Fluffy by MFS Author:Mary Seymour Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: believed him so old—he was so short and so slight that he would have passed anywhere for a child of eight, unless, indeed, you observed the sharp lines of his wa... more »n little face, which had lost all the roundness and all the innocence of childhood, if innocence there can be on the features or in the heart of one whose earliest days have been spent amidst the sights and sounds which had always surrounded Fluffy. " Well, young 'un, how's trade ?" said a sharp, loud voice, which made Fluffy start. It was a big, rough-looking boy, who once 'upon a time had lodged in the same house, but had gone off no one knew where, and had developed from a ragged starving urchin into a comfortably clad youth who did not look like wanting a meal as badly as he had needed one many and many a time in Dockett's-buildings. Now and then he encountered his former acquaintance, and seemed to find pleasure in Pluffy's miserable condition, for he always laughed long and loud when he made the little boy own to being cold or hungry. " How's trade ?" he said now, stopping short and surveying Fluffy by the light of the lamp beneath which he stood. "You II never do any good at this sort of thing. There's too many of the regular newsboys to give you a chance." Fluffy made no answer, for the good reason that none seemed expected; he only shifted from one leg to the other, and began a dreary little whistle. " Come now, stop that row," said his friend. " You're cold, and you're hungry, and I'm most certain you've been a-cryin'." " No I haven't," said Fluffy hotly ; " it's the cold and the wet." "Gammon," was the polite reply; "I know better. Why don't you try a different way of gettin' your livin' ?" " So I would if I knowed one," said Fluffy; and then with a sudden burst of courage, he added, " s'...« less