The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-12-24
THE STORY OF TOM PANsHAw.
A Christmas Tai


Tom Fanshaw, of the y. Y. G. Railwa
Company's service, thought it hard cas-
TO have to turn out of his warm bed at tn
unearthly hour of the morning at whic
his wife gave him push. and told him
was time to get up. He rose in dudgeOn
went TO the window and looked out. 4
cold, aggravating December morning
nothing 10 be seea except the candle h
held in his hand, and his own unshaven
unwashed visage, glowering sulkily a
him. His wife, CHEEKY little body, wa
on her knees before the CRATE. trying t.
kindle the embers of last nights fire witt
the bellows.
"Come, Tom," she said, 'look SHARP
or you'll be late. Drat the fire, it won'l
light, and firewOOd's 80 awful dear" She
drew little bundle from its hiding-place
and lighted match beneath ii. "Thcre
that'll do now. What sort of morning
isit?"
"DOn't jaw. 1 declare it's an abomina.
BILE shame.''
What particular abuse the railroad man
alluded TO can never be known, for at this
moment the baby began to squall, and
drowned all other voices in its own. The
wife went TO take it up.
Hush-sh-sh; bless its little heart. il
shall. so it shall"
"warm my coffee,' said Mr.. Fanshaw,
magisterially.
''Yes, directly. Did it want its pap. the
precious chicken, did it," and Mrs. Fan
shaw set on the fire a can which did not
contain her lords coffee.
Fanshaw buttOned on his uniform, and
unused upon the insufiiciency of his salary
In an adjoining room three other small
persons awoke, and, running in, clung in
their night-gOwns round nanny, and de-
manded to be dressed.
my coffee ~ Numbered Fanshaw above
the clamor.
"Yes, directly; only baby must have
his pap first" pleaded Mrs. Fanshaw, has
tening towards,the fire.
Tom Fanshaw was decidedly cress that
morning. lie mad full five minutes to
spare; but a gloomy desire for martyrdom
came upon him.
Very well. | see | am to have no cof-
fee this morning." he said, and stalked
heroically out of the house in the direction
of the depot, where it was his fate to attend
to the cars a: irving by the train due every
morning at O'Clock and at intervals there
after throughout the day. As he stood by
the gate he suddenly felt something which
might be a claw, or a mouth. take firm
hold of his calf. He gave a little jump,
excusable in a man who had been for some
time eyeing white bulldog, the property
of shabby dog -fancier, standing suspi-
ciously close to his legs. Tom Fanshaw
started, but the claw still kept its grasp
without any of those incisions peculiar to
teeth, and at last he looked down. He
saw, long way below him, little child,
not more than two or three years old, cry
ing bitterly. After two or three seconds.
apparently spent i'm making up his mind
that it did not intend to bite, Fanshaw
stopped down and looked more closely.
He saw a small bit of puckered face and
two large bits Of chubby hands, and the
thing said between its sObs, PLEASE, sir,
where's mammy?"
Tom Fanshaw was not by any means a
hard man, albeit the weather had gone a
long way towards making him so; so he
said kindly. Hullo, young 'un, what's
the row! Want nanny, Ell? Well find
her in minute" as he really thought he
should, believing that the child had strayed
from its mother while she was looking
for her baggage. They walked down the
platform together. the big man and the
little one, the small hand laid cOntidingly
in the great red fist; but no nanny was
to be found.
"LOok here. what's to be dOne?" said
Fanshaw, showing the child to police
man.
80, hand him over TO me-" replied the
knight of the baton. "Tll take him to
the station house, and he'll be claimed in
day or two. Come along, Johnny" The
child frightened at the name; it was evil
IDENTIFY the right one.
"COme along, Johnny" repeated the
policeman, trying TO lead him away. But
the little hand clung to its first protector,
and Mr.. Fanshaw fingered.
- Where are Vou UOinp tO take him 80
he asked. "Twenty-first precinct station
house, eh? I'll come and look after him
in day or two. Poor little fellow.
suppose the Commissioners of Charity
and Correction will get him eventually;
but there-fve got torments enough at
home" He hardened his heart at the
thought of the mornings scene, and con-
signed his small charge to the policeman's
care
Fanshaw related the circumstance to his
wife, and the next morning Mrs. Fanshaw
found time to accompany her husband ON
visit TO the station-hOuse to look after -
little Johnny.
Mrs. F. carried with her a couple of
oranges. and tin trumpet. the cOntiScated
property of her son and heir. They had
nearly reached their destination, when
a woman, poorly clad, with a young,
pinched face that was not without a GER
tain wild beauty, and disheveled hair. |
turning the corner of narrow street, |
came into violent collision with Mr.. Fan |
shaw. Recovering herself Immediately, |
she brushed roughly past him, and ran at |
tull speed down a dark passage. Mrs. |
FanShaw looked after her with some sur
prise, and the next moment she and her |
husband were surrounded by little crowd |
headed by TWO policemen in a great hurry. |
q =.
asked one of them, young and rather |
good-looking? She's been robbing lew
eler's shop, and we thought she came this /
way"
"Ies, yes," replied Fanshaw, eagerly. |
catching the prevailing excitement; (" she |
ran up against me not a minute ago. She |
went down that passage" and he pointed |
to the alley where the woman had disap- |
peared.
With hasty "thank you" the police |
men hurried in the direction indicated {; |
but they were soon at fault again, and Fan |
shaw and his wife, having followed for a
minute or two, diSengaged themselves |
from the crowd and walked on. Arrived |
at the statiOn-h0use, Johnny was found, |
his puekered face more puckered still, cry |
ing piteously in the corner in dire dis
grace. The nurse of the ward, an old \
crone whose temper time had sou7ed, /
pointed him out vindictively.
Drat the child, | can't do nothing
Win INN that's the way he's been going
on Ihe whole blessed morning. NANNY,
NANNY, lndeedi / wish his mother 'ud
letch him out, for he's no better nor a
nuisance here"
Mrs. Fanshaw's bright eyes darted dao-
gers at the old dame as She passed her
and IN minute she had gathered little
johnny into her kind arms, and was cud-
ding him up upon her lap, where the