Part 4 (1/2)

”No,” said the Angel naughtily, then relenting at sight of her Tomlin's face, ”her'll sing, her won't dance.”

The pleasant gentleman, thinking, perhaps to please Mr. Tomlin, or maybe to get rid of them the sooner, produced a red ribbon badge. ”Ef ze will sing,” he said, showing his white teeth as he smiled, ”ze shall hav it.”

Turning to view this new party, her ladys.h.i.+p treated him to a brief examination, but evidently approving of him, began to sing with no more ado:

”Je suis si l'enfant gate Tra la la la, tra la la, Car je les aime les pet.i.ts pates.

Et les confitures, Si vous voulez me les donner Je suis tres bien oblige, Tra la la la, tra la la, Tra la la la, tra la la.”

Only a word here and there could have been intelligible, but their effect upon the pleasant gentleman was instantaneous. He broke into a torrent of foreign exclamations and verbosity, showing his teeth and gesticulating with his hands.

A strange light came into the baby's face and she held out her arms to the little man entreatingly. ”Oui, oui,” she cried, a spot of red burning on each cheek, ”you take Angel to her mamma, take Angel to her mamma!”

But here the door of the Tomlin's room opened hastily, and the neighbor who was sitting with the sick woman thrust out her head. ”She's talkin'

mighty wild an' out her head,” she said, ”you'd better come to her.”

Mr. Tomlin rose hastily, while the dark little man, yielding to the child's entreaties, took her in his arms.

But the red-headed gentleman laid a dirty hand on Mr. Tomlin's arm.

”Just as I was saying,” he said, as if resuming a broken-off conversation, ”no doctor, no medicine. Why? No work, no wages. Why? The heel of the rich man grinding the poor to the earth.”

Mr. Tomlin hesitated.

”It's entirely a meeting of Union men. No violence advocated. A ma.s.s-meeting to discuss appointing committees to demand work.”

”Ze outcry of ze oppressed,” put in the pleasant gentleman, looking out from behind the Angel's fair little head, and showing his white teeth in his smile, ”in zer union ees zere only strength.”

Mr. Tomlin's door opened still more violently. ”She's a-beggin' as you'll get her some ice,” announced the neighbor, ”she says she's burnin' up.”

”G.o.d A'mighty!” burst forth the giant, ”I ain't got a cent on earth to get her nothin',” and he turned toward the two men fiercely, his great brows meeting over his sullen eyes, ”yes, I'll come, you can count on me,” and he went in the door.

”Liberty Square by the statue, four o'clock,” called the dirty gentleman after him, while the pleasant gentleman put the Angel hastily down.

”Adieu, mon enfant,” he cried, showing his teeth as he smiled back over his shoulder, and followed his companion down the stairs.

In time Joey and his weeping charge also reached the bottom. Not a word of the conversation had escaped the sharp ears of the Major. ”It's past two, now,” he soliloquized, ”an' he said Liberty Square, four o'clock. I know where the statoo is. Yer follows the cars from front of th' arm'ry an' they goes right there, 'cause that's where the Cap'n's office is.

Don'tcher cry no more, Angel,” with insinuating coaxing in his tones, ”I'll take yer there if yer wanter go.”

The Angel slipped her hand in his obediently, and the two forthwith proceeded to leave the neighborhood of the Tenement behind them, undeterred by the friendly overtures of Petey O'Malligan and his colleagues to join in with their pastimes.

”We ain't got no time fer foolin',” confided Joey, hurrying her along, ”there'll be flags an' hollerin', an' we wanter get there in time.”

On reaching the car line the small Major was obliged to slacken his speed, for, while, in a measure, the Angel had caught the spirit of his enthusiasm, yet her legs refused to keep pace with his haste.

”Ef yer was still ter heaven, Angel,” the Major pondered, as they stood on the street corner getting breath, ”yerz wouldn't need ter use yer legs at all, would yer? Yer'd jus' take out an' fly across this yere street, waggins an' trucks an' all, wouldn't yer?”

The Angel cast her eyes upon him doubtfully.

”That's what my mammy tol' me about Angels,” Joey declared stoutly.