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Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924022112555 
 
HARL rrs 
 
 'YOU NOT SKE lUM VAY ItlGH DaRE.'" 
 
THE STORY OF 
 
 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 Mrs. HELEN ALDRICH DE KROYFT, 
 
 AUTIIOK OF "a place IN THY MEMORY." 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 HURD AND HOUGHTON. 
 
 enie EiUerBtue Jpcesa, Caraiic%e. 
 
 1876. 
 
A.S1I311 
 
 Batered according to Act of Cuosres^t >>i ^^^ y^^' 1S75, by 
 
 Mrs. IIELEN ALDKICII DE KROYF^^, 
 in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington 
 
 STBnitOTTPED AND PltlNTEO BV 
 
 a. HOtraaTON and company. 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 Thinking of no one likely to prize- 
 the dedication of this book, as dear 
 Mr. Dean Avould, when here, I would 
 like to set it up in the world forever, 
 as a little white-stoned-monument to 
 his memory. 
 
 Mr. Nicholas Dean, of New York, 
 in whose great sympathizing heart so 
 ^ many of the Lord's '* Little Ones," 
 astray in the world, found refuge ; and 
 learned how precious a thing it is to 
 be cared for, and smiled upon, and 
 loved. 
 
N. B. — All communications for Mrs. Helkn Ald- 
 KiCH De Kroyft, the author, may be addressed to the 
 care of Hued and Houghton, Publishers, No. 13 
 Astor Place, New York. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 I HAD purposed adding no preface 
 to this book; but lest any of my read- 
 ers should imagine it a fiction, I here 
 assure them that " Little Jakey " really 
 lived ; and to all who knew him, and 
 especially to the persons named in this 
 narrative, I should apologize for not 
 having embodied his strange life more 
 perfectly, and traced his little foot- 
 prints across the sands of time more 
 clearly, which I first thought to do by 
 putting my own words into his lips; 
 but then seeing that without the pe- 
 culiarities of his language it would be 
 utterly impossible to give any correct 
 
VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 impression of " Little Jakey " himself 
 I abandoned all idea of ever writing 
 his story at all. 
 
 So the matter stood until Christmas 
 came, and I went to pass the holidays 
 with my friends, Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, 
 of Brooklyn ; when, there being no 
 school, and much of the time too 
 stormy for the children to play out, 
 my talent for story-telling was often 
 called into requisition. Indeed, before 
 my wraps were hardly laid aside, Mas- 
 ter Alfred and Miss Mary had in- 
 formed me in their most coaxing way, 
 that they had not forgotten -yet the 
 last story I told them about the old 
 Indian king Powhatan, when he saw 
 the shallops, or ships of the white man 
 come sailing over the sea. 
 
 Holiday weeks are always short, but 
 
INTRODUCTION. vii 
 
 this one was especially so, and almost 
 before I knew it there was only one 
 day more left before the dawning of 
 the New Year. 
 
 It was Saturday evening ; dear Mr. 
 Barnes had come home from his pub- 
 lishing house in New York all benign 
 and beautiful, as he always comes 
 everywhere ; his very presence seem- 
 ing to bring a soi:t of balm to the air, 
 while his smile breaks like a benedic- 
 tion upon all around. There was, be- 
 side, something in the very manner 
 of his greeting that evening, as he 
 stooped to kiss his little ones, and new 
 mantle them in his love ; something 
 in his voice, even, that seemed to say, 
 " God be pra,ised that this one year 
 more leaves me no losses to mourn, 
 but all to give thanks for ! " 
 
viii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 When dinner was over, and we were 
 all leaving the dining - room, Mrs. 
 Barnes, in her sweet way, plead 
 engagements for a little time. Mr. 
 Barnes also begged to be excused, as 
 he had a little writing yet to do in the 
 library. Miss Emily, too, had just a 
 few things more to look after, prepar- 
 atory to the Sabbath, and the New 
 Year day that was to follow ; so the 
 children and I were left quite alone ; 
 when, having the full range of the 
 douljle parlors, sitting-room, and hall, 
 the ottomans were soon converted into 
 miniature carriages, upon which the 
 two little brothers went wheeling up 
 and down, pausing ever and anon to 
 compliment their sister, Miss Mary, 
 with rather noisy New Year calls. 
 
 Meantime, sitting by the grate, I 
 
INTRODUCTION. ix 
 
 was thinking how long the holiday 
 week must have been to those whom I 
 had left up at the " Institution for the 
 Blind," with neither pleasure or pur- 
 suit to shorten the days with, which 
 naturally reminded me of " Little 
 Jakey," and I exclaimed : — 
 
 " Oh, come here, my little ones. I 
 have thought of a story to tell you 
 now, and such a story ! Why, if you 
 should live a thousand years, not one 
 of you will ever hear the like of it 
 again. It is all about a dear, beautiful 
 little blind boy, " Little Jakey," who 
 was picked off the wreck of a great 
 ship way down here on the Jersey 
 coast. His mother was an Italian 
 lady, his father was a German gentle- 
 man, both of whom painted beautiful 
 pictures. " Little Jakey " could speak 
 
X INTROJJUCTION. 
 
 German and Italian too, and when he 
 had been in New York long enough to 
 pick up English, his language was a 
 SAveet little warble of all three. 
 
 " A lovely little French girl, too, 
 comes into the story, whose name was 
 Me-me, and two little brothers, Jeem 
 and Fred. 
 
 " So come and sit down here now, 
 and I will tell you all about it, and in 
 just the same droll little words, too, 
 that ' Little Jakey ' told it to me in, 
 himself." 
 
 Master Alfred had always one ques- 
 tion to ask by which to judge as to the 
 merits or demerits of a story. "Is it 
 a true one ? " This time, though, feel- 
 ing that there was not a moment to 
 iOse, the lines to his imaginary steeds 
 were tossed quickly to the winds, and 
 
INTRODUCTION. xi 
 
 he came, rolling up his ottoman car- 
 riage, close to one side of me, while 
 Miss Mary cuddled up at the other. 
 
 Little Henry was as usual the first 
 in his place, standing in front of me, 
 and going up and down on his little 
 heels, as much as to say, " Come, lift 
 me up, lift me up ; I am all eagerness 
 to hear. 
 
 So, with Master Alfred seated at the 
 right. Miss Mary at the left, and little 
 Henry on my lap, the story of Little 
 Jakey began ; when it ended, though, 
 the clock on the dining-room mantel 
 was striking nine, and the nurse came 
 to put my little audience to bed. 
 " Oh, Katie ! " exclaimed Master Al- 
 fred, you always break in just at the 
 wrong time," and then his dear heart 
 broke down utterly ; while Miss Mary, 
 
xii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 lingering to kiss me good-night, asked 
 through her sobs, " Will ' Little Jakey 
 ever be in a book ? " which little 
 Henry took it upon himself to reply 
 to, and as the nurse led him away, an- 
 swered back, " Yes, he will be in a 
 book, ' Little Jakey ' will, and have 
 pics-chiires in him too, who' lots ! " 
 
 The next morning, breakfast over 
 and family prayers ended, Mr. Barnes 
 hurried away to the Mission Sunday- 
 school, of which he was then superin- 
 tendent. He met us though at church, 
 and coming home gave me his arm. 
 At first I talked along about the ser- 
 mon, the eloquence of Dr. Storrs, and 
 all that ; until, observing that my 
 friend's responses were rather absent, I 
 grew more silent. At the dinner-table, 
 though, when grace had been said, and 
 
INTRODUCTION. xiil 
 
 the carving was perhaps half through, 
 Mr. Barnes, looking over at me, said, — 
 
 " I have made an engagement for 
 you, Mrs. De Kroyft, this afternoon." 
 
 " An engagement," I replied. " Why, 
 I was not aware before, Mr. Barnes, 
 that you visit on Sunday ? " 
 
 " Oh, no ! a very different kind of 
 an engagement from that," he said, 
 laughing. " I have promised our Mis- 
 sion Sunday-school children to bring 
 you there this afternoon to tell them 
 the story of " Little Jakey." 
 
 " Little Jakey," I exclaimed, in 
 such unfeigned astonishment, that 
 Mrs. Barnes quickly rejoined : 
 
 " You see you had one more listener 
 to your story to the children last even- 
 ing than you were aware of." 
 
 " Yes," said Mr. Barnes, " two, a part 
 
Xiv INTRODUCrWA. 
 
 of the time ; and all the tears over the 
 touching finale were not shed there by 
 the grate, either." 
 
 Then Mr. Barnes explained that the 
 library door being ajar, and hearing me 
 announce to the children what a mar- 
 velous story I was about to tell them, 
 and in such a strange little warble of 
 a language, too, it was impossible not 
 to rise and come forward, just to hear 
 the beginning ; but from the beginning 
 to the end had found no place to stop, 
 no place, but he must stay to hear just 
 a little more, and so had lingered there 
 listening to the story through. 
 
 " But [ am surprised, brother," in- 
 terposed Miss Emily, pleadingly, " that 
 you should have made such an engage- 
 ment for Mrs. De Kroyft without first 
 consulting her." 
 
INTRODUVTION. xv 
 
 *' No more surprised than I am my- 
 self," was the answer. " But, you see, 
 there in the Sunday-school, trying to 
 devise the best means possible to get 
 all those little street fellows back again 
 in the afternoon, " Little Jakey's " won- 
 derful history and the charming way 
 in which it was told, all flashed upon 
 me ; and so, upon the spur of the mo- 
 ment, I announced to the school that 
 I would bring a lady there this after- 
 noon who has lost her sight, and have 
 her tell them the story of a wonderful 
 little blind boy, who was picked off 
 the wreck of a great ship sailing to this 
 country ; never suspecting you see, for 
 a moment, that she could have the 
 slightest objection to filling her part of 
 the programme, until on the way home ; 
 then I began to realize that possibly 
 
Xvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 she might see a little difference be- 
 tween telling a story to three children 
 and to as many hundreds," 
 
 " Oh ! " I said, " it is not the chil- 
 dren I object to at all, but your teach- 
 ers there, as you told me the other 
 evening, are among the leading busi- 
 ness men of Brooklyn and New York 
 — bankers, lawyers, merchants, and 
 all." 
 
 " Did I tell you that ? so I did," he 
 said, in a way that made it impossible 
 to suppress a laugh. But never heed- 
 ing, he went on to say. " The hardest 
 lesson we have to teach those children 
 who come up out of the low ways of 
 the city, is the necessity of telling the 
 truth, and now if I do not keep my 
 promise to them this afternoon, it will 
 take months to undo the bad effects of 
 
iNTROD UCTION. xvil 
 
 this one disappointment. No matter 
 how well excused or apologized for, 
 they put it down for nothing but a 
 ruse to get them all in ; more than 
 lialf of them really believing, I some- 
 times think, that it is far more for our 
 pleasure than to do them any good 
 that we come there at all." 
 
 This was an argument before which 
 all my objections vanished, and before 
 leaving the table it was arranged that 
 Mr. Barnes should go by himself, Mrs. 
 Barnes accompany me, and we enter 
 quietly while the exercises were going 
 on. Some good arigel must have SAvept 
 my thoughts Avith his white wing ; for 
 no sooner there, and presented to the 
 audience, than instantly all fear and 
 embarrassment left me ; and I went 
 through the story of over an hour, in 
 
Xviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 such a way as not only to hold the 
 motley crowd of restless spirits around 
 me perfectly still, .but left at the close, 
 they said scarcely a dry eye in the 
 assembly. Whole rows of little, ragged, 
 hardened fellows, cried audibly ; while 
 the stern, gray-headed business men, 
 who sat among them, found their eyes 
 too had taken suddenly to the trick 
 of tears over " Little Jakey's " pathetic 
 " How vill it be, how vill it be ? " 
 
 Among the throngs of gentlemen 
 who came to pay their New Year com- 
 pliments to Mrs. Barnes and her sister 
 the next day, were many of those who 
 were at the Sunday-school the after- 
 noon before, and many and hearty 
 were the congratulations they had to 
 offer upon the success of " Little 
 Jakey's first appearance," as they called 
 
[NTRonucrioN. xix 
 
 it, eVery one insisting upon having 
 the story written right away, and pub- 
 lished for the benefit of the Sunday- 
 school ; Mr. Holt and Mr. Woodruff 
 even offering money to that effect. But 
 I could only say to them all that, as 
 far as I could see, one might as well 
 try to capture the song of a bird and 
 chain it to paper, as ever to reduce the 
 language of " Little Jakey " to any- 
 thing like a consistent spelling. So it 
 seemed to me then, and so it would 
 doubtless have seemed to me always, 
 but for the following circumstance. 
 
 When long years had passed, and I 
 had wandered over nearly every civ- 
 ilized portion of this continent, one 
 afternoon my companion and I crossed 
 the Mississippi at Galena and left by 
 rail for Chicago. It was snowing a 
 
XX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 little then, but before we were hardly 
 twenty miles out, the great white flakes 
 had fallen so thick and fast, that the 
 cars could scarcely do more than creep 
 along. 
 
 At length, becoming alarmed at the 
 prospect of having to pass the night on 
 the prairie, walled in by the drifts, 
 with the winds for guards, and the 
 frosts for keys, I begged the conductor 
 to let us off at the first station where 
 there was anything like a hotel. 
 
 ** That will be at Pecatonica, then," 
 he said, " which we are just approach- 
 ing." 
 
 So we gathered vip our portables, and 
 were soon lifted down into the deep 
 snow that covered the vast prairie 
 around us, with only here and there 
 the sign of a dwelling. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxi 
 
 The master of the shanty where the 
 depot was some day to be, led the way 
 and did his best to beat a path for us 
 np to the steps of the little frame 
 building mounted on piles and made 
 to do seryice as a hotel. The sitting- 
 room though was snug and warm, and 
 the bedroom opening off from.it they 
 gave to us, Avhich added to the aroma 
 of coffee and the scent of wild fowl 
 broiling in the kitchen, we seemed like- 
 ly to be made very comfortable for the 
 night. 
 
 Early in the evening, however, a 
 high wind arose and came sweeping 
 over the plains, whirling and turning 
 and sometimes seeming to lift the little 
 house itself into mid- air, and suddenly 
 chucking it down again upon its four 
 cornered foundation, like a ship 
 
XXU. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 grounded at sea, nor was the illusion 
 lessened when toward midnight the 
 door opened, and suddenly a tide of 
 human life came pouring in pell-mell ; 
 children crying, the young shivering, 
 and the old actually groaning with the 
 cold. 
 
 The train we had left unable to pro- 
 ceed had crept back, and as many as 
 were able had wallowed through the 
 snow to the little refuge we had sought. 
 So all night long with its burden of hu- 
 man freight, the little house rocked, 
 and swayed, and creaked, threatening 
 every moment, as it seemed, to loose 
 its fastenings and to go rolling oyer the 
 prairie at the sport of the howling 
 winds. 
 
 There is always something in con- 
 scious danger, or in the fear of death, 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXUl 
 
 that reminds one strangely of the past ; 
 and as I hiy there, unable to sleep, 
 scene after scene of my own life came 
 sweeping before me, until suddenly 1 
 found myself listening again to the 
 story of " Little Jakey ; " his descrip- 
 tion of the storm at sea, the roar of the 
 waves, the falling of the masts, and the 
 final crash upon the rocks. Indeed, I 
 could almost have declared that amid 
 the voices of the winds I heard his lisp- 
 ing accents, soft and low, as if he had 
 really come back to pour into my ear 
 again the story of his strange little 
 life ; until, dark as the place was, and 
 dark as my eyes were, I almost feared 
 to open them, lest I should see the 
 angel mother too, with her baby in her 
 arms and sweet Me -mo at her side, so 
 verily they seemed to have all come 
 
XXIV INTR OD UCTION. 
 
 gathering around about me. Strange 
 to say, too, amid that weird night 
 scene I saw for the first time, how 
 easy it would be to write the story 
 of " Little Jakey " by merely spelling 
 all his quaint words exactly as he pro- 
 nounced them, and wondered that I 
 had never thought of it before. 
 
 So when the morning came, the 
 winds had grown still and all the peo- 
 ple had left ; returning from breakfast 
 and finding the little sitting-room all 
 tidied up and warm, " ! " I ex- 
 claimed to Minnie, "if we only had 
 some paper now, how delightful it 
 would be to sit down here, and write 
 the story of' Little Jakey.' " 
 
 Just then the door opened, and the 
 boy entered to replenish the fire. 
 
 " Have you a store here ? " I in- 
 quired. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxv 
 
 •' Yes, two of them," he said, ' over 
 on the knoll yonder, beside the gro- 
 cery, and the drug shop." 
 
 " But how deep is the snow this 
 morning ? " 
 
 " O ! around on the west side of the 
 house there it is fully up to the eaves ; 
 but around in front here it is about on 
 a level with the windows. That is, 
 where the drifts are. It is deep 
 enough though, everywhere, and snow- 
 ing all the time." 
 
 " But would a half dollar take you 
 through the drifts, think you, to the 
 best store, and bring me back a roll of 
 paper ? " 
 
 "Yes, indeed," he said, "half of 
 thit." 
 
 Minnie gave him the money, and 
 Ijuttoning up his overcoat he went out 
 
XXvi IN TROD UCTION. 
 
 as it seemed something as the dOve 
 went out of the ark ; and returned in 
 due time, bearing in his beak, not one 
 leaf hut many. 
 
 "Now, one favor more," I said, 
 " have you such a thing as a slate and 
 pencil in the house ? " 
 
 " Not a slate and pencil exactly, but 
 a slate and chalk ; would that do ? "he 
 asked, drawing a piece of the latter 
 from his pocket ; and hardly waiting 
 for an answer ran away for the slate. 
 
 Meantime, Minnie had brought forth 
 her little portable desk, and there by 
 the stove as fast as I wrote she copied, 
 until on the evening of the fourth day 
 the story of " Little Jakey " was com- 
 pleted. 
 
 Meantime, every night about the 
 ijame hour, the train we had left, un- 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxvil 
 
 able to proceed, crept slowly back, and 
 the same people had come and slept 
 there on the sitting-room floor. The 
 fifth night, however, they did not re- 
 turn, aiid waiting one day more for the 
 way to be thoroughly clear, we too 
 gathered up our eflfects and bade adieu 
 to the little snow-bound hotel of Peca- 
 tonica forever. 
 
 But although written, there never 
 seemed to come a time when I could 
 pause in the work I was doing, and 
 give " Little Jakej " to a publisher ; 
 and he has since traveled along with 
 me in my trunk over many many 
 lands. This time, however, on my re- 
 turn to New York I hastened to leave 
 the manuscript with Messrs. Hurd and 
 Houghton, for their perusal, expecting 
 to wait at least three or four weeks for 
 
XXviil INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the pleasure of their decision. Only 
 four days and a half though have 
 elapsed, and lo ! I have their answer 
 back saying, — 
 
 " We will publish ' Little Jakey ' for 
 you and are ready to commence it at 
 once." 
 
 So, after so many long years have 
 rolled away, since the story of " Little 
 Jakey " was first told there by the 
 grate, to those children three, I am 
 sending " Little Jakey " himself forth 
 to the world, well assured that every- 
 where, among the beautiful and the 
 good, the child-saint Avill be welcomed, 
 even as one of those for whose coming 
 and whose going the gates to heaven 
 stand always ajar. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 — ♦— 
 
 I VJ8H 1 HAVE VlJJfGS .... .9 
 
 FoN Germany 17 
 
 Ce cry and Ck cry 21 
 
 Ze Vatch 26 
 
 Ze Vord 30 
 
 BIiT ZE Brush 35 
 
 The Old Frenchman's ...... 38 
 
 Ce not speak 42 
 
 Mix Vings ......... 47 
 
 Ze Ship 50 
 
 The Wee Saint 56 
 
 VoT dead mean 61 
 
 Im Himmel S5 
 
 Meme . 59 
 
 Zk C0RLS 74 
 
 He not come 77 
 
 Zey not fine her 80 
 
 Cb go im Himmel 83 
 
 Ze Good Man 85 
 
 6r Big Moneys 89 
 
XXX CONTENTS. 
 
 PASS 
 
 ViLL GOTT KNO-W? 93 
 
 My Life 98 
 
 Does thee see ? 1 02 
 
 Sair goot 104 
 
 Ze Box 108 
 
 Home . 113 
 
 Ze Flowers • . 116 
 
 How VILL IT BE ? . . • a . . 121 
 
 Never mobk ...«■•.. 131 
 
LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 I VISH I HAVE VINGS. 
 
 T the time of the opening 
 ^ of this story, there Avere, 
 in the rear of the New 
 York Institution for the 
 Blind, two small but 
 pleasant parks, full of trees and winding 
 walks, where the birds sang, and blind 
 boys and girls ran and played. The 
 little gate between the two parks was 
 usually left open during school hours, 
 and one bright June morning, while 
 the sun was drinking up the dews from 
 
IC LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 the leaves and the flowers, I chanced 
 to be walking there, and I heard the 
 little gate opening and shutting, open 
 ing and shutting ; rattle went the 
 chain, then bang went the gate, until 
 suddenly, as I was passing it, a little 
 voice saluted me, so sweet and musical 
 and up so high, that for the moment I 
 almost fancied one of the birds had 
 stopped his song to speak with me. 
 
 " I know you. I knows ven you 
 come. Sometimes you tell stories co 
 ze girls, and I hear you ven I bees dis 
 side." 
 
 Going up and putting my hand on 
 the little speaker's head, I said, — 
 
 " Pray, what little girl is this here, 
 with these long pretty curls, SAvinging 
 on the gate ? " 
 
 " I bees not a girl, — I bees a boy, 
 I be." 
 
/ VISH I HAVE yiNGS. 11 
 
 Then passing my hand down over a 
 little coat covered with buttons, I said 
 to him, — 
 
 " Surely, so you are a little boy ; but 
 what is your name ? " 
 
 " My name bees Little Jakey ; dot is 
 my name." 
 
 " Little Jakey ! Indeed ! and pray, 
 when did you come here ? " 
 
 Quick . as thought his little foot 
 struck out against the post again, and 
 the gate went flying to and fro, as be- 
 fore ; then coming to a sudden halt he 
 said, — 
 
 " Veil, I tink I tell you. I bees 
 here von Sunday and von Sunday and 
 von Sunday ; so long I bees here." 
 
 " Why ! what a precious child you 
 are. How old are you, Jakey } " 
 
 " I bees soving ; dot is my old, — dot 
 is how old I bees." 
 
12 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 " And can you not see ? " 
 
 " No, I not see. Ven Gott make 
 my eyes, my moder say He not put ze 
 light in zem." 
 
 " You treasure ! " T said ; " and are 
 you going to school here, Jakey, and 
 learning to read ? " 
 
 " Yes, some ze time I go in ze school, 
 and I read ze letters mit my fing-er. 
 Von letter vot live on ze top ze line, I 
 know him, yen I put my fing-er on 
 him ; hees name bees A ; and von oder 
 letter, I know him, ven I put my 
 fing-er on him, — round like ze hoop ; 
 hees name bees O." 
 
 " Who teaches you the letters. Little 
 Jakey ? " 
 
 " Cassie, ce teach me, but all ze time 
 ce laugh, ven I say ze vords ; so Miss 
 Setland sen her avay, and now Libbie, 
 ce teach me. But not much I go in 
 
/ VISri I HAVE VINGS. 13 
 
 le school. I come down here mit ze 
 birds in ze trees. Up to ze house ze 
 birds not go. Eddy and Yilly, and all 
 ze boys, ven zey play, make big noise, 
 and zey scare ze birds. But down 
 here zey not scare, and all ze time zey 
 sing." 
 
 " You love the birds, Jakey } " 
 " Yes, I love ze birds. I love von 
 bird up in dot tree. You not see him 
 vay high dare ? (pointing with his 
 tiny finger). Yen I have eat my din- 
 ner in ze morning, I come down here, 
 and ven I have eat my dinner in ze 
 noon, I come down here; and all ze 
 time, ven I come, he sing. Sometimes 
 some oder birds come in ze tree, and 
 zey sing mit him ; but all ze time he 
 sing. I vish I sing like ze birds. I 
 vish I have vings, and I go vay high in 
 ze sky, vare ze stars be. Gott make 
 
14 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 ze stars, and Georgy say dot zey shine 
 vay down in ze vater, he see zem 
 dare; and von time I tell him dot 
 he yill get me von mit hees hook vot 
 he catch ze fishes mit; but he laugh 
 and say dot he cannot. But I tint 
 I see ze stars ven I come im Himmel 
 mit" — 
 
 " Im Himmel ! "Where is that, Ja- 
 key ? Where is Himmxcl ? " 
 
 " Yy ! you not know dot ? Himmel 
 bees vare Gott live." 
 
 This was too much. I could not 
 keep my hands from the sweet being 
 any longer. I caught him down from 
 the gate in my arms, and nearly 
 smothered him with kisses. Then I 
 stood his little feet down upon the 
 ground, and knelt down before . him, 
 and kissed him over again and again. 
 
 " You precious little angel," I said, 
 
/ VISH I HAVE VINOS. 15 
 
 " sighing here for wings, and longing 
 for heaven ! " 
 
 Then he put his hands up and felt 
 my face over, so softly and tenderly, 
 that I fancied his Kttle creeping fingers 
 reading there every thought in my 
 heart ; and finally, clasping his loving 
 arms around my neck, he said, in a 
 voice hardly above a vrhisper, — 
 
 " I love you, — you love me ? " 
 
 " I do indeed love you, you dear 
 lamb," I said ; but I could hardly 
 speak, my voice was so choked with 
 tears. Perceiving this, he rested his 
 little hand softly on my cheek again, 
 and whispered timidly, — 
 
 " Yy for you cry ? " 
 
 But hearing some one approaching, 
 and fearing to be disturbed, I took his 
 little hand in mine and led him away, 
 across the park, to a seat under the 
 
16 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 big Mulberry, where I held him long 
 and lovingly on my lap, as I did often 
 afterwards, while coaxing from his 
 sweet lips the following chapters of 
 his strange little life. 
 
FON GERMANY. 17 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 FON GERMANY. 
 
 ITTLE Jakey was indeed 
 little Jakey. I have of- 
 ten seen boys three years 
 old both taller and heav- 
 ier ; but never one more 
 perfect in form and feature. His little 
 feet and hands might have belonged to 
 a fairy. His black eyes were bright 
 and full, with long lashes and arched 
 brows. His long curls were blacker 
 than the raven, and while holding him 
 there in my arms, I could think of 
 nothing but a beautiful cherub with 
 folded wings, astray from heaven ; and 
 
18 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 I almost feared to toucli him, or speak 
 to him, lest he should spread his wings 
 and fly away. But after smoothing 
 down his curls awhile, and kissing him 
 many times, I said to him, — 
 
 "Dear Jakey, pray where did you 
 come from, and who brought you 
 here ? " 
 
 Then dropping both his little hands 
 in mine, as if in token of his childish 
 confidence, he said, — 
 
 " I come fon Germany. My moder, 
 ce bring me. I come mit her, and mit 
 ze baby." 
 
 " And how long have you been here, 
 Jakey, can you tell me ? " 
 
 "Yes, I tink I tell you. Yen I 
 come in ze America, ze flowers bees in 
 ze garden, and ze birds bees in ze trees, 
 and ze opples bees on ze trees, and ze 
 pot-a-toes bees in ze ground. Zen ze 
 
FON GERMANY. 19 
 
 vinds blow and ze birds go avay, and 
 ze opples bees in ze cellar, and ze pot- 
 a-toes bees in ze cellar. Zen ze vinds 
 blow too hard and ze snow bees on ze 
 ground, and it bees cold vinter. Zen 
 long time ze snow go ayay, and ze 
 leaves come on ze trees, and ze birds 
 come back again, and it bees varm ; so 
 long I bees in ze America." 
 
 •' You darling ! " I said ; " and so you 
 have been here one year ? " 
 
 " Yes, von year I bees in ze Amer- 
 ica." 
 
 " But pray, dear, where is your 
 father ? Is he dead ? " 
 
 " No, he bees not dead. He bees in 
 Germany, mit Jeem and mit Fred and 
 mit my granfader." 
 
 " But, Jakey, why did your mother 
 come away here to America, and leave 
 your father away there in Germany ? " 
 
20 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 At this question his little hosom 
 heayed, as though I had reminded him 
 of something painful, and I felt his lit- 
 tle hands stir in mine, as if he would 
 take them away ; but after a moment 
 he drew a little sigh and said, — 
 
 " Veil, I tink I teU you." 
 
CE CRY AND CE CRY. 21 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 CE CRY AND CE- CRY. 
 
 fY granfader have some 
 lands, some big lands he 
 have, and he sell zem ; 
 and may be he not buy 
 it, but he get von big 
 house in ze city, mit vindows vay down 
 to ze ground, and in ze vindows he put 
 — I not know vot you call zem, but zey 
 have vine in zem, and beer in zem." 
 •' Bottles, Jakey ? " 
 " Yes, dot bees it, bottles mit vine 
 and mit beer in zem ; and my fader go 
 dare, and he give my granfader ze pen- 
 nies, and he drink ze vine and he drink 
 
22 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 ze beer. Much times and all ze time 
 he go dare, and he do dot. And Yon 
 day he come home, and he have drunk 
 too much ze beer, and hees head go 
 von vay and von vay ; and he say 
 vicked vords, . and my moder ce cry. 
 Jeem and Fred bees afraid, and zey 
 hide ; but I bees not afraid, I bees mit 
 my moder. And ven my fader tink 
 he sit down on ze chair, he go vay fall 
 on ze floor ; and ven Jeem and Fred 
 hear him, zey run out, and ven zey see 
 him dare on ze floor, zey laugh ; and 
 my fader say dot he vill kill zem, and 
 he vill trow ze chair at zem, but too 
 quick zey run avay ; and all ze time 
 my moder ce cry and oe cry, and ce 
 not eat ze dinner, and ce make my 
 fader go lay on ze bed. 
 
 " Von time my fader come home and 
 he have drunk too much ze beer, and 
 
CE CRY AND CE CRY. 23 
 
 he haye sold ze piano. And yon time 
 he come home and he have drunk too 
 much ze beer, and he have sold ze 
 harp ; and ze man come mit him vot 
 have buy it ; and ven ze harp go avay, 
 my moder ce cry, and my fader strike 
 her mit hees hand, and he strike Jeem 
 and Fred ; and me he vill strike, but 
 my moder ce not let him. 
 
 " Yon oder time ze men come dare, 
 and zey take avay all ze tings vot my 
 moder have, — ze chair, and ze sofa, 
 and all ze tings. Zen my moder ce 
 go live in von leetle house, and some 
 ze time ce not have ze fire dare, and 
 some ze time ce not have ze bread. 
 And von time in ze night my fader 
 come home, and he bring too much 
 men mit him vot have drunk ze beer ; 
 and be tell my moder dot ce give ze 
 men ze supper. And my moder say dot 
 
24 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 ce have not ze supper, ce have not ze 
 fire, and ce have not ze bread ; and 
 ven ce tell ze men go avay, zey say 
 bad vords to my moder, and my fader 
 he strike her dot ce go on ze floor. 
 Zen mit her hair he drag her to ze 
 door, and mit hees feets he strike her 
 vay out on ze stone, and her head 
 bleed. And Jeem he see her dare, and 
 he cry, and Fred cry, and I cry ; and 
 my moder ce groan like ce die. And 
 von ze men vot come mit him strike 
 my fader, and von oder man strike 
 him, and zey say vicked vords, and zey 
 all strike, and zey break ze tings. And 
 vile zey do dot, my moder ce get up, 
 and ce come avay in ze dark, and 
 Jeem and Fred come mit her, and I 
 come mit her, and long vay ce sit down 
 on ze stone by ze big house ; and 
 Jeem bees cold dare, and he cry ; and 
 
CE CRY AND CE CRY. 25 
 
 Fred bees cold, and he cry. I bees 
 not cold, I not cry, my moder ce hold 
 me tight ; but all ze time ce cry. 
 
 " Zen long time ze man yot live in 
 ze big house open ze door, and he suy 
 some Yords to my moder, and my 
 moder ce tell him dot my fader have 
 got ze bad men mit him in ze house, 
 and he tell my moder dot ce come in ; 
 and Jeem and Fred zey go up ze step, 
 and ze man he lif me, and my moder 
 ce come up ze step ; and ven ce come 
 in, ze man see ze blood, yare my fader 
 have strike her, and he go tell ze lady 
 dot ce come, and ze lady vash my 
 moder's head, and ce give her ze medi- 
 cine vot ce drink. Zen ce lay her on 
 ze bed, and I lay on ze bed mit her ; 
 and Jeem and Fred zey go in von lee- 
 tle bed to ze fire." 
 
25 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 ZE VATCH. 
 
 N ze morning my moder 
 come home, and my fader 
 sleep dare on ze floor, and 
 vile he sleep, he make big 
 noise mit hees nose ; and 
 Jeem and Fred laugh, cause my fader 
 make big noise mit hees nose, but my 
 moder ce cry. 
 
 " Long time Jeem bees hungry and 
 he cry, Fred bees hungry and he cry, 
 but my moder say ce have not ze meat 
 and ce have not ze bread. Zen long 
 time my fader vake, and ven he see 
 my moder dare, he say dot he vill be 
 
ZE VATCH. 27 
 
 good, dot ho Till not drink ze vine and 
 ze beer any more ; and he kiss my 
 moder, and he say dot he love her, and 
 dot he yill get ze fire, and he vill get 
 ze bread, but he have not ze money. 
 Zen my moder say dot ce vill give him 
 ze vatch vot ce have, ven ce vas mit 
 her moder in Italy, to get ze money 
 mit, but ce tink ven he get ze money 
 he vill drink ze beer. My fader say 
 •No ! vile he live and vile he die, he 
 not drink any more ze beer ; and he 
 kiss Jeem and he kiss Fred and he kiss 
 me, and he tell my moder dot ven he 
 sell ze vatch, he vill bring ze money, 
 and he vill get ze fire, and he vill get 
 ze meat and ze bread. Zen my moder 
 ce get him ze vatch, and he go avay. 
 
 " Long time he not come. Zen long 
 time in ze night he come, and he bring 
 ze bread mit him, but he have drunk 
 
28 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 ze beer. My moder tell him dot he 
 have, and he say dot he have not ; but 
 all ze time hees head go von vay and 
 von vay, and some ze vords he speak, 
 and some ze vords he not speak. My 
 moder ce tell him, Yare ze money vot 
 he get mit ze vatch ? and he say dot 
 he have not ze money, dot he not sell 
 ze vatch. Zen my moder say, Vare ze 
 vatch den ? and he say dot he have loss 
 it, dot vile he sell it, von man get it ! 
 Bnt my moder say No, he have got ze 
 money and he have drunk ze beer mit 
 ze bad men, ce know he have. Zen 
 my fader strike her von time and von 
 time ; and ven ce go on ze floor, he 
 strike her dare mit hees feets, and ce 
 not move, like ce be dead, and he say 
 he vill kill her, he vill, he vill ! And 
 Jeem scream and Fred scream, and 
 my fader get ze big knife vot he cut 
 
ZE VATCH. 29 
 
 KG bread tnit, and he lif it vay bigli, 
 and say loud much times dot lie vill 
 kill zem all ! But ze men vot vatcli 
 in ze night come in, and ven zey see 
 my ftider dare mit zc knife, zey put ze 
 chain on hees feets and on hees hands, 
 and zey go avay mit him. And quick 
 von man come back mit ze doctor, and 
 ven, mit hees leetle knife, he have 
 make my moder's arm bleed, ce speak, 
 and ce say, Yare my fader be ? and ze 
 man tell her dot zey have lock him up, 
 and he vill be hang mit ze rope ; and 
 my moder ce cry, and long time ce 
 bees sick in ze bed." 
 
30 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 ZE VOED. 
 
 ID your mother come 
 from Italy, Jakey ? " 
 
 " Yes ; ven my fader 
 have not drunk ze beer, 
 he make ze peoples mit 
 ze brush ; and he go in Italy, and ven 
 he hare make my moder dare mit ze 
 brush, ce loye him, and ce run avay 
 mit him ven her moder not know it. 
 And ven ce come in Germany, von 
 oder time he make her mit ze brush, 
 and ce hang on ze vail ; and Jeem he 
 make, and Fred he make mit ze brush, 
 and zey hang on ze vail. Much ze 
 
ZE VORD. 31 
 
 peoples he make mit ze brush, and zey 
 give him ze money. Me he not make, 
 but my moder ce make me mit ze 
 leetle brush ; but ven I bees made, I 
 not hang on ze vail, I bees sut like ze 
 book. And ce make Jeem dot vay, 
 and Fred dot vay, and ce keep zom. 
 Von time my fader go to ze drawer, 
 and he get zem all, and he go avay 
 and he sell zem, and he get ze money ; 
 and ven my moder know it, ce come 
 vare ze man be vot have buy zem, and 
 I come mit her, and ce give him ze 
 ring fon her fing-er, and ce get me 
 back and ce bide me. 
 
 " Yon time my fader have sell my 
 moder vot hang on ze vail, and ze man 
 come dare, and my fader have take her 
 down, and Jeem cry and Fred cry; 
 and Fred say let hees go, and Jeem 
 say let hees go, but my moder say no, 
 and ze man go avay mit her." 
 
32 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 " But, dear Jakey, how long did 
 they keep your father locked up thei*^ 
 with the chains on him ? " 
 
 " O ! big long time ; and von time 
 my granfader come dare, and my nioder 
 bees sick in ze bed ; ce not get veil vare 
 my fader have strike her ; and my 
 granfader tell her dot ze man vot sit 
 vay high in ze seat have said ze vord, 
 dot my fader go vay off, and be lock 
 up mit ze dark and mit ze chains on 
 him, vile he live and vile he die. Zen 
 my moder say ce vill go vare he \>k. 
 My granfader lif her, and ce get up, and 
 I come mit zem. And ven my moder 
 come dare, ce go tp ze man vot have 
 said ze vord, and ce tell him dot he 
 vill let my fader go, he vill, he mil! 
 And ce say dot ce Adll die, if he not let 
 my fader go, and ce cry ; and ce tell 
 zo man vot sit vay high in ze chair, 
 
ZE roRD. 33 
 
 dot he Adll let him go ? but ze man 
 say No, he have said 2e vord. Zen my 
 moder go down vare my fader be mit 
 ze chains on him, and ven ce come 
 dare, ce scream, and ce fall on ze 
 ground, like ce be dead. Zen my gran- 
 fader say dot I go tell ze man dot he 
 vill let my fader go, and yen my gran- 
 fader bring me, and I come dare, I tink 
 I say dot ; but I tell him dot he vill not 
 kill my moder, and I cry, too loud I 
 cry. Zen ze man go vay high on hee» 
 feets mit hees hand on my head, and 
 he say some tords to ze men vot bees 
 dare, and he say some vords to my 
 granfader. Zen he go roun on hi? 
 feets and he say some vords to my 
 fader. He tell him, dot he vill be 
 good ? dot he vill not drink ze beer ? 
 dot he vill vork } dot he vill make ze 
 peoples mit ze brush .? dot he vill love 
 
34 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 my moder, and get ze bread and ze 
 fire and ze meat ? and my fader say 
 he vill, he vill ! Zen ze man vot have 
 said ze vord tell my fader dot he may 
 go ; and quick von oder man take ze 
 chains fon hees feets and fon hees 
 hands, and he bees too glad ; and he 
 lif up my moder, and he sake her dot 
 ce speak, and he love her, and he 
 come avay mit her. And my granfader 
 bring me ; I come mit him in hees 
 arms, and vile my granfader valk, he 
 cry." 
 
MIT ZE BRUSH. 
 
 D5 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MIT ZE BRUSH. 
 
 EN it bees night, ze big 
 man vot sit ray bigli in 
 ze chair and vot have 
 said ze vord, come to ze 
 house, and he see my 
 moder dare in ze bed ; and he talk 
 mit herj and he talk mit my fader, and 
 he say some vords mit Jeem and mit 
 Fred, and he hold me on hees lap. 
 
 " Long time he stay dare, and ven 
 he go vay, he tell my fader, if he vill 
 make him mit ze brush } and my fader 
 say dot he vill. Zen much times he 
 come dare, and ven my fader have 
 
36 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 make him big all aroun, fon hees feets 
 to hees head, mit ze chair vot he sit 
 in vay high, ven he say ze vord, he 
 give my fader much ze money, mucli 
 money he give ; and my fader get ze 
 fire mit it, and ze bread and ze meat ; 
 and he love my moder, and he love 
 Jeem, and he love Fred, and me he 
 love. 
 
 Zen my moder sing, but ce have not 
 ze harp, and ce have not ze piano ; and 
 my fader sing mit her ; and much ze 
 peoples he make mit ze brush ; and my 
 moder ce help him, all ze time ce help 
 him, and Jeem and Fred zey help , 
 zey grind ze tings vot he make ze peo- 
 ples mit. Von time I help ; ven Fred 
 bees gone, I vash ze brushes, and my 
 moder say dot I have make zem clean 
 so better as Fred. And all ze time I 
 rock ze baby in ze leetlo bed, and I 
 
MIT ZE BRUSH. 37 
 
 sing ze song Tot my moder make ze 
 baby sleep mit." 
 
 Here little Jakey stopped again, and 
 began to turn the ring on my finger, 
 and pass his little hands over mine, as 
 if too much absorbed in the happy 
 picture before him ever to take his 
 thoughts avray from it. 
 
 Alas ! Little Jakey, think on, dream 
 on! It were wrong to disturb thee, 
 while, far away in thy native land, thou 
 art rocking again thy baby sister, and 
 listening again to the voice of thy lov- 
 ing mother, — thy father once more at 
 his easel, dear Jeem grinding the paints, 
 and noble Fred cleaning the brushes. 
 Happy picture, happy dream ! 
 
38 LITTLE JAKEY 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 THE OLD frenchman's. 
 
 :T length, thinking that 
 my little narrator must 
 be weary, " Come, Little 
 Jakey," I said, " let us 
 go up to the house and 
 see what we can find there." 
 
 Then standing his little feet down 
 upon the ground, and taking his tiny 
 hand in mine, I said to him, as we 
 walked along, — 
 
 " Do you like strawberries, Jakey ? " 
 " Yes," he said, " I like ze strawber- 
 ries. Yon time Miss Yild haye give 
 me some in ze cup, and von time Miss 
 
THE OLD FRENCHMAN'b. 39 
 
 Chamberling haye give me some. Cas- 
 sie say dot John, ze cook, have much 
 ze strawberries in ze kitchen, but he 
 not give zem." 
 
 Across the way from the Institution 
 a kind old Frenchman kept a little 
 ice-cream saloon, where the pupils 
 were in the habit of spending their 
 spare pennies for sweet things. So 
 leading little Jakey through the lower 
 hall, and down the frdnt yard to the 
 gate, we crossed over to the old 
 Frenchman's, and in the back part of 
 his shop we sat down by the little 
 table, and ordered for ourselves some 
 cakes, and each of us a saucer of ber- 
 ries and cream ; far more, I fancy, to 
 my pleasure than to Little Jakey's, for 
 to do the least thing for him seemed 
 like doing so much for something that 
 belonged to heaven, he was so angelic, 
 
40 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 SO innocent, and so knowing. He was 
 unlike a child. His very presence in- 
 spired one with a consciousness of 
 something superior, and when his 
 sweet lips were silent, I instinctively 
 feared to question him again, lest he 
 should think me rude. However, 
 when we had finished our cakes and 
 berries, and the old Frenchman had 
 brought us each a glass of water, fresh 
 from the Croton, and jingling with a 
 lump of ice, we paid him, and returned 
 to the park again. 
 
 Passing the little gate, where I first 
 found Little Jakey, I said to him, — 
 
 " Will you stop here, my dear, and 
 swing on the gate again, or will you 
 come with me } " 
 
 " I tink I come mit you to ze big 
 Mulberry," he replied. " You go 
 dare r " 
 
THE OLD FRENCHMAN'S. U 
 
 "Yes, you sweet treasure," I an- 
 swered, stooping down to kiss him, 
 " and when we come there, Jakey, 
 will you tell me more about your home 
 away in Germany ? " 
 
 " Yes, I tell you more," he said, at 
 the same time dropping his curly head 
 and shutting his little hand closer in 
 mine, as if wondering where he should 
 begin, and what he should tell me first. 
 
42 TTTTLE JAKEY 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 CE NOT SPEAK. 
 
 OMING under the saine 
 ^ old tree where we sat 
 before, I lifted Little Ja- 
 key again upon my lap, 
 and pushing back his 
 curls, T said to him, — 
 
 " Did your father stay always good, 
 Jakey, and did he never drink the beer 
 any more ? " 
 
 " ! no," he answered, with an ear- 
 nestness that chilled my very heart, 
 and made me feel that he had not yet 
 told me half the sorrow shut up in his 
 little bosom ; and while, with tears in 
 
CE NOT SPEAK. 43 
 
 my eyes, I tried to encourage him to 
 go on, I felt almost guilty, and was 
 about deciding to probe his little heart 
 no more, when of his own accord he 
 resumed. 
 
 " Yon time my fader say dot he vill 
 go to ze man mit ze pic-sure vot he 
 have make, and he vill get ze money ; 
 and my moder say dot ce vill go mit 
 him ; but my fader say No, he vill go 
 mit hees-self, and ven he have got ze 
 money, he vill come home to ze sup- 
 per. But long time he not come. 
 Jeem he go in ze bed, and Fred he go 
 in ze bed, and I go in ze leetle bed, 
 and my moder ce have ze baby mit her 
 to ze fire. 
 
 " Zen long time my fader come to ze 
 door, and vile he come, he say loud ze 
 vicked vords, and my moder know dot 
 he have drunk ze beer. Quick ce go 
 
44 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 to ze vindow, and yen ce see him, ce 
 cry and ce bees afraid, and ce not open 
 ze door. Zen my fader tink he have 
 not fine ze door, and he go vay rouu 
 ze house, and tink he have fine ze door 
 dare ; and he strike, and he pound, and 
 all ze time he say loud ze vicked Yords. 
 Zen he come back to ze door, and he 
 strike it mit hees feets much times, 
 and ven ze door come open and he see 
 my moder dare, he strike her dot ce 
 fall on ze floor mit ze baby. Ze baby 
 cry, but my moder ce not speak, and 
 ce not cry. Zen my fader strike her 
 much times mit hees feets, dot ce not 
 open ze door, and he go vay to get ze 
 big knife, and he say dot he vill kill 
 her. Long time he not fine it; zen 
 vile he come back he not see, and he 
 fall on ze floor, and some ze vay he 
 get up and some ze vay he not get up, 
 
■H^ 
 
 1- " ■■ ■* 
 
 t - 
 
 ■ " f 
 
 
CE NOT SPEAK. ' 45 
 
 and all ze time he say dot he vill kill, 
 he vill, he vill! But all ze time he 
 not kill, he have not ze knife ; and he 
 have drunk too much ze beer, dot he 
 not get up. Zen long time hees head 
 go down on ze floor, and he sleep, and 
 he make big noise mit hees nose. 
 
 " Zen I come out ze leetle bed, and 
 I go on ze floor, and ven I come vare 
 my moder be, I sake her and I sake 
 her, but ce not speak. Zen I come to 
 ze bed vare Jeem be, and I sake him, 
 and I tell him dot my fader have kill 
 my moder. Quick Jeem come dare, 
 and he lif her up ; and Fred come out 
 ze bed, and he get ze baby ; and Jeem 
 put ze vater on my moder, and he 
 sake her much times, and ce vake, and 
 ce sit up in ze chair mit ze baby. And 
 ce tell Jeem dot he get ze blanket fon 
 ze bed and he put it on my fader, and 
 
46 ■ LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 he lif hees head, and he put under ze 
 pillow. 
 
 " Jeem and Fred zey go in ze bed, 
 and I go in ze leetle bed, but all ze 
 time my moder ce sit up dare in ze 
 chair, mit ze baby, to ze fire, and ce 
 cry and ce cry." 
 
MIT VINGS. 
 
 47 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 MIT VINGS. 
 
 N ze morning my mocler 
 
 tell my fader dot ce vill 
 
 go back to Italy, mit her 
 
 moder ; and my fader say 
 
 dot ce may, but ce not go. 
 
 " Ze peoples come, but my fader 
 
 bees not dare, and he not make zcm 
 
 any more mit ze brush, but some my 
 
 moder make. 
 
 "All ze time my fader go yay, and 
 he drink ze beer mit ze bad men ; and 
 ze fire he not get, and he not get ze 
 bread, and too much he strike. 
 
 *• Yon time my moder tell my fader 
 
48 LITTLE JAKEF. 
 
 (lot ce vill come in ze America, and ce 
 \ill make ze peoples dare mit ze brush, 
 and ce vill get ze money, and ce vill 
 live ; and my fader say dot ce may. 
 Zen my moder say dot ce vill take ze 
 boys mit her ; and my fader say No, he 
 keep ze boys mit him. My moder say 
 No, ce take ze boys mit her ; and my 
 fader say No, he keep ze boys mit him. 
 Zen my moder say ce vill take ze baby 
 and her little blind boy mit her, and ce 
 rill come in ze America ; and my fader 
 say dot ce may. 
 
 " Zen my moder sell ze ring fon her 
 fing-er, and some ze money ce get, and 
 some ze money my granfader give her. 
 Zen ce make me mit ze brush. I sit 
 up in ze chair, and ce look at me, and 
 ce make me all roun mit ze flowers. 
 Ce make my curls go roun her fing-er, 
 and zen ce make zem mit ze brush in 
 ze pic-sure, and ce make me mit vings ; 
 
MIT riNGS. 49 
 
 and ce make in my hand vot ze boys 
 shoot mit, — not ze gun vot make ze big 
 noise and vot kill, but ze bow rait ze 
 tring, I not know vot you call it." 
 '* The bow and arrow, Jakey." 
 " Yes, dot bees it, ze bow and ze 
 arrow ; and von time Jeem have shoot 
 Fred mit it in hees back and he cry, 
 and he come and he tell my moder dot 
 Jeem have kill him. 
 
 "Yen I bees done, ven my moder 
 have make me, von lady ce come dare 
 and ce tell my moder, Yot ce make ? 
 and my moder tell her dot ce make 
 me mit ze brush, and ce vill sell me, 
 and ce vill get ze money, and ce vill 
 come in ze America. Zen von oder 
 day ze lady come dare, and ce give my 
 moder much ze money, and ce take ze 
 pic-sure avay mit her ; and ven ce have 
 go mit it, my moder ce cry and ce 
 cry." 
 
60 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 ZE SHIP. 
 
 ON day my granfader 
 come dare mit ze car- 
 riage, and Jeem lie go in 
 ze carriage, and Fred he 
 go m, and my moder ce 
 come in mit ze baby. My granfader 
 bring me, and be come in, and ze car- 
 riage come vay doAvn to ze — I not 
 know vot you call it, but it bees von 
 big house on ze vater." 
 " A ship, Jakey." 
 
 *' Yes, ze ship, mit ze trees vay high, 
 and on ze trees, Fred say, long tings 
 go vay out like ze sheet ; and ze vinds 
 
■ ZE SHIP. 51 
 
 bloAV in zcm, and ze ship ce go and ce 
 go. My moder ce come in ze ship mit 
 ze baby in von arm, and my granfader 
 bring me, and Jeem and Fred bees 
 dare ; and my granfader say zey .vill 
 go, dot ze ship not come avay mit zem. 
 Zen my moder ce kiss Jeem and ce 
 kiss Fred, von time and von time, and 
 ce cry and ce cry ; and ce tell zem dot 
 zey vill be good, and ven ce get ze 
 money, ce vill send it, and zey vill 
 come in ze America mit her. Jeem 
 say dot ven he bees a man, he vill 
 come in ze America ; and Fred say dot 
 he vill come in ze America ven he 
 bees' not a man — ven he get ze money 
 he come, and he vill get it. 
 
 " My moder ce kiss zem much tiihes, 
 and ce cry too hard dot ce leave zem. 
 And ce tell my granfader dot he viU 
 not give my fader ze beer ? and my 
 
52 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 granfader say, No, he not give him, but 
 he vill get it ; and my granfader cry 
 ven he say dot. And my moder tell 
 him dot von my fader have not ze 
 money, he vill keep him in ze house 
 mit him ? and my granfader say dot he 
 vill, and he vill keep Jeem and he vill 
 keep Fred mit him, and he vill make 
 zem go in ze school. Zen my moder 
 tank my granfader much times, and ce 
 kiss him, and ce kiss Jeem, and ce kiss 
 Fred ; and zey kiss me, and zey kiss ze 
 baby, and zey kiss my moder ; and zey 
 cry and zey go avay, and my moder ce 
 scream and ce cry. Zen my granfader 
 leave Jeem and Fred, and he come 
 back, and he tell my moder dot ce not 
 cry; much vords he tell her. Zen he 
 go avay, and ze vinds blow, and ze ship 
 ce go and ce go. 
 
 " Long time ze ship go, much days 
 
\^f* . "«* ' 'I 
 
 
 " "V^y^ffu 
 
 =^'-*^ 
 
ZE SHIP. 53 
 
 and much, nights. And von time ze 
 vinds blow too hard, and ze ship go 
 von vay and von vay, and ze vaters 
 come vay high, and ze vinds make big 
 noise, and it tunder, like ze sky break ; 
 and von ze trees have come crash 
 down on ze ship, and all ze peoples cry, 
 Gott im Himmel ! Gott im Himmel ! 
 and all ze time zey cry, and zey tink 
 dot zey go vay down in ze deep. My 
 moder ce be kneeled down, mit ze 
 baby in von arm and mit me in von 
 arm, and ce not cry, but all ze time ce 
 pray and ce pray ; and vile ce pray, ze 
 ship come crash on ze rock, and much 
 ze peoples go vay down in ze vater, 
 and too much zey cry, too loud. Zen 
 my moder have tie ze baby mit her 
 shawl, and me ce hold mit von arm, 
 and mit von arm ce hold on ze ship. 
 Von time ze vater, ven it come vay 
 
54 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 higli, take me avay, and tny moder 
 have loss me, and too loud ce scream, 
 and von man dare he get me fon ze 
 vater mit my hair, and long time he 
 hold me mit his arm. 
 
 " Yen it bees morning, and ze vater 
 not come vay high, and ze vinds not 
 blow, von oder ship come dare vot 
 have not ze sail, but ce have von big 
 fire, and all ze time ce go, hurrh ! 
 hurrh ! and all ze peoples vot have 
 not go vay down mit ze fishes come 
 in dot ship, and zey get ze bread dare, 
 and zey get ze meat dare, and much 
 tings zey get dare. 
 
 " Long time zey go in dot ship, and 
 ven zey see ze America, zey come in 
 von oder leetle ship vot have no tree, 
 vot have no sail, and vot have no fire, 
 but ze men have ze long sticks, and 
 zey go so, and zey go so I " (imitating 
 men rowing, with his little hands). 
 
ZE SHIP. 55 
 
 " HoTv did you know that, Jakey ; 
 you could not see them ? " 
 
 *' No, I not see zem, but my moder 
 ce tell me ; and ven ze leetle boat have 
 come close up in ze America, mit ze 
 baby in von arm and mit me in von 
 arm, my moder come out ze leetle 
 boat, and ven ce have valk some ze 
 vay, ce go down on ze ground and ce 
 pray and ce cry. Not ce feel bad dot 
 ce come in ze America, but ce bees too 
 glad dot ce have not go vay down in 
 ze deep mit ze fishes, and ze baby and 
 me mit her dare, vare von big fish be, 
 vot eat ze peoples." 
 
56 
 
 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE WEE SAINT. 
 
 ERE you not afraid^ 
 Jakey, and did you 
 not cry, like the other 
 people, when the ship 
 ~ ~"" ~ went crash on the 
 rocks ? *' 
 
 " No, I not cry. My moder ce be 
 dare, and ce hold me tight, and I tink 
 Gott hear my moder vot ce pray." 
 
 Here I waited some time for Little 
 Jakey to resume his story, but seeing 
 that he did not, I pressed a kiss on his 
 sweet lips and said to him, — 
 
 " Come, you precious darling, let us 
 
THE WEE SAINT. 57 
 
 go up to the house ; it will be dinner 
 time soon, and you must be tired talk 
 ing to me so long." 
 
 " No, I not tire, and I not vant ze 
 dinner." 
 
 " Why not, Jakey ; are you not hun- 
 gry ? " 
 
 " Yes, some I bees hungry, but I 
 not like ze dinner vot John get. I 
 like ze dinner vot Miss Vild get, and I 
 like ze dinner Tot Miss Chamberling 
 have. Von time ce bring me some in 
 ze saucer ; much times ce bring ze pie 
 and ze cake." 
 
 " Ah ! well then, let us go up and 
 see ; perhaps Mrs. Chamberlain will 
 bring you something nice to-day." 
 
 " Yell, I come mit you ; " and spring- 
 ing down upon the ground, which his 
 little feet seemed scarcely to touch, 
 we were soon at the house, and meet 
 
58 LITTLE JAKEY. . 
 
 ing Eddy and Willie and many of the 
 little boys in the hall, I left Jakey 
 with them, and went my way. 
 
 But all that day I could not keep 
 Little Jakey's mother from my 
 thoughts. How I should like to know 
 her, I said to myself; and then I won- 
 dered whether, like many others of 
 her profession in New York, she was 
 not suffering for want of employment ; 
 and the more I thought of it, the 
 more anxious I grew, until, after tea, 
 I went over through the Chapel into 
 the Boy's Department, and inquired 
 for Little Jakey. 
 
 " Lord bless ye ! " ejaculated the 
 good old child's nurse, "if it is that 
 blessed boy that ye are saking, ye will 
 be afther finding him in the dormi- 
 tory there, by his little bed, saying hig 
 prayers sure, like the wee saint that 
 
THE WEE SAINT 59 
 
 he is. 1 ndade it is no more nor a day, 
 since that he was afther asking me, 
 the ignorant thing that I am, questions 
 that nae ither body but a praist could 
 answer." 
 
 " Pray, Avhat did he ask you, 
 Bridget ? " 
 
 " Why, it is not myself that will be 
 remembering the half of them ; but 
 every night, when he is afther coming 
 from the bath, he does put his little 
 hands on the two chakes of me, and 
 go on at such a rate as touches the 
 very heart of me. And sure, if the 
 likes of me may be afther knowing 
 God's own, the blessed child will not 
 be lang stopping in this world." 
 
 " I am glad to hear, Bridget, that 
 you love Little Jakey," I said, " and 
 you must take good care of him." 
 
 " Indade an I will, and he does take 
 
60 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 such a bit pride in his curls sure, the 
 shweet thing, that it is the pleasure 
 of me to be combing them and sthrok- 
 ing them doon, the while he is always 
 afther telling me about his ' moder,' 
 the blessed thing ; and sure she must 
 be an angel, like the child of her." 
 
 Finding that Little Jakey had gone 
 to his bed, I did not disturb him, but 
 returned, promising myself, however, 
 the pleasure of seeing him the first 
 thing in the morning. 
 
VOT DEAD MEiy. 61 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 VOT DEAD MEAN. 
 
 ■ ORNING came, and the 
 dews were on all the 
 flowers, and the bh^ds 
 were singing as before. 
 Imagining that Little 
 Jakey was already in the park, I went 
 down there and walked around and 
 around, expecting every moment to 
 come across him. But not finding him 
 I returned to the gate and called, " Lit- 
 tle Jakey ! Little Jakey ! " when much 
 to my pleasure his sweet voice an- 
 swered, — 
 
 " Yy, I bees here by ze big tree ; 
 you come here ? " 
 
62 LITTLE JAKEl. 
 
 The treasure ! the sweet darling ! 
 I said to myself, as I hastened to him, 
 and lifting him on my lap, and kissing 
 him many times, I began, — 
 
 " My dear, you went to bed very 
 early last night." 
 
 " Yes," he answered, throwing his 
 little arms around my neck ; " ven I 
 have eat ze supper, ze birds not sing, 
 and I not come in ze park ; and ven 
 Bridget have vash me, I go in ze bed." 
 
 " And what ti-me do you get up in 
 the morning ? " 
 
 " O, ven John have ring ze bell, I 
 come out ze bed, and some ze time I 
 come in ze Chapel, and I make ze 
 organ go mit my feet and mit my 
 fing-er. Von time Jessie come dare, 
 and ce say dot ven 1 bees bigger, ce 
 vill teach me dot I play like Villy. 
 Charlj not play good, he not know ze 
 
VOT DEAD MEAJS/. 63 
 
 ke}' vot lie strike. Yon time he make 
 big noise on ze piano, and von big boy 
 come dare and he sake him ! " 
 
 I have mentioned before that Little 
 Jakey was unlike a child. Beside his 
 delicate reserve, his very presence in- 
 spired one with a feeling so akin to 
 deference, that it was really diiiicult 
 to question him farther than he seemed 
 pleased to impart. And now, while 
 holding him in my arms, and so impa- 
 
 « 
 
 tient too to knoAV more of his mother 
 and his own little history, I could 
 hardly persuade myself to broach the 
 subject. At length though, pressing a 
 kiss on his lips, I said to him coax- 
 
 ingly, — 
 
 " Where did your mother go, Jakey, 
 when she first came into this country ? 
 where did she stop ? " 
 
 " I not know ze place vare," he said, 
 
64 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 " but ce go mit ze peoples in von big 
 house, up ze steps vay high, and ce 
 stay dare. And ven ze bells ring, and 
 von Sunday have come, ze baby, ce bo 
 dead. I not know zen vot dead mean. 
 I not know ce bees cold ; and too quick 
 I take my hand avay, and I tell my 
 moder dot ce bring ze baby to ze fire. 
 My moder say. No, ze fire not varm 
 her, ce bees dead, and ze man vill come 
 and put her avay in ze ground ; and 
 my moder ce cry and ce cry. And vile 
 ce cry, ze man come mit ze box, and he 
 pull ze baby fon my moder, and quick 
 he put her in ze box ; and ven he make 
 ze nail drive, my moder cry like ce 
 die." 
 
IM HIMMEL. 65 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 IM HIMMEL. 
 
 "Y moder ce stay dare in 
 ze big house, and von 
 day ce go to fine ze 
 peoples vot ce vill make 
 mit ze brush, and von 
 oder day ce go to fine ze peoples, and 
 von oder day ce go. Zen von day ce 
 go to fine ze place vare ce vill live ; 
 and ven ce come back, ce say dot ce 
 have fine it, and in ze morning ce vill 
 go dare mit me. But in ze night, all 
 ze time ce talk, and ce not know vare 
 ce be. Some ze time ce tink ce bees 
 in Germany mit my fader, and ce tink 
 
66 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 he have drunk ze beer, and he vill kill 
 her. Some ze time ce tink ce bees in 
 Italy mit her moder, and ce have not 
 run avay mit my fader. And some ze 
 time ce tink ce bees in ze ship, and ze 
 vinds blow too hard, and ze tree come 
 crash down. Zen all ze time ce say 
 Vater, vater, vater ! but ce have not 
 ze vater, and ce bees hot, too hot. 
 Ven ce touch me, I tink ce burn me, 
 and ce go up in ze bed, and ce pull ze 
 blanket and ze tings, and all ze time 
 ce say Vater, vater, vater ! And I cry 
 dot I not fine ze vater. I scream, I 
 fine ze door, but it not open. I call 
 ze voman, but ce not come ; all ze day 
 ce not come, all ze night -ce not come ; 
 and all ze time my moder ce burn, 
 burn, and all ze time ce say Yater, 
 vater, vater ! I call her, but ce not 
 know vot I say ; ce not see me ; ce 
 
IM HIMMEL. 67 
 
 aot know vare ce be ; and ven I cry ce 
 not hear me. All ze time ce talk and 
 ce talk. 
 
 " Zen dot morning ze man come 
 dare, and ven he see my moder, he go 
 quick avay ; and von man come mit 
 someting vot he give my moder, and 
 vot ce drink, and ven ce have drink it, 
 ce sleep. Long time ce sleep, and ven 
 ce vake, ce know vare ce be, and ce 
 know vot ce say. Zen ce put her 
 hand on my head, and ce kiss me, 
 — much times ce kiss me ; and ce sav 
 dot ce die, and ce go im Himmel mit 
 ze baby. Zen I cry ; and ce tell me 
 dot I not cry, dot Gott vill come von 
 time, and He vill bring me im Himmel 
 mit her and mit ze baby. He vill, ce 
 know He vill. 
 
 " Zen ce not talk, and I tink ce be 
 sleep ; and I sake her and I sake her, 
 
68 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 but ce uot move. I put my fing-er on 
 her eyes, but zey not open ; and T call 
 her and I call her, but ce not hear ; 
 and I kiss her and I kiss her, but ce 
 not know it. I sake her, but ce not 
 vake ; and ven I feel dot ce bees cold, 
 I know dot ce bees dead, like ze baby, 
 and I scream and I scream. I call ze 
 voman, I call ze man, but zey not 
 come, zey not hear. Zen long time 
 ze voman ce come, and ven ce open ze 
 door ce pull me avay quick fon my 
 moder, and ce pull me up ze stair, von 
 stair and von stair. Zen ce push me 
 in ze room, and ce lock ze door, and 
 ce take ze key avay mit her. Zen I 
 push ze door and I scream, all ze time 
 I scream. I say dot I vill go mit my 
 moder, IviU, IviU!" 
 
ME ME. 60 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MEME. 
 
 ONG time, vile I cry dare, 
 Meme come, and ce say 
 von vord in ze key hole. 
 I not know vot ce say, 
 but I say dot I vill go 
 mit my moder, but ce not hear me. 
 And ce say von oder time in ze key 
 hole, Little boy, cause vy you cry ? 
 Zen I come dare, and I say in ze key 
 hole dot I shall go mit my moder, dot 
 ze voman have lock me up, and ce have 
 take ze key avay mit her. Zen Meme 
 tell me dot I not cry, ce know vare ze 
 key be, and ce vill get it. Zen quick 
 
70 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 ce run avay, and ce come back mit ze 
 key, and ce put ze key in ze key hole, 
 and ce go vay high on her feets, and 
 ce push and ce push, but ze door not 
 open. Zen ce take ze key out, and 
 Meme say von vord in ze key hole, 
 and I say von vord in ze key hole. 
 Zen ce put ze key in ze key hole von 
 oder time, and ce go vay high on her 
 feets, and ce push and ce push, and ze 
 door come open ; and ven Meme see 
 me dare, ce say, Vy ! little boy, you 
 not see ? No, I say, I not see. Zen 
 ce say dot ce vill come mit me vare 
 my moder be, and ce take hold my 
 hand,, and ven ee have come down von 
 stair, and von step and von step, ze 
 voman ce be dare ; and ce tell Meme 
 dot ce go back, dot ce vill vip her. 
 Zen Meme ce come up ze stair, and ce 
 pull von vay and I pull von vay, and I 
 
ME ME. 7] 
 
 say dot I go mit my moder, I yill, I 
 vill ! and I cry. Zen Meme ce tell 
 me dot I not cry, and ce say low, dot 
 ven ze voman have *go avay, ce yill 
 come back mit me. Zen I not cry, 
 and I go up ze steps mit Meme ; and 
 ven I hot hear ze voman, and Meme 
 not see her, ce come back mit mc ; von 
 step and von step ce pull me, all ze 
 steps quick down ce pull me, and ven 
 ce come on ze floor, quick ce come to 
 ze door vare my moder be, and ce 
 make it go open ; and ven ce see my 
 moder dare, ce cry. But I not cry ; I 
 go to ze bed, vare ce be, and ven I 
 feel her mit my hands, I tell Meme 
 dot ce be not my moder, ce have not 
 ze curls ; and Meme say dot ze voman 
 have cut zem ; dot ce have cut ze curls 
 fon her moder, ven ce vas dead, and 
 ce have sell zem, and ce get ze money. 
 
72 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 "Zen ze man come mit ze box, and 
 he push Meme, dot ce go avay ; and 
 Meme ce pull me, but I say dot I not 
 come, dot I stay mit my moder. Zen 
 ze man push me, and he sut ze dool-, 
 and I scream, I scream ! Zen Meme 
 tell me dot I not cry, dot ze voman 
 vill hear, and ce vill come and ce vill 
 vip her. Zen I not cry too loud, and 
 I come mit Meme up ze stair ; and ven 
 ce come to ze room, ce go avay, and ce 
 bring me von cake in von hand, and 
 von opple in von hand ; and ce kiss me, 
 and ce tell me dot ce love me ; and ce 
 say dot her moder have die, and ze 
 voman have got ze gold fon her moder, 
 and ze vatch, and ze locket, mit ze 
 chain, vot have her fader and her 
 moder in it, and all ze tings. And 
 Meme say dot her moder come to ze 
 America dot ce fine her fader, but ce 
 
MEME. 73 
 
 have die ven ce not fine him ; and ven 
 ce say dot, ce cry, and yile ce cry, ze 
 voman come dare ; and ce pull Meme, 
 and ce tell her go avay. And ce lock 
 ze door von oder time, and ce take ze 
 key avay mit her ; and ven I hees 
 alone, I cry, I cry." 
 
74 
 
 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 ZE CURLS. 
 
 EN long time ze voman 
 come back, and ce lif me 
 on her lap ; and ven ce 
 make my curls come 
 roun her fing-er, like my 
 moder, I tink ce bees good ; but zen I 
 hear ze shear cut, and quick I put my 
 hand, and vile ce cut ze curls, ce cut 
 my fing-er dot it bleed, and von curl 
 and von curl ce have cut. Zen much 
 1 scream, loud I scream. I caU my 
 moder, I call Meme. I say dot I not 
 have my curls cut, my moder say I 
 not. Zen ze voman ce sake me too 
 
. ZE CURLS. 75 
 
 hard, and ce push, me dot I fall, and 
 ce go avay ; and Ce lock ze door, and ce 
 take ze key avay mit her. All ze time 
 I cry, and I hold my curls mit von hand 
 and mit von hand ; and ven I have 
 cry too much, I sleep on ze floor, and 
 I not know it; and long time, ven I 
 vake, ze voman have come dare, and 
 vile I sleep, ce have cut all ze curls. 
 Some I cry, zen some I not cry ; I tink 
 vot my moder have say, dot Gott vill 
 come, and He vill hring me im Himmel 
 mit her and mit ze baby, and all ze 
 time I tink, Vill He come ? Vile I 
 tink, Meme ce come, and ce take hold 
 my hand, and ce tell me dot ce have 
 see ze voman cut ze curls, and ce say 
 dot I come avay mit her ; and ven 1 
 come in ze room mit Meme, ze voman 
 ce be dare, and ce say some vords. 
 
76 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 Meme know yot ce say, I not know ; 
 but I stay dare mit Meme, and I sleep 
 in ze leetle bed mit Meme, and I say 
 ze prayer vot Meme say." 
 
HE 'NOT COME. 
 
 77 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 HE NOT COME. 
 
 LL ze time in ze day 
 ^ Meme go up to ze vin- 
 dow, and votch dot her 
 fader come ; and ven ze 
 bell ring to ze door, ce 
 tink dot he haye come, and quick ce 
 run, but he haye not come. 
 
 " Yon time von man come dare, and 
 vile he mend ze vindow, he talk mit 
 Meme, and ven ce tell him vot her 
 name be, he say dot he know her 
 fader, dot he have see him, and dot he 
 vill tell him vare ce be. Zen Meme 
 ce hop and ce jump and ce laugh, and 
 
78 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 ce be too glad. All ze days ce go up 
 to ze vindow, and ce look and ce look ; 
 and ze voman put on Meme Yon oder 
 frock. Ce give Meme ze locket, and 
 ce give her much, tings, ven ce tink 
 dot Memo's fader come. But much 
 days he not come ; and von time ze 
 voman vill take avay ze locket fon 
 Meme, and ven Meme say dot ce not 
 give it, dot ce have got ze gold fon 
 her nioder, and ze votch, and all ze 
 tings, ce strike Meme. 
 
 " Zen ven it bees dark, ze voman 
 come avay mit Meme and mit me in 
 von oder big house, vare much ze girls 
 and much ze boys be vot have no 
 fader and vot have no moder ; and ven 
 ze voman have talk mit ze lady dare, 
 ce go avay, but ce leave Meme dare, 
 and ce leave me dare. Long time 
 Meme stay dare, and I stay dare. 
 
HE NOT COME. 79 
 
 Meme go in ze school, and I go in ze 
 school, mit ze boys and mit ze girls. 
 And Meme read mit zem ze English, 
 and ven ce learn ze vords, ce tell me 
 ze vords, and when I know ze yords, I 
 talk mit zem, and Meme talk mit zem. 
 " Ze lady dare be good, but all ze 
 time, ven Meme go in ze bed, ce cry 
 dot her fader not come, and dot ce not 
 fine him." 
 
80 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 ZEY NOT FINE HER. 
 
 ON time ven it bees cold, 
 too cold, and ze vinds 
 blow, Meme say dot ce 
 go, dot ce fine her fader, 
 dot ce know vare he be ; 
 and ven ze lady not know it, ce get 
 her bonnet and ce get her shawl, and ce 
 kiss me much times ; and ce say dot 
 ven ce come back, ce vill bring her 
 fader mit her, and ce vill take me avay ; 
 and zen ven nobody see, ce go out. 
 Long time ce go, and ven it bees 
 night, ce have not come back. 
 
 " Ze lady come and ce tell me, Vare 
 
ZEY NOT FINE HER. 81 
 
 is Meme ? and I tell ze lady ce go dot 
 ce fine her fader. Zen ze lady tell ze 
 man dot he go and he fine Meme ; and 
 ven long time ze man not come back, 
 ze lady ce go ; but zey not fine her. 
 
 "In ze morning ron man come dare, 
 and he bring Memo mit him in hees 
 arms ; and von her hand be freezcd, and 
 von her feet be freezed, and Meme cry ; 
 and ce tell ze lady dot vile ce fine her 
 fader, ce have loss ze vay, and ce bees 
 cold, and ce go up ze step to von door, 
 but zey not let her come in ; and ce go 
 up ze step to von oder door, but zey 
 not let her come in. All ze time ce 
 do dot : ce go up and ce go up, but zey 
 not let her come in, and some ze time 
 zey sut ze door, ven zey not know vot 
 ce say. Zen ce bees too cold, and 
 vile ce vait by von doof, ce sleep on ze 
 stone; and ze man vot vatch in ze 
 
 6 
 
82 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 street, he fine her dare all vite mit ze 
 snow. He bring her avay to hees place, 
 and he varni her, and ce cry and ce 
 cry ; and in ze morning von man Bring 
 lier home to ze lady ; and long time 
 Meme bees in ze bed, and ce bees sick, 
 and ce cough, — much ce cough." 
 
CE GO IM HIMMEL. 83 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 CE GO IM HIMMEL. 
 
 UCH times ze doctor 
 come dare, and he give 
 Meme ze medicine, but 
 ce not get veil ; and von 
 time, ven I go to ze bed 
 rare ce be, ce tell me dot ce die. Zen 
 I cry, and Meme cry ; and ce tell me 
 dot ven her fader come, I vill tell him 
 dot ze voman have got ze gold fon her 
 moder, and ce have got ze locket, and 
 ze vatch, and all ze tings. Zen Meme 
 kiss me, and ce tell me dot I vill tell 
 her fader dot ce love me, and dot he 
 vill take me avay mit him ; and vile 
 
84 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 Meme say dot, ce cry and ce cough. 
 Zen quick ce not cough, and too quick 
 ze lady come dare ; and van ce call 
 Meme, Meme ce not hear, — ce have go 
 im Himmel, ce have die, ce be dead. 
 Ze lady cry ; and all ze girls and ze 
 boys come in, and ven zey see Meme 
 dare, zey cry. Zen ze lady ce make 
 nice tings, and ce put zem on Meme, 
 all vite like ze snow ; and von man 
 bring dare ze box vot zey put Meme 
 in, and it bees smooth like ze glass, 
 and it open vare her face be ; and all ze 
 girls and ze boys see Meme, ven ce 
 bees in ze box all vjte. And von oder 
 lady dare vot love Meme and vot teach 
 her ze English, put ze flowers in ze 
 box mit Meme ; and ce kiss her, and I 
 kiss her, and ze lady kiss her ; and ze 
 man make ze box tight, and he go avay 
 off mit Meme, and he put her in ze 
 ground." 
 
ZE GOOD MAN. 85 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 ZE GOOD MAN. 
 
 p ONG time I stay dare, aud 
 Heme's fader not come ; 
 
 but von day von good 
 man come dare, and he 
 lif me vay high in hees 
 arms, and ven I feel him mit my hands, 
 he have von big hat, mit no hair on 
 hecs head, and mit no but-tens on hees 
 coat. Some English he speak, and 
 some English he not speak. All ze 
 time he say zee and zou, zee and zoii ; 
 and ven he say dot he love me, and dot 
 he vill take me avay mit him, I tink 
 he bees Gott — 'dot He have come, and 
 
86 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 He vill take me im Himmel mit my 
 moder, and mit ze baby, and mit Meme, 
 and I hold him tight aroun mit my 
 arms ; and ven ze lady say dot I go, 
 and ce tell me Good-by, too quick I 
 take my hand avay, — I tink dot ce 
 keep me. 
 
 *' Zen ze good man come mit me in 
 hees carriage, and he make . hees coat 
 come roun me ; and ven he come to 
 hees house, he go up ze steps mit me 
 in hees arms ; and ven he have ring ze 
 bell, ze lady come to ze door, and ze 
 good man tell her dot he have got me. 
 Zen he stand my feets down on ze 
 floor, and he come mit ze tring, and he 
 make it go roun me, and he make it 
 hovr long I bees ; and he make hees 
 fing-er go on my feets, and he make ze 
 tring go roun my head. 
 
 " Zen ze lady take me down ze stair 
 
ZE GOOD MAN. 87 
 
 and ze voman dare put me in ze vater. 
 and ce vash me and ce vash and ce 
 vash ; zen ce vipe and ce yipe ; zen co 
 comb and ce comb, and ce make my 
 curls come roim her fing-er. Zen ze 
 good man bave come back, and be 
 bring mit him von lee.tle coat, and ze 
 sirt and ze trouser vot I have, and ze 
 stockings and ze shoes and ze hat ; and 
 ze lady ce put zem on me, and ce put 
 von leetle hankchief in my pocket ; and 
 ce bring someting vot smell like ze 
 rose, and ce spill it on my head, and ce 
 spill it on my hands and on my hank- 
 chief, and ce vet my face mit it. Zen 
 ze lady ce kiss me much times, much 
 times ce kiss ; and ze good man kiss 
 me, and he lif me in bees arms, and he 
 come avay mit me up ze stair to ze 
 parlor, and ze lady bring me ze cake. 
 " Georgy come fon ze school, and 
 
88 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 Mary come fon ze school, and Franky, 
 and yen zey talk, zey say zee and zou. 
 " I love ze good man, and I love ze 
 lady ; but I know dot ze good man 
 bees not Gott, dot he not take me im 
 Hinimel mit my moder, and mit ze 
 baby, and mit Meme. But he love me 
 dare ; and Georgy love me, he give me 
 ze pennies in my pocket ; and Mary 
 love me, ce kiss me much times ; and 
 Franky say dot he vill give me hees 
 horse vot go vay up and vay down, but 
 he not valk, he have not ze life. He 
 bees von vood horse, mit ze bridle and 
 mit ze saddle 'on him, and Franky's 
 fader have buy him to ze store ; and 
 much times Franky ride on him, and 1 
 ride on him." 
 
Z£ BIO MONEYS. 89 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 ZE BIG MONEYS. 
 
 SUALLY when Little Ja- 
 key stopped his sweet 
 talk, it was like the run- 
 ning down of a music - 
 box, but not always as 
 easy to set him going again. Besides, 
 at the close of the last chapter he 
 seemed to think his story ended, and 
 put up his face for a kiss, as much as 
 to say. Now please love me a little, 
 and not tease me any more. So I 
 yielded to his mood, and petted him 
 awhile ; wound his curls around my 
 finger, and talked with him about 
 
90 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 everything likely to amuse him, until 
 coming to a little pause in the conver- 
 sation, I said, — 
 
 " How long did you stay with those 
 thee and thou friends, Jakey? How 
 long did the good man keep you with 
 him in his house ? " 
 
 " O, big long time I stay dare," he 
 said, " and von time I come mit Mary 
 in ze school vare ce go, and all ze Sun- 
 days ze lady and ze good man say dot 
 I come mit zem all to ze Meeting. I 
 love Mary ; ce give me ze flowers, and 
 I sleept mit her in ze bed ; and all ze 
 time I go mit her in ze garden, and ce 
 tell me ze vords and ze flowers vot I 
 not know. 
 
 " Much times ven ze peoples come 
 dare vot say zee and zou, ze good man 
 lif me in hees arms, and he tell me dot 
 I talk mit zem, and much zey kiss me. 
 
ZE BIG MONEYS. 91 
 
 Von time von man give me in my 
 pocket ze big moneys, and zen Mary 
 ce come mit me to ze store, and cc sell 
 zem, and ce buy me ze coat mit ze 
 bi it-tens, vot I vear in ze Meeting. 
 And ven I go to ze Meeting, Mary ce 
 tie ze ribbon roun my hat, and ce bruss 
 me, and ce vasb me, and ce make my 
 curls come roun her fing-er, like my 
 moder ; and ce valk mit me to ze Meet- 
 ing, and all ze time I sit mit her 
 dare. 
 
 " Von day, ven ze good man say dot 
 he bring me here in ze Institution, 
 vare I read ze letters mit my fing-er, 
 Mary say dot ce vill come mit me, and 
 Georgy say dot he come, and Franky 
 say dot he come ; and Franky 's fader 
 say dot he may, and zey all come in ze 
 carriage, and ze lady come. Ven zey 
 go avay I not go mit zem, I stay here. 
 
92 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 Von time Mary hare come here, and 
 ce kiss me much times, and ce bring 
 me ze flowers, and ce bring me ze 
 cakes ; and ven ce go avay ce cry, and 
 ce say dot ce vill come von oder time, 
 and ce vill bring Franky mit her. 
 But ce have not come ; von day ce vill 
 come." 
 
VII L GOTT KNOWt 
 
 93 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 VILL GOTT KNOW? 
 
 ji FTER the last dear sad 
 Wm words had fallen from 
 
 Little Jakey's lips, he 
 was silent again a long 
 time; and supposmg him 
 thinking over about Mary and Georgy 
 and Franky, and how happy he was 
 with them all there, I did not disturb 
 him. But at length, turning his dear 
 face to mine again, he said to me 
 ilmost in a whisper, — 
 
 " Vill Gott know vare I bees, and 
 vill He fine me here, ven He come ? 
 My moder say dot He vill come, and 
 I know He viU." 
 
94 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 " Certainly, you dear lamb," I said, 
 " God always knows where you are. 
 His eyes never sleep. He sees every- 
 body everywhere, in the night and in 
 the day ; He watches us always, and 
 one day He will surely come for you." 
 
 " Yes, I know dot He vill," he 
 whispered, " and He vill bring me im 
 Himmel mit my moder, and mit 70 
 baby, and mit Meme." 
 
 Then hiding liis sweet face in his 
 little hands, the tears melted down 
 over his cheeks, and I could not even 
 presume to kiss them away. I only 
 drew him closer in my arms, and rested 
 my cheek tenderly upon his little 
 head, while his pure sorrow seemed 
 drawing pitying angels around him, 
 until I could almost hear the rustling 
 of their wings. At last I said, — 
 
 " Come, dear Jakey, let us walk 
 among the trees awhile." 
 
VILL GOTT KNOW* 95 
 
 " 1 vill," he replied, dropping his 
 little hand in mine, as if willing to do 
 whatever I wished. But while we 
 passed around and around the grounds, 
 I could see that his dear soul was too 
 far away from this world to notice 
 anything ; even the birds were for- 
 gotten ; and when I plucked the flow- 
 ers and put them into his little hands, 
 " Tank you," he would say, and take 
 no further notice of them. 
 
 Finally, thinking of nothing else 
 that could possibly interest him, I 
 proposed to pay the little saloon an- 
 other visit, and treat ourselves to ber- 
 ries and cream again. 
 
 "Yes, I vill come mit you dare," 
 lie said, but in a voice so plaintive 
 that I could not help weeping tears 
 of pity for him. Soon, however, we 
 were by the little table again, and the 
 
96 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 old Frencliman was stepping about in 
 a manner that showed how well he 
 was pleased with our visit. Out of 
 doors he ran for the water, and down 
 cellar for the cream and the ice, while 
 Little Jakey and I took the liberty of 
 walking around and examining his 
 fruits. Thinking that a pine-apple 
 might be a novelty to him, I placed 
 one in his hands. 
 
 " ! " he exclaimed, " von time Mr. 
 Dean have bring ze pine-opples to ze 
 Institution, and ven he have cut zem 
 in much pieces, he give zem to ze 
 girls and to ze boys, and me he give 
 von big piece ; and some I give to 
 Cliarly, and Henny give some of hees 
 to Charly." 
 
 Passing the bananas, — 
 
 " I not like zem," he said, " zey too 
 much smell ; " but coming to the or 
 anges — 
 
VILL aOTT KNOWt 97 
 
 " O ! O ! " he exclaimed, as if a 
 thought of delight had crossed his 
 sweet mind, " von time Meme have 
 got ze pennies, and ce buy ze orange, 
 and some I eat, and some ce eat ; and 
 much times Mary have buy zem." 
 
 Then rrowding a large one into his 
 little pocket, we went to take our ber- 
 ries. 
 
98 
 
 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 CHAPTER xxrr. 
 
 MY LIFE. 
 
 HE next day, being much 
 2 engaged, and the after- 
 noon rainy, I did not go 
 to the park. At supper, 
 however, I crossed over 
 into the boys' dining-room to speak a 
 word with my favorite there, Little 
 Jakey, and get a kiss from his sweet 
 lips, but found his little seat vacant. 
 Knowing him though to be a general 
 favorite, I imagined him faring better 
 somewhere else, and thought no more 
 of it until morning, when I went over 
 to pay Mrs. Chamberlain a visit ; and 
 

 
 
 K 
 
 
 M^^Of-: 
 
 1 '-'^^1^ >«■ "<^-^^ 
 
 LITTIJS JAKEY'S DREAM 
 
.u.r LIFE. 99 
 
 to my surprise, found Little Jakey 
 there, pillowed in her arm-chair. 
 
 " Bless me ! " I exclaimed, " what 
 has happened to this dear treasure ? 
 Are you sick, Little Jakey ? " 
 
 " No," he replied, hardly able to 
 speak, " I not sick, but I have got ze 
 pain in my life," placing his little hand 
 on his chest, " dot bees all." 
 
 " Why, the dear child is really very 
 sick ! " I said, " pray, what has hap- 
 pened to him ? " 
 
 But before Mrs. Chamberlain could 
 inform me. Little Jakey replied, — 
 
 " Vy, vile I hear ze birds sing in ze 
 park, I not know it, and I sleep on ze 
 ground; and vile I sleep I tink my 
 moder and ze baby, and Meme mit her, 
 3ome vare I be. I tink zey all come 
 fon Himmel, and I see zem, and I talk 
 mit zem, and zey talk mit me, and zey 
 
100 LITTLE JAREY. 
 
 say dot I vill go mit zem ; but ven 1 
 vake I bees sleep on ze ground, and ze 
 big rains have come down, and zey 
 have vet me too vet, and I bees too 
 cold ; and ven, I tink I come to ze 
 house, I not fine ze vay ; and I have 
 got ze pain in my head, and ze pain in 
 my neck. Long time I not fine ze 
 vay ; zen long time Bridget ce come, 
 and ce bring me to ze house, and ce 
 put me in ze bed ; and in ze night I 
 have got ze pain in my life." 
 
 I knelt down before the dear, 
 stricken lamb, and blaming my neglect 
 of him, I kissed him many times, and 
 tried to smooth the pain from his little 
 brow ; but what I felt, words can never 
 speak. 
 
 From the first I had called him an 
 angel, but now he seemed to me verily 
 all sacred, as something touched by 
 
Vr LIFE 101 
 
 God Kimself; and when I remembered 
 too how longingly he had sighed to go 
 to heaven and be with his dear mother, 
 his baby sister, and sweet Meme, and 
 how earnestly he had inquired if God 
 would surely find him there, I could 
 almost see the death-angel covering 
 him with his white wings. Mrs. 
 Chamberlain was also much concerned 
 for Little Jakey, and had already 
 nearly covered his little body over 
 with plasters. "Besides," she said, 
 " the Board meet to-day, and I have 
 sent to have our good Dr. Wood come 
 up and see him the moment he ar* 
 rives." 
 
102 
 
 LIlTi.h JAKEY. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 DOES THEE SEE ? 
 
 HE next morning Lititle 
 ^^^ Jakey was regularly in- 
 stalled in the sick room, 
 and in the afternoon, 
 while Dr. Wood and Dr. 
 Clements were sitting in consultation 
 by his little bed, I heard Dr. Wood 
 say, — 
 
 •' Does thee see ? this child is more 
 angel than human." 
 
 " Just so," rejoined Dr. Clements, 
 " and that is why I have so littlo 
 hopes of him ; he already looks ethereal 
 enough to fly." 
 
DOES THEE SEE* 103 
 
 " These thirty years," continued Dr. 
 Wood, " I have visited the sick, but 
 never before have my eyes looked on 
 so patient a sufferer. Why ! the burn- 
 ing pangs of that ' little chest, sir, 
 would make either of us groan aloud. 
 But just watch the writhing muscles 
 of that little face, and see how those 
 dear lips are shut in patient silence, 
 and all, doubtless, to spare us the pain 
 of hearing his little groans. 0, why 
 is it that children are sufferers, and 
 especially such innocent lambs as these, 
 — can thee tell ? " 
 
 " I do not know," replied Dr. Clem- 
 ents in his usual prompt way, " unless 
 it is because God would have a heaven 
 peopled with mortals, and suffering is 
 a wonderful purifier, as well among 
 children as men." 
 
104 LITTLE JAKEY 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 SAIR GOOT. 
 
 AYS passed, but the doc- 
 tors would not say that 
 they thought Little Ja- 
 key any better. Some 
 days, however, he was 
 able to be pillowed up in an arm-chair, 
 and amuse himself a little with the 
 toys the children were constantly 
 bringing him, for by this time the 
 desire to do something for Little Ja- 
 key had come to pervade the whole 
 house ; and notwithstanding their fa- 
 vors of cakes and candies were often 
 as distasteful to him as they would 
 
SAIR GOOT. 105 
 
 have been injurious, Little Jakey had 
 too much regard for the feelings of 
 those who brought them ever to de- 
 cline anything, but for the smallest 
 favor he would always say, in his 
 sweet, polite way, " I tank you," and 
 sometimes, forgetting his little English, 
 he would add in his own language, 
 " Tu bist sair goot." But no sooner 
 had the little visitors left than he 
 would begin to call, — 
 
 " Miss Vild, Miss Vild, I tink you 
 may take zem and put zem in ze cup- 
 board. T tink I not vant zem. Ven 
 Charly come, you may give zem to 
 him; he like zem, much Charly like 
 zem." 
 
 Sickness and pain generally weaken 
 our sensibilities, and lessen our nice 
 regard for the feelings and comfort of 
 others ; but not so with Little Jakcy. 
 
106 IITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 " Never," said the nurse, " could 1 
 persuade him to be undressed while 
 any person was in the room ; and 
 often too, when I wished merely to 
 change the plasters on his little chest, 
 he would hesitate, until I assured him 
 that no person in the world was look- 
 ing at him." 
 
 Once, sitting by his little bed, I dis- 
 covered that he was trying very hard 
 to keep awake, and I said to him 
 softly, — 
 
 " Dear Jakey, why do you not shut 
 those sweet eyes of yours, and go to 
 sleep ? Surely you must be sleepy." 
 
 " Yes, but I tink I not sleep." 
 
 " O, do sleep, Jakey," I said, " and 
 then you will feel so much better 
 when you wake." 
 
 " Yes," he replied again, " but vile 
 
SAIE GOOT. 107 
 
 I sleep, ze pain make me groan, and 
 
 Mattie ce hear me, and ce not sleep." 
 
 Mattie was then very sick also, and 
 
 lying on a little bed not far from his. 
 
108 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 ZE BOX. 
 
 NE morning Mr. Artman, 
 a German gentleman, 
 wIlo belonged to the In- 
 stitution, came over to 
 see Little Jakey, and 
 taking a seat close by his little bed, 
 addressed him very tenderly in his 
 own language ; but Little Jakey mani- 
 fested so little interest in his visit that 
 finally Miss Wild, the nurse, said to 
 him, — 
 
 " You like Mr. Artman, do you ixot, 
 Jakey ? " 
 
 " Yes, some I like him," he an- 
 
ZE BOX. 109 
 
 Bwered, " but von time he ha 76 tell 
 me dot I not mind my moder, and I 
 sail mind my moder," his eyes swim- 
 ming with tears, and his little bosom 
 heaving at the bare thought of disobe- 
 dience to that dear, precious mother. 
 " Indeed ! " exclaimed Mr. Artman, 
 " is it possible that the child can have 
 remembered that circumstance so long ? 
 Why, this was the way of it : the first 
 day he came here, when his friends 
 had left him, he cried and took on so 
 that Mr. Chamberlain brought him 
 over to my room, thinking that, speak- 
 ing German, I might be able to do 
 something to divert him ; and so I 
 took him on my lap, and pettingly told 
 him that he should not mind his 
 mother, meaning, you see, that he 
 should not cry for her. But the little 
 fellow must have understood me to 
 
1 10 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 say that he should not ohey his nn>ther, 
 which I would not have said for the 
 world. Certainly a dear little boy 
 should mind his mother. Now I un- 
 derstand too why he slid down from 
 my lap so quickly, threw himself on 
 the floor, and sobbed nearly all the 
 afternoon, hardly heeding a word that 
 I said to him." 
 
 Little Jakey understood the ex- 
 planation perfectly, and in token that 
 he had forgiven it all, put out his lit- 
 tle hand to Mr. Artman, who lifted 
 him into his arms, and held him on his 
 lap a long time, talking with him in 
 his own language, and receiving from 
 Little Jakey 's pale lips many kisses of 
 love and pardon. , 
 
 But what surprised us most of all 
 was, when Mr. Artman was about leav- 
 ing, Little Jakey asked Miss Wild for 
 
ZE BOX. Ill 
 
 his little box of moneys, which had 
 been presented to him mostly by vis- 
 itors, and placing it in Mr. Artman's 
 liand, he said to him, in his own sweet 
 way, — 
 
 "You vill keep ze leetle box mit 
 you. Von time Jeem and Fred vill 
 come in ze America, and ven zey 
 come, you vill give ze big money to 
 Jeem, and ze leetle moneys to Fred ; 
 and you vill tell zem dot I have go im 
 Himmel mit my moder, and mit ze 
 baby, and mit Meme." 
 
 This was dear Little Jakey's will. 
 "We were all standing around him, and 
 when he said, " You vill tell zem dot 
 I have go im Himmel mit my moder, 
 and mit ze baby, and mit Meme," every 
 heart was touched, and all our eyes 
 filled with tears, while it seemed that 
 up in heaven the angels must have 
 
112 LITTLE J A KEY. 
 
 hastened to curn back the records they 
 keep, and on the glittering page where 
 all love deeds are preserved, write down 
 the last will and testament of Little 
 Jakey. 
 
HOME. 
 
 113 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 HOME. 
 
 :-%'?5«* 
 
 T last the usual time for 
 ^^ vacation had come, and 
 all who had homes or 
 friends to go to were 
 to take their departure. 
 During breakfast, the long dining- 
 rooms were a perfect buzz of hopeful, 
 happy voices. Home, home, was on 
 every lip, and in every thought, save 
 with those to whom that word was but 
 a memory, and with those, too, who 
 had never known it. 
 
 Mr. Chamberlain, the good Superin- 
 tendent, whose watchfulness over the 
 
114 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 well ones of his charge was only sur- 
 passed by his care for the sick, entered 
 and asked of the pupils a moment's 
 silence. 
 
 " Since," said he, " there are so 
 many in the sick-room who will be 
 obliged to remain here during the 
 vacation, and others so ill that even a 
 footfall must disturb them, I request 
 that no one go there to say good-by, 
 but all depart as quietly as you can. 
 We who stay will take every possible 
 care of them ; and God grant that we 
 may be all spared to meet here again," 
 
 The carriages which were to bear 
 them to the cars and the steamers were 
 already collecting at the front gates, 
 the pupils and the teachers who were 
 to accompany them were assembled in 
 the parlors and lower halls, when little 
 Henny, who had not understood Mr 
 
HOME. 115 
 
 Chamberlain's request, ran back to say 
 good-by to Little Jakey. Quick as 
 thought his little feet climbed the long 
 stairs, and, putting his sweet face into 
 the sick-room door, " Good-by, Little 
 Jakey," he said, " when I come back, 
 I will bring you something." Then 
 back he ran, down, down the winding 
 stairs and through the long halls to 
 the front door, but to his amazement 
 not. a soul was there ; they had all gone 
 into the coaches, and were too far awav 
 to be either called back or overtaken. 
 The few who were left tried to com- 
 fort him, but he refused all comfort, 
 and strolled about the halls, crying, 
 " I want to go home ! I want to go 
 home ! " until finally Mr. Chamberlain 
 returned from seeing the others ofi", 
 and promised to write his father to 
 come for him as soon as possible. 
 
116 
 
 LITTLE JAKFY. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 ZE FLOWEES. 
 
 EXT to an empty heart, 
 an empty liouse is the 
 I most desolate thing in 
 the world ; and so, like 
 Little Jakey, I sought 
 companionship that day with the birds, 
 wandering over the grounds, and sit- 
 ting musingly under the trees. Late 
 in the afternoon, though, I remembered 
 Little Jakey, and, chiding my long 
 neglect of him, I hastened to the 
 liouse, and entered the hall just as a 
 little flower-girl was going out with 
 but a solitary bouquet in her basket, 
 
ZE FLOWERS. 117 
 
 which I took of her, and passed on to 
 the sick-room. 
 
 The day being yery warm, Little 
 Jakey's bed had been drawn around 
 facing the window, and I found him 
 sitting bolstered up there, with his long 
 black curls laying out on the pillows, 
 and dear Miss Wild sitting by, gently 
 fanning him. I entered so carefully 
 that he did not observe me, until I 
 took his little hand in mine, when he 
 exclaimed, — 
 
 " Vy ! you not gone ? " 
 
 " Certainly not, dear Jakey. Did 
 you think I would go away and leave 
 you here ? " 
 
 " Vy ! I tink you have go vay, vay 
 off in ze carriages, mit zem all." 
 
 " No, no," I said, " and look here, 
 my dear, I have brought you a bou- 
 quet, and let us pull it into pieces and 
 see what we can make of it." 
 
118 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 Miss Wild brouglit the scissors, and 
 2ut the twine, and soon Little Jakey's 
 bed was strewn over with the flowers, 
 which, with the surprise of my return, 
 made the dear lamb really happy. In- 
 deed, I do not remember ever having 
 seen him so cheerful as he was that 
 evening. Making a little hoop from a 
 piece of wire, I twined him a wreath, 
 while he amused himself handing me 
 the flowers for it, and feeling over 
 their soft leaves, and asking their 
 names. 
 
 " How very singular," exclaimed 
 Miss "Wild, as she sat looking on, " that 
 his little fingers can distinguish them 
 so readily. Do you see ? whether 
 large or small, he never asks the name 
 of the same kind of flower but once." 
 
 At length the wreath was done, 
 and when we placed it on his little 
 head, — 
 
ZE FLOWERS. HQ 
 
 " Vy ! " he exclaimed, " von time 
 my moder have vear ze flowers like 
 dis. Ce go vare von lady sing vot 
 have come fon Italy ; my fader go 
 mit her dare. And von time ze lady 
 come to my moder's house, and ce sing 
 to ze harp, and ce sing to ze piano, and 
 my moder and my fader sing mit her ; 
 and ce stay dare to ze supper, and 
 much peoples come to ze supper." 
 
 Here our good friend, Mr. Dean, 
 came in, and, after going around to all 
 the little beds and leaving with each 
 little sufferer something from his gen- 
 erous pocket, and words of comfort 
 from his great, good heart, that were 
 always better than any medicine, he 
 came to see Little Jakey. 
 
 " Why, my little man," he said, " I 
 have brought you some oranges ; but 
 you are looking so much like an angel, 
 
120 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 or a fairy, this evening, that I have my 
 doubts vrhether you can eat oranges." 
 
 " Yes," said Little Jakey, " I tink I 
 eat zem," striving to clasp an immense 
 one in his little hands. 
 
 Then Mr. Dean helped him to make 
 a hole in it, from which he sipped the 
 cool acid as if it were nectar. 
 
HOW VILL IT BEt 121 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 HOW VILL IT BE ? 
 
 REMAINED with Little 
 Jakey that night, and when 
 all were still, and the night 
 taper was glimmering 
 faintly through the room« 
 I felt his little hand pull mine, as if 
 he would draw me closer to him. 
 
 " What, dear ?" 1 said, stooping over 
 him. 
 
 " I tink I die," he whispered ; " I 
 tink I go im Himmel mit my moder, 
 and mit ze baby, and mit Meme." 
 
 " "Why, Jakey," I asked, coaxingly, 
 " what makes you think so ? " 
 
122 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 " Vy> ven ze baby die, ce be sick ; 
 and ven my moder die, ce be sick ; and 
 ven Meme die, ce be sick ; and I be 
 sick, and I tink I die." 
 
 " So you are, very sick indeed, dear 
 Jakey," I said, " but you will not be 
 sorry to die, will you, dear ? " 
 
 " No, I not sorry ; but all ze time I 
 tink, how vill it be ? Ven Gott take 
 me im Himmel, vill He come mit me 
 in ze leetle boat ? zen vill He come mit 
 me in ze big boat, mit ze big fire ? and 
 zen vill He come in ze big ship, mit ze 
 tree vay high, and mit ze sail ? and ven 
 ze vinds blow too hard, and ze ship 
 come crash on ze rock, and all ze peo- 
 ples cry, vill Gott hold me tight in 
 Hees arms, like my moder ? " 
 
 " Yes, you dear, dear child," I said, 
 "God will surely keep you close in 
 His arms always, and when you come 
 
HOW riLL IT BE* 123 
 
 where He is, dear Jakey, your sweet 
 eyes will have the light in them. You 
 will see the stars then, and the angels, 
 and all the good poople who have gone 
 to Heaven from this world, and God, 
 and His dear Son, Jesus. You know 
 about Him, do you not ? He loves lit- 
 tle children." 
 
 " Yes, I know Him," he said ; " my 
 moder have tell me dot von time He 
 have come fon Himmel in ze vorld, and 
 ze wicked men have kill Him ; zey 
 have nail Him to ze tree ; and my 
 moder say dot Jazu be ze Lord, and 
 dot He love ze little children, and 
 ran time He have lif zem in Hees arms ; 
 and He say dot He love zem all, and 
 dot He vill bring zem im Himmel mit 
 Him, ven zey bees good. Meme ce 
 know Him too, and much times ce talk 
 mit Him in ze prayer vot ce say ; and 
 
124 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 ce say dot He hear her, ce know He do. 
 Ze good man know him, and much he 
 talk mit Him in ze Meeting ; but to ze 
 table he not talk, he tink mit Him, 
 mit hees hands so (crossing his own 
 little ones, as if in the act of devo- 
 tion). Georgy do dot vay, and Franky, 
 and zey all ; and Mary tell me, and 1 
 do dot vay." 
 
 Here Little Jakey was interrupted 
 by a coughing spell so severe that I 
 regretted having allowed him to talk 
 so long. But after awhile, recovering 
 a little, he asked again with great ear- 
 nestness, — 
 
 " How vill it be ? If Gott not know 
 ven I die, and if He bees not here, vill 
 zey keep me von day and von day, vile 
 He come ? " 
 
 " O yes. dear Jakey," I said ; " but 
 God will be here. He is here now 
 
HOW VILL IT BE* 125 
 
 Let me explain it to you. God is a 
 great Spirit, and He is evorywli re. 
 You have a little spirit in you, too, 
 Jakey, tliat makes you talk and think 
 and feel ; now, while your spirit is shut 
 up in your little body here, it cannot 
 see God, but when this little body dies, 
 your spirit will come out, and then it 
 will see God, and see everything, and 
 have wings and rise up, like the angels, 
 and fly away to Heaven, or Himmel, 
 as you call it." 
 
 I was wondering what Little Jakey 
 was thinking of this, when, after a 
 moment, he exclaimed, — 
 
 " Vy ! ven my moder have make me 
 in ze pic-sure, ce make me mit vings, 
 but ce not say dot I have ze vings, ven 
 I come im Himmel. Heaven bees in 
 America, but Himmel bees in Ger- 
 many. My moder go dare, and ce say 
 
126 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 dot Gott vill come, and He vill bring 
 me mit Him dare, vare ce be." 
 
 Knowing bow tenaciously be was 
 wont to cling to any impression re- 
 ceived from his motber, and fearing to 
 excite bis little mind too much, I in- 
 stantly yielded all to bis sweet idea of 
 going back to Germany after death, 
 and then to Himmel, and I went on 
 whispering to him soothingly, — 
 
 "Yes, my dear lamb, it will be all 
 just as your motber told you. God 
 will surely come for you, and take you 
 where she is, and where all good peo- 
 ple are, and you will be very, very 
 happy there. You will never be sick 
 any more, and never feel pain any 
 more. There, too, you can lie doAvn 
 upon the soft grass and the sweet flow- 
 ers, and look up at the beautiful skies 
 all the day long, and bear the birds 
 
HOW VILL IT BEf 127 
 
 singing in the balmy trees, 'Trith soft 
 foiithers pnd bright wings. God is 
 there, and He makes it light always — 
 the night never comes. Rivers are 
 there, too, and you will hear the waters 
 murmuring all the day long. The 
 floAvers, too, bloom always ; the leaves 
 never fall from the trees, and the birds 
 never go away. You love to hear Jes- 
 sie and the birds sing here, but there 
 all the angels have harps of gold, and 
 they make music upon them such as 
 God delights to hear ; and they wear 
 robes of white, too, with crowns of 
 gold upon their heads, and they love 
 and praise God forever." 
 
 " I vish I come dare now ! " said 
 Little Jakey, so earnestly as to quite 
 startle me, and the more as I had im- 
 agined him being lulled to sleep by the 
 monotonj of my voice 
 
128 LITTLE JAKEY. 
 
 " 0, tell me more ! " lie said ; " tell 
 me more ! " 
 
 " Yes, darling, I would tell you 
 more ; but you must shut jour sweet 
 eyes now and go to sleep ; it is very 
 late, and you have not slept this long 
 time. That is a good child, now." 
 
 " No," he said, " ven I sut my eyes, 
 zey not sut, and ven I tink I sleep, I 
 not sleep." 
 
 " But you must sleep now, dear 
 Jakey," I said, " and to-morrow I will 
 tell you more." 
 
 " Veil, I try," he whispered ; and of 
 his own accord straightened down his 
 little limbs in the bed, folded his little 
 arms aci'oss his breast, and lay so per- 
 fectly motionless that I went around 
 and asked Miss Wild to come and look 
 at him. She did so, and when we had 
 sat by him some time, lighting om* 
 
HOW VILL IT BE? 129 
 
 tlioughts upward by the holy radiance 
 that seemed beaming from his angel 
 face, he whispered, — 
 
 •' I bees cold ; too cold I bees. 1 
 tink I die ; I tink I go im Himmel 
 now mit my moder, and mit ze baby, 
 and mit Meme. Yill Gott come, and 
 vill He fine me here ? How yill it be ? 
 How — Till — it — be?" 
 
 We sprang to him, and leaning over 
 his little form, and feeling " that his 
 pulse was really still, and his sweet 
 breath hushed forever. Miss Wild ex- 
 claimed, " Why, the dear lamb is gone, 
 surely gone ! " and it seemed that her 
 heart would break, while she wept and 
 sobbed over the little stranger who had 
 so long shared her tender care. Then 
 gently smoothing down his long white 
 night robe, and pressing his little feet 
 in her warm, loving hands, — 
 
130 LITTLE JaKEY. 
 
 " The dear, tiny things," she said • 
 " they are cold ah-eady. No light has 
 blessed their journey through this 
 world ; but, God be praised, they are 
 gone, treading now where there is light 
 and love for all." 
 
 The beams of the morning were 
 just glimmering through the shutters, 
 when, with tears of pitying loye drop- 
 ping down over our cheeks, we kissed 
 Little Jakey's dear mute lips farewell. 
 Miss Wild closed down his dear eyes, 
 and placed the wreath above his head 
 again, and we bowed ourselves by his 
 little lonely bed, while the angels bore 
 his pure spirit away. 
 
^<^.M.n 
 
NEVER MORE. 131 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 NEVER MORE. 
 
 HE next day, toT^ard 
 ^ evening, when Little 
 Jakey had been bathed 
 and robed in pure white, 
 and placed in his little 
 coffin, and all there who could see had 
 looked on his smiling face for the last 
 time, Rev. Dr. Turner, President of 
 the Theological Seminary, came up 
 and made a prayer that moved all our 
 hearts to tears. Then a portion of the 
 funeral service was said, the solemn 
 Amen was pronounced, and they bore 
 
li>2 LITTLE .lAKEY. 
 
 Little Jakey down the long stairs from 
 Chapel over to Greenwood, where they 
 laid him down to rest so low under the 
 trees that he may sleep there a pleas- 
 ant sleep, while over his little bed the 
 birds carol their sweetest songs, and 
 the rains and the storms never more 
 disturb him. 
 
EXTRACTS FROM EDITORIAL NOTICES OF 
 
 "LITTLE JAKEY," 
 
 Br Mrs. Helen Aldrich De Kroyft. 
 
 Published by Hdrd and Houghton, 13 Astor Place, Now York, 
 (Riverside Press, Cambridge. ) 
 
 " There is a naturalness and pathos in this book, that must loosen th« 
 heart-strings of every one that reads it." — Christian Mirror. 
 
 " This is really one of the most affecting stories we have read, and though 
 a genuine child's book, will be read and remembered by many older 
 people. Little Jakey is allowed to tell his story in his own way, instead of 
 naving the touching sweetness of his child-like utterances spoiled by being 
 put into ' grown folks ' language. We bespeak for this book a large cir- 
 culation." — Boston News. 
 
 " ' Little Jakey ' is an exquisite story, and as beautiful as a child's vision 
 of a star." — New Bedford Mercury. 
 
 " This book is nicely illustrated, and is well designed to interest not only 
 children, but their sympathetic mothers." — Buffalo Courier. 
 
 " ' Little Jakey ' is exquisite, imaginative, and pathetic to a degree that 
 we dare not attempt to describe, for no one would believe us without hav- 
 ing read the book. 
 
 " The best novelist could hardly have constructed a more complete and 
 perfect plot, and no license the imagination could ask, would make it a 
 more effective story. It is classic in its naturalness, its beauty, and ita 
 purity." — Concord Statesman. 
 
 "The moral of this book is most unexceptionable." — Baltimort 
 Gazette. 
 
 " ' Little Jakey ' combines the interest of Kobinson Crusoe with the most 
 fascinating moral and religious qualities. It is in brief a genuine child's 
 book, and therefore interesting to the old as well as to the young. The 
 alyle is for the most part conversational. Little Jakey being left to tell hia 
 own stoiy in his own way, and a quaint, sweet little way it is, too, perfectly 
 
natural and child-like. Indeed, we have often felt to pity children that 
 they cannot have books written by their compeers, instead of the awkward 
 imitations of themselves, given in most of juvenile works. 
 
 " Attracted by the beauty of the illustrations, the graceful dedication, and 
 happy preface, we began to read this book, and were unable to lay it down 
 until reaching the end we found our eyes moistening with something like 
 tears, and an uncomfortable choking sensation in our throat, over the touch- 
 ing interrogatives of the dying little hero, ' How vill it be? ' ' How-vill-it- 
 be? ' If the author had been writing a fiction, instead of a veritable narra 
 live of a blind orphaned waif, astray in New York, she would have had the 
 sweet little Eva-like Meme live, find her father, and come to great prosper- 
 ity. But truth is better than fiction, and heaven is the rightful home of 
 all such motherless, homeless little toar^derers." — Springjield Union, 
 
 " This is a story one can scarcely read, without having the tears come 
 unbidden to the eyes." — Albany Express. 
 
 "Many of our readers will remember Mrs. De Kroyft, whose sad 
 history of widowhood and blindness is so plaintively told in her earlier 
 volume. She has devoted many years to literature, and has succeeded, in 
 spite of her great deprivation, not only in supporting herself but in making 
 others happy. 
 
 *'Her present venture, * Little Jakey,' is a very touching story, as in- 
 teresting as a juvenile romance, and has beside the merit of entire truth- 
 fulness." — Albany Evening Journal. 
 
 " This decidedly unique volume will prove a very entertaining one to 
 the little ones, who, like children of larger growth, are fond of variety. 
 
 '■ It is written in a charming style of broken English, and cannot fail to 
 captivate." — Bath Times. , 
 
 "The language of Little Jakey is not more remarkable than were the 
 thoughts that ran in his little head. He was one of the child-saints that die 
 young, and his Story is very pathetic, though perfectly real and natural. 
 The author would want no higher praise of her book, than to see a person 
 of any sensibilities read it alone. There is not a word of temprrance in 
 the book, but Little Jakey is the most powerful temperance lecturer we 
 have ever listened to. There is a glory of another world about some chil- 
 dren, and there are those who have lost such children as this." — Gospel 
 Messenger. 
 
 " This book is very touchingly written. Mrs. De Kroyft tells the story, 
 reproducing accurately the queer German talk of the little hero, which 
 may seem at first a little difficidt, but no one will therefore leave it un- 
 rejid." — New York Evening Mail. 
 
 " We have rarely read a more touching story than ' Little Jakey,' by Mis. 
 H. A. De Kroyft. It is the history of a little blind orphaned waif, astray 
 m New York, as 1 ild by himself, whose la.iguage was a delightful patoU 
 
of infantile Datch, softened br touches of Italian." — Boston Literary 
 World. 
 
 "Little Jakey ' is a pretty story of child-life, the history of a little Ger- 
 man blind boy given by himself, — 'An o'er true tale.' " — Boston Traveller. 
 
 " This is a superbly printed and beautifully illustrated little duodecimo 
 volume, in which Little Jakey tells his own story in his own broken Eng- 
 lish, which adds to its interest." — Bnngor Democrat. 
 
 " This is a simple, pathetic, tenderly written story of a little blind boy. 
 mostly given in his own language. We are assured by the author in tlio 
 preface that Little Jakey really lived, and nothing is likelier than that 
 the sad history he gives in his own broken English is a true one. The book 
 is neatly bound and clearly printed. It deserves to be a favorite, and will 
 doubtless become one." — Wasliinyton Chronicle. 
 
 " ' Little Jakey ' is the title of a beautiful little story-book by Mrs. H. A. 
 De Kroyf t, which Hurd and Houghton have brought out in their best style. 
 It will touch all sympathies, and do much to increase the good there is in 
 the world." — The Covimonwealth. 
 
 "The tender, pathetic, simple narrative of Little Jakey, fills your eyes 
 with tears. The book is very beautifully bound and printed, and will be 
 come a favorite in the Sabbath-school, home, or public library." — Adams 
 Transcript. 
 
 " Little Jakey was a sweet spirit, early removed to the home of those 
 who ' see the King in his beauty.' It is a sweet little volume, full of tender 
 and good things." — Providence Press. 
 
 " ' Little Jakey ' is not especially a child's book, although its moral and 
 the entire story is particularly adapted to the young. It is told mostly in 
 childish broken English, but is easily imderstood. The dedication of this 
 little book is peculiarly interesting, and we give it in full." — Bridgeport 
 Standard. 
 
 " The pathetic story of a little German boy, an orphan and blind. Mrs. 
 De Kroyft's former books have brought her hosts of friends, and this true 
 narrative will be read by many with special interest." — Village News. 
 
 " This is one of the most fascinating little stories we have read in a long 
 time. We took up the book carelessly to see what it was about, and laid 
 it down only after we had regretfully turned the last page. It is the storj- 
 of a little German boy, with whom the writer became acquainted in the 
 New York Institution for the Blind. The child gives the historj- of his sad 
 life, in his infan'ine broken English, and the whole stoiy is told by the 
 writer in the sweetest and most beautiful style. Every word is touching, 
 from the dedication to the closing page." — Standard of the Cross. 
 
 " 'Little Jakey' — a touching memorial of a little blind oi-phaned waif 
 In New York." — Hearth and Home. 
 
 " Little Jakoy's character is very lovely, and his death at the end is ex- 
 tremely touching." — Christian Era. 
 
" This is one of tlie most pathetic stories of New York life. Bom blind, 
 Little Jakey's troubles seemed to have followed him through his life in 
 Germany, until drink (the ev^l of that country as well as this) drove him 
 with his mother to America, and when orphaned and alone, we find him 
 here with his beautiful, sightless eyes sighing for vings that he might fiy 
 away to ' Uimmel vare Gott lives.' Truly the book is not amusing, but is 
 full of the hidden pathos of a life which began in sorrow, and seemed more 
 fit for heaven than earth." — Newport Mercury, 
 
 "A capital story for boys and girls, full of touching and pathetic 
 scenes." — Woonsocket Patriot. 
 
 " A more genuinely pathetic story than that of ' Little Jakey,' we have 
 rarely read or heard. In it the author tries only to put before us her little 
 charge, as witli the keen sympathy of kindred misfortune she came to 
 know him and interpret his life. 
 
 " The result is a story more touching than any invention could be. 
 
 " ' Little Jakey ' is a picture in our memory, and we doubt not he will 
 become so to thousands who will make his acquaintance through Mrs. De 
 Kroyft's little book." — The Universalist. 
 
 " 'Little Jakey ' is remarkable for its child-like quaintness and pictur- 
 esqueness. Few can read it with dry eyes." — National Baptist. 
 
 "An extraordinary story of a little blind German boy, beautifully told. 
 It will be read with tender sympathy." — The New York Observer. 
 
 " The announcement of another book by Mrs. De Kroyft will excite a 
 local interest here, where she once resided, and has still many friends ami 
 acquaintances. 
 
 " In ' Little Jakey,' she has given us a simple, truthful, and affecting tale, 
 stranger than fiction. 
 
 "To read this book will move a heart of adamant." — Rochester Union 
 and Advertiser. 
 
 " A story told with sweetness and power." — New Torh Evening Post, 
 
 " This is a charming book for the little folks, with a lesson that might be 
 nseful to many older persons. 
 
 " We predict that it will be immensely popular." — Watchman and 
 State Journal, 
 
 " Have you read that tlirilling little book, entitled ' Little Jakey ? ' It 
 should be among the household treasures of every family." — Hampden 
 Times, 
 
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