Litchfield enquirer., 1868-02-13
WHOLE NO. szee-

'- per, with the account of his having claim. d tralia" " ~>""- t tralia9" . - -" ee'--e " aus 'Wen when knew that nv boy was safa : out of the workhouse, determined not to e dle as had thought I should but to try and live for his sake. Free passage to :; Melbourne were being offered then to wo- men and girls, and resolved to go away. Z ana earn money somehow to support him. i've never heard of him since. l wonder why they have never answered my let. 7 ters." -' AAe'4 You wrote to the wrong place most like. ", suggested the husband; sshowever. it
 was lucky you remembered the jewellers address all right, for if he hadn't acknowl. edged the receipt of the twenty pounds we refunded, and promised not to prosecute.
 we couldn't be here; but as to Johnny.
 you'll see Jane. We'll find him out, and l we'll bring him home, and bring him up to l De honest and true, and we'll find means to ) reward those that have been kind to him. , never you fear," and he stopped down and kissed her.
 Thus 1t was that the mother of the desert ed child returned to England,-the happv respected wife of an upright and successful
 man, yet yearning for her lost darling with
 longing that never faded or grew dim. Daily during the homeward voyage she had
 pictured the meeting between herself and her boy until she could almost feel the clasp ot h1s arms round her neck. but as the flylng Cloud neared England, miser
 aoie restless took possession of her,--a
 SICK fear lest she should not find her child. Hef husband was very kind very tender wlth ner; put he had no power to still the
 terror that fi11a6 tba on ralny morning early in Christmas week. that Henry Boultby, the fortunate
 gold digger, and his pale wife, landed at
 WaPp!ng' and as soon as they had deposit
 ca thelr luggage, they started together to
 seek for the Timmins'. They went first to
 the lodgings to which little Johnny had
 been traced by his mother. The door was opened by man whose flushed cheeks and
 Joval smile told, even more plainly than the Sprlg ot mlstletoe in his button hole, that
 tivity A'S''
 Walk in, " said he, civilly, when he had
 did so; and pleasant chatty woman came
 out with baby in her arms. If you
 please ma'am" she said, ''the Timmins' left
 here three years ago and more. My hus-
 oand was made one of the inspectors to the
 G. C. Company when Mir. Timmins got in
 to trouble and as he couldn't afford to keep on these lodgings so we took 'em of
 his hands, -.
 ""Henrry Boultby turned to smile cheerilv
 was it?' 'SAS
 "Why, sir, I don't know that can right.
 y tel you: It was something about gold snuH-oox that MT. Timmins was thought to
 nave stolen, and he was dismissed from tha
 Company's service. His character was cleared afterwards by some letter from Aus trala, and my husband said the company
 ma'am," " she exclaimed, suddenly breaK1ng
 Oil, do let me get you chair. You look
 ready to drop' .-,---
 Henry Boultby scarcely waited to thank
 the astonlshed woman for her information
 before he bore off his wife to the cab that
 waited at the door She covered in cor
 ner of 1t, and shivered as if with cold, but
 said never word.
 'Dont take on so Jenny," urged her
 husband, drawing her shawl more closely
 round her, ''for my sake, don't You
 couldn't dream you were doing him such an i injury, and we shall find them, I'm sure.
 Try to think of some other place where
 they may be heard of" -l L She shook her head hopelessly at first, ( but after moment said eagerly, sK--C e Thither the cabman drove, and upon in-
 quiry it appeared that the return of the
 basket which had contained Mrs. Timmins'
 Christmas gifts, had occasioned second direction to be given. It had been sent
 by post, and after long delay was forth
 coming After that it was only matter of
 time to follow up the track. The Boult- by's drove from parish to parish-from
 lodging to lodging, each dregree poorer and shabbier than the last, to be met every
 where with the same sad story: ''He
 couldn't get no work. so they had to give up the rooms." Jane BoultbyIs face grew
 paler and paler, and her lips became parch.
 ed and dry. Every now and then her hus-
 band laid his broad hand encouragingly
 on hers, but few words were spoken. At
 length the cab stopped at the bottom of wretched alley in one of the purlieus of London; foul reeking, loathsome place. z
 Miserable children in damp rags were 1y-r. ing or creeping about, and here and there the voice of drunken woman quar- 7 relling with her neighbor sounded loud and shrill. The rain was falling fast, but Mrs. Boult-
 by did not seem to feel it. She walked on
 quickly, unheeding the curious glances
 turned on her and her we'll dressed stall
 wart husband, until they reached dilapi13 dated house, at whose door knot of dirty men were lounging The often-repeated question was this time answered in the af- frmative Yes, they were here. Fallen
 80 low as this! The BoultbYs mounted the
 filthy stairs, swarming at every flight with squalid children, up and up til they reach ed the topmost garret. Here they knocked ) and in minute woman came out, clos ) ing the door behind her. A woman,-but , could that lean careworn creature, with un- tidy hair and threadbare clothes that hung loosely about htr pinched figure, could that 3 really be the bonny comedy Mrs. Timmins l of old days? Jane Boultby was past speak ing by this time, her knees were shaking under her; she could hardly stand, but she e signed to her husband to tell her story. He e did so at once, in frank, manly way, r standing all the time in the dreary pass age. He touched tenderly upon the vari- t ous incidents, but he omitted nothing, and a he ended by humbly entreating forgiveness - for his wife. His listener heard him in en- [ tire silence, and as he paused g wailing : voice called from within: Mother, ,mother,. , do come" ss.~.. snr ,:ra ...tsf .,