Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1858-11-27

turn-outs, and we've nowt hut the election
brass to live on. Good-luck to Won, master
aud to your pretty lads, wherever you go
Ah J there's NO knowing what ones owl
poor little 'uns may come to in tkis hare
world Here she hugged liet baby fondl,
to her bosom; dnd Iodding Kidd farewell
to the street.artisters, she disappeared
Perchante, Comfortable reader, you wonder
how these children could fhd an abpetit,
TO enjoy a second meal so soon after thei
breakfast; but, remember, the boys haC
existed in state of semi-starvation al
their lives; and in such cases the craving
for food is incessant
It's useless to go home without money.
thought the poor mouutebank L coulc
no more face Mrs. Niggs than l could ii
ger; so, we'll step on, best foot foremost;
and If the weather doesn't turn out very
bad we can be at Eglinthorpe by five
o'clock. Tom Wtitlock's sure to be there
with bis tumbling- booth; he'll be glad of
us, and pay us we'll too, for the fair-day.-
Let's make start, boys come cheerily.
hop Thus monooguing, and leading Mdg-
kins by the hand. he turned his back on
the town, with little Alfy bringing up the
rear At the outset Of the journey, the
youngsters were lively enough, and prattled
on, in childish fashion, about what they'd
do when they were older; what pains they'd
take with their posturing and vauting;
and how they'd get situation in some
grand circus, where an immense amount Ol
salary would be theirs; and how joyfully
they'd give it all to their father and mother,
who should never he ragged nor hungry
any more. The mountebank smiled on them
compassiOnately as he listened; he remem-
bered that long years gone by, he, too, had
thought and spoken in the same strain
Alas for human hopes and resolves his
parents had died in the parish workhouse
Not that he was unwilling to assist them
but not that he lacked affection towards
them-but few and far between had been
his opportunities of assisting them; for he
had not been fortunate in profession
which is, at best, but precarious one
True, lie had seen Others with very lin
tied amount of talent and industry, get
forward in the race of lfe-rise in the world,
and attain high position in their calling;
but his career had been an unsuccessful one {;
and though it would have been the pride OF
his aifectionate heart to have cherished the
declining years Of his aged parents, it was
not to be; and, as said before, they died
in the wOrkhouse.
'CheeriIy, no. Ally Give me your hand
and III help you along. So the father led
both boys;and when they had walked near
ly five miles, and begun to look tired, to
their great delight he opened his inexhaust-
ible budget of oft-repeated tales, to tighten
the tediousness of the journey. First, he
related the anecdote of Alfred the great
and the burned cakes; then the story of
William Tell; after these came the fable of
the shepherd boy and the wolf--all of which,
though heard for the twentieth time at least,
awakened in the juvenile auditors as warm
an interest as ever; and many we're the
sensible remarks and pertinent questions to
which they gave rise. Formerly, when the
children were too young to be amused in
this manner, the mountebank, in providing
for business excursion would purchase
some comfts or pepperment lozengeS, and,
after walking so long, that symptoms Of
WEAKNESS began to exhibit themselves in
the slackened pace of the little pedestrians,
he would scatter the sweetmeats here aud
there on the road at short intervals, ard
the chsldren, forgetting their fatigue, would
follow quickly to secure the tempting prize;
and when the stock of confectionery was
exhausted they would race with as much
eagerneSs after ball thrown 10y father in
their onward path, as ever was manifested
by jockey when competing for the Derby.
Latterly, tales and songs had taken the
place of the cOmfits and the ball
The sixth milestone was greeted by the
youngsters as friend, for it told them that
half of their journey was accomplished;
but father appeared uneasy; he looked with
diSmay at the heavy black clouds overhead,
and at the thickening snow; it had fallen
gently all the afternoon, but it now began
to assume threatening aspect He stop
ped suddenly in the most interesting por-
tion of The ThriftleSS Heir, which he was
relating, aud felt irresolute whether to re-
turn even then, or to go forward After a
brief pause he chose the latter alternative,
for, as he argued mentally, to return with
out having any part of the rent to proffer
to Mrs Niggs, would only provoke her to
carry into intmediate execution her threat
of turning all the family outinto the streets;
whereas, If he went on to the fair, his wife
and the younger children would at least he
certain Of roof to shelter them-and that
was something in such inelemeut weather.
Setting this out of the question, his little
party was half way to its place Of destina-
tion. To be sGre, the remaining half lay
across barren moor, where there were no
hedgerows or walls to screen the travellers
from the weather. WhSt of that ? He'd
carry Midgkins; and then he and Ally
could walk faster than they had doue pre-.
viously, and wouldn't feel the cold. Pur-
suant TO this resolution, he took the tired
little one, nothing 10th, in his arms, although,
encountered as he was by the large drum, it
was troublesome matter to manage this
additional weight. Still he toiled on sup
porting Midgkins on one arm, and leading
Alfy as quickly onward as he could. while
thicker aud faS ter fefl tire snow-aakes, aud
gradually slower aud more feeble became
The boys steps; and Midgkins nesting in
his fathers bosom, overpowered With the
extreme cold, fell fast asleep.
Come, my boy, step out and let us get
n -, f,,I =, c. Il -