Smyrna times., 1870-02-09
The Cooks Story.
RELATED BY HERSELF.

would come in, and stood there lookin' so
wretched that [ couldn't do nothing fercer
than shake the soup lade at him, and yell, |
" We'll, now, what do you want?"
Something to eat" says he, as meek as a |
lamb; mother is i'll, and father is dead, and |
she and and baby are so hungry |"
just the same old story" says [, that |
every beggar-boy has told me for years There
go away !"
And | remember, as did it, fastening my
hreastpin, that had a trick of coming undonc.
knew by that that had it on 1t was one
Id had given me, and it was worth great
deal 1t had belonged to a rich old lady
waited on-and poor folks generally don't have
such pins. But he looked so pitiful that my
heart melted, and says [, 81 know you re lying
but it's Just me to be imposed upon. Sit down
there and eat your breakfast, and Ill give you
some scraps afterwards"
And then | went on with the puddin' keepin
my eye on the child He was as white as a
sheet, and his cheeks 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 | quite wicked for havin'
spoke so at first
The short and the long of it is, [ stuffed his
basket as full as could be, and sent him off
stuffed full too, and went back TO the kitch-
en-, and war feeln' quite contented like, and as
VI
| thing queer about my collar, put my hand up
and the pin was gone!
| looked all over the floor 1t wasn't there
l hadn't been out of the room, and in mo-
ment knew who had got it. 1t was that beg
gar-bOy That came Of harborin' beggars for
the first time in my life. didn't stop long to
think. jest pitched what had in my hand
on the floor. 1t was only wooden bowl but
I'd done it jest the same, I'm afraid, if it
had been chany dish to be stopped out of my
wages. And out | went into the street.
Mr. Policeman, cried I, to one that was
jest a-goin by, by luck, catch that beggar-
boy He has hooked my pin."
And L never saw nothing like the way that
big man strided up the street, and pounced on
to that boyi lie gave screech and then be-
gan to cry; aud all l says to the policeman
was:
9 Get back my pin That's all I care for. y
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 boiling
rage that could have killed him
g Lock him up p says to the policeman
'and Ill appear agin him tomorrow.
And then | had TO go back to the kitchen
for be cooks emotions what they may, hel
missus and her master won't think of goine
without their particularly her master
Well, | kept bOilin' and frettin and wishin
| could hang the boy. And never in my life
did L have such time with missus 1t wa,
Cook, the meat amt done enough" anC
Cook, the gravy is too thick | cOuldn,
eat anything myself, and just sat down anC
cried.
Next mornn' I went to the police court anc
told my story, and the policeman said he't
seen the boy throw something away; and tn
magistrate he sentenced him to be locked VI
5 for dunno how many days and all the Will
the rascal kept crying and vOwing he neve
f saw the pin.
1t made it so much the worse IF he ha
9 owned the fact, he wouldn have deserved hal
so bad.
But as It was, was glad to see him punish
2 ed, and Id been gladder still so see hit
hung.
: When l went home I felt better; and $
finding myself hungry for the first time sine
e | had lost my pin, | got out the cold puddin
n and bit of meat, and sat down alone by my
o self to eat them. .....
) "No wonder missus found fault, said ], a
e | put my spoon into the pudding. "There
Q Jumps in it like stones" And with that trie
I to break it and couldn't; and feelin' curior
IS like, | put it on the table. 1t seemed to be
real stone. " In the sugar, likely" says
and broke the pudding away and there in til
midst | saw my breastpin 1t had droppe
III WhllC L WdS ullAlu lI dUu JucTb IL WIS.
= About an hour afterwards all the servap
: down the street had it to tell that Ann Ger
= that's me--had gone mad and rushed off
y drown herself. | went with nothin' on n
: head, a-wringin' my hands and cryin'; b.
y where | went was to the Court, 20 beg ar
!. pray that dear boys pardon Of the magistrat
- and ask him to lock me up in the precious i
" nocents place. e.s
Il That boy consider my boy now He sha
= have all I've got in the savings bank, evel
y penny. A better boy never lived; and as
= his mother, she's better now, and doin' fiji
y wsshin' as | can recommend to suit any lad
le That boy loves me. And this always say
!, all [ know when l hear 'em talk of begga
y and tramps:s Don't judge EN- because
y their poverty. Do not Judge, lest, as our pa
y son reads out of the Bible, you may be judg,
4 yourself by them above you"
- Those amt the words, but it the spirit, al
= so hope it's all the same. .
4 -