girl like you can travel 
 with any girl and eclipse the best of men." 
 
 "There is no mistake about that," here entered 
 Harry; "women as a rule are too over- fond of their 
 
 I 7 8
 
 Cfje JLittle 
 
 children. I love my little ones, but could always see 
 their faults." 
 
 "Here you spoke wisely," responded George. "To 
 sit as a judge before your own children is what is 
 lacking with many a parent, regardless of social stand 
 ing. It is safe to remark that any parents idolizing 
 their children will some day suffer scorn. As much 
 as a child needs parental love, a bosom to cling to, 
 and a heart and ear to confide into, again as much it 
 needs a firm, deep example and a ruling of serious 
 ness to direct him. Upon growing to manhood or 
 womanhood, children never betray strong love and re 
 spect for a parent whom they never learned to obey. 
 A brilliant boy, brought up under strict influence and 
 strong example, carries with him to the grave the 
 memory of his mother and father. 
 
 "The majority of parents with juvenile offenders," 
 continued George, "never impress upon their little 
 ones minds the real seriousness of their doings. Mis 
 chief is only looked upon as harmless pranks, both by 
 mothers and fathers, and no stronger reprimand or 
 explanation or warning is given than a light remark 
 of, You better look out! This vague admonition so 
 customary and in the tone it is spoken, has no other 
 significance to the little mind than a warning of Not 
 to be caught, and, of course, they ply their deviltry 
 in the spirit of ascertaining how far they can go and 
 elude detection and apprehension. In their career, 
 they are led in upon a stronger line and become habit 
 ual or chronic offenders. It is obvious that the par 
 ents are entirely to blame ; they do not add the right 
 interpretation, nor show symptoms of seriousness. 
 That responsibility should undoubtedly be enforced 
 upon the parents mind, if by no other means than by 
 punishing them. They should realize the consequences 
 of their immature s acts." 
 
 179
 
 Cfje Little %>uffeter$ 
 
 "While we talk about it, the word love is a great 
 word, isn t it ?" remarked Katie. 
 
 "Ah, love is the broadest of all words ; it can neither 
 be measured nor adjusted. While the word is that 
 of man, the action is cosmic," answered Lankey. "The 
 very word of hatred is blended with love; every im 
 pulse and action, if cherished by our own feeling, is 
 grounded in love. Whether our desires for gratifica 
 tions be for the good or the better to ourselves or 
 others, they are lovers actions." 
 
 "I don t follow," said Mrs. Thornton. "We can 
 only love with our hearts." 
 
 "It is not the physical heart which stipulates warmth 
 and love, but it is from the deeper thought cells of 
 man where it bounds. It is a peculiar action, and is 
 grooved deeper than all combined senses," returned 
 Lankey. 
 
 "Yes, surely love is a deep feeling," adjoined Mrs. 
 O Neil. 
 
 "Aye, truly. It is an ideal fixture of one s own 
 self," responded Lankey. "A loveless person is in 
 himself a pity. He lacks the virtues of true existence. 
 He is as a wickless lamp, and his life must be like 
 an outburned ember. 
 
 "Love is the radiating centre of all creation ; it is 
 a wisdom s system. We, endowed, are grains of this 
 system. The Creator, the aspiring cause, is beauti 
 ful and lovable, and the true source of will and wants. 
 Thus love is a cosmic abode, and we humans are part 
 and parcel thereof," ended he. 
 
 "Why, a cat or a dog or any animal is a part of cre 
 ation," broached Katie. 
 
 "To be sure. But the lower order is not endowed 
 with higher receptive qualities. Nothing in creation 
 can stretch beyond its receptive mind. Gratifications, 
 wants, wills, and ambitions of the lower life are nar- 
 
 180
 
 Little 
 
 row. Their gift of love, the higher trend of wisdom, 
 is not divinely sanctioned them, and they cannot as 
 pire beyond their receptivity." 
 
 "Say, George, you have so finely defined a mother s 
 love for her husband and children and all other kinds 
 of love, now let us have your definition, or rather 
 your experience, on lover s love," broke in Katie 
 Thornton, with a laugh. "This will interest me more." 
 
 "There are as many ways to look at it as there is 
 to describe the orbs. The definition must correspond 
 with one s own imagination," evasively answered 
 Lankey. 
 
 "Oh, no, that s no explanation, George; you must 
 do better," quickly returned Katie. Mrs. O Neil sup 
 ported her in this demand. 
 
 "Perhaps not, but it leaves one to guess at his own 
 position. As for me, I would prefer to outline the 
 solar system." 
 
 "No, no, George ; a man who could conquer a heart 
 such as May s must be a little out of the common, and 
 be able to depict a lover s dream," affirmed Mrs. 
 O Neil. 
 
 "Very well, then," replied Lankey, in mock seri 
 ousness. He looked at May, who sat leisurely picking 
 at the fringe of the table cloth. The others of the 
 company stared at him, longing to reach his conclu 
 sion. "Lovers love is strong emotions which can be 
 stilled only by the gain of one s desire. It is as varied 
 as the seasons, and it requires a sieve to sift it down 
 to the real qualities. An attack of heart spasms we 
 have all doubtless had at one time or another," he 
 ventured. "The quantity and quality of such emo 
 tional affliction can be measured only by one s own 
 gauge. The earlier attacks, or primary state of love, 
 are more or less of a hysteric form, which grows and 
 diminishes upon its own impulses. 
 
 181
 
 Cfje Little >uferer0 
 
 "Lovers love differs from platonic and other forms 
 of friendship and love in this, that it is grounded in 
 a passionate fondness which lies in sex differences. 
 
 "A man s love for a woman can be as burning- as a 
 woman s love for a man, and the sting can have the 
 same effect, yet the quantity and quality is as differ 
 ent as sheep s wool. Man s love for woman, upon 
 reaching attainment, simmers down to a strong at 
 tachment, while a woman s love for a man burns on 
 and never lacks the sentiment which it first bore. 
 Common sense and duties should be unbreakable bonds 
 upon both sides." 
 
 As Lankey finished, they all merrily clapped their 
 hands. "I must write that down, and have it before 
 me as a recipe," said Katie, as their merriment sub 
 sided. 
 
 "Ah, nay, as a recipe it is invaluable," reminded 
 Lankey, looking at Katie. "Lovers love is not made 
 to order. The cavities of the heart cannot be filled by 
 a hollow hand, and, though, as I said before, it has no 
 direct lines to be gauged by, it must have an impulsive 
 touch to flame from, and upon which it can grow 
 and live on by a nourishing care and feeling." 
 
 "Then, as I understand you, a man s love is not as 
 strong and durable as a woman s?" 
 
 "Woman is more faithful," explained Lankey. 
 "While both are linked and thrive on respect and 
 feeling, a man can love and divide his feeling, but a 
 woman can love only the one she feels she loves. And, 
 again, a woman s love can turn to hatred. The one 
 she at one time loved and pictured in her heart, she 
 can learn to despise so that his existence is a pain to 
 her. Let me note, though," said he, "the first cause, 
 the bond, must have been broken by man, by the one 
 she loved; for verily man s fidelity and a cherished 
 
 182
 
 C6e Little 
 
 tender will cement a woman s love so that it can with 
 stand all batterings." 
 
 During this last speech May sat somewhat buried in 
 thought ; she reflected upon her old love with Dan Con 
 nors, whom she now both feared and despised. Lankey 
 George felt much relieved, as the women folks again 
 took up discussing their own. For a while they dwelt 
 upon Katie, who was preparing her trousseau; she 
 had kept company but a short while, though she and 
 her policeman loved each other enough to hurry along 
 the nuptials. Her betrothed was drawing fourteen 
 hundred per year, and had a promotion in view, and 
 thus saw easily his way clear of maintaining a home. 
 He was a country lad, and all his folks lived far off 
 in a Western state. Boarding house life tired him, 
 and he had planned to marry at an early date. Of 
 course, Mother Thornton found no objection, though 
 she always held the opinion that a longer acquaintance 
 would strengthen their understanding of each other. 
 
 While they laid plans and exchanged views, Harry 
 began lightly to complain: "If that lad of mine shall 
 remain a long while in the Juvenile System, I fear my 
 hopes for his higher schooling are gone. Willie was 
 rather inclined to study. In my younger days, I was 
 eager for schooling, and I have often wished that I 
 had reached higher in all branches. I had planned that 
 none of mine should ever lack the chances to learn 
 all that could be stored in them, but " 
 
 "Don t worry, Harry, though he should be detained 
 in the Juvenile System to twenty-one, if he has the 
 grain within him, with a little encouragement, he can 
 reach up. Gladstone learned languages at the age of 
 eighty. We can learn at any age if we plan to do so. 
 He will, of course, be at a disadvantage if at the same 
 time he has to take to physical labor for self-mainte 
 nance." 
 
 183
 
 C6e little %>ufferer$ 
 
 "Speaking of it," responded Harry, "a professor in 
 one of our universities recently expounded that learn 
 ing and teaching above ordinary algebra and letter- 
 writing, is a waste of brain tissues for the common 
 man." 
 
 "I am no evangelist on higher studies excepting 
 upon its right lines," replied Lankey, "though I will 
 say, every new issue opens a channel of thought, every 
 new thought is a grain of wisdom, and wisdom is the 
 radiating centre of creation, and of the force of the 
 universe. But," he added, "many a gifted man studies 
 himself into jail, or at least earns it for the advantages 
 he took of his learning. And again many a man with 
 no brains to learn, ruins his natural trend by a useless 
 waste. But all should learn to follow and make the 
 most of the times." 
 
 "The professor I spoke of before I reckon need 
 have no fear that the world will become over-stocked 
 with learned men. The average boy would rather play 
 truant. Though I think as you that all should learn 
 up to certain lines." 
 
 "The best of children from the best of parents will 
 play hookey, if they are not guarded," here remarked 
 Lankey. "Schooling is a tiresome routine of mature s 
 requirements for these little immature ones. A grown 
 person will become restless and tired upon long and 
 irksome occupation, particularly where study is re 
 quired; so what can be expected from youngsters in 
 their earliest time of sprouting and with the lightest 
 of minds? It is natural at that age, that the neces 
 sity of learning and the higher knowledge shall not 
 have reached them. Teaching and knowledge are too 
 remote for the little ones to see into. While it is 
 handicraft, and of use to the grown, it is for the little 
 folks nothing but a useless drudgery, or rather a tor 
 ture. We all like to shirk where there is no charm, 
 
 184
 
 Cfie JLfttle Sufferers; 
 
 what, then, may be expected from a less settled mind ?" 
 
 "That s so," agreed Harry, as he permitted Lankey 
 to go on. 
 
 "While truancy can lead on to crime for the simple 
 reason that youngsters will run about without super 
 vision in their hours of schooling, it is functionally no 
 crime, nor does it imply moral inadequacies nor lack 
 of better thoughts within their little minds. Of course, 
 to carry on an intelligent system of society, schooling 
 and teaching becomes necessary. While most children 
 do not crave for it, we all, nevertheless, approve of it 
 upon our maturity, and we all look upon it as an ad 
 vantage, and it should be compulsory upon a parent to 
 see that his child partakes of the advantage." 
 
 "Well, I understand that parents are now and then 
 hauled to court for their negligence of holding their 
 children thereto." 
 
 "True ; but it s very seldom," replied Lankey. "We 
 never heard that a parent received a sterner rebuke 
 from a judge than a cast of pity for being bothered 
 with such bad children, or maybe a word of warning. 
 The courts customarily arraign the children ; such tru 
 ants are, to some extent, scolded and warned by the 
 judges, but upon their release their parents will fondly 
 explain that their boys are not worse than others. The 
 effect is a re-occurrence. A further course is the Juve 
 nile Institution, where the associates and mingling 
 with others as bad as they are, with the effect that they 
 receive no learning at all. 
 
 "These methods of hauling the little ones to court 
 for their shirking of school duties is no encouragement 
 to the youths, for the reason I stated some while 
 ago : it invokes a hatred against the school authorities, 
 for such little ones feel they are to attend school only 
 to please their teachers." 
 
 185
 
 C&e Little 
 
 "While we dwell upon it," asked Harry, "do you 
 believe in corporal punishment administered to school 
 children ?" 
 
 "Under a government system where there is no 
 touch of seriousness applied to neglectful parents, I 
 believe in some method of punishing the little ones. 
 It is essential that a child must obey some one in order 
 to continue with such tiresome routines as schooling. 
 If parents are permitted to disregard their duties, the 
 teacher stands piteously helpless if he cannot impose 
 the duties upon the children." 
 
 "As moulders of young minds and builders of eth 
 ics," resumed Lankey, after a short pause, "disciplin 
 ary training schools or juvenile institutions are with 
 out exception failures. The environments are such 
 that these detained ones cannot grow and become 
 morally adequate. As vile growth and ungardened 
 plants, these are heaped into unfertilized soil. It is 
 natural that, if not entirely bad when committed, they 
 will become so upon mixing and blending with other 
 ills. Nay, corral from a hundred to a thousand raw 
 youngsters into one institution, with no other care than 
 cool, unfeeling attention and strict coarse rules. What 
 must not be the result? Their devilish spirit must 
 grow rampant where they, in their frisky nature, see 
 nothing good to copy from and nothing worthy to 
 mould from. 
 
 "Our disciplinary and juvenile institutions are an 
 elementary course, criminal in effect. The advanced 
 class or higher branch is at the Elmira Reformatory, 
 and the final course is at our State s prison, Sing-Sing. 
 Our criminal courts can verify it all in detail. And, 
 ah, the immoralities practised by these unfortunate 
 youths within walls of institutions are so shocking and 
 sad that it puts a blot upon indecency. The parenthood 
 is the primary cause of these evils. Society is equally, 
 
 186
 
 Cfje JLittlc Sufferers! 
 
 a cause by neglecting to effect a truer condition," he 
 ended. 
 
 "Say, Harry," now interrupted Mrs. O Neil, "May 
 and I have planned to attend church next Sunday if I 
 improve as much as I have these last few days. I 
 think you and Lankey ought to be ashamed of your 
 selves that you never go there," she mildly reproached. 
 
 Mrs. Thornton and May agreed with this censure. 
 Katie, who always felt in humor of chiding, attacked 
 Lankey: "You can bet if you were my fellow, you 
 would have to go." 
 
 Harry agreed to his neglect of Sunday duties, where 
 to Lankey but dryly answered : "It is not the height of 
 the church spire which leads nearest heaven ; the floor 
 strewn with sand within the humblest cottage is just 
 as near." 
 
 "You are terrible," mildly reproached Katie. May 
 smiled, but said nothing, whereas Mrs. Thornton re 
 marked sadly: "Folks nowadays seem to drift away 
 from church; but, indeed, I feel it a blessing to go. 
 Father Rex, of our Holy Church, is a good and saintly 
 man, his sermons give me great comfort. Truly he 
 inspires the feeling that he can save me. A high 
 priest and holy as he is, I really think he can." 
 
 "No man, be he ever so good, can link his name with 
 heaven and assure safe passage there," replied Lankey. 
 "I have faith in Father Rex as being a good moral 
 man; but many a humble forester, whose altar and 
 Christly edifice is simply nature s green woods, adorned 
 with arching blue skies above, are nearer the gateway 
 of heaven than he in his robes with his censer." 
 
 "Oh, George!" protested all the women folks. 
 "Father Rex is at the head of the Brotherhood of 
 Good Angels, and he does much work in relieving the 
 hungry and poor. Those woodsmen are but half Chris 
 tian," added Katie. 
 
 187
 
 Little ^ufferers? 
 
 "A half moon shines on full faces," responded 
 Lankey. "Woodsmen or uncouth men of hills and 
 forests will help a stranger, console the sorrowed, and 
 feed the hungry with as deep, aye, deeper, spirit and 
 heart than will our full-crested evangelists, who hover 
 within costly buildings walled with memorial win 
 dows." 
 
 "Oh, no, Lankey, we cannot agree with you on that," 
 they all said, shaking their heads. "If Father Rex 
 and all those of high and churchly rank were not more 
 saintly or holy than we others, they could not preach 
 for us and advise us." 
 
 "It is not the feathers that make the ostrich big," 
 retorted Lankey. "The powerful ecclesiastics are tow 
 ering high above us common mortals and strutting 
 about in saintly plumes. Pluck them, and you will find 
 their bodies are but of the mortal clay, and their spir 
 its as much linked to the worldly as those of beggars 
 or woodchoppers, who toil for a living." 
 
 "You don t believe in rites and religious ceremony of 
 any kind? Indeed, I m sorry for you," lightly re 
 proached Katie. 
 
 "Warmth of devotion to each other is the only unc 
 tion of man. Phlegmatic priestly prepared is no show 
 of Christianity; it will not shove us farther into 
 heaven," replied George. 
 
 All looked disgustedly at Lankey George, as he 
 ended. None cared further to attempt changing his 
 way of looking at things. His little May, as he loved 
 to term her, appeared momentarily downcast and sad. 
 For the first time she now showed some little disap 
 pointment. George, in her eyes, had always been so 
 grand and good that she never looked particularly into 
 his religion, nor had he into hers. She felt that their 
 religions were alike. However, she soon overcame her 
 momentary disappointment as she looked into his hon- 
 
 188
 
 C&e Little %>tifferer$ 
 
 est eyes and reflected upon his conduct. "A man like 
 him cannot be real bad, anyhow," she assured herself. 
 Lankey noticed it, and said : "Don t worry, dear May, 
 I will live under the order of any edict that can as 
 sume a serious aspect of true Christianity and deliver 
 the goods in actions." 
 
 "Well, I wish to know what your belief is, any 
 how," finally asked Mrs. Thornton, somewhat seri 
 ously. She liked and respected Lankey, but as a man 
 hoping to become her son-in-law, she thought she had 
 a right to ascertain his status of belief. 
 
 "My father was a Protestant and my mother a Cath 
 olic; between their dickering on what to believe and 
 look up to, I learned what to think and look into. Per 
 haps I stand as ignorant as they stood, but I gath 
 ered that both of their religions were symbols of faith, 
 fortified in the biddings and mandates of man of 
 common clay, but garbed in priestly and clerical at 
 tire." 
 
 "Must I understand it that you don t believe in any 
 system of religion at all?" said Mrs. Thornton, hor 
 ribly disappointed. 
 
 "We all have a religion within ourselves," replied he. 
 "It is ground in a mutual acquired and required. By 
 performing a thorough social duty, we are living near 
 est the standard of a true religion, and upon it we can 
 build a heaven." 
 
 Harry O Neil felt it was a better plan to preserve 
 their religious differences and to change their subject, 
 though he privately agreed with his friend on this 
 matter. Lankey was a splendid conversationalist, and 
 could speak on all matters, and his talk would take a 
 humorous turn to suit occasion, so it required but a 
 short time for him to regain the full confidence of the 
 good women. 
 
 For the next few minutes he devoted himself to
 
 Ci)e JLittle Sufferer? 
 
 joking Katie about her lover. After which the even 
 ing was finished with listening to George tell some 
 amusing tales and incidents concerning his younger 
 days. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE DEFEAT OF JACK STEVENSON. 
 
 At last Tuesday morning came around ; it gave birth 
 to another day which went down in the history of 
 Greater New York as infamy in politics. Voters were 
 bought and sold by political machines, repeaters were 
 shifted about in droves to vote in any of its weak dis 
 tricts. More money changed hands over the bar of 
 gin-mills and cheap beer dives on this day in one bor 
 ough, than would feed the homeless and destitute for 
 a whole year in all New York. All was done for the 
 sake of good government. 
 
 The saloons opened ready for business at 5 A. M., 
 and so did the polls ; as the worthy voters crowded in 
 and out of the saloons, they would visit the polling 
 places and cash-in their votes, leave, and again return, 
 and, under the protection of our metropolitan police 
 and machine election inspectors, they would vote and 
 stuff the ballot boxes as fast as polling clerks could 
 scribble down names. Dead, living, and unborn names 
 were voted. To the skilled politicians it was a calm 
 vision of victory; the less skilled were hopeful, and 
 the voters did not care. All the districts of Greater 
 New York shared this infamy in proportion to its gross 
 population. Among the poor and most populated, 
 whom a bad government system effects the strongest, 
 there was the most corruption and ballot-stuffing. 
 
 The importance of victory in this election was as 
 weighty to machine politicians as ever, but an insured 
 
 190
 
 C6e Little 
 
 gain with a new competing party in the field required 
 an increase in fraud, which, however, was easily ac 
 complished. The People s Independent Party was new 
 and strong, and it did not have the backing of the 
 illicit voting element nor the constituting votes from 
 any of the many government employees and job-hold 
 ers; it was natural the decent public would fall in 
 great minority. 
 
 Harry O Neil s firm was busy, and had decided to 
 run on till noon, but Harry, in order not to lose his 
 vote, at an early hour joined the rear end of a first 
 shift of bar-room voters. Harry O Neil, as any de 
 cent voter who must hurry to work, was measured up 
 by the smart clans of politicians who have their crew 
 of inspectors to detain and retard. This is a practice 
 which very often forces a respectable man to go home 
 without casting his vote. However, Harry had deter 
 mined to cast his ballot, though he lost his job in the 
 effort. Thus, after many difficulties, being pushed back 
 and taking turn after every newcomer, being chal 
 lenged and otherwise annoyed, finally, after an hour 
 and a half, he was permitted to vote, and he reached 
 his work ten minutes late. 
 
 Lankey George had no work on that day, though he 
 went to the polling place early. He had not moved 
 from his old district, but the same difficulty was there 
 encountered. Lankey had long ago given up the idea 
 of voting, and, had it not been for the sake of helping 
 Jack Stevenson and his party, he would not have voted 
 at all. Politics and voting system looked to him as 
 farces. "Why not leave one or two of the bosses meet 
 and decide the matters as they do anyhow, and distrib 
 ute the tremendous cost of an election to aid the mis 
 erable, half-nourished mothers, who take to drink to 
 deaden their torture?" was his logic on our existing 
 election conditions. Where the only advantage of be- 
 
 191
 
 Little >ufferer0 
 
 ing a citizen and a voter lies only in to be handed an 
 extra dollar and some free drinks for this one day in 
 the year, George thought it was good economy to stay 
 at home. "This campaign money and political outlay 
 for display with sundries of free drinks and shoes for 
 bums is but nominally a loan. The politicians sweat 
 and graft the community with a usury rate so that 
 the very debauching voter who accepts these insults is 
 groaning under the load." 
 
 Upon casting his vote, Lankey hurried to Van Brunt 
 Street, where he joined May and Mrs. O Neil for the 
 day. Both were holding small American flags, which 
 were pinned on thin rods, as George opened the door 
 and entered, they simultaneously waved their emblem. 
 May, who had a sweet voice, struck up a national 
 hymn to which Mrs. O Neil, who began to show signs 
 of health, joined. 
 
 "Oh, everybody says Jack Stevenson will win," said 
 May, as she ended the last strain of the chorus. "God 
 would not disappoint me ; I have prayed so much, and I 
 feel in my heart that my plea has been heard," said 
 Mrs. O Neil. 
 
 Lankey George, who was a man who believed in 
 facing conditions, could not here withhold a sigh. May 
 noticed it; but, without suspecting its cause, she in 
 quired : "You don t feel so very well to-day ? I think 
 you work too hard. I ll have a cup of good strong tea 
 and a bit of buttered toast for you in a moment." Mrs. 
 O Neil encouraged her to do so, and May prepared to 
 leave for the kitchen. 
 
 Lankey George could, perhaps, have drunk a cup 
 of tea to deceive them and hide his feeling, but he 
 feared to lead them on to be too sanguine of success ; 
 he was afraid of the blow which would come to them, 
 should they suffer disappointment, and he had not the 
 heart to pierce their happy spirits and hopes without 
 
 192
 
 C6e Little 
 
 real foundation. While he questioned himself if he 
 did not look rather dark upon the situation, he called 
 May back. "I wish for all the world I could go a cup 
 of tea, but truly I don t feel like having anything just 
 yet." 
 
 May seated herself again, and dismissed from her 
 mind her suspicion of Lankey s illness. She explained 
 to him in detail all that she had heard in the stores and 
 upon the street. "Good mothers are crying with joy, 
 and bad boys are getting scarce, and the police are 
 getting civil. It s only the bad parents whom the 
 courts are going to deal with, and all of the officers of 
 the Juvenile System are going to jail, and the children 
 will be released." Such a wild conglomeration of en 
 couraging remarks had little May heard that she could 
 but believe it to be so, and Mrs. O Neil was fully as 
 credulous. 
 
 Lankey listened attentively to it all, and assumed as 
 much cheerfulness as his conscience would permit. 
 While he loved to be in their company, he felt relieved 
 as they went into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Tak 
 ing up a paper, he read a few columns ; but then threw 
 it back in disgust. The paper spoke of nothing but 
 success and success and encouragement for the Peo 
 ple s Party, and held out brilliant hopes and ideas which 
 the editor should know by practical reason to be un 
 founded, for success cannot be had where the voting 
 element is of the political office or job-holding rank 
 with distillery-bought repeaters to fill up to a majority 
 count. "It is good enough to show the best spirit in 
 such matters, but it is wrong to make hearts and then 
 break them," he murmured, thinking of Mrs. O Neil 
 and May, who were so certain of success for Jack 
 Stevenson and his party that a contrary view would 
 awaken suspicion of a feeling of opposing their in 
 terest, 
 
 J93
 
 JUttle 
 
 The dinner was soon ready. Harry O Neil had 
 ended his half day s toil, and all sat together, enjoying 
 their meal. Harry did not feel so cheerful as in the 
 morning when he left. His experience at the polls at 
 the early hour convinced him that political machines 
 squandered no time. He saw corner loafers, who, on 
 any other day, never arose until past noon hours, 
 standing in line to keep a decent voter waiting. What 
 would the condition not be later on in the day, when 
 the gangs and the disorderly element, full of rum, took 
 charge of the polls to cast the deciding ballot? Be 
 sides the general interest upon any change of adminis 
 tration among his fellow workers, was a shrug of the 
 shoulders and the remark that things were bad enough 
 as they were, and any change might make it worse. 
 While they all held with the idea and principle of the 
 People s Party, they felt it could be worse, and did not 
 care to take chances ; it would be losing their vote to 
 vote with a weaker party, no matter how good princi 
 ples it stood for. For these and varied reasons, and 
 upon similar grounds, the haters of the machines 
 joined its ranks ; it drew them one cog nearer destruc 
 tion. 
 
 Harry had picked up a great deal of his friend 
 Lankey s philosophy ; he hoped for the best, and pre 
 pared for the worse. Borrow trouble he would not, 
 and, as his wife would coax him as to give his real 
 opinion, he would only say: "The world goes round, 
 and we must go with it, dear Nelly. Nothing is so 
 sad but that we receive some compensation." 
 
 His wife, while she perhaps could not bear to admit 
 it, felt the truthfulness of this assertion. She reached 
 her hand to May, as she said : "Yes, I have been com 
 pensated by you, my faithful friend." 
 
 Their noon meal completed, Mrs. O Neil and May 
 194
 
 Little %uffereri9! 
 
 left for the kitchen. Harry and Lankey remained 
 seated, lit their pipes, and drifted lightly in upon the 
 day s proceedings. Their attention was suddenly drawn 
 by a loud shouting, which sounded on the street: "It 
 is estimated from the various polls that the People s 
 Party will carry Greater New York by one hundred 
 thousand majority !" was heard. 
 
 "Did you hear that, Harry?" joyfully cried Mrs. 
 O Neil, from the kitchen. Her husband answered; 
 whereupon he and George again began : "I don t like 
 to dismount until the horse has run his stretch. I 
 fear the good women are discounting the victory ; but 
 you are a man, Harry, and when I speak to you I like 
 to be honest," said Lankey. "A ray of sun does not 
 make a summer, any more than a flicker of snow cre 
 ates a winter. Whichever party carries the election, 
 conditions will not be considerably the better. 
 While the People s Party have not had a chance to 
 disprove themselves, it is evident that we can never 
 reach a high standard in politics where that party, 
 like various others, is hiring halls and turning them 
 into moving-picture shows. Why, Manhattan is full 
 of show-lofts, where is put on exhibition live ele 
 phants, tigers, and other crude herds to discredit the 
 one or the other of the competing parties, and all sorts 
 of live dummies and mean caricatures are put on ex 
 hibition to ridicule the one or the other of the oppos- 
 ers. It is distinguishably cheap politics. Political 
 parties who will resort to such schemes to catch a 
 public cannot be filled with much honor, nor much 
 relied upon to serve for the good of others. Neither 
 can a variety of citizens, who approve of it and take 
 in such a debauching grade of political show, be 
 looked upon as an encouraging lot of voters. Is it 
 not amazing that such penny variety arcades should 
 
 195
 
 &e Little Sufferers 
 
 amuse grown people, dealing upon serious social ques 
 tions, upon which hangs our and our children s wel 
 fare?" 
 
 "I thoroughly agree with you, George; filter poli 
 tics down, and we ll find instead of being organized 
 society, it is organized crookedness." 
 
 "There you spoke as a judge," complimented Lan- 
 key. "The world is as a sown field of weeds 
 with a few good grains here and there; but these are 
 too often deprived of nourishment from the rich nat 
 ural soil in which they grow." 
 
 "Your view of it is that the general people is de 
 fective?" asked Harry. 
 
 "The general people is defective, but nevertheless 
 there is some good in all of us, which could grow on, 
 and must grow, before we can reach higher realms. 
 We have all reason and can think and must learn to 
 do so. The churches and pulpits, which are now used 
 in a false spirit, must teach and influence the weaker 
 minds. We are all Christians and religious-ridden, 
 but infidels at heart. The high priests and cardinals, 
 who preach on God, are not as good teachers as the 
 salesman who sells his goods for what they are, and 
 extends value for worth. A good social system is the 
 only true religion, or rather, it is the flower of relig 
 ion; let that be installed, and God takes care of us 
 all." 
 
 "Well, going back to politics, don t you think that 
 Jack Stevenson is real honest, and if elected he would 
 deal a blow to the Juvenile System?" 
 
 "Yes, Harry, I think Jack is thoroughly sincere, 
 and, no doubt, we have candidates among both of the 
 parties who can be trusted," replied Lankey. "But 
 the dagger that strikes does not always hit the ef 
 fective blow. If elected he will hold his place among 
 the minority; he will stand helpless in carrying out 
 
 196
 
 Little 
 
 his plan. Though to be candid and not to discourage 
 you, this Juvenile System is so socially and politically 
 connected and felt that there will, to my belief, be 
 concocted some plot to rob him of his victory, if any 
 such should materialize it is not that the System 
 would fear a change in its position; it is quite safe 
 among our present political vermin, but a man of 
 Jack Stevenson s seriousness and ability in the Assem 
 bly might agitate the question so that, however little 
 the public opinion figures, politicians of all grades 
 would be forced to follow it up. It would then, nat 
 urally, mean a thorough revision of our Children s 
 Court, and also the Juvenile System s methods." 
 
 Here Mrs. O Neil and May re-entered and took 
 seats. George and Harry ended their discourse on 
 politics, and for some little while sat talking lightly 
 upon other matters. Mrs. O Neil discussed with May 
 and Lankey their coming marriage, and planned the 
 reception she was going to give them. Harry joined in 
 and stated that his friend was looking younger every 
 day, and was evidently trying to reach down to the age 
 of sweet little May. Lankey was well able to face the 
 good-natured ordeal. May did not say much, but ap 
 peared satisfied, and they often exchanged looks 
 which spoke volumes. 
 
 The little party was interrupted in their fun by the 
 entrance of Katie Thornton. She carried a telegram 
 in her hand, and looked very happy. "My fellow is 
 not too much taken up in politics to think of me. He 
 says : Things look prosperous up this way, and at 
 the end of the day there will be added to the list one 
 man you will be proud of. " 
 
 Did he mean Jack Stevenson or himself, or who 
 did he mean? This momentarily perplexed them; 
 Katie had not given it great consideration, she sim 
 ply felt elated that he had been so thoughtful as to
 
 JLittle Sufferers; 
 
 send her some kind of word. Of course her sister 
 May and Mrs. O Neil saw nothing in it but good 
 cheer to them. While the police were not friendly 
 to Jack, nor toward the People s Party, there could 
 in this instance be no thought that Katie s intended 
 would take sides against Jack, whose name was con 
 stantly upon the tongues of the family. 
 
 Harry O Neil looked to his friend for his opinion, 
 and Lankey noticed it. Drawing back to his cus 
 tomary voice, without defining the contents of the 
 message, he remarked, "The most beautiful tree will 
 cast its shadow ; let us hope the branches and leaflets 
 are not so thick that it obscures the rays of light." 
 
 Katie observed the doubtful in Lankey s look and 
 expression, and said: "You don t think for a moment 
 that my intended would hope to gain upon Jack Ste 
 venson s downfall? While I did not give it a serious 
 thought, I am sure that he means good news to us all. 
 No man who shows traitor to another will ever marry 
 me." 
 
 "Every bugle call has its sounds, though it be far 
 from me to judge him or its ill, my child," he re 
 sponded. "But every gain means defeat. The God 
 dess glories at the downfall of the wicked. The ser 
 pent squirms with joy as it crushes its prey, though, 
 let us hope, the victory will impel no sad burden." 
 
 The women folks for a while took up their seats 
 in the front room. Whereupon Harry and Lankey 
 again began to discuss political machines. In this dis 
 course O Neil grew extremely dark and bitter, and 
 flayed the political leaders for their greediness and the 
 misery they entailed. He branded the world as a 
 miscarriage; a grudge of Heaven. His friend inter 
 posed, saying in a seriousness, "We cannot censure 
 the world for the doings of one. While the load of 
 the world is heavy it also carries with it what is beau- 
 
 198
 
 Cfje Little Sufferers 
 
 tiful. The world is strewn by shame, and is streaked 
 with human blood by the cruel courses of vampired 
 leaders, but the sandals of Heaven, nevertheless, leave 
 their imprint upon the earth, and this should not fail 
 to encourage. Perfect harmony and pure politics, 
 however, we shall not have until the body of people 
 arise as one and single out their leaders ; root them 
 out as with brimstone and fire, bury them away within 
 the solitary walls of prisons, which now, through their 
 acts, are raised and filled." 
 
 "Well do you think that the people can ever so join 
 together and lift the yoke, wipe off the earth the lead 
 ers who now drag them into the mire ?" 
 
 "The keel that scrapes the bottom never reaches 
 harbor," responded Lankey. "The people must lift 
 themselves and seek a clear channel. These social 
 leaders who now pilot us all upon the rocks to 
 founder, we must discard and we must elect sounder 
 and purer gauges to steer us thither. Not until we 
 have reached thus far in our learning and more closely 
 follow the one trend of carrying ourselves, will we 
 revive from these conditions." 
 
 Here they were interrupted by loud shouting of 
 "Extra ! Extra ! Assemblyman candidate Jack Ste 
 venson thrown into Jail." 
 
 Harry, closely followed by Lankey, rushed to the 
 front room. They all directed themselves to the win 
 dow, where they saw a crowd surrounding a couple of 
 newsboys who were loaded with extras, and handed 
 them out as fast as they could give change. Katie 
 Thornton quickly ran down to where the paper ven 
 dors stood, secured a copy and returned. 
 
 Mrs. O Neil and May exhibited a distress which 
 showed nearly a terror. "Oh, tell me what it is !" both 
 begged before Katie had a chance to open the paper. 
 "I hope, I hope," said Mrs. O Neil faltering as Katie 
 
 199
 
 Little 
 
 began to read the article which ran very strong and 
 showed unfriendliness to Stevenson. 
 
 "Jack Stevenson, the veteran police officer, plying 
 to reach higher honors," it read, "sits in the same jail 
 into which he, while patrolman, cast others. It was 
 established early this noon that twelve years ago, with 
 two other convicts, he had escaped after serving two 
 years of a five years sentence in the San Quentin 
 Prison in California. Pictures from the Rogues Gal 
 lery and other various details bear out the story that 
 this Jack Stevenson, who then lived under the name 
 of John Rooney, and had so cleverly worked himself 
 in as an officer on the Metropolitan police force, was a 
 felon and a pickpocket. The credit of the discovery 
 and arrest is entirely due to Officer James Clarmont, 
 who " 
 
 "James Clarmont ! Oh !" Katie stopped with a sud 
 den cry, dropping the paper upon her lap. "Can it 
 be true? Can it be him?" 
 
 Poor Mrs. O Neil was so overcome that she had to 
 support herself against the table, and May sat numb 
 and neither spoke nor moved. "Can it be Clarmont? 
 Is it a trick ? Why would he do it ? Oh, I shall never 
 marry him if it s so !" cried Katie. 
 
 Mrs. O Neil gathered herself together in order to 
 console Katie, suggesting that perhaps her lover did 
 only his duty. With her own losing heart she begged 
 her not to lose hers. Harry and Lankey looked dis 
 turbed through it all. The little company a few min 
 utes ago had been at peace and the women folks glow 
 ing with happiness, but now suddenly a storm had 
 broke upon their centre and darkened them all. 
 
 It had now terminated as Lankey had expected. 
 Some political plot was in back of it. Jack Stevenson, 
 it became known, was felt and feared more than a 
 dozen ordinary candidates. The cause of the mothers 
 
 200
 
 C6e Little Sufferers 
 
 and parents which he so admirably fought for, had 
 stirred a stronger public interest in Greater New 
 York than ever had been known before. The Juvenile 
 System, like the machine parties, had realized its im 
 pending fate upon Jack Stevenson s election and the 
 success of his party. Therefore, they had joined 
 hands to destroy him. This method of defaming the 
 parties leaders was calculated to destroy his chance 
 for election, and to weaken or scatter his party. 
 
 That this plot had been carefully prepared is evi 
 dent, for upon the minute of Jack Stevenson s arrest 
 all the boroughs were circulated with extras with 
 pages in detail which were laid out to both discourage 
 and shame any one showing allegiance to Jack and his 
 party. The machine parties has resorted to this in 
 famy as a last means upon perceiving the People s 
 Party s progress and of Jack Stevenson s assured suc 
 cess. 
 
 It was also learned from a later paper that in other 
 than Jack Stevenson s district, election clerks and in 
 spectors had permitted a wholesale voting and ballot 
 substitution. Legitimate voters names were voted by 
 this routine staff, and not only were ballots substi 
 tuted, but batches of from two to five ballots were 
 stuffed in the box at a time. Legalized voters who 
 had thus been cheated were, under protest, ejected. 
 The poll clerk, inspectors and the police representing 
 the machine party all day had matters entirely their 
 own way. But, despite all, the People s Party showed 
 only a slight minority. 
 
 Another account read: "Notwithstanding a whole 
 sale repeating and substituting in Jack Stevenson s 
 district, he showed a majority. As a last resort to 
 defeat him a long-hatched plot was carried out. This 
 left clerks and inspectors entirely free to make ballots 
 defective at the time of the counting of votes." 
 
 201
 
 C|je Little 
 
 Of course Jack Stevenson did not stay overnight in 
 jail. He had many ready friends, and was released 
 upon habeas corpus, though the obliging mechanism 
 of justice managed to hold him until after the polls 
 had closed and his own district had been blotted of 
 his victory. 
 
 This defeat of Jack Stevenson was a sad disap 
 pointment to all longing fathers and mothers whom 
 the Juvenile System had bondaged. It was most of all 
 a cruel blow to the little serfs who are stunting their 
 lives by premature toil, and it gave a new lease to 
 our Children s Court and our infamous social methods 
 of dealing with little children. Though Jack felt it 
 painfully, he took defeat coolly. He had been politi 
 cally connected long enough to expect the worst upon 
 any matters in opposition to standard political parties, 
 and it was not the first plot contrived against him. 
 Would he get redress where there was no real zeal or 
 justice to appeal to? No, but he knew he was inno 
 cent, and his enemies knew it. While he did not have 
 their love he held their respect, and his friends ad 
 mired him and urged him on. 
 
 "My downfall will perhaps break many a good 
 mother s heart, but I have shown to the world the in 
 famy of our Child System. I have given Society a 
 grain to work from," was Honorable Jack Stevenson s 
 comment upon his defeat. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 MAY THORNTON S APPEAL TO HER OLD LOVER. 
 
 The O Neils* remained the saddest of homes. The 
 unfortunate woman never recovered from the cruel 
 blow she received upon election day. With Jack 
 Stevenson s defeat vanished her last hope for regain- 
 
 202
 
 ing her little ones. Convalescing, as she was, upon 
 the prospects of Jack s success, she suffered a severe 
 and sudden relapse. Her disappointments had aug 
 mented her physical and mental ills so that she had 
 been brought to a state where recovery was no longer 
 looked for. 
 
 The Thornton family s physician had called regu 
 larly for some time, but had abandoned all hopes to 
 effect a cure. "She may survive a fortnight, or per 
 haps a month, but she cannot last long, as every tissue 
 in her body is wasting away," he declared. "Her 
 heart is broken and no prescription, no medicine will 
 avail." 
 
 May Thornton remained faithfully by her side 
 throughout it all. The pretty little girl, who a few 
 months ago was a blooming maiden, the picture of 
 girlhood and the belle of Erie Basin, had sunk as 
 though with age. Gay spirited and cheerful as she al 
 ways had been, she now went about depressed and 
 with a heavy heart. Her brief chapter of life appeared 
 as though it would terminate with that of her be 
 reaved friend. 
 
 May had long since set aside her girlish companions 
 to slave for an impending fate. Her brothers and sis 
 ters would scold her, but she would make no reply 
 except to sigh. Mother Thornton felt very unhappy 
 because of this, and however much she loved and 
 wished to help the unfortunate Mrs. O Neil, she could 
 not bear to sacrifice her daughter. She would re 
 proach May and try to make her realize that she must 
 not destroy her own life and future happiness for a 
 cause she could not help. 
 
 The mother begged and pleaded that she would re 
 lieve herself in mind and take some little recreation, 
 but poor May would weep and say: "I know, mother, 
 I am doing an injustice to you; I know I am under- 
 
 203
 
 Cfje Little 
 
 mining my own health. I feel I cannot help the poor 
 woman, but still I cannot do otherwise, and I would 
 not, if I could, break away from her. I have learned 
 to love her ; she clings to me as though I was the only 
 friend she has in the world. I fear that her end is not 
 far off, though I pray and long that she will live on 
 even if I were to go through my years in this suffer- 
 ing." 
 
 Harry O Neil bore up bravely. He had the broad- 
 minded and cool Lankey to bolster him, and though 
 he did not falter in his love for his wife, he had 
 learned to look upon present circumstances as a for 
 tune which should befall him and her. He fully did 
 his duties and eased her where he could. He also no 
 ticed the effect which the worry had upon May, and 
 felt sad that he could not prevail upon her to bear it 
 with more ease. Lankey George, too, felt deeply for 
 his sweetheart. He would not discourage her fidelity 
 to the stricken woman, but he did upbraid her for go 
 ing beyond her right in wasting her life. "You are 
 but wasting your own life, without saving another s, 
 my child," he would say. "We must live for others 
 and die for others, but not lay down our life without 
 good cause and reward to be derived therefrom. You 
 must not sacrifice yourself to the waste and winds; it 
 leaves but a blank memory to yourself and others. It 
 should be a joy to me to lay down my life to save 
 that unfortunate woman, but as it cannot be done, it 
 is my duty to save myself." 
 
 One morning a little after eight, May was in the 
 kitchen clearing the table and putting aside the dishes 
 when she was disturbed by her friend s cry: "Oh, 
 May, come hurry, come !" 
 
 In obedience to the summons May rushed into her 
 friend s room. "Oh, May," again said her friend, 
 who had managed to raise herself to a sitting posi- 
 
 204
 
 C6e Little 
 
 tion, "I see my three children. I kissed them ; I em 
 braced them. Oh, the baby is so nice. Louise, Willie 
 
 " Here she halted and fell back upon the pillow. 
 
 Her face wore a peculiar smile and her eyes gave a 
 brilliant flash. She closed them and the features be 
 came deadly pale. 
 
 May Thornton had never known fear, and she was 
 a brave nurse. Her friend she loved and clung to in 
 life, should she fear her dead? She stood a moment 
 and shuddered for she was alone. Had George, 
 Harry, or some one else been there this moment, she 
 would have felt greatly relieved. She was too fright 
 ened to become hysterical. Young girl, as she was, 
 she feared to stay as much as she feared to leave. 
 After a second s delay she nerved herself and tip 
 toed across the hall to a neighbor s apartment, and 
 without knocking on the door entered. Incoherently 
 and half whispering she begged her neighbor to come 
 with her. The woman, a kind, elderly matron, under 
 stood May, and quickly accompanied her to the 
 O Neils apartment. 
 
 May Thornton quickly rushed to her mother s 
 house, explained her fears and had her little sister run 
 for the doctor, who lived but a couple of blocks off. 
 Mrs. Thornton threw a shawl around her shoulders 
 and followed May, who was now greatly agitated, back 
 to the O Neils house. 
 
 As they were about to enter the hall, a young lad 
 from a few doors below accosted May and handed 
 her a sealed note. "Here, Miss ; Dan Connors told 
 me to give this letter to you, and not to nobody else." 
 
 In all the excitement and bewilderment with Dan 
 Connors fresh brought to her mind, it staggered her 
 and she grasped her mother s arm for support. Her 
 mother felt her daughter s position and realized her 
 perplexity. May meanwhile was making strong ef- 
 
 205
 
 C&e JLittle Sufferers; 
 
 fort to withhold tears. "Don t loose your nerve, my 
 little child," the mother coaxed. "God is good, and 
 will help us all." Upon finishing the last syllable the 
 doctor hurriedly entered and preceded them up the 
 flight of stairs. 
 
 The doctor quickly felt the sick woman s wrist. 
 He shook his head and whispered : "Her life is ebbing 
 away, but slowly; her end may come at any time, and 
 she may live weeks. Her strong physical constitution 
 and former good preservation of herself are her re 
 sisting elements. But all the medical skill in the coun 
 try will not save her." 
 
 Mrs. O Neil here opened her eyes. In appearance 
 she was the same weak woman as before. She sent 
 a loving smile to her friend May, who blushed and 
 felt greatly ashamed that the fear and fright of a mo 
 ment ago, should have overtaken her. Mrs. O Neil 
 recognized Mrs. Thornton and smiled as she reached 
 for her hand. 
 
 The kind neighbor and Mrs. Thornton remained 
 seated in the sick chamber, but May returned to the 
 kitchen, too disturbed to resume the household duties. 
 "Silly girl as I am," she scolded herself that she could 
 be so lost in fear. As her mind began to clear she 
 reflected upon Dan Connors letter, which she had 
 stuck into her bosom. Again she became nervous. 
 "Oh, shall it, shall it be my fate to save that good 
 woman and her little children with my own life. I 
 shall do it," she murmured as she hastily tore open 
 the envelope and read: 
 
 "DEAR MAY: The Juvenile System are planning to 
 send the O Neil children off to far western farms. 
 You know what that means. You can save them. 
 
 "DAN/ 
 
 "P. S. You can see me any time at Flanagan s." 
 206
 
 Little g>uffeter0 
 
 May crushed the letter together and threw it into 
 the fire. "Oh, can I save him? Is he honest? Is 
 he sincere?" she cried. With a firmness she mur 
 mured : Well, I will see. I shall soon know. Can I 
 save them, then I will; but shall I pay him the price 
 of myself, his happiness shall be paid with my sorrow. 
 Another day may be too late. These children may then 
 be hid away in the western wilderness and my good 
 friend die of grief," thought she, and she decided to 
 wait no longer. The doctor had left instructions to 
 remove the sick woman into a lighter and more airy 
 room. Harry, who always took along his lunch, was 
 not expected back till six o clock, so May had her 
 mother and the neighbor assist her in setting up a bed 
 in the front room and carrying the helpless woman 
 into it. Following this, May prepared to leave and 
 begged her mother to remain till she returned, though 
 she did not divulge her errand. 
 
 Boarding a Marcy Avenue car she reached within 
 a block of Flanagan s home. The short distance was 
 to her a long mile. Her heart thumped, her breath 
 was short and she felt sharp pains in her head. Nerv 
 ously and fearful she reached Dan Connors home and 
 dragged herself up the narrow, dingy stairs. As she 
 reached the upper hall she halted and reflected upon 
 her last visit there, which was at the Flanagans 
 "racket." She recalled the engagement she had broken 
 off on that night and then came to her mind the event 
 ful escape with the O Neil children. She sighed 
 deeply. All seemed sad and long years gone ; yet she 
 did not regret it. She had nothing to repent. She 
 had but done her duty in helping others and she now 
 stood prepared to do more, the cost which she could 
 not foresee. She decided, however, to be brave, and 
 lightly knocked upon the door. 
 
 "Walk in," was heard in response, and as May 
 207.
 
 C6e Little Sufferers; 
 
 Thornton opened the door Mrs. Flanagan and a com 
 rade, who sat with a can of beer before them, each 
 with a glass in her hand, simultaneously exclaimed : 
 "Ah, how are ye, May Thornton? God bless ye," 
 Mrs. Flanagan now alone spoke up as she bid May 
 to a seat. "Ye look as black as a nunnery. What 
 hive ye bane doin ter yersel ? Sure ye was the finest 
 gal in all Brooklyn fore youse broke off with Dan. 
 Dan Connors is gettin ter be the right looks ov a 
 man. When you see him ye ll love all over gain." 
 Her pal at every syllable nodded her head as if to 
 verify these assertions. "Sure, sure." After having 
 taken a sip of beer she continued : "Dan is gettin ter 
 be intelligent, and looks like a jedge. He didn t get 
 no perlice job, cause und that broken shoulder." 
 
 Here she halted and reflected a moment. "Oh, bad 
 luck ter that Lankey George !" She shook her fist 
 and pointed at a brand-new holy picture hanging 
 above the mantlepiece. "Had he left Dan Connors 
 clone Dan moight ter-day hive bin a perlice captain 
 and my blessed old holy picture would never hive been 
 broke. Sure Dan bought me this new one, God bless 
 him," she went on, "and now he has all the luck in 
 the world. He is a trusted agent ov the Jivernile 
 System " 
 
 "Sure, and Dan was out automerbalin with the 
 President ov the System, who is as big as Governor, 
 and owns the foinest house o er in New Jersey," in 
 jected Mrs. Mulligan. 
 
 "Dan ll some day be Superintendent ov the Sys 
 tem," continued Mrs. Flanagan. "He spakes morn 
 and night ov what a foine home he d make for you, 
 May, iv ye w u d ferget that little spat. Dan is no 
 more a bad gang leader. He kapes up with perlititi- 
 cians and other dacen company, and hive got the pull 
 
 208
 
 &e Little %>ufferet$ 
 
 ov a jedge, and makes all kinds ov money. And he s 
 learnin ter be edj created, too/ she nodded, pointing 
 at a dozen books which were strewn upon a shelf in 
 the corner of the room. 
 
 Mrs. Flanagan continued tirelessly her loud bab 
 bling in praise of Dan Connors, and would now and 
 then lightly scorn May for having broken off the 
 engagement and encourage her to renew it at first op 
 portunity. "All the gals in town are stuck on him. 
 To be sure, he could fetch home a load ov them fer 
 his weddin , but the poor feller hive ye in mind," she 
 ended in a tone implying that she understood and 
 sympathized with Red Hook Dan in his disappointed 
 love. 
 
 May Thornton did not feel happy to hear of these 
 strong comments upon Dan s infatuation. She now 
 became uneasy and restless, though, while she dreaded 
 to meet Dan she much longed to have it over. Pain 
 ful as it was she said : "I must see Dan Connors on 
 some business and would like to know where I could 
 find him." 
 
 Mrs. Flanagan turned and looked at the dusty par 
 lor clock. "Dan is in Court on duty fer the Jivernile 
 System, but he ll lave the Jedge waitin ter see you," 
 she answered. "He would, that deed he would," con 
 firmed her pal. Here Mrs. Flanagan arose from her 
 rocker and stepping towards the window said, "I ll 
 hive my Jimmy, who is playing crap with the lads 
 down the street, go ter the Jivernile Court and tell 
 Dan ye re waitin for m." 
 
 Mrs. Flanagan s oldest boy Jimmy, who was part 
 cause in the O Neil tragedy, upon his mother s bid 
 ding, came slowly dragging into the room, smoking a 
 cigarette. "Well, wat s you want?" he growled dis 
 respectfully. 
 
 209
 
 Cfje Little >uffeter0 
 
 "Well, darlint, I want yer ter go to the Jivernile 
 Court and tell Dan that his old sweetheart is waitin 
 fer him." 
 
 "Ah, I ain t got no time," remarked the lad as he 
 ejected a secretion of saliva upon the floor. "Chase 
 some other kid up there," he recommended as he re 
 turned to the street, taking up his game. 
 
 "Sure boys nowadays," protested Mrs. Flanagan in 
 disgust as she refilled her glass, "aren t like boys ov 
 old days. But sure there is worse boys in the ward 
 than mine. When he grows up he ll hive better sense," 
 ended she in a complacent tone as she drained her 
 glass. 
 
 "Oh, I ll git ginny Joe, back in the alley, ter go. 
 He ll walk his pegs off fer a penny," said Mrs. Mulli 
 gan, as she arose to send off the mesage. 
 
 Though but an interval of twenty minutes passed 
 till Dan Connors came, it appeared hours to May. 
 She was sick from the odor of the room, and dis 
 gusted to listen to the senseless babble of Mrs. Flana 
 gan and her pal. How could she ever have tolerated 
 them before? She worried and longed to return to 
 Mrs. O Neil, and she feared the outcome of her meet 
 ing with Dan. 
 
 Mr. Flanagan and a fellow worker had entered, but 
 it afforded no relief. His wife began to cry and relate 
 bad-luck stories and explain about the coal strike in 
 all the yards around the canal, and with no work, and 
 the beer raised two cents a pint. Pointing to a scar 
 over the right eye of her husband, she continued : 
 "God hive mercy on the bad people in the world; a 
 scab hit me poor man with a brick, and he had to 
 wear a brace round his head. Yes, fer six weeks at 
 that. And poor Officer O Sullivan, the foinest cop 
 what ever was in this ward, the Lord hive mercy on 
 
 2IO
 
 Cfje Little Sufferer* 
 
 his poor soul," she enjoined with motion of her head 
 and an upward cast of her eyes toward the Virgin s 
 picture, "got such a beatin that he dies on count ov 
 it a few days after. Sure twas a loss to the force, 
 for a fine man he was indeed," she ended, wiping 
 away a tear with a corner of her grease-stained 
 apron. 
 
 Here Dan Connors entered. The color of his face 
 showed that he had hurried. He smiled as he gave 
 his hand to May. She returned his greeting with a 
 touch of sullenness and looked at him distrustfully. 
 He somewhat astonished May Thornton, though there 
 was no mode about him which instilled great trust nor 
 invited a reawakening of her feelings of love, he bore 
 himself appropriately as Mrs. Flanagan had prepared 
 her. He appeared more of a gentleman ; he was 
 clean shaven and wore a pearl stud in his tie. A 
 finger upon his left hand bore a heavy gold initial 
 ring. Across his waistcoat was stretched a solid gold 
 chain; his dress was neat and tasteful. His external 
 was pleasing, but had his soul and heart grown to 
 match?" wondered May, half shaking with a palpi 
 tating heart. 
 
 Not a flicker of love could awake within her. Her 
 sense of love had simmered down to respect and duty. 
 She loved Lankey, as he possessed both of these good 
 qualities. These good traits had grown in him so 
 strongly and become so much a part of him that he 
 could not conceal nor deceive his appearances. How 
 ever Lankey was not just then in her mind. She had 
 now other thoughts of love to fill her heart. 
 
 Dan bade May to follow him into the front room, 
 which was divided off from the kitchen with two bed 
 rooms. Instructing the Flanagans not to disturb them, 
 he closed the two doors to insure their privacy. 
 
 211
 
 Little Sufferers 
 
 "You look so awful sad May! The world is not 
 suiting you," began her former lover gently, as he 
 bade her be seated. 
 
 May bravely said : "No, Dan, it is not, and I came 
 upon your invitation to see if you can help me." 
 
 Dan had seated himself close by her. "The world 
 is not suiting me, either," he began, "for ever since 
 that fatal night at the racket I have not been real 
 happy. You are the first girl I ever loved, and not 
 until you broke off did I realize what real love was. 
 I did not appreciate you at the time, but I assure you 
 that I have suffered much and longed to have a 
 chance to tell you so. I have a good job now, with a 
 good salary, and lots of extra money, and though I 
 live miserable here with my old friends, the Flana 
 gans, I could well afford to furnish a nice home for a 
 woman; but really I could not think of being happy 
 with any other woman but you. And I pray you to 
 forgive me for my harshness of that night. I speak 
 the truth when I say that I deeply love you, and al 
 ways long for you and try to improve to be worthy 
 of you. Say you will be mine again, and I ll be the 
 happiest man on earth," he ended, reaching for her 
 hand, which she withheld. 
 
 May did not doubt that he spoke with sincerity, but 
 though she felt for him, she could not aid him. "I 
 am too sad at heart to talk of love, Dan. I came to 
 ask you to help release the O Neil children from the 
 Juvenile System which you wrote you could. If it is 
 in your power, I ask " 
 
 May s words were not what appeared to Dan to be a 
 rejection, and so somewhat encouraged him. Spir 
 itedly he broke in by saying, "I can have the little 
 ones released. I was the principal means of defeating 
 Jack Stevenson, and the Juvenile System appreciates 
 my service too greatly to refuse such a little favor 
 
 212
 
 Little Sufferers: 
 
 as the release of three kids. For, at any time, I can 
 
 get others to fill their " Here he paused, but 
 
 quickly changed the sentence. "In particular where 
 the System has enough of these little ones. Say, dear 
 May, that you will be mine and I shall at once pro 
 ceed upon their release." Here again he reached for 
 her hand, which she again withdrew and moved 
 slightly back. This ruffled him a little, and he changed 
 his tone: "Your eyes tell me that you don t love me, 
 but you must. I love you and cannot live without 
 you, and I want you to be mine always." 
 
 Though Dan Connors had heard that Lankey 
 George had become a strong friend of the O Neils and 
 Thorntons and was a steady visitor in their homes, he 
 never suspected that Lankey had taken his place in 
 May s heart, nor did she care to betray it, for fear 
 that it would enrage and embitter him, even though 
 he was both in manner and speech a different per 
 sonality from former days. If he held any real good 
 impulses within him she could see, however, that he 
 had no other purpose in view than to gain possession 
 of her. "I told you, Dan," answered May, "that I 
 had something else at heart than to talk love. If you 
 love me as you say, do help me to restore the little 
 ones to their mother, who is lying at the point of 
 death from a broken heart." 
 
 "Say you will be mine and upon our wedding day 
 I ll have the little ones handed over to their mother," 
 asserted Dan in a mild, persistent tone. 
 
 "Dan, I cannot be yours. I " 
 
 "Ah, some one else has your love?" exclaimed Dan, 
 deeply stirred. 
 
 "Do not urge such a request of marrying and love, 
 Dan, I can do neither. I beg you as a friend, I plead 
 for their bereaved mother and longing father, and 
 also in the name of Justice to the little innocent chil- 
 
 213
 
 Clje Little Sufferers 
 
 dren who are bereft their natural care, who want their 
 good father s advice and their loving mother s bosom 
 to cling to " 
 
 "Ah! I see Jack Stevenson s speech at Cooper 
 Union started a spark in your heart," sneered Dan, 
 the first trace of his old self showing. "Why are 
 you sissing your head off for other people s children 
 when you could have a good home and be happy at 
 tending your own affairs? To be a friend," he now 
 changed his tactics a little, "is all very nice, but I 
 must be more than a friend. You loved me before, 
 and you can learn to love me again. Marry me and 
 I ll take chances of regaining your love " 
 
 "Oh, Dan, oh, Dan !" weepingly broke in May. "Do 
 not speak so, do not be so cruel. While you disregard 
 my feelings I beg, I pray, have pity for me. It is per 
 haps a strange will of God, but I cannot help it, I have 
 learned to feel with the mother as though they were 
 my own children ; be it a weakness, I cannot help it." 
 In a still more appealing tone she pleaded, stretching 
 her clasped hands towards him : "Oh, Dan, I implore 
 you, I beg you upon my knees, I ask you for the love 
 of me to give me the children." 
 
 Dan Connors was really touched. He arose and 
 walked nervously up and down. He saw that the love 
 he looked for was lacking. He realized that he could 
 never regain her affection. It cruelly affected him, 
 and he wavered in his feeling. In a flash, as if to 
 punish her, he turned towards her and said, "No, I 
 will not help you. You have, regardless of my feel 
 ing, stung me, and I shall have those children trans 
 ported to the worst centres of the country, where they 
 will grow up like wild animals and forget their 
 names." He noticed that his cruel blow nearly con 
 vulsed his former little girl. Bathed in tears, stricken 
 in deeper sincerity than he had ever before witnessed,
 
 little 
 
 he softened to a milder tone, and now falteringly 
 pleaded : "Can t you love me, May? Can t you say yes 
 to my pleadings? You are breaking my heart. Say 
 you will marry me, and your plea shall be granted," 
 he ended, reaching both his hands toward her. 
 
 Kneeling before him, taking both his hands, and 
 looking towards him she tearfully prayed: "I cannot 
 love you as a wife should, I cannot marry you ; it 
 would break my heart and make you unhappy. I am 
 suffering now, but if you have a speck of pity for 
 me, help me. Oh, do, Dan." 
 
 Dan Connors withdrew his hands. He remained 
 still a moment, touched but undecided. Then disap 
 pointed, he flamed into anger and cried: "No, you 
 have crushed me and I shall crush you and my venge 
 ance shall fall upon those children who have robbed 
 me of my love," he ended, turning to leave the apart 
 ment. 
 
 "Oh Oh, Dan ! I will marry you, but give me the 
 children," she piteously cried, following him. "I shall 
 pay for their release ; my heart s blood shall be your 
 reward. I shall marry you and as your wretched slave 
 shall dedicate my life to happiness in thought that I 
 suffered the cruelty and injustice of the man who pre 
 tended to love me. Give me the children and I shall 
 obey," she ended feebly as she fell fainting at his feet. 
 
 Motionless she remained upon the floor. Dan Con 
 nors felt a pang of remorse. It had touched him as 
 he never had been touched before. The little speck of 
 kindness within him had been kindled. It flamed into 
 a blast. With tear-stained eyes he stared at the mo 
 tionless figure. He clasped his hands as he exclaimed 
 in a loud, faltering voice : "Wretch as I am, how could 
 I disturb the happiness of the one I love? Heaven 
 have mercy on me that I foster such ill nature. Shall 
 the sins of Satan lead me on in paths of blood? No, 
 
 215
 
 C&e Little 
 
 I shall not poison the life of that pretty, good girl, 
 who offers her future to save others, who yields the 
 blossom of her heart to right wrongs of theirs." He 
 knelt beside the prostrate girl. Bending over her half- 
 unconscious form, with tears trickling down his hard 
 ened cheeks, he cried: "Get up, May, pray get up. 
 Forgive me for all my brutality. You have bled my 
 heart and I shall be your slave till death claims me. 
 The children shall be restored to you, and I shall for 
 ever bid you good-bye and bury my face with all my 
 shame far away, where it never shall mar your happi 
 ness. Oh, do you hear me? I plead for forgiveness," 
 he ended with a sob. 
 
 "Oh, Dan, thank you ! I hear you ! I have already 
 forgiven you," she faintly replied, opening her eyes 
 and turning her head towards him. "May God re 
 ward you, too," she added, pressing a kiss upon his 
 hand. 
 
 Drawing her hand toward his lip, he said : "I thank 
 you, dear May; you have at this moment made me 
 more happy than ever has been my share in life. The 
 faults and errors of my life have now first begun to 
 dawn upon me. I grew up in cruel surroundings, my 
 teachings have been raw and heartless. The only 
 kindness that I ever felt came from my mother, who 
 died when I was a child, and the only good that I 
 ever saw came from you, from the heart of the one 
 I ever loved. While I feel a sting and suffering that 
 you cannot be mine, I shall ever love you. But worth 
 less as I am, I shall hide my face far away and per 
 mit you to live your own happy life." Still in tears he 
 drew himself up and gently raising the weak girl 
 placed her upon a seat. 
 
 Much overcome May sobbed lightly. Was she in 
 a trance or a dream? Could Dan, who had been so 
 cruel and brutal, speak thus? Had the spirit of 
 
 216
 
 Little 
 
 goodness revealed itself? her bewildered mind asked. 
 She was awakened from her thoughts as Dan said : 
 "Go home, my good angel girl. I swear that within 
 twenty-four hours the children shall be at their moth 
 er s side. I admit that I aided in bringing on their 
 ill fate, which has broken their mother s heart and 
 burdened the good father. I belittled your love in 
 days gone by. I was haughty, and brought evil on 
 paths of others, and as a last resort to end my devil s 
 bane I treaded upon and tore your heart asunder 
 from my own. Despise me, you should ; but you thank 
 me and forgive me. God bless you. Good-bye, sweet 
 girl. If you think of me, think of a broken man who 
 will live and atone for the sufferings he has caused 
 others till the Almighty at last absolves him." 
 
 As he left the room May Thornton now first fully 
 awakened and realized that Dan Connors had spoken 
 in deep honesty. Her heart felt for him. Though he 
 was bad, he had shown traits of good within him. 
 She knew that he was now sincere, she knew that he 
 suffered. "Oh, if I only could have given him one 
 word of cheer. If I only could have thanked him 
 once more, and shown I had forgiven him," again she 
 softly wept. But he was gone, her head swam in be 
 wilderment ; she did not know what to think, or how to 
 act. 
 
 Suddenly the door opened and there entered a cab 
 man, who approached her mildly. "Pardon me, Miss. 
 A gentleman instructed me to bring you to your 
 home. He said you did not feel well. The carriage 
 is waitin down the door, and the fare is paid, so " 
 
 "No, thank you ! I feel good enough to go hme. 
 I ll just take the car. It will take me within a " 
 
 "None of that, Miss," broke in the cabman. "You 
 wouldn t offend the gentleman, I hope. He felt very 
 sad. His eyes looked as though something was
 
 Cfje Little %>ufferet0 
 
 a-hurtin him. A good Miss like you wouldn t hurt 
 his feelings more?" He gently touched her upon the 
 arm and she followed. Her thoughts reflected back 
 upon Dan Connors. Her feelings towards him was 
 now that of a staunch friend with whom she sympa 
 thized deeply. His better qualities had shown stronger 
 than his bad ones. He had much good within him 
 when awakened. To conquer it, he had to suffer. She 
 prayed that he would soon regain his happiness. 
 
 During the journey back to the home of her friend 
 her mind was a mixture of emotions. She felt happy, 
 and she felt sad ; she worried for her friend ; she hoped 
 and longed for the next day, when the release of the 
 little ones would come. She felt no doubt that Dan 
 would keep his word. This day had been a trial for 
 her life. It had been a sentence upon others. It had 
 afflicted punishment, and it had given reward; It was 
 the spirit of the Soul of man which had unfolded it 
 self upon both plains. God the Creator of it all had 
 shown his wisdom of might, the value of unselfishness 
 and love. He had shown that the better self of man 
 is the stronger. He had shown that sincerity is the 
 strongest pleading. Within it all was a cosmic depth. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 Was the assurance of the release of Mrs. O Neil s 
 children to end May s sufferings? Was their home 
 coming to restore the joy she so hoped and longed for? 
 It was a restless and sleepless night, and the morning 
 which followed was fully as sorrowful. The poor girl 
 bent over the unconscious form of Mrs. O Neil. Be 
 tween prayers to Heaven she begged her to have 
 
 218
 
 C&e Little Sufferers: 
 
 strength and to live to receive the children. She 
 fairly wore her heart out in effort to re-awaken her 
 friend who remained lying motionless as in a trance. 
 But neither a quiver nor a flicker was the poor girl s 
 reward. To all appearances the end had come. 
 
 Harry O Neil had remained home from work and 
 Lankey had assigned some one to his job in order to 
 remain with his bereaved friend upon the coming of 
 the end. While George had faith in his friend as be 
 ing strong and brave, he recognized that upon viewing 
 the demise of his .wife with all hopes to regain his 
 children scattered, it would be more than he could 
 bear. May Thornton had acquainted both of them 
 with her hopes and anticipations, and both while not 
 caring to discourage the kind girl, felt strong doubts 
 as to the realization of her hopes. 
 
 Lankey admitted the possibility by saying: "There 
 never was a millstone yet that crushed the corn but 
 what left the meal behind. Dan Connors might have 
 been a rascal, but he no doubt had some good in him. 
 Though the life is ground out of the poor woman, let 
 us hope and pray that the little ones will, as he prom 
 ised, be returned and to nourish the spirit and heart 
 of their worn father. Nothing can be so black but that 
 it contains a hue of color," he would add, and then re 
 mind his friend of the lights behind the clouds. 
 
 Harry naturally felt much relieved with Lankey 
 beside him, the load which otherwise would have 
 crushed him, was now comparatively easy to carry. 
 Both of them would sit and remark upon the beautiful 
 fidelity of May. They also had some little worry re 
 garding her health. Lankey daily loved her more 
 because of her faithfulness to her friend. He felt 
 she was sincere, and that her affections were genuine. 
 Still, at the same time, he did not wholly accept it as 
 natural. "An angelic spirit ought not to invade a 
 
 219
 
 Little 
 
 physical existence so that it leaves sad footprints upon 
 her own self. The poor girl is getting beyond herself. 
 It is as though she strove to end her life for a cause 
 which fate alone can account for. But there is no 
 doubt that she is a wonderful and beautiful character. 
 She is truly a saint in earthly disguise, and much the 
 better would the world be were we all as she is." 
 
 "It s a grand inspiration to live for and help others," 
 broke in Harry ; "but there s not always a reward." 
 
 "Truly; but whether it be appreciated or not, it 
 leaves a feeling of self joy. What you do for others 
 is no waste, though it must be linked with reason. 
 Cast yourself in front of the train if you thereby can 
 save the crew and others, but never steer the scow on 
 a rock unless you can see at least your own rescue. 
 Man must not be fanatical and burn himself for pleas 
 ure or mere notions," asserted Lankey. 
 
 However, the good little May was pining away, 
 and it was feared by Lankey and all that her death 
 would come as inevitably as that of her friend. May, 
 too, realized it. She admitted to George that some 
 thing drew her to the poor woman; she loved her 
 and suffered with her and would be satisfied to die 
 with her, even though stores of pleasures were await 
 ing her in this life. It was, she admitted, a remark 
 able love and attachment for a stranger and a newly 
 acquired friend, but nevertheless she felt it consume 
 her. If it was a life ambition, it was none the less 
 a worthy one. 
 
 It was close up to noon hour and the dying woman 
 had shown no signs of life. Harry, Geo rge, and the 
 faithful May, with her mother and the kind neighbor, 
 sat sad and still around the bed, waiting an awaking 
 or an end. Suddenly she gave a light quiver and 
 with a faint motion pointed towards the wall, directly 
 at the foot of the bed. A holy emblem, a large pic- 
 
 220
 
 Little %ufferer0 
 
 ture of the Lord s Supper, covered the wall. She 
 again closed her eyes. 
 
 "Oh, merciful God, the good woman wishes to have 
 the priest give her the last rites," sadly exclaimed 
 Mother Thornton. "God forgive us, why didn t we 
 think of this sooner?" in a whisper she reproached 
 them. Harry O Neil agreed with her, as also did 
 May, and the good neighbor. Lankey, however, re 
 mained neutral. 
 
 "My good wife was always a good, faithful Catho 
 lic, and lived up to the order of the Church. This is 
 the last wish of her life, and must be carried out," 
 said Harry, as he prepared to go for Father Rex. He 
 was intercepted by Mrs. Thornton and the neighbor, 
 who bade him remain by his wife s side till the last. 
 As Mother Thornton volunteered to go for the priest, 
 the kind neighbor begged that she be permitted to go, 
 and without a minute s delay she set off to find Father 
 Rex. 
 
 In the space of ten minutes the neighbor returned, 
 closely followed by a priest, an assistant in the large 
 parish. Father Rex holds his assistants ready to go 
 upon all calls of unction ; personally, he attends to no 
 rites, except upon extreme occasions, which are then 
 only in appreciation of a rich donor, or some member 
 of higher standing in the parish. 
 
 As the assistant father entered all arose with bowed 
 head. Mrs. Thornton and the neighbor sank to their 
 knees, showing their respect for the office of priest. 
 
 Lankey George, upon the priest s arrival, had en 
 tered the adjoining room. The good women folks 
 stepped aside, permitting the father to perform his 
 duties. Whatever aid the passage and rites were to 
 the immortal soul of the poor woman, she remained 
 unmovable, and to all appearances gone. The kind 
 priest consoled the grief-stricken husband and offered 
 
 221
 
 C&e Little 
 
 a prayer to strengthen him, thereupon he departed. 
 He was soon followed by the doctor, whom Mrs. 
 Thornton had sent for. 
 
 "The good woman is gone at last," said the profes 
 sional man in his customary blended tone as he felt her 
 pulse. "She struggled hard; but it was a death that 
 gnawed more than a cancer. A mother s heart arid love 
 for her children cannot be trifled with. Some time ago 
 I attended a similar case of a poor woman who suf 
 fered the same fate. She was bereft her child by the 
 Black Hand Society," he said, and expressed a few 
 words of sympathy to the bereaved husband as he 
 took his leave. 
 
 May Thornton still clung to the hope that the chil 
 dren would shortly arrive. "Dan could not deceive 
 me. He was sincere, and he will keep his word. I 
 have as much faith in him as I have in Heaven, for 
 it was the spirit o& Heaven that spoke through him," 
 she murmured. "But, oh, she is gone now, poor 
 woman. She was denied the pleasure of meeting 
 them, and the poor children, how will it affect them 
 when they arrive and find, after their long waiting, 
 that their mother is gone? Oh, why did I wait so 
 long?" she exclaimed, feeling a pang of guilt. She 
 could, however, no longer weep. Her heart was heavy 
 and she felt a depression in the centre of her body. 
 Her eyes seemed burned out. It would have been a 
 relief to her if she could have shed tears. 
 
 Harry, consoled and supported by the arm of his 
 true friend, stood over the dead form of the good 
 woman, crying and praying. Soon Lankey led the 
 heart-broken man over towards the window and 
 begged him to sit and rest himself. Tears trickled 
 down his cheeks. He suffered, but made no uttering 
 of complaint. 
 
 Kind Mother Thornton proceeded to take charge 
 
 222
 
 CJje Little >iifferer0 
 
 of the burial, and prepared to go to an undertaking 
 establishment, but was suddenly disturbed by a whiz 
 zing and loud sound of a gong which came from with 
 out the street. Harry braced up and looked out of 
 the window. Lankey, too, peeped out. An automo 
 bile stopped in front of the building. Out of it was 
 lifted a little girl and a boy and a child was carried 
 in the arms of a woman. "Oh, it s my children," cried 
 
 stricken O Neil, "and now their poor mother is " 
 
 He could not speak further, his heavy frame shook 
 with emotion. Lankey had to support him so that 
 he could remain in a sitting position. 
 
 "Oh, I knew it !" cried poor May. "Why did I not 
 go sooner and her life might have been saved?" Here 
 her mother embraced her and wept over the poor girl. 
 The door opened and little Willie and Louise flew in, 
 followed by the woman carrying the child. 
 
 The little ones taken, too suddenly to realize the 
 position, rushed to their father, whom they first dis 
 covered. He roused and passionately greeted them, 
 so that all were bathed in tears. The baby had reached 
 for May, whom she so well remembered. This re 
 sponsibility awoke new life in May. She fervently 
 hugged and kissed the little one. The women, without 
 further word and explanation, departed. 
 
 After having tendered their father the first greet 
 ing, Willie and Louise in their exultation and joy 
 demanded as they looked about where their mother 
 was. They then perceived her stark figure as she lay 
 in bed in the alcove room, and with childish quickness 
 ran and threw themselves on top of her. Their fa 
 ther and Mrs. Thornton rushed to hinder them from 
 embracing their dead mother. 
 
 "Here, leave them caress the body of their mother 
 while it is still warm; it will lay cold long enough," 
 commanded Lankey with a little sternness, as he drew 
 
 223
 
 Little 
 
 Harry back, and motioned Mother Thornton aside. 
 May was too occupied to fnink of anything, but satis 
 fying the prattle of the baby. The kind neighbor who 
 had stood by the O Neils these last days was horri 
 fied, and prayed mercy and shame as the little ones 
 bounded on top of the extinct form of the mother. 
 
 The little ones thoughts were that their mother was 
 asleep. They cried, "Oh, mamma, wake up, wake, 
 please mamma, don t you hear ?" 
 
 Willie was first to realize, and began to fear that 
 his mother was dead. Piteously he cried, "Oh, 
 mamma, dear mamma, don t die ! Live with us. Oh, 
 mamma, I was a bad boy, but I shall never, never 
 smoke cigarettes again." Louise also wailed and 
 begged and clung to her mother. 
 
 It was a most touching sight. Lankey now thought 
 it was best to break them away from their mother, 
 and walked a step towards the bed. He startled, 
 halted, and threw up both his hands, for he noticed on 
 the apparently dead woman a twisting or contraction 
 in the region of the eyes, as if with a strong effort 
 to force the lids back. 
 
 He bid Harry instantly run for the doctor, and 
 gently walked close to the form of Mrs. O Neil. Re 
 straining the little ones from caressing her further, 
 he gently said : "Wake up, Mrs. O Neil, your children 
 are here waiting to greet you. Wake up, wake up," 
 he continued forcibly but gently. He felt that her 
 body was still warm, and noticed a slight respiration. 
 The stricken woman was evidently alive, but too weak 
 to command her forces. 
 
 The doctor came running, carrying his case of im 
 plements. Harry soon followed, carrying upon his 
 shoulders a syphon charged with oxygen. The doctor 
 had hastily decided to induce artificial respiration, and 
 by this means bring her back to a normal condition of 
 
 224
 
 Little 
 
 breathing. "The knowledge that her children are 
 with her will strengthen her will power. Could she 
 first be brought to a stage where she could realize it, 
 she will live," he announced. 
 
 The doctor at once recognized symptoms of life. 
 As he had been deceived before, he made certain not 
 to be deceived again. After a hasty examination he 
 applied the oxygen, though he first had the women and 
 children leave the sick chamber. "To open her eyes 
 and suddenly see her little ones, would be most fatal 
 to her weak heart," he said. "She must be gently 
 prepared, and not until she is normal must she be 
 permitted to meet them." 
 
 After some strong exertion the doctor finally in 
 duced breathing. Her limbs twisted from light con 
 traction of muscles, her nervous system was set a 
 moving. A slight flush, though barely noticeable, 
 showed in her hollow cheeks and on her temples. 
 Faintly she drew her eyelids back. Be strong now, 
 dear woman ; we have the children waiting for you, 
 but you cannot and must not see them till you are 
 strong enough," said the physician assuringly, as he 
 lightly exercised her arm. "Rest now and sleep well 
 and very soon you will be able to meet and embrace 
 your little ones." 
 
 That Mrs. O Neil had understood the doctor was 
 evident. Weak as she was, a strong light shone from 
 her eyes, and an expression of happiness dawned upon 
 her face. She again closed her eyes, but this time 
 with no pallor of death. The doctor filled out a pre 
 scription and had some medicine brought him. The 
 kind and unusual interest which he took in the matter 
 had influenced him to stay in attendance on the sick 
 woman all night, and far upon the following fore 
 noon. Upon his leaving he was satisfied that she now 
 could be saved. 
 
 225
 
 Cije Little Sufferer* 
 
 Harry O Neil wept for joy, and embraced his friend 
 Lankey. Little May Thornton felt unspeakably 
 happy. Her reward had come at last. Though she 
 truly loved Lankey, she gave Dan Connors many a 
 thought. Cruel as he had been, he had helped her 
 and added to the world s happiness. 
 
 The little ones were taken over to the Thorntons, 
 where they were to remain until such a time as their 
 mother would be strong enough to receive them. 
 Mother Thornton and her younger daughter looked 
 after the children, while May remained nursing back 
 to health her sick friend. Harry joyfully went back 
 to work again, and of course Lankey called as regu 
 larly as was his custom. In the evenings, in his and 
 May s spare moments, they made up for their en 
 forced period of restraint and separation. 
 
 While Mrs. O Neil daily improved, Lankey and May 
 grew deeper in love, and would plan for housekeeping. 
 George had over five hundred dollars saved, and his 
 firm had lately given him an interest in their concern, 
 so their prospects showed bright. Harry O Neil was 
 advanced to foreman at the lumber yard, and now that 
 he had his children beside him and his wife recover 
 ing, he felt the happiest man in all the boroughs. 
 
 Truly, it was as Lankey George always said, "The 
 brightest light casts the darkest shadow." 
 
 The O Neil family at last were happy. All shone 
 bright for them as it did for Lankey George, and his 
 true little May who were to be married a week hence. 
 But a sad shadow was cast over the life of poor Red 
 Hook Dan. He was plainly a broken-hearted man. 
 He deserted the neighborhood and nothing more was 
 heard of him. Poor Katie Thornton took the treachery 
 of her sweetheart, in his plot against Jack Stevenson, 
 the champion of good mother and children, so 
 strongly to heart that she never forgave him. It was 
 
 226
 
 C&e Little 
 
 her first love and she never had the heart to venture 
 into another experience. 
 
 Jack Stevenson had fallen as others prospered. He 
 had fought against fate and he was never discouraged. 
 "A private institution cloaked under grand benevo 
 lence, enriching upon charity and upon the poor and 
 defenceless," he continued, "being usurpers of laws 
 and rights cannot forever be tolerated in a country 
 where freedom, duty and rights are a Nation s em 
 blem." 
 
 THE END. 
 
 227
 
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