My Southern Friends, by Edmund Kirke (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1863. Excerpt: ... MY SOUTHERN FRIENDS. CHAPTER I. NEW YORK AFTER DARK. The clock of St. Paul's was sounding eight. Buttoning my outside coat closely about me--for it was a cold, stormy night in November--I descended the steps of the Astor House to visit, in the upper part of the city, the blue-eyed young woman who is looking over my shoulder while I write this. It was nearly twenty years ago, but she is young yet As I closed the outer door, a small voice at my elbow, in a tone broken by sobs, said: "Sir--will you--please, sir--will you buy some ballads?" "Ballads a little fellow like you selling ballads at this time of night?" "Yes, wr; I haven't sold only three all day, sir. Do, please, sir, do buy some " and as he stood under the gas burner which lit the hotel porch, I saw that his face was red with weeping. "Come inside, my little man; don't stand here in the cold. Who sends you out on nights like this to sell ballads?" "Nobody, sir; but mother is sick, and I have to sell 'em Shes had nothing to eat all day, sir. Oh do buy some--do buy some, sir " "I will, my good boy. But tell me, have you no father?" "No, sir; I never had any; and mother is sick, very sick, sir; and she's nobody to do anything for her but me--nobody but me, sir " and he cried as if his very heart would break. "Don't cry, my little boy, don't cry.. I'll buy your ballads--all of them;" and I gave him two half-dollar pieces--all the silver I had. "I haven't got so many as that, sir; I haven't got only twenty, and they're only a cent apiece, sir;" and with very evident reluctance he tendered me back the money. "Oh never mind, my boy; keep the money, and the ballads too." "Oh, sir thank you, sir Mother will be so glad, sir " and he turned to go; but his feelings overpowering him, he hid his little f...