Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-07-09
5fiscellamy.
Thief-Life in Dublin.

The following sketch is from very
clever story in the July Atlantic, called
" Broke Jail, by new writer;
81 suppose | was born in Dublin,
though in what corner or cellar or gar
ret | have no idea. My first recollec-
ton is of leading an old woman around
the streets who pretended to be blind,
but could see like cat. She called her
self my grandmother. If that was true
it was the only truth | ever heard her
tell She begged in the streets, and did a
little in the way Of looking up good Jobs
for the burglars. We lived in a cellar
in the thieves and beggars' quarter. Old
Mag Runnells-that was the old wo-
mans name-was quite character
there. People who feared the police, or
who had stolen something bad to hide
or hard to sell, used often to come to her
for advice They always brought with
them bottle of whiskey, for devil a
word would old Mag say till her whistle
was wet Sometimes a man or woman
of our set would want to borrow small
sum of money of her, and would bring
some valuables 10 be left in pawn for
the loan. She would say, Go away
wild yer bawble and don't be cracking
yer Jokes on a poor old blind body. II
veil come back in an hour, maby | can
find some pawnbroker where | can spout
it for yees. They all know that ould
Mag is honest, and not wan of them
fears to put out the money on what she
fetches thin. Yes, yes, come back IN
an hour, honey, and Pll thry what
can do for yees.' Then she'd send me
off to play, and while she was alone she
would get the money out ofsome hiding,
place she had somewhere.
She was not very hard on me.
must say that for her. She did cuff and
bang me about good deal when she
was out of sorts or drunk, but she fed
me well and clothed me comfortably
and taught me TO read and write anc
reckon, for she was quite scholar, ano
had done something at forgery in hel
day.
1t would have edited you to see tn
| Il I ,,,o,,,,, o,,d ,,,n ~, orr rorodS in th
streets. Shewent always in black, thread
bare clothes, with never a speck OF dus
on them, and the whitest and stities
starched cap in all Dublin. She dic
/ look as decent as church-warden'
widow. Her quare old eyes stare'
straight before me. She looked blinde
nor wooden god and older nor tn
Lord Lieutenant's castle. / wore nice
clean, patched jacket and trowsers, an
a close-fitting skull-eap. Oh, but WASH
/ the meek, dutiful little grandson
leading his poor blind grandmother
and didn't | know how to blarney th
kind gentlemen and beautiful ladies
We didn't waste much time on the cit
zens, but devoted our attention MANI
to the country gentlemen and countr
traders and their good wives, who a
most always gave us something. w
were the best beggars in Dublin. Oh
Mag used to say that, if one had ia
ent for 1t. begging was far more profita
BILE nor stealing, to say nothing of tn
danger. Sure, the old body had a rigf
to know, for she had tried both. Sh
had been in Jail | don't know how ofteI
and had spent fourteen years at Botan
Bay
Sometimes we would 80 into hous
or shop to beg. If we got nothing els
we were sure to get an observation
the premises that might be useful to th
burglars. believe Mag's only MOTTO
/ of honor was that it would be seal
trick to report house where the peopl
had given her silver, to the burglar
But woe to those who gave her nothing
or coppers, if there was anything in tn
house worth stealing.
These same burglars did use to bo
row me now and again of dark nigh
to lift me in at windows and poke N
through holes where man couldn't g
One morning when | was about te
years old, or maybe eleven, | lay in m
!. bed of rags in one corner of our cells
long after / had walked up, wonderin
why the old woman didn't call me {
r she used to do. At last | crawled out
my own accord, and went to see VIII;
allied the old body. She was dead.
was sharp little devil, and hunted tt
cellar through for old Mag's none.
|, before l called the neighbors. l onl
found a few shillings."