The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-07-05 00:00:00


even the small capital upon which his gambling
operations had been based.
"Cleaned out. Just my luck," he grumbled,
walking sulkily away, his hands buried deep in his
trousers pockets, his head sunk dejectedly on his
chest as he cursed his ill-fortune with as much re-
sentment of th-f fickle goddess's caprice as though
he had made a bad book on the Derby, and his
losses could have been counted in thousands of
pounds instead of a mere handful of inferior coins.
"Why didn't I leave off when I was to the good P
There'll be no gaff for me to-night
.that's certain,
unless I can get round the old man. Perhaps he'll
be in a better humour now."
Alas! his hopes in that respect were soon blasted.
Mr. Wood, irate in the morning, was not improved
in temper by his afternoon potations, and proved
obdurate to the boy's coaxing.
One solace remained to him. He could at least go
to the outside of the Paradise from which he was
shut out by want of means. There he could feast
his eyes upon the gorgeous posters, the chaste wood-
cuts that depicted the thrilling incidents of the
drama, the "hairbreadth 'napes" and daring deeds
of its hero, and read the synopsis of the plot, dis-
played upon the bills with all the varied attractions
that belong to bold type-setting, interspersed with
dashes and plentifully besprinkled with notes of
admiration.
These joys at least might be his, poor as he was;
and who could say but that some good Samaritan
might tire of the play, and coming out bestow his
check for readmission upon him.
Such things did happen sometimes. Nay, had
happened more than once to Ali& himself, and why
not now P

_
He could but make the attempt, at any rate, in the
hope that fortune might favour him; and he made
his way as night closed in to the goal of his desire.
This was a tall, bare-looking edifice' with a square
portico in front giving entrance to the boxes and
pit. It was situated at the corner of a wide
thoroughfare, trodden by thousands of hurrying feet,
lighted up by brilliant gas-jets in the windows of
handsome gin-palaces and the flickering flame of
numberless lamps that illuminated the street stalls
of the humble traders in every variety of commodity
which lined the roadway.
It was not unlike a fair in its characteristics.
There were hundreds of stalls, each with its one or
two lights. Here was to be seen a man showing off his
wares by the red, smoky flame of the old-fashioned
grease lamp; there another has fashioned an extern- '
pore candlestick out of a large turnip. Farther on
a seedy-looking man, with a long row of dilapidated
boots and shoes before him, carries on his business
with the aid of a tallow dip wrapped round with
coarse brown paper, that flares away with the candle.
Some of the stalls ;re crimson with the red glow of
charcoal shining through the bars of the baked-
chestnut stove, others have handsome lamps;
while, again, on the inner side of the pavement,
butchers flaming jets of gas stream and flutter in
the wind like banners of fire, the whole pouring
forth such a flood of light that at a distance the sky
overhead presents as lurid an appearance as though
some fire was raging.
Such was the 'neighbourhood and its attractions
to which, just about the hour that Alick Wood was
gazing with longing eyes upon the portals through
which his poverty prevented him from passing, a
gentleman of aristocratic appearance, and attired in
faultlessly cut garments, found his way, attracting
more attention from the ragged urchins who
swarmed here, there, and everywhere than he
seemed quite to relish.
"What a confounded idiot I must have been to
trust myself in such a terra incognita," he muttered,
as with some little difficulty he extricated himself
from a mob of by no means sweet-odoured youths
and frowsy women crushing towards the pit-door of
the theatre he was passing. "What on earth could
have induced her to appoint a meeting here! I hope
I haven't hurt you, my lad."
Alick Wood—for it was he with whom the gen-
tleman, in pushing his way through the crowd, had
come rather violently into collision—looked up in
his face with a mischievous smile. _

"No bones broke, sir," he replied, with an impu-
dent ease that produced a responsive smile on the
gentleman's features; "I ain't killed this time,
though you did come down rather heavy on my toes.
But I don't bear you no ill will. Tip us a tanner,
and I won't give you in charge for assault."
The gentleman laughed at the boy's impudence,
and tossed a shilling towards him.
"Buy a plaster with that," he said, and turned
away.
"Won't I, just ! " delightedly exclaimed Alick,
catching the coin with no small dexterity, and trans-
ferring it to his own pocket after spitting on it
"for luck," and then, without stopping to thank the
donor, he darted off with his prize.
Not far, though, for instead of following his
first impulse and rushing into the theatre, he turned
to look after the gentleman once more.
It was a sore struggle, but he was a sharp lad,
and it suddenly struck him as strange that a " regu-
lar West End swell," (he was quite well enough ac-
quainted with the genus by sight to feel sure that
the stranger was no pretender), should be prowling
about a neighbourhood so remote from his natural
haunts.

It might be worth his while, Aliek thought, with
the precocity bred of his street training, to find out
more about the stranger and his object in visiting
the slums of Lambeth; and, after a slight hesitation
on this point, he renounced "Jack Sheppard," and
followed cautiously in the wake of the quarry he
had marked for his own.

(To le coAtinuedt)