The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-04-14
"THE TRUE HISTORY OF a LITTLE
RAGAMUFFIN."
A NEW BOOK ADO UT THE LONDON PooB

n picture of actual lie among Tue London poor
under the title of "The True History of a Little
Ragamuffin." II is highly praised by the Eng
lish journals, one OF which remarks that $50
graphic is it in style that we can scarcely dvest
ourselves OF the idea that he must have been on
intimate terms with the ragmufin he personates."
Fryingpan alley. Cerkenwell, was the place i'm
which the hero first saw the light, his father
being 'coster," and till his mothers death,
which happened when he was about six years
old, he seems not to have had particularly
hard time of 1t.
There are in this volume several bits of char
acter-drawing which are in the Dickens manner
and exceedingly good-such, torinstance, as this
sketch of Mrs. Winkship woman of business
who inhabits Frying,pan alley;-
MRS wINKsH1P.
Mrs. Winksmp was elderly lady, living at the
full five stone heavier than Mr PIgGo 20 say nothing
of her being considerably shorter and thicker.
But it was not entirely on account OF her superior
size that felt more interest IN Mrs. Winkship's case
than ir the DubIican's. As Tor Mr.. Piggot, so long
as they succeeded IN removing his body, hoig would
not have troubled me in the least; indeed, so far
from being affected by the fact OF hls dying, have
no doubt that, had been informed that that event
had taken place on his own promises should have
greatly reoiced that now all chances of the occur
renee oIthe CALAMITY that haunted me were at an
downright love and gratitude, entered very oOnsl.
deraoly into the question she was woman of
herself, but she followed t1e business left bV her
husband, which was that of lending barrows and
money TO the many Iruil-hawkers that lived in our
alley. 1t was Mrs Winkship's boast that since Mr..
WinkshIp's death, which had happened thir,een
years ago, she had never journey ed out OF Turnmil
street, except on the occasion of h,r venturing
far the Royal Coburg Theatre at Lambeth in the
pantOmlme season. when she had slipped down the
gallery stairs and spraIned her ankle. Her constant
station was the threshold OF ner own house, where,
seated ON an uptuTned coke measure with a nose-bag
fu of chat for cushion, she kept watch the velong
day. The peculiar nature of her business more pro-
perly speakIng, of her Gus omers compelled it, I'M
less she caught the fellows when they returned home
after dis osiDg of their stock, and insisted on their
'squaring up" before they went indoors, she was
The difficulties of her business, however, afforded
no material hindrance 70 her ENJOYING herself IN the
sat in the passage, but while it remained fine
head, neither breakfast, dinner tea weuld drive
her from the nose bap. she had no other odger but
a mecca lanky, pock marked young woman, who
wore her halr much strained in backward dlrec
ton, and there secured in great bunch. Hne
frightu disease that had scared her had also
robbed her of an eye, that altogether she could
not be called handsome; but like her aunt she was
good hearted crea ure, and helped me TO meal
many and many time She Kept the key OF the
bar ow-shed in Dog and Stlle Yard, and undertook
meas.
They scere meals Since that memorable tine it has
that might fairly be called exec ent but not OF
them ever came up to those Mrs Winkship used to
partake Of AT bres kiast or at tea she was nothing
very great; but at dnner she was spenud. The
coke-measure being of the half bushel size, vas of
convenient height for sitting before bottom.up
appe-sieve. The apple sieve the dining ia ole;
and, certain as stroke of O'clock you might see
Mrs inkshlp shit her coke measure from the door
way to under the parlor window, and hear her call
out, Ready, Martha, when you aie!" and then
Martha would raise the parlor window, and arrange
the windowsill the salt aOd the vinegar and the
pepper and the mustard; then she would bring out
the apple sleve already spread with cloth as white
as bran new calico and then she would hustle back
into the paror again, and hand the dinner out at the
window to Mrs. Winkship
1t was always something with plenty of gravy
it-rich to look at luscious, and smoking hot; but
the most wonderful feature OF Mrs. Wlnkship's din
ners was their smell. There are meats by nature
delicious smelling-Ioast pork, for instance; but
and how Martha managed 1t could never, from
power Of conferring odor OF baked cracking on
the tamest meats; to conjure out of them fragrance
that seemed to cry aloud with voice that could be
heard from one end of the alley to the other. Ger
talny; fancy may have had great deal to do with
most of 1t; or it may possibly have happened that
Mrs. Wlnkshp's dinner and Its odor beng alto
gether without any competition, its virtues appeared
more forcbly. Whether either OF the above conjec.
lures explains the fact can't only know that
exactly as have never seen such dinners. so have
never smell; any such. 1t was common remark
amongst us boys and girls, that it seemed to be
always Sunday with Mrs. Winkship. After dinner
she drank rum-and-water-hot,i invariably. In the
the depth of winter, when the snow was on the
ground, and she sat on the coke measure wearing
harry cap with ear-aps and wrapped IN coachman's
box coat, she wOud drink il; in the summer tune,
when the cobble'sones of the valley were hot to
naked leet and the cutters too warm for refresh
ing dabble in them, she drank it hot and strong
ever.
Did we respect Mrs. Winksnip the less on account
OF this weaknessI Did we despise her, and taunt
her. and make fun of herr We did not How could
sidered what profitable weakness it was to usY We
used to fetch IT Tor her. three-penOrth at a time.
We used to lurk in the shadow OF doorways, aud
peep from blinds, keeping a sharp eve on
her TIL the arrival of the moment for action-the
moment when she waddled back from the parlor
window TO the doorway with her seat and sat her
self down thereon, with her fat arms contentedly
folded on her lap We used to take It in turns. The
way 10 stroll hon your urkng-place and
saunter towards her in the most undersigned man
ner possiblej and when you approached close
enough to address her innocentY, and though
the thought bad that moment popped INTO your
head asking IT sne happened TO want anything
fetched Her way, then, was 10 look up in an
had made q mlstake-taken her Tor somebody else,
possibly.
"Did You speak to me, boyY
"Yes'm Pm going into TUNNEL street to fetch
some tIeacle IN a minute, for my mother; / thought
perhaps you might want some tea, or some hing m /"
"No, thanky, boy; my TEA I've got, and my milk
will be here presently. don't think stand in need
of anything"
When it came to this, the way of the boy was to
thank her civy and TO look perfectly satisfied,
and as though he well knew that since Mrs. Wink
ship all right IN the matters OF tea and milk, she
could not by any earthly possibility require anything
ese II, on the contrary, the boy acted dfierentlY
If he wlnked, or looked knowing merely and grnned
much as to say 'WhY, what's the use of carrying
on with all this jolly nOnsensel You know what you
always have and what YOU want; give me the half
pence and say no more about ltl"-l say If he said
or even looked thing Of tins sort he would ave
been sent about his business in a twinklng, and
scratched out OF the ladYs good books for end of
time; but Al he managed the business neatly and
turned away promptly and respectfully when he had
got Mrs. Winkship's answer, IL was next 10 a cer-
tarntY that she would excaim presently =
Mr.. Bells invention cons lists of an alphabet
of thirty signs, by means of which, and their
various combinations, IL is alleged, he is able
to represent every sound OF which the human
voice Is capable. The system has already won
the most cordial approval OF several distin.
guished philologists. Marvellous and impossible
as such system may seem, ii is only the truth