The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-07-28
WE TWO.
William Byrd


Fortune brings in some boats that are not seered.
-CyDabetine.
It's just bit of story, sir, that don't
sound much TO strangers, but I'd like to
tell you about it, if you have time to
listen, for they've all forgotten Robbery
down here, except me; they're poor folks,
you see, and things drift out of folks
heads when poverty drifts in.
Robbery? yes, sir that was his name
leastways the name we gave him down
here. AS to father or mother, we never
had any, | think; never had anyone in
the wild world to belong te except our
two elves-Bobbery and me. was the
elder, two long years older than him;
but then was blind, you see, so the two
years didn't count for much, and Bob
berry got ahead of me after the time
when the long days of pain clipped into
long nights, and God shut me out of the
world; not that grumble, sir I've given
over that; and Robbery was always such
a good lad to me that perhaps didn't
miss so much, after all.
| grew to fancy things, and make be-
ieve | saw great deal, particularly after
Robbery took working at his trade
Shoeblack, sir; and sometimes, when |
became accustomed to being always in
the dark, | went out with Robbery, and
held the money that he made.
Well, not much, perhaps but enough
for US two, and the little room we had
down at kingstown, or over against the
river; only Robbery was an extravagant
lad-not in drink, sir-we were always a
sober lot-but in ORANGES
They were almost his ruin, sir-those
oranges. He used to come up. stairs suck
ing them softly, SO that might not hear,
and thinking to deceive me; but some
how sn1eb oranges, and it always made
me sharper to catch Robbery whistling
little tunes to himself on the way up,
just to put me off.
He made deal of me, did Robbery
along of being blind, you see-and so
did the neighbours; but | was rare proud
of him. You don't know what it is, sir,
to sit alone in the dark all day, and then,
on a sudden, hear fellow call out: "Here
we are again! Come down and feel the
sun set, and we'll count the coppers!' 1t
would make you love anyone, sir, who
had voice like that, let alone a fellow
like Robbery
Perhaps you didn't happen to be in
Kingstown, sir, last spring when the
floods had risen, and the land was under
water for miles round. Robbery had to
wade little going down to his work,
but he rather liked it, he said; and he
used to tuck up his trousers, and call
back to me and laugh, as the water crept
around his feet; and he said folks wouldn't
want their boots BACKED, he feared, for
the water would soon take off the polish.
| used to sit on the window sill to feel
the sun, and if listened very hard |
could hear the ripple ripple of the shall
low water at every step that Robbery
made, ard it had a pleasant sound, and
made kind of company feeling; but
when he was out of hearing, and it still
came ripping up against our walls, the
company feeling went away and left me
lonely, and sometimes l thought the
water hateful, because it lay for so very
long between me and Robbery
Well, once l was sitting alone on the
window-sill, and the day was very quiet
so quiet that | did not even hear the
little ripping waves; and in the quiet
grew frightened at last; and in the quiet
stretched out my hands across the sill,
to feel my way down felt something
that made me shiver, and draw back out
ofthe sunlignt-that made my whole dark
life grow suddenly beautiful and
precious thing-I felt the water ripping
almost up to the level of the sill, and
was quite alone, and Robbery would
never know.
did not call out or 60 mad with fright,
as | thought at first | might do; only |
crept away, in my everlasting darkness,
from the warm sunlight, and sat down
on the bed where Robbery and | slept
together and put my hands over my
ears, to shut out the roar of the waters.