A Pair of Them

In Short

This story follows Mary Jane, a hunchbacked girl from a crowded, impoverished city street, and Bonny-Gay, a sheltered child from a life of privilege. Their lives collide after a series of public mishaps and a harrowing medical crisis, leading to an unlikely bond that defies the rigid class boundaries of their time. It is a sentimental, earnest exploration of social empathy and the dignity of the individual, reflecting the late Victorian fascination with the "noble poor" and the moral influence of children.

The Story

Mary Jane Bump, a young girl with a severe spinal deformity, lives in a narrow, dingy Baltimore alley with her parents and baby brother. Despite her reliance on crutches—which she calls her "wooden feet"—she possesses a joyful, resourceful spirit. She dreams of participating in the city’s free playground gardens, hoping that her physical difference might earn her a sympathetic exception. Her life intersects with the wealthy Bonny-Gay McClure when a stray dog, Max, causes a commotion that leads to a minor accident.

The wealthy social circle of Bonny-Gay, represented by an influential figure known as the "Gray Gentleman," initially views the inhabitants of Dingy street with distant, patronizing curiosity. However, when Bonny-Gay falls dangerously ill, she begins to ramble in her delirium about the park and her new acquaintance. In a moment of desperation, Mary Jane travels across the city to visit her, and her simple, heartfelt presence at the bedside helps pull the sick girl back from the brink of death.

While this event bridges the gap between the families, it also creates friction. Bonny-Gay’s mother struggles with a lingering sense of repulsion toward Mary Jane’s deformity, while Mary Jane’s father, William, grapples with a bitter, simmering resentment toward the wealthy, fueled by his own inability to provide for his family. Mary Jane remains caught between these two worlds, maintaining her optimism even as she faces social rejection and her family’s financial hardship.

The climax arrives when Mary Jane, while out on an errand, discovers a dangerous obstruction on a railroad trestle. With a display of incredible strength and courage, she clears the track just before a train passes, narrowly avoiding her own death while saving those on board. This act of heroism finally breaks the emotional defenses of the wealthy McClures. Recognizing her inner nobility, they provide the Bump family with a home in the country, where William finds honest work as a farmer. The story concludes with Mary Jane thriving in a new life, pursuing an education, and looking toward a future where her intellect and character define her more than her physical appearance.

How It Unfolds

The social divide The story opens by contrasting the spacious, dignified environment of Bonny-Gay’s life with the crowded, impoverished reality of Mary Jane’s alley. The author establishes the wide gulf between these two worlds, setting the stage for their eventual connection.

A chance encounter A series of minor accidents involving a dog and a soap-box wagon forces the two children and their parents into an uncomfortable proximity. These interactions expose the underlying prejudices and tensions that exist between the wealthy and the poor.

The illness and the visit When Bonny-Gay falls into a life-threatening fever, her parents are powerless to reach her. Mary Jane’s intuitive journey to the mansion and her comforting presence at the bedside serve as the catalyst for the family’s change of heart.

The act of heroism Mary Jane finds herself in a position of peril on a train track, where she risks her life to clear an obstruction. This pivotal moment forces the adults involved to abandon their superficial judgments and acknowledge her true worth.

The lasting resolution The narrative concludes with the transformation of the Bump family’s circumstances, moving them from the city’s decay to a stable, rural life. It offers a hopeful view of the future, focusing on Mary Jane’s academic ambitions and her newfound self-assurance.

The People

Mary Jane Bump is the heart of the story. She is defined by her "crooked" back, her crutches, and an indomitable, sunny disposition that makes her "beautiful inside." She seeks only a small garden to call her own, but she ends up being the anchor for her family’s salvation.

Bonny-Gay is a sheltered, warm-hearted child who serves as the "twin sister" of circumstance to Mary Jane. Her primary desire is to reach out across the social divide, and her recovery from illness is the key to breaking down her mother’s social barriers.

The Gray Gentleman acts as a bridge between the two worlds. A philanthropist with a kind, observant nature, he is the one who recognizes Mary Jane’s worth early on and facilitates the connection between the two girls, ultimately helping to mend the families' perceptions of one another.

William Bump, Mary Jane’s father, is a man beaten down by circumstance. His pride is wounded by his poverty, leading him to harbor resentment toward the rich. Through his daughter’s actions and the opportunities provided by the McClures, he moves from a state of bitterness to one of self-respect as a productive tiller of the soil.

In Its Own Voice

Describing the physical impact of her disability, the text portrays her struggle to navigate the city:

Her lower limbs were useless and swung heavily between these crutches--a leaden weight from which she never could be free.

Reflecting on the class-based assumptions held by those in the city, the text notes the mutual curiosity of the two groups:

I suppose you, in your dainty clothes, are as much a “show” to them as they to you in their coarse attire, or rags.

After the dramatic train rescue, the mother acknowledges the shift in her perspective:

Little did I guess how noble you are. Nobler, Mary Jane, than anybody I ever knew.

What It's Really About

The central theme is the nature of true nobility, which the author argues is found in character rather than social standing or physical perfection. The book explores the question of whether empathy can survive the "repugnance" often felt toward the disabled and the impoverished. It posits that children, through their innate ability to form attachments, are the best agents for dismantling the rigid, exclusionary walls built by their parents. Ultimately, it is a moral argument for the inherent worth of every individual, suggesting that kindness and bravery are universal languages that can bridge even the widest of social chasms.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the earnest, moralistic tone of late 19th-century children’s literature will find this book particularly rewarding. It provides a vivid, if idealized, look at the social dynamics of Baltimore at the turn of the century. The prose is warm and direct, focusing on the internal lives of its characters, which gives it an enduring, intimate feel.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the period-typical sentimentality and the dramatic, sometimes heavy-handed, depictions of "the poor" and the "crippled." The narrative leans into the trope of the "angelic" suffering child, which may feel dated or overly didactic to some. There are also instances of dialect used in the dialogue that reflect the linguistic attitudes of the era. Despite these period constraints, the book remains a sincere and often touching portrait of friendship that refuses to be limited by circumstance. It stays with you not because of its plot, which follows the conventions of Victorian melodrama, but because of Mary Jane’s unwavering spirit and the genuine, if sometimes clumsy, attempts of the characters to find common humanity. It is a quiet, thoughtful choice for anyone interested in historical attitudes toward disability and social reform.