The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-08-02

luou ut gave ullu HILL Il CrONu.duu
babe him go and be good and clean.
And the boy was off like fash.
Thousands just such as he in this
great city sighed the good captain, as
he walked along. ''Ah me -
Then he went in search of Mrs. Ann
Golden and his own fair darling.
But Mrs. Golden was not as easily
found as he had hoped. There was
little shop in the house he had been
directed to, and the keeper thereof
said he had bought it of Ann Golden;
''but / haven't seen her since.' she
said; s:only there's bit of card with
her number on it-that is, l can find
it,"
After a search she did find it; and
the captain, thanking her, hurried
away. But another disappointment
awaited him.
Mrs. Golden had not lived in this
second place for years. She had
moved into Clumber row, but what
number no one could remember.
At Clumber row. whittier the
captain drove III cab, woman
owned to having had her for a ledger.
''She had child staying with her,
too" she said. Little Ned she cal
led him, but to tell the truth. she
drank so that I turned her out. |
couldn't abide such doings. She went
to Fossil lane, No. Q.
To Fossil lane the captain went. 1t
was a filthy place, and there was a
drunken woman at No.9. who was not
Ann Golden, and who threw piece
of wood at him for asking for that
lady. And now every clue was lost
and the captain nearly besides himself
for anxiety, applied to the authorities
for help; and after many days of great
unhappinesS Ne heard Of an Ann Gbl-
den who lived in q quarter OF London
so low and dangerous that all decent
people stunned it.
mo wonder" the captain thought,
'.if she lived there. that she should
have had his remittances sent to the
post office. and left him to believe
that his child was still in the decent
home to which she had at first taken
him
Almost i'll with excitement, the
poor captain drove with Il policeman
as protector into the maze OF hldeOuS
lanes and courts that led to Ann
GOlden'S dwelling, and following his
conductor, dropped into filthy cellar
where, among the horrible leakage
of drain pipes and almost in utter
darkness, sat an old woman with a
bottle besides her, who started up
when the captain and his guard
entered, and cried: ''What now!
what the perlice here for! Is it one
OF the boys again.
And, altered as she was with years
and drink, the captain knew his wife s
old nurse, Ann Golden. He gave a
cry of rage and darted toward her.
my boy !" ne cried.
tain -
SIS my boy living!' he asked.
| eyes, said the woman, shaking all
Over;s.he's alive and well.
"How dare you keep him here?'
cried the captain.
''How can l help being poor!''
whined the old woman. Il couldn' t
give up the bit you paid for him. I'm
very i'll. Don't be hard on me-
Good heavens :" cried the captain,
my Ellen's baby in place like this!"
He dropped his head on his hands
then he lifted it and clasped them.
"I'llhave hiln away from here nowI''
he gasped. Its over and he's young
and will forget it. Where is he? Have
you lied? Is be dead -
mo, no." said the old woman.
Hell be here soon. l hear him now;
that him. He'll be here in minute.
Don't kill a poor old body, captain;
don t.
Il conld do it, cried the captain.
"Listen! There is some one coming.
Ny child my child y
The door opened softly. a head
peeped in low down. then drew back.
Come in piped the old woman.
1.-The perlice ain tafter you-leastwise
for harm. Captain. that's him-yOur
boy. Ned
And as the captain stood with out
stretched arms there crept in at the
dOor-who! what? The wan deformed
and dirty creature who had picked his
pocket-whomh he had fed for the sake
of his beautiful dream-child-the
wretched waif, forgotten utterly in
the last few days of anxiety.
That's him." crooked the old crone
again. That's your boy-that s
Ned
The captain gave cry; he sank
down on an old box close at hand, and
hid his face and wept. His sobs
shook him terribly; they almost shook
the crazy building. They frightened
the old woman, and set the policeman
to rubbing his eyes with his cuffs.
The boy stood and stared for a
moment, and then vanished.
And what was the wretched father
thinking! So many thoughts that
there are no words for them; but first
of all, this horrible One-that vile
little object, that wretched child OF
the streets, was the darling for whom
he had searched so long.
'sBetter had never found him.
moaned the captain, 'sor found him
dead!
And just then little hand crept
over his knee. The thrill Of hair was