The daily gazette., 1877-09-22

from her haad with fear and strangulatiun
She then shook her till her teeth chartered
and what little breath rem aimed to the help
less child was pretty well shaken out OF
her and completed the manifestation of
her displeasure by hurling the half insensi>
BILE girl TO the farthest side of the room.
"There, plauge on ye for fool--lie there
A foe plckpocket you'll be, drat ye not
cent out OF ye Pve made in all the years
I've had ye. except the few pennies ye
bag, and few more ye get by sellin' pins
and matches. Look at her 70 exclaimed
Mrs. Brown, throwing out her arms with
tragic gesture, and turning to her other
pupils "there's gal who act'ally prefers
to be honest-prefers 1t Who not only
can't steel pen'ortb, but won''s try to
learn An the chance she's had-the
education Pve given her An, with that
face o. hern she'd ought to b. furtin to me
she might turn every pocket in Broad
way inside out an look in their owners
faces all the tune with them inherent eyes
o. hern.- But no, my gal prefers to be hon.
est"
Then, all at once working herself from
irony into furious rage, Mrs. Brown
made bound toward Polly, and stopped
ever her where she still lay, having
scarcely recovered her breath yet.
"Go out?" she hissed. "Go out an
steal Don't come to me without some
thin worth while tonight, or I'h not
lave whole bone in yer SKIN, ye plague
o. the woorld!'
Polly dragged herself to her feet,
clutched at a ragged old suu-bonnet, her
only head gear in summer or winter, and
thankful to get of this den of horror at
any price, rushed from the room and in
to the street.
She wandered long and aim lessly, at
first with no intention of obeying Mrs.
Browns commands, until toward after
noon, as she grew faint and hungry, and
thought of the only home she knew, with
a realizing sense that she dared not re-
turn there without having procured the
necessary entrance fee. Her soul shrank
from the thought of theft; but she was "a
young and delicate child, and her poor
little body equally shrank from the
thought of blows-cruel, tiendish blows,
which waited for her at the hands of
Mrs. Brown, if she should dare to return
without treasure of some kind,
She wondered on and on up one street
and down another, till she found herself
on Broadway, and just passing great
white marble store. A sweet-faced lady,
with pale, pale face, and dressed all in
black, was coming out OF of the store,
and an obsequious salesman followed
her and held the door open.
eyes, Mrs. Fowler" he said, we will
not ail-depend upon u.s." ~
Mrs. Fowler graciously inclined her
head and continued on her way.
Polly followed her, thinking:
"She's rich and she won't mind; and
she looks so good and sweet, perhaps she
won't call the police if fail"
Polly glided alongside and slipped her
cold aud tremulous hand into the lady's
pocket, but Mrs. Fowler turned, swift as
a fash, and seized the poor little thief.
"You naughty girl, would you rob me?
Shall l give you up to the police?"
"Oh, no-oh. mol Please don't" cried
Polly In tones of piteous entreaty, and SO
loud that an officer at little distance
heard and instantly came forward.
"Did she pick your pocket, nam?
saw her do It," said the officer; and il
truth Polly, in the extremity of her ter
ror, still clutched the pocket book which
she had in her hands when Mrs. Fowler
turned upon her.
"Come with me, my girl" he cried
but Polly screaming, struggled wildly,
and her miserable sun bonnet fell off.
Mrs. Fowler fixed look of terror,
amazement and joy combined on the
and the mild, blue eyes imploringly
raised to hers.
"What is your name, child?" she
screamed, catching Polly in her arms
"for Gods sake what is your name?"
"Polly, just Polly, that's ALL" sobbed
the child; but she began to gather hope
from the lady's face.
"Will you give her in charge, ma'am?"
asked the officer, as a crowd began to
assemble over this strange scene.
go, Mr.. Officer, TO-" cried Mrs. Fow'
Ter; ait is my child-my own child-my
little Mary. She was stolen from me
when baby, almost, and for three years
have mourned her as dead. But her
eyes, her sweet, dear eyes, l would know
them anywhere. Please, sir, call car
riage, and come with me till find the
thief who stole my child"
Mrs. Fowler was soon in carriage,
and Polly close within her arms. The
officer accompanied them; and after
much trouble, from Polly's vague direc.
tions they found the establishment of
Mrs. Brown.
OF course the hag denied everything,
but Mrs. Fowler recognized her child,
and swore to her by various tokens OF
resemblance strong enough for moth
er's heart and eyes. And as quantities
of stolen goods were found on Mrs.
Browns premises, she and her three
pupils departed uuder the charge of the
police, and passed some nights in the
station house.
Eventually Mrs. Brown made a clean
breast of it, and gave all the proofs OF
Polly's identity with Mrs. Fowler's kid
knapped chilli; but the lady did not
need them. She had taken her child to
her heart from the first, believing the
cry of nature without proofs. Mrs
Brown is still serving out her. long SEN
tenoe in the.penitentiary; the three girls,
little Polly's companions, have been sent
to reformatories, and little Mary Fow-
Ter now tall, slender young lady, be-
lieves firmly that some failures are great
ly to be preferred to success.
On Monday morning, W. NJ. Kennard &
Co. will be found in their new sore, 62l