The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1873-01-03
aNisrellaneuns.
GRIP AND THE PREACHER.

HI The following narrative is .rom Far.
4 1jeon's story of Australian life. 1t has
q moral, certainly:
Il 81 was brought up very queer. /
/ was-net Ike other coVes. Father
ne never give US 10 eddiestion per
aaps he had none to give. But he
might have give as some grub when
1--we wanted it.''
-l'Yoar's is a hard life, GriEn the
girl said, pityingly.
"Yes, 1t is 'ard,s the boy asserted !:
precious 'ard, specially when a cove
can get enough to eat. But l 'spose
IT'S all righs- What's the use of both
ERIN (? / WONDER he continued,
musinglY, "where the rich coves gets
all their money from? Ill was a
swell, and had lots of tin, Id give a
poor chap like me bob now and then
But they're or6le stingy, Ally, is the
swelis; they don't give rothin' away
for nOthin. When l was in quod. a
preacher chap comes and breaches to
me. He sets hisself down upon the
bench, and reads somethin' out of a
book-a Bible, you know-and, after
he'd preached for 'arf an hour be ses
"What do you think of that, 'nighted
boy?', ats very good" / ses, s'but
can't eat it, "Put your trust
above" he ses. "But s'pose all the
grub is down here p ses /; 81 can't
go up there and fetch it." Then he
groans and tells me story about an
infant who was found in the bulrushes
after it had been deserted; and l ups
and tells him that I've been deserted
and why don't somebody come and
take me out of the bulrushes b? Wasn't
he puzzled, neither? Grif cAuckled,
and then encouraged by his conpan.
ions silence, resumed.
"He come agin, did the preacher
cove, afore | was let out, he breaches
a preach about charity" "Don't Won
steal any more," he ses, ''or your
sole'll go to morchal perdition. Men
Is charitable and good; jist you try
'em, and give up your evil courses -
L ses, 81 only wants my grub and a
blanket, and l can't get 'em no other
way" "You can, young sinner, YOU
can" he ses. "Jist try and see if YOU
can't" He spoke so earnest like, and
the tears was runnin' down his face 80
hard, that l promised him rd try. So
when l gets out OF the quod, 1 thort,
fH see how the preacher cove is right.
l waited till | was hungry, and
couldn't get nothin' 10 eat without
stealin' it / could have took a trot-
ter-the trotterman was drinkin' at a
public house bar, and his basket was
on a bench; but wouldn't. No, l
goes straight to the swell street and
here l sees the swells a walkin' up
and down, and liften their 'ats, and
smilin' at the gals. They was rare
nice lot of gals, and looked as if but
ter wouldn't melt in their mouths; !;
but there wasn't one in all the lot as
nice as you are, Ally. i did not have
courage at first to speak to the swells ;
but when l did, send / may live they
started back as if 1 was mad dog
"You be 'awf!" they ses, ''or you'll
be guv in charge" What could a
pore beggar like me do after that i?
/ dod yed about, very sorry l didn't
take a trotter, when who should /
aea- comm along hnt tho praanhar
chap, "Here's slant,'' ses ! to my
self. He's charitable and good, he is,
and'n guv me something in minute.
He had lady on his arm, and they
both looked very grand. But when
/ starts up to him he starts back too,
and ses "Begawn, young reperrer
batei' When l heerd that, / sed
"Charbate be blowed :" and i goes
and finds out the trotterman, and
takes two trotters, and no one knows |
nothin' ahOut n -