Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-12-18
THE STORY OF TOM FANSHAw.
CHAPTER 1,

Tom FANsHAw, of the n. Y. G. Rail.
way Company's service, thought it
hard case to have to turn out of his
warm bed at the unearthly hour of the
morning at which his wife gave him
push and told him it was time to get up.
tie rose in dudgeon, went to the window
and looked out. A cold, aggravating
December morning; nothing to be seen
except the candle he held in his hand,
and his own unshaven, unwashed visage
glowering sulkily at him. His wife, a
CHEEKY little body, was on her knees be-
fore the CRATE, trying to kindle the
embers of last nights fire with the
bellows.
Come, Tom," she said, "look sharp,
or you'll be late. Drat the fire, it won't
light, and tirewood's so awful dear" She
drew Il little bundle from it's hiding place,
and lighted match beneath it. "There,
that'll do now. What sort of morning
is it?"
Don't jaw. 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 it's own.
The wife went to take it up.
Hush -sh-sh; bless its little heart, it
shall, so it shall"
Warm my coffee" said Mr.. Fanshaw,
magisterially.
Yes, directly. DID it wants its pap,
the precious chicken, did it?" and Mrs.
Fanshaw set on the fire can which did
ss0t contain her lords coffee
Fanshaw buttoned on his uniform and
mused upon the insufficiency of his
salary. In an adjoining room three other
Inn no In
clung in their night-gowns round man.
my, and demanded to be dressed.
MY coffee" thundered Fanshaw
above the clamor.
Yes, directly; only baby must have
his pap first" pleaded Mrs Fanshaw, has.
tening toward the fire.
Tom Fanshaw was decidedly cross that
morning. He had full five minutes to
spare; but gloomy desire for martyr
dom came upon him.
"Very well. 1 see / am to have no
coffee this morning" he said, and stalked
herolcally out of the house in the direc-
ton of the depot, where it was his fate to
attend to the cars arriving by the train
due every morning at seven o'clock, and
at intervals thereafter throughout the
day. AS he stood by the gate he sudden
ly felt something which might be claw,
ora mouth, take firm hold of his calf.
lie gave little jump, excusable in
man who had been for some time ewing
a white bulldog, the property of
shabby dOg-fanci1r, standing suspicious
ly close to his legs. Tom .Fanshaw
started, but the claw still kept its grasp
without any of those incisions peculiar
to teeth, and at las, he looked down. He
saw, long way below him, small boy,
a ri ho, Al.
years old, crying bitterly. After two or
three seconds, apparently spent in max.
ing up his mind that it did not intend to
bite, Fan ,haw stopped down and looked
more closely He saw a small bit of
puckcred face and two large bits of
chubby hands, and the thing said be-
tween its sobs, Please, sir, where's
mamny?"
Tom Fanshaw was not by any means q
hard man. albeit the weather had gone a
long way toward making him so; so he
said kindly: Hullo, young 'un, what's
the row! Want nanny, Ell? WeIl find
her in a 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
contdingly in the great red fist; but no
nanny was TO be found.
Look here, what's TO he done?" said
Fanshaw, showing the child to a police
man.
con, hand him over to me-" replied the
knight of the baton. "Ill 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
evidently 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 you going to take himY"
he asked. "Twenty-first Precinct Sta.
tion-house, eh? lil come and look after
him in day or two. Poor little fellow,
! suppose the Commissioners of Charity
and Correction willget him eventually; (;
but there-lve 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.
Faushaw found time to accompany her
husband on a visit to the stalion-house
to :. look after little Johnny.
Mrs, +. carried with her couple of
oranges and tin trumpet, the confscated
properly of her son and heir They had
nearly reached their destination, when
n woman, poorly clad, with young,
pinched face that was not without 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
full speed down u 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
great hurry