Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1870-06-17
THE COOKS STORI'.
RELATED by HERSELF.

mo, SAID go away. l always uld
say that when they came botherin' me in
the kitchen, those fellows. mo" said
but he would come in, and stood there
lookin' so wretched that l couldn't do moth
ing tiercer than shake the soup ladle at him
and yell, "Well, 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 I and baby are so huhgfyv'
"Just the same old story says I, "that
every beggar boy has told me for years.
Therc-go awayr'
And remember, as l did it, of fastening
my breastpn, that had trick of coming
undone. l knew by that that l had it on
1t was one I'd 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 I, az know you're lying, but it's just
me to be imposed upon. Sit down there
and eat your breakfast, and I'll give you
some scraps afterwards.
And then l went on with the puddin',
keepin my eye on the child lie 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 havin' spoken so at
first.
The short and the long of ii is, | stuffed
his basket as full as could be, and sent him
off stuffed full too; and l went back to the
kitchen, and was feeling quite contented
like, and as though I'd done my duty;
when feelin' 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 my liie
| didn't stop long to think. | just pitched
what had in my hand on the floor. 1t
was only a wooden bowl but I'd done it
jest the same, I'm afraid, if it had been a
chany dish to be stopped out of my wages.
And out l went into the street.
"Mr. Policeman" cried I, to one that
was jest goin' by, by luck, "catch that
beggar boy lie has hooked my pin"
And | never saw nothing like the way
that big man strided up the street and
pounced on to that boy. He gave a scream
and then began to cry; and all | says to
the policeman was:
sect back my pinl 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 l was in
such boiling rage that could have killed
him.
"Lock him upv' says to the policeman,
land l will appear against him to-mor-
row."
And then l had to go back to the kitchen
for, be cooks emotions what they may,
her missus and her master won't think of
going without their dnner-particularly
her master.
Well, | kept boiln' and frettin and
wishn' | could hang the boy. And never
in my life did l have such time with
missus, 1t was, "Cook, the meat amt
done enough and "Cook, the gravy is too
thick" l couldn't eat anything myself
and jest sat down and cried
Next mornin' | went to the police court
ana tolu my story, ana 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 rascal kept crying
and vowing he never saw the pin.
1t made II SO much the worse. If he had
owned the fact, he wouldn't have deserved
half so bad.
But as it was, l was glad to see him pun,
ished, and I'd been gadder still to see hin
hung.
When went home felt better and 81
finding myself hungry for the first time
since had lost my pin, got out the colo
pudding and bit of reat, and sat down
alone by myself to eat them.
'No wonder missus found fault" said
as | put my spoon into the pudding
There's Jumps in it like stones" Ant