CHAPTER VI.

CHILD-LIFE m THE SLUMS —HOMELESS STREET BOYS, GUTTER¬
SNIPES AND DOCK RATS —THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A DAY¬
BREAK BOY.

Gutter-Snipes — Imps of Darkness — Snoopers —Rags and Tatters —Life in
the Gutter—Old Sol — Running a Grocery under Difficulties — Youthful
Criminals—Newsboys and Bootblacks—Candidates for Crime—"He's
Smart, He Is " — " It's Business Folks as Cheats " — Dock Rats — Unre¬
claimed Children—Thieves' Lodging-Houses—Poverty Lane —Hell's
Kitchen — Dangers of a Street Girl's Life — Old Margaret — The Reforma¬
tion of Wildfire—The Queen of Cherry Street — Sleeping on the Docks—
Too Much Lickin' and More in Prospect—A Street Arab's Summer Resi¬
dence— A Walking Rag-Bundle — Getting Larruped —A Daybreak Boy
— Jack's Story of his Life — Buckshot Taylor—A Thieves' Run-way —
Escaping over Roofs — A Police Raid — Head-first off the Roof — Death of
Jack — His Djang Request—An Affecting Scene — Fifteen Thousand
Homeless Children.

^■^/"^trTTEP-SlSriPES! That's what I caU 'em. What else
^^—I could they be when they're in the gutter all day and
half the night, cuttin' round like little imps o' darkness. Not
much hair on 'em either — not enough to catch by, and clothes
as is mostly rags that tears if you grab 'em. The prison barber
wouldn't get any profit out of 'em, I can tefl you. Men around
here don't shave till their beards stick out like spikes, and the
women cut the children's hair to save combin'. Gutter-snipes.
That's it, and they snoop around stores and slink off a salt flsh
or a bundle of wood or anything as comes handy, and home
with it like the wind. Mother is there, you may be sure, and
washin' may be. Do you suppose she asks any questions like,
' Lor, Billy, where did you get that ?' Not she. She takes the
fish, or whatever it is, as innocent as a lamb and sends Billy for
some bits o' coal to cook it.

" Yes, that's the way it is down here.    Eags and tatters are

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