Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-12-09

himself from his patrol, and take part in some
FESTIVE gatheE1pe, he would. despite Official de-
glad to tbe RI
though the passers- by were few, quiet did not
reign IN thestfoets through which Twinkleton
ram 9. his way to the station, in.smuch a.
SOUNDS OF laughter proceeded fron TIE houses.
and Occasionally some merry bacchanalan
ditty would ring through the frosty air, and fall
Ike neavy weight gpon the depressed spirits Of
WHO knows?" he thought .perhaps when
the railway offcials learn my distress, they'll
have train put on special and shall be able
to rescue the twins before any harm comes TO
EN-"
Scarcelv had the thought &c mt joy and hopeful
expectation throughout his soul than there came
| his mind convinced him was more reasonable
| than that in which he had just indulged. Even
| IL the railway officials granted = special train,
who would forsake their Christmas enjoyments
to plunge through the cold atmosphere for thirty
miles and back again, with the sole object OF re
| storing to the bosom of their family Twinkle
toms twins? WHO was Twinkleton5 and what
business had poor little tailor with twins The
| unfortunate Tim knew well the heartlcssaess of
! the cutter world. and rightly guessed that such
| would be she observation of many when they
| came to knowledge of his mishap. Then sup
| pose the twins should die OF stary alton on the
road, even If they escaped the dangers of the
| luggage. would he, Tim Twinklston, be brought
| before the magistrate on charge of m anslaugh-
| ter, or perhaps murder? Here was another ter
rible thought. Was the good name of himself
and wife TO be dragged through the slough OF ).
! police court? Each of his maginngs was more
horrible than the last, and seemed 10 give fresh
impetus to his heels; for instead of decreasing in
pace as he approached the railway station, his
! footsteps grew more rapid.
- That's the man; I'd swear 10 him. said a
loud voice in TwinkletOn's ear.
lnvoluntarily he turned and ere his scattered
senses recalled a knowledge OF who had spoken,
a sturdy constable had seized him securely hy
the collar, AMI, drawing his sta H. had whisper "a
to the startled Tim that ii he didn't 90 quietly
to the station. 'itd be the worse for him.
=" That's the man; he came in inst as 1 was
closing the doors, and wished particularly to
have the basket booked by that train."
% oh, you re the clerk at the station ~ cried
Tim, jOyOusly, recognizing the surly tones OF
the man who had been in y hurry u get home
, to his dinner, and, owing to the Chelmford
clothesbasket, hadn't succeeded yet in accom-
right ?S
The tall policeman gave the hand that grasped
Tins collar such peculiar twist that the poor
little tailor was nearly whirled oft his feet.
81 caution you not to speak; eos what you say
may be taken down in evidence agin yer"
"Oh, you wretch and they were twins, too, he
The words were evidently spoken by q female
voice; and turning his head as tar round as 6he
cOnstables knuckles would allow, Tim was as
founded to see that a numerous but not select
party of hOoting boys and dirty Ia IN and women
were following him with menacing gestures.
Whats the charges" inquired Tim, in a
husky voice.
ooh, you know well enough, l dessay; why
abandoning o. hinfants, in course: and q good
job for you it's no WORSE" replied his cuSto-
dian.
Tim inwardly thanked the rough policeman
! for his intelligence. The mention of The charge
convinced him that, whatever mistortunes mi ght
have occurred 10 his progeny, they were at least
alive; so, without another word, he accompa-
MED the constable and railway clerk to the sta
GOn-kouse.
The crowd that had hitherto followed in his
rear judcously thought thOy were safer from
the recognition OF anxious acquaintance be-
longing to the police force in remaining outside
the building than they would have been had
they entered the inspectors room therefore Tim
had the satisfaction Of discovering that only the
railway clerk, the policeman, and himself on
tered the station house.
Still further gratiiicd was the prisoner Twin
klet0n ~ find that the Chelmsford wlshirg-
basket, with the twins smiling pleasantly tn re-
in, had preceded his arrival; and further m re
as though in additional reguittal for what he
had gone through, he saw talking to the inspec-
tor On duty an old customer oil his employers
who always specially praised Tins w0rkm an
ship and insisted UPON being measured for his
clothing by. Twiikleton alone. 1t afterwards
of the inspector s, and had just casually dropped
! in to give him Christmas greeting when the
prisoner Twiukleton was brought in. But for
the presence. of the old gentleman poor Tim
might have had to spend his Christmas-day
within the walls oi the Station-hOuse. Fortune
however, befriended him; aud the shrewd intel
lgonce OF the Inspector, aided by that of Tins
acquaintance, soon grasped the cal facts Of the
case. The railway clerks statement was to the
effect that the prisoner had been terribly ANXIOUS
to get rid of the basket, and that it was only i'm
mediatcly pTi0r TO its being tossed into the lug
gage-yan OF the train that the twins gave token
of their presence. Search was at once made for
Tim, but his haste TO get back to the bosom of
lis family rendered any endeavOr to discover him
in the precincts of the station perfectly useless
Then it was that the twins were given into the
care OF constable, and hequick official zeal OF
that functionary at once saw that the prisoner
had made an attempt to abandon his offspring
Tim S explanation Of these matters was 50 salts
factory that his friend, the old gentle man. wa,
willing to be bail for him to any amount; and
after half an hours conversation, the n fair
ended by Tins being allowed to march on i'm
triumph, bearing both the Chelmsford wash
ing anu the twins with him. His old friend
In order to recognize the efficiency of the
police force, insisted on handing the constable
u gratuity OF five shillings; and rs a compensi-
ton for missing the hour at which he had
appointed to dine. an equal sum was ten
dered to, and accepted by, the railway clerk.
Nor did the gentleman's generosity end here;
for, seeing Tim striding down the street, with
both hands claSning his precons burden, and
with considerable sprinkling of the crowd that
had accompanied him TO the station iecrin1 in
enter a cab. Paying the driver with a liberality
that caused the Jehu to respectfully touch his
hat, the old gentleman babe him drive Tim ana
the twins as rapidly as he could to Pipeclay AL
ley; and then, wishing Mr.. Twinklet0n merry
Christmas, and promising him private order
to be executed when Tim liked, the old gentle
man turned away as light-hearted ana merry q
though only eighteen instead OF sixty winters
had passed over his head. Under these favora-
BILE conditions, il was not long ere Tim found
himself once more face to face with Mrs. Tom
kins and his little ones.
OF course Twinkleton's first inquiry was for
his wife, and load seemed lifted off his heart
when he heard that she was still asleep, and
therefore Unconscious of what had happened to
her offspring. The worthy nurse. when she saw
the twins had not suffered from the checkcred
events of the day, gave vent to food of tears
that seemed to relieve her feelings immensely.
Then, of course, the children had a few tears To
she'd; but at last the sunshine of happiness
spread itself over the little room, and it was
wonderful how everybody cheered up when an
intimation was given by Mrs. Tomkins that
probably twOuid be as well to have in the
pudding.
Owing to the grief Occasioned by the loss OF
their newly-bOrn brothers, the children had not
as yet seen anything of the Christmas delicacy
provided for them by the mdefatigasle Mrs
TOmkins. but. as that lady remarked, a plum
pudding's one of those things which can't be
boiled too much" and 80 at last the youthful
members of the Twinkleton family were allowed
to satisfy their appetites. Then came such a
clatter of knives, spoons, and forks for the
space of ten minutes AS has been rarely heard
while Tim looked on with the utmost content