Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-10-27
The Cooks Story.

No." said: ego away" always did
say that. when ihcy came hotherin' me in
the kitchen, those fellows. Mo- ! said ;
but he would come in, and stood there lookin'
so wretched that couldn't do nothin' hercer
than shake the soup ladlo at him, and yell,
" Well, now, what do you wantY'
Something to cat, says he, as meek as
lamb. Mother is III, and father is dead,
and she and | and baby arc so hungry
just the same old story" says /, " that
every bcggar-boy has told me for years.
Thorc-go away
And ! remember as | did it, fastening my
breasipiu, that had trick Of coming undonc.
| knew by that that had it on. 1t was
one I'd had given me, and il was worth
great deal. It had belonged to a rich old
lady | waited on, and poor folks generally
don't have such pins. But he looked so pitt
ful that my heart melted and says |, 81
know you're lying, but It's just me to be i'm.
posed upon. Sit down there and eat your
breakfast, and III give you some scraps ai-
forwards"
And then / went on with the puddin',
keepin' my eye on the child. He was as
white as a sheet, and his checks as hollow as
a mans Of eighty, and his poor little feet
were bare, and the tears would rise into my
eyes whether | would or no and felt quite
wicked for hayin' spoken so at first.
The short and long Of it is, | stuffed his
basket as full as full could be, and sent him
of stuffed full too; and | went back to the
kitchen, aud was ieolin' quite contented like,
and as though I'd done my duty, when feelin'
something queer about my collar, | put my
hand up, and the pin was gone.
| looked all over the floor II wasn't
there. ! hadn't been out Of the room, and in
a moment | knew who had got it. 1t was
that beggar-boy. That came Of harborn'
bcggars for the first time in my life. | didn't
stop long to think. | Jest pitched what |
had ia my hand on the floor. Twas only a
wooden bowl; but I'D a done it jest the same,
I'm afraid, if it had been a chany dish to be
stopped out Of my wages. Aud out | went
into the street.
" Mr.. Policeman" cried, to one that was
Jest a-goin' by by luck, catch that beggar-
boy. He's hooked my pin.
And | never saw nothing like the way
that big man strided up the street, and
pounccd upon that boy He gave a scrcech,
and then began to cry; and all | says to the
policeman was, Get back my pin. That's
all l care for
But that was easier said than done. The
pin was not to be found. He'd throwed it
away, most likely. And then | was in such
a boiling rage that | could have killed him.
Lock him up" says | to the policeman,
!" and III appear agin him tomorrow
And then | had to 60 back to the kitchen !;
for be cooks emotions what they may, her
missus and her master won't think of goin
without their particularly her mas
ter
Well, kept bolin' aud frettin', and wishn'
| could hang the boy. And never in my life
did | have such a time with missus. 1t was,
" Cook, the meat amt done enough )" and,
90 Cook, the gravy is too thick | couldn't
eat bit Of anything myself and jest sat
down aud cried
Next mornn' went to the police court
and told my story, and the policeman said
he'd seen the boy throw something away
and the magistrate he sentenced him to be
locked up for | dunno how many days and
all the while the little rascal kept crying,
and vowing he never saw the pin.
1t made it so much the worse. If he had
owned tlc fact, he wouldn't have deserved
ialf so bad But as it was, | was glad to see
Jim punished, and I'd been gadder still to
zee him hung.
When | went home | felt better; and so, |
hiding myself hungry for the first time since
lost my pin, got out the cold pudding and
bit Of meat, and sat down alone by myself
n the kitchen 10 eat them
" No wonder missus found fault" said /,
S put my spoon into the pudding "Thero's
jumps in it like stones" And with that |
red to break it, and couldn't; and feeling
urious like, put it on the table. Itseemed |
0 be a real stone. e" In the sugar likely"
avs |, and broke the pudding away; and
here in the midst | saw--my breastpin. 1t
lad dropped in while was mixin it, and
here it was.
About an hour afterwards all the servants |
lown the street had to tell that Ann Cory
hats me-had gone mad aud rushed off to
lrown herself | went with nothin' on my
lead, a-wringing my hands and cryin'; but
where | went was to the court, to beg and
pray that dear boys pardon of the magistrate,
and ask him to lock me up in the precious
place.
That boy consider mig boy now. He
shall have all I've got in the savings bank,
every penny. A better boy never lived; and
as to his mother, she's better now, and dom
fine washin', as | can recommend to suit any
lady That boy loves me. And this
always say to all | know when | hear 'em
talk Of beggars and tramps =" Don't judge
em because of their poverty Don't Judge