Grandfathers -- Juvenile fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- Juvenile fiction; Orphans -- Juvenile fiction; Poor girls -- Juvenile fiction
"Where'd you get her? Whose she belongs?" demanded one big girl who knew
Glory and found this white-clad stranger more interesting than even a
monkey.
"Belongs to me. She's mine; she was sent," returned Take-a-Stitch, with
an inimitable gesture of pride.
"Huh! Talk's cheap. Nobody sent silk-dressed young ones to the Lane to
be took care of, Glory Beck. I don't care, though. Keep her, if ye want
to," returned the offended questioner.
"Sure I shall," laughed Glory, gaily. "But needn't get mad, Nancy Smith.
Maybe you can get one, too. She's my 'Guardian Angel' an' her name's
'Bonny'; she said so. She don't talk much, only that 'Bonny come.' Did
you know 'Angels' was so perfeckly lovely, Nancy?"
Clasping her hands, this proud proprietor of an "Angel" smiled
beatifically on all around. Even the organ-grinder came in for a portion
of that smile, though hitherto, Glory had rather disliked him because
she fancied him unkind to Jocko.
This organ-grinder was Luigi Salvatore, brother to Tonio, and as well
known in that locality. His amazement at seeing the child in the goober
seller's care caused him to stop grinding; whereupon the music also
stopped and the monkey left off holding his cap to the children, begging
their pennies, to hop upon his master's shoulder. From thence he grinned
so maliciously that the "Angel" was frightened and hid her face in
Glory's skirt, whereupon that proud girl realized that "Angels," if
young, were exactly like human young things and needed comforting. Many
an Elbow baby had learned to flee for help to Glory's arms, and now this
stranger was lifted in them and clasped closer than any other had ever
been.
"Oh, you sweetest, dearest Bonny Angel! Don't you be afraid. Glory'll
take care of ye. Don't they have monkeys where you lived, honey? S'pose
not, less you'd ha' knowed they wouldn't hurt. Well, now, on we go.
Which way is to grandpa, Bonny Angel?"
The tiny face burrowing under Glory's chin was partially turned and the
babyish hand pointed outward in a very imperative way. Glory construed
that she must travel in the direction indicated and, also, that even
"Angels" liked their commands to be immediately obeyed. For when she
lingered a moment to exchange compliments with Nancy, on the subject of
"stuck-up-ness" and general "top-loftiness," Miss Bonny brought these
amenities to a sudden close by a smart slap on Glory's lips and a lusty
kick in the direction she wished to be carried.
Fortunately, Take-a-Stitch had never thought how "Angels" should behave,
else she might have been disappointed. As it was, the child at once
became dearer and more her girlish proprietor's "very own" because in
just this manner might Meg's youngest have kicked and slapped.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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