The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-15


I'm work !" cried this ioTlorn boiler IN qker,
staring az hast at his vile, and then working ms
vifloh's way very slowly round to me; Lord,
"Ah He amt indeedin said the poor
woman, shaking her head, as abe looked at the
four children IN successrOh, and then at him.
WORK ]" said the boilermaker, still seeking
that evaporated boiler, drst in my couutenauce,
then in the air, and then in the features of his
second son at his knee, II wish toas in work
haven't had more than days work to do tnis
three weeks
"How have you lIvedYn
A faint CLEAN of admiration lighted up the
face ofthe woud-be boler-mnker, as he stretched
out the short sleeve of his threadbare canvas
jacket, and replied, pointing her out "on the
work of the wife,"
forgot where boiler making had gone to, or
where he supposed II had gone to: but he added
some RESIGNED Information On that head, coupled
with an expression ofhis belief that 1t was never
coming back.
The CHEEKY helpfunass of the wife was very
remarkable. She did slop.work; made pea
jackets She produced the pea-jacket then in
hand, and spread 1t out upon the bed-the only
piece OF furniture in the room on which TO
spread IT, Sne show how much of 1t she
made, and how much was afterwards finished
of by the machine. According to her calcula-
tion at the moment, deductng what her trim
ming cost her, she got for making a pea.jacket
tenpence balfpenuv, and she could make one IN
something less than two days.
But, you see, 1t come TO her through two
hands, and of course 1t didn't come through the
second hand Tor nothing: Why. did 1t come
through the second hand at all? Why, this
way. The second hand took the risk
OF the given.out work, you see. Ii che
had money enough to pay the security deposit
call 1t two pound-she could get the work
from the first hand, and so the second would
not have TO be deducted for. But, having no
money at all, the second hand came in and took
Its profit, and so the whole worked down TO
tenpence halipenny. Having explained all this
pride, and without whine or murmur, she
folded her work again, sat down by her hus-
bands side at the washing stool, aud resumed
her dinner OF dry bread. Mean as the
n cal was, on the bare board, with its old galli.
pots for cups, ard what not other sordid make
shifts: shabby as the woman was in dress, and
toping down towards the Bosjesman color,
waai Tss p0.veg Of VF%en SnSv and U SHsa
the family anchor just holding the poor ship
wrecked boiler. r.maker's bark. When left the
room the oiler-maker's eyes were slowly
turned towards her, as IT his last hope of ever
again seeing that vanished boiler lay IN her
direction.
These people had never applied for parish
relief but once; and that was when the hUsban
met With disabling accident at his work.
Not many doors from here | went into a
room on the first floor. The woman apoto-
gIzed for its being in IAN untidy mess" The
day was Saturday, aud she was boiling the
chldren's clothes IN saucepan on the hearth.
There was nothing else into which she could
have put them. There was no crockery, or
tinware, or tub, or bucket. There was a1 old
gallIpot or two, aud there was a broken bottle
or so, and there we're some broken boxes for
seats. The last small scrapng of Goals left was
raKed together in corner OF the floor. There
were some rags in an open cupboard, also on the
floor. In corner of the room was crazy old
French bedstead, with man lying on his back
upon Il in q ragged pilot Jacket, and rough
olskin fantall hat. The room was perfectly
black. 1t was difficult TO believe, at first, that
IL was not purposely colored black, the walls
were so begrimed.
As | stood oppos' e the woman boiling the
chldren's clothes--sbe had not even piece of
soap to wash them with-and apologizng for
her occupation, could take IN all these things
without appearing TO notice them, and could
even correct my inventory. had missed, at the
| first glance, some halt pound OF bread in the
otherwise empty safe, an Old red ragged crno-
/ ne hanging on the handle OF the door by which
! / had entered and certain fragments OF rusty
| iron scattered on the floor, which looked ike
| broken tools and piece of stove.pipe. child
STOOD looking on. On the box nearest to the
fire sat two younger children; one delicate and
| pretty little creature whom the other sometimes
kissed.
This woman, like the last, was wofully
shabby, and was degeneIatlng to the Bosjesman
complt Xion But her figure aud the ghost OF a
Cerlan ViVacity about her, and the spectre If a
dimple in her cneek carried my memory
strangely back to the old days of the Adelphi
Theare. London, when Mrs. FitZwilllam was
the friend OF Vlctorine
MAY ask you what your husband is?"
He's coal porter, Sir, with glance and
sign towards the bed.
"Is he out OF work ~
20 yes, sir, and works at all times very, very
scauty with him, and now he's laid up."
IT'S my legs,n said the man upon the bed.
"I'll unrOll 'em." And Immediately began.
"Have you any older children?"
81 have daughter that does the ncede-work
+ aud have son that does what he can. She's
| az her work now, and he's trying for work."
do they live here I"
They sleep here. They can't afford to pay
more rent, and so hey come here at night The
rent is very hard upon us. It's rose upop MS
4 too, noW-siXpence a week-on account of these
new changes in he law about the rates We
are week behind; the landlords been shaking
and rafting at that door trighUiul: he saws he, Il
turn us out. don't know what's 10 come of it, -
The man upon the bed ruefullY interOosel 4.
"HeTe's my legs. The SKINS broke, besides
| the swelling. l have had many kicks worrying
| one way and another
He looked at his legs (which were much dis
colored and misshapeD) for awhile, and then
appearing to remember that they were NOT
popular with his family, rolled them up again.
as if they were something in the nature OF
maps or plans that were not wanted to he
referred to, lay hopelessly down on his back
once more with his tantail hat over his face and
stirred not.
''DO your eldest son and daughter sleep in
that cupboardN
Yes" replied the woman.
with The CHILDREN ?"
eyes. We have 10 get together for warmth
We have little 10 cover u.s.
Have you nothing by you to eat but the
piece of bread sPe there" !"
Nothing. And we had the rest Of the loa
for our breakfast, with water. l don't know
what's TO come OF itn
"HaVe you no prospect Of improvements
''It my eldest son earns anything to-day, he'll
bring ii home. Then we shall have sometbuu
to eat tonight, and may De able 10 do some
r thing towards the rent II not ! don't kno 4
what's to come of tt.'
, 10 cor Ct ttltp nf limo ~