The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-06-10
THE COOKS STORY.
BY HERSELF.

say that when they came botherin' me il
the kitchen, those beggars. ''No," said
but he would come in, and stand there {
lookin' so wretched that / could do moth
ing fercer than shake the soup ladlt
at him and yell, "Well, "WeIl, now, what
do you want?"
''Somethin' to eat" says he, as meek as
a lamb. Mother is sick, and father is
dead, and she. and and baby are SO hun.
gryT
'sJest the same old story" said I, ''that
every beggar-boy has told me for years.
There-go away" And fastening my
breastpin, that had trick of coming un-
done, knew by that that l had 1t on. II
was one I'd had given me, and it was worth
a great deal 1t had belonged to riehold
lady waited on, and poor folks generally
don't have such pins. But he looked so
pitiful that my heart melted, and says L,
II know your lying, but it's jest me to be
imposed upon. Sit down there and eat
your breakfast, and I'll give you some
scraps afterwards"
And then went on with the pudding,
keepin' my eye on the child. He was as
white as a sheet, and his cheeks as hollow
as mans of eighty, and his poor little feet
were bare; and the tears would rise into my
sort o. wicked for havin' spoken so at first.
The short and long of it is, stuffed his
basket as full as it could be, and sent him
off stuffed full, too; and went back to the
kitchen, and was feelin' quite contented
like, and as though I'd done my duty, when
teelin' somethin' queer about my collar, /
put my hand up and the pin was gone.
l looked all over the floor. 1t wasn't
there. hadn't been out of the room, and
in moment knew who had got it. 1t
was that beggar-boy. That came of har-
borin' beggars for the first time in mylife.
I Jest pitched what had in my hand on
the floor, Twas only a wooden bowl; but
I'd done Jest the same, I'm stopped out
of my wages. And out / went into the
street "Mr. Policeman" cried, to one
that was jest agoing by, by luck, ''catch
that beggar-boy. He's hooked my pin. y
And never saw nothing like the way that
big man strided up the street and
pounced on to that midge. He gave a
screech, and then began to cry; and all 1
says to the policeman was: ''Get back my
pin. That's all 1 care for.
But that was easier said than done. The
pin was not to be found He'd thrown it
away, most likely. And then 1 was in such
a boiling rage that could have killed him.
Lock him up, sir, said to the police
man, land I'll appear agin him to-mor-
row." And then L had TO go back to the
kitchen; for be cooks emotion what they
may, her missus and her master won't think
of going without their particularly
her master.
''Well, l kept boilin' and frettin', and
wishin' could hang the boy. And never
in my life did 1 have such time with mis-
sus. 1t was Cook, the meat amt done
enough; and, Cook, the gravy is too thick.
And the under gal was gone, and had to
wait myself And at last, when dinner was
set down to me, couldn't eat one bit oft.
1 put it away untouched, and just sit down
and cried ~s- ~
Next morning went to court and told
my story, and the policeman said he had
seen the boy throw something away; and
the Judge he sentenced him to be locked
up for dunno how many days; and all the
while the little rascal kept crying, and VOW
ing he never saw the pin.
1t made it SO much the worse. If he
had own up, he wouldn't have deserved
half so bad. But as it was, was glad to
see him punished, and I'd been gladder
still to have seen him hung.
When l went home, / felt better: and so,
finding myself hungry for the first time
since lost my pin, got out the cold pud-
ding and a bit of meat, and sat down alone
by myself in the kitchen to eat them.
SNo wonder missus found fault, said /,
as put my spoon into the pudding
There's Jumps in it like stones. -
And with that l tried to break it and
couldn't; and feeling curious like, l put it
on the table. 1t seemed to me real stone.
''IH the sugar, likely says I, ''and broke
the pudding away; and there in the midst
saw-my breastpin. 1t had dropped IN
while l was mixin' it, and there it was.
About an hour afterwards all the help
down the street had it to tell that Ann Ger
ry-thats me-had gone mad and rushed
off to drown herself 1 went with nuthin'
on my head, wringin' my hands and cryin':
but where went was to the prison, to beg
and pray that dear boys pardon of the
Judge, and ask him to lock me up in the
precious innocent's place.
That boy consider my boy now. He
shall have all I've got in the savings bank.
every cent. A better boy never lived, and
next to his own mother. She's better now,
and doin' fine washin' and hutin', as 1 can
recommend to suit any lady. That boy
loves me. And this l always say to all
know when hear 'em talk of beggars and
tramps:
Don't Judge 'em because of their pov.
erty. Don't judge, lest, as our minister
reads out of the Bible, you be judged your,
self by them above you"
Those amt the words, but it's the spirit,
and so hope it's all the same.