The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-06-20

YOU must wash yourself Ms soon as you
find water. But | couldn't think of his
being hungry. and for his sake can't
bear to see other little fellows hungry.
Its for his sake tina, don't call con-
stable and tell him all about il Re
member that. and try 60 be hke-hke
my little fellow, poor laddie, clean and
good. Don't steal; try 20 get work.
VIII Won promise ?"
The waif said ives sir, ;" of course.
Then the captain led him into a cheap
eating house, and watched him eat until
his little stomach was no longer "hol-
Ter.
"Tou little wretch Z" he thought, as he
looked at him. "lf | could sec my boy
and him together now, what contrast. "
And he fancied his boy round and
white and pink, and fair Of hair, like his
poor lost Ellen, and know he said that
ne would pity this poor fellow and be
kind % HIM.
The meal was over. The captain paid
for it, and then drew the boy between
his knees and lectured him. To be good
was 20 be happy. Honesty Was the best
policy. Cleanliness came next to godli-
ness. These were the heads Of his dis
course.
Then he gave him half crown, and
bade him SO and be good and clean.
And the boy was on like a flash.
Thousands just such AS he in this
great city, sighed the good captain,
and he walked along ''Ah, me -
Then he went in search of Mrs. Ann
Golden and his own fair darling.
But Mrs. Golden wss not so easily
found as he had hoped. There was a
little shop in the house he had been
directed to, and the keeper thereof said
that she had bought il Of Ann Golden
"but / haven't seen her since, she
said; ''only there's bit of card with
her number on it-that is, If can find
it."
After search she did find il, 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 in a cab, a woman owned TO hay-
ing haG Ter for lodger.
- bad child staying with her,
too. sLe said. Little Ned she called
him; but, TO tell the truth, she drank
so that l turned her ont. l couldn't
abide such doings She went TO Fossil
Lane. Ne. 9"
To Fossil Lane the captain went. Il
was a filthy place, and there was a
drunken woman at No. 9 who was not
Ann Golden, and who threw a piece of
wood at him for asking for that lady.
And now every clue was lost, and the
captain, nearly beside himself with
anxiety, applied 10 the authorities for
help; and after many days of great un-
happiness he heard Of Ann Golden who
lived in a quarter OF London SO low and
dangerous that all decent people shun-
ned il.
"No 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
CuAlu NAS SUI III i42C NtNG4N 4pAAAt ~
which she had at first taken him"
Almost i'll with excitement, the poor
captain drove, with a policeman as pro-
tector, into the maze OF hideous lanes
and courts that led to Ann Golden's
dwelling, and, following his conductor,
dropped into a filthy cellar, where,
amid the horrible leakage Of drain pipes
and almost in utter darkness, sat an old
woman with a bottle beside her, who
started up when the captain and his
guard entered, and cried; "What now?
What's the perlice here for? Is the
BOYS wanted again
And, altered as she was with years
and drink, the captain knew his wife's
old nurse, Ann Golden. He gaSe a cry
of rage, and darted towards her.
My boy ?" he cried.
And she screamed, ITS the cap
tain 7"
:" Is my boy living?" he asked.
"Yes, snd the woman. shaking all
over; "he's alive and well.
" How dare you keep him here?" c.ied
the captain.
"How can 1 help being poor? ?" whin-
ed the woman. =" couldn't give up the
bit you pay for him. I'm very old; I'm
very i'll. Don't be hard on me.
"Good heavens :" cried the captain.
&" Ny Ellen's baby in place like this -
He dropped his head on his hands;
then ne lifted it and clasped them.
"I'll have him away from here now y
he gasped. "It's over, and he's young
and will forgeti it. Where is he? Have
YOU lied? Is he dead ?"
"No, no., said the old woman.
q He'll be here soon. / hear him now.
That's him. He'll be here in a minute.
Don't kill poor body, captain don't" "
II could DO it" cried the captain.
% Listen There is some one coming.
Nv child Ny ehildl"
The door opened softly, head peeped
in low down. then drew back.
Come in" piped the old woman.
&" The perlice arn't arter you-leastways
for harm. Captain that's him-your
boy Ned"
An d 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
he had fed for the sake
Of his beautiful dream-child-th wretch
ed waif forgotten utterly in the last few
days of anxiety.
"That's HIM, croaked the old crone
again. "Thats your boy-that's Ned.
The captain gave a cry; he sank down
on an old box close at hand, and hid his
face and wept. The sobs shook him ter
ribly; they almost shook the crazy build
ing. 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.
Aud what was the wretched father
So many thoughts that there
are no words for them; but first Of all
this horrible one-that that vile little
object, that wretched child Of the streets,
was the darling for whom he had searched
so long.
"Better / had never found him,
the captain, cor found him
dead I"
And Just then little hand erept over
his knee. The thrill Of hair was against
his hand, and piping voice said meekly,
D." Please, I'm clean now. I've washed
myself.
The captains swollen eyes unclosed.
They turned upon the child.
Some queer knowledge Of his fathers
feelings had crept into his mind, and he
had tried to clean his face. A round
white spot appeared amidst the CRIME,
and out of it shone two beautiful blue
eyes that looked wistfully up into the
captains.
All of a sudden, food Of such pitt
full tenderness as he had never felt be-
fore swept over Captain Penryn's heart.