Litchfield enquirer., 1868-02-13
THE UNVEILED SNUFF-BOX.

bed at the unearthly hour of the morning at which his wife gave him a push, ana told him 1t was time to get mp. He rose il
 dudgeon, went to inc window, and looked
 out. A cold, aggravating December morn ing; nothing to be seen except the dip ht held in his hand, and his own unshaven
 unwashed visage, glowering sulkily at him
 His wife, cheery little body, was on hel knees before the grate, trying to kirdle the embers of last nights fire with the bel lows. "Come, IT," she sad, 'look
 sharp, or you'll be too late. Bother the fire, it won't light, and fire woods so awful
 dear" She drew a little bundle from its
 hldlng-place, and lighted match beneath
 8 morning is it?'
 Don't jaw. do declare, it's an abom.
 inable shame'
 What particular abuse the inspector al. luded to, can never be known, for at this moment the baby began to squall, and drowned all other voices in its own. The
 wife went to take it up.
 "Hush-sh-sh; bless it's little heart, it shall, so it shall. .'
 "Warm my coffee,'' said Mir. Timmins,
 magisterially. .st F.. -ut. -s
 Yes, directly. Did it want it's pap, the precious chicken, did it?" and Mrs Tim mins set on the fire a can which did no, contain her lords coffee.
 The inspector buttoned on his uniform, and unused upon the insufficiency of his ] salary. In an adjoining room three other small persons awoke, and running in, ,clung in their night-gowns, round nanny, and demanded to be dressed. 1 My cofee!' shouted MT. Tmmins above the clamor.
 "Yes, directly; only baby must have his pap first, pleaded Mrs. Timmins, hast ening towards the fire
 Inspector Timmins was decidedly cross that morning. He had full five minutes to spare; but gloomy desire for martyrdom came upon him.
 "Ve-ry we'll. I see I am to have no coffee this morning." he said, and stalked heroically out of the house in the direction of the railway station, at the entrance of | which 1t was his fate to stand, and inscribe | in notebook the destinations of the cabs that conveyed the passengers, arriving by the mall-traln, due every morning at AM. to their several abodes. A raw, dreary day it certainly promised to be. The clothes of the porters clung Imply about them, their owners had a gen eral air of having been shaken into them, l and the passengers scowled at sense of unmerited injury as the drivers shouted out their addresses for the edifcation of the general public. The rime got into Inspec- tor Timmin's throat, and nearly choked him. The driving mist had penetrated his inexpressibles during his walk to the sta- matic; he thought ffether limbs feel rheu- provide their offers with umbrellas. 1
 But he had not much leisure for such re- factions, for passengers were numerous that morning, and he went on half writing down their directions, and checking them off in his own mind. No. 12 Upper Loaundes Street. Swell. Direction doesn't matter; not worth his while to bag any body's box. 26, FInsbury Place, respectable party home from holidays; he's all right. 13, ,&. Giles' Road. The Islington Pet: coming from a prize fight, mostikely; the inspector look ed after him with interest. 32, LiAle Con- ner Buildings; queer lot; likely to be want ed, should think. The direction was carefully written down, and Inspector Tim mins heaved sigh of relief as the last cab drove off As he put up his notebook, he suddenly felt something that might be 9 claw, or mouth take firm hold of his calf. He gave a little jump, excusable in man who had been for sometime eying white building, the property of shabby dog fancier, standing suspiciously close to his legs. Inspector Timmins started, but the claw still kept it's grasp without any of ! those incisions peculiar to teeth, at last he looked down. He saw, long way below him, a small boy, little child, not more than two or three years old, crying bitter I lv After two or three seconds, apparently spent in thoroughly making up his mind that it did not intend to bite, Inspector Timmins stopped down and looked more closely. He saw small bit of puckered face, and two large bits of chubby hands, and the thing said between it's sobs, "Please, sir, where's mammy?"
 Inspector Timmins was not by any means hard man, albeit the fog had gone long way towards making him so; so he said kindly, "Hullo, young un, what's the row! Want nanny, eh? We'll find her in 8 minute" as he really thought he should, believing that the child had strayed from his mother while she was looking for her luggage. They walked down the platform together, the big man and the little one, ] the small hand laid confdingly in the great red fist; but no nanny was to be found.
 "Look here, what's to be done?' said the inspector, showing the child to a po- liceman outside, when he had satisfied him self that the last passenger had departed:
 70, hand him over to me" replied the guardian of the law. ''I'll take him to the Iworkhouse, and he'll be claimed in a day
 or two Come along, Johnny, repeated the
 policeman, trying to lead him away. But
 the little hand chung to it's first protector,
 and MT. Timmins fingered. .--......
 "Where are you going to take him." he iasked. "K-- Workhouse, eh? I'll leone and look after him in day or two Poor little chap, he's almost too small for g workhouse; but there-Ive got torments enough at home." He hardened his hear
 at the thoughts of the mornings scene
 and consigned his small charge to the DO Ilicemans care. .,r- X ,.... z. ..r
 When Inspector Hmmins reached home
 he found a greatly improved state of things
 The children were washed and dressed, th e baby asleep-it spent large portion of it f existence in sleep, that baby-the fire wa
 shining on breakfast already on the ta
 ble, and the fog had cleared off as the SUI
 rose. The fog had cleared of also iron
 MT. Timmins' temper, and he picked ul
 one of his children and began anoisy gam of romps. But in the midst of the fun , little Johnny's puckered face reccurred t a his mind, and above the child's ioyou , shouts he seemed to hear the shrill trebl } that piped out, !" Please, sir, where's mann