Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1875-03-11
Tom HarrisOn's Windfall

Tom Harrison and his pretty little
wife sat together disconsolately at
their evening meal in the one room
which served them for parlor, kitchen
and bedchamber combined. 1t was not
by any means palatial residence, for
the house in which they lived was in
one of those narrow, i'll paved and
dingy streets that form q sort of hu
man rabbit warren about the purlieus
of Gray's.in road Nor was the ban
qnet an epicurean one, consisting as it
did-and it was dinner, tea and sup
per ali together-of tea without eth
er milk or sugar, stale bread. and not
much of that) and two small herrings,
denominated by courtesy, yarmouth
hloaters," but which had probably
been cured in the vicinity of Bethnal
green or Lissongrove.
Tom was a wine merchants clerk,
out of employment, rather nice look
ing, tall, tawny moustached fellow of
about eight and twenty. His wife was
perhaps three years younger than him :
self, a pleasant-faced, cheerful little
body, type of English women very
common, thank heaven! in this our
vast Babylon. She had been a shop
girl before her marriage, and now that
she and her husband had fallen on ad-
verse times, had resumed her employ
ment, the few shillings she earned
weekly being all upon which the luck
less young couple had to live. Lima
Harrison was from 'home,' such as il
was, from 8 a. m, during which time
poor Tom was wearing out tshoe- lcath-
er by peregrinating the streets of Lon
don in the vain search after employ
ment. But for his CHEEKY little wife, 8
veritable cricket on the hearth, the
young clerk, who was not naturally oi
an impatient and desPonding temper
ament, would have utterly given way
Lima it was who, with bright smile
or light jest on the inconvenience oil
poverty, caused the bony herring tc
taste as well in the mouth as hauncf
of venison, and even the bitter, sugar
less tea to do duty for the toothsome.
ness of burgundy or champagne.
Truly, the wisest of all men never
more showed his wisdom than whel
he gave the preference to dinner O
herbs with love to dinner of roas
beef without.
1t was not the young clerks faul
that he was out of work. He ha
been employed by a firm who ha
failed for large amount, and othe
firms were very chary of acceptin
testimonials as to character from thos
whose good word was in itself no rt
commendation. So poor Tom, in oil
= slippers and much worn smoking cal
sat morosely slipping his unpalatabl
tea, out of sorts with himself and q
the world, for Mrs. Croucher, til
landlady, with that disagreeable pecl
. liarity of her trime, began to tai
about 'her' money Gas if it could I
: hers before it was earned y and
slam doors and deal out black look
as if the one great duty of the lodg
portion of mankind was to live iii
the proverbial horse, on one straw
day, in order to give to landladies Il
: means of going about in purple an
fine linen.
"a nice fix this, Lima said Tol
+, sulkily, turning over the starYeliE
to herring on his cracked delf plate.
, wish that old mother Croucher had s
: month in the House of Correction
take down some of her fat. How do
>, she get 1t, except by living On
dodgers 7 And that lazy brute of
husband Of hers never does a stro
PIG of work.
1is %, hush, dear replied little M
~ Harrison, filling up her husbands C
with the weak decoction of sloe-leav
that did duty for tea; 'after all 8
only asked for her own.'
Her own! hate the landladv
expression. How can it be hers
fore it is ours2 That everlasting c,
MY money, my money, l want !
!, money is enough to drive fell
AL' mad
And Tom kicked off one of his 81