The Story of Patsy | Page 5

be, yer know, 'n
he dunno but I be, 'n he's afeard to leave go o' me for fear I be. See?"
"Do you and Jim live together?"
"Yes, we live at Mis' Kennett's. Jim swipes the grub; I build the fires'n
help cook'n wipe dishes for Jim when I ain't sick, 'n I mind Miss
Kennett's babies right along,--she most allers has new ones, 'n she gives
me my lunch for doin' it."
"Is Mrs. Kennett nice and kind?"
"O-h, yes; she's orful busy, yer know, 'n won't stand no foolin'."
"Is there a Mr. Kennett?"
"Sometimes there is, 'n most allers there ain't."
My face by this time was an animated interrogation point. My need of
explanation must have been hopelessly evident, for he hastened to add
footnotes to the original text.

"He's allers out o' work, yer know, 'n he don't sleep ter home, 'n if yer
want him yer have to hunt him up. He's real busy now, though,--doin'
fine."
"That's good. What does he do?"
"He marches with the workingmen's percessions 'n holds banners."
"I see." The Labor Problem and the Chinese Question were the great
topics of interest in all grades of California society just then. My
mission in life was to keep the children of these marching and
banner-holding laborers from going to destruction.
"And you haven't any father, poor little man?"
"Yer bet yer life I don't want no more father in mine. He knocked me
down them stairs, and then he went off in a ship, and I don't go a cent
on fathers! Say, is this a 'zamination?"
I was a good deal amused and should have felt a little rebuked, had I
asked a single question from idle curiosity. "Yes, it's a sort of one,
Patsy,--all the kind we have."
"And do I hev to bring any red tape?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why, Jim said he bet 't would take an orful lot o' red tape t' git me in."
Here he withdrew with infinite trouble from his ragged pocket an
orange, or at least the remains of one, which seemed to have been
fiercely dealt with by circumstances.
"Here's an orange I brung yer! It's been skwuz some, but there's more in
it."
[Illustration: "HERE'S AN ORANGE I BRUNG YER."]
"Thank you, Patsy." (Forced expression of radiant gratitude.) "Now, let

us see! You want to come to the Kindergarten, do you, and learn to be a
happy little working boy? But oh, Patsy, I'm like the old woman in the
shoe, I have so many children I don't know what to do."
"Yes, I know. Jim knows a boy what went here wunst. He said yer
never licked the boys; and he said, when the 'nifty' little girls come to
git in, with their white aprons, yer said there warn't no room; but when
the dirty chaps with tored close come, yer said yer'd make room. Jim
said as how yer'd never show me the door, sure." (Bless Jim's heart!)
"P'raps I can't come every day, yer know, 'cos I might have fits."
"Fits! Good gracious, child! What makes you think that?"
"Oh, I has 'em" (composedly). "I kicks the footboard clean off when I
has 'em bad, all along o' my losin' them three year! Why, yer got an
orgind, hain't yer? Where's the handle fur to make it go? Couldn't I
blow it for yer?"
"It's a piano, not an organ; it doesn't need blowing."
"Oh, yes, I see one in a s'loon; I seen such an orful pretty lady play on
one. She give her silk dress a swish to one side, so! and then she cocked
her head over sideways like a bird, and then her hands, all jinglin' over
with rings, went a-whizzin' up and down them black and white teeth
just like sixty!"
"You know, Patsy, I can't bear to have my little Kindergarten boys
stand around the saloon doors; it isn't a good place, and if you want to
be good men you must learn to be good little boys first, don't you see?"
"Well, I wanted some kind of fun. I seen a cirkis wunst,--that was fun! I
seen it through a hole; it takes four bits to git inside the tent, and me
and another feller found a big hole and went halveys on it. First he give
a peek, and then I give a peek, and he was bigger'n me, and he took
orful long peeks, he did, 'nd when it come my turn the ladies had just
allers jumped through the hoops, or the horses was gone out; 'nd
bimeby he said mebbe we might give the hole a stretch and make it a
little mite bigger, it wouldn't do no harm, 'nd I'd better cut it, 'cos