The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-09-30
THE DAILY STAR
A BANK-NOTE IN TWO
HALVES.
[Cassell's Magazine.l

the north. The railway officials-points-
men, signalmen, porters, plate-layers-a are
collecting preparatory to going off duty
for the night.
"Where's Dan?" asked one of the
crowd upon the platform.
81 saw him in the hut just after the
1o:45 went through. Can't have come to
any harm surely"
"No; he said he'd seen something drop
from the train, and he went down the
the line to pick it up"
And Dan had picked up something. 1t
vas basket, common white wicker
basket, with lid fastened down by a
string. What did it contain9 Refresh
ments? Dirty clothes? What?
A baby-a child half a dozen weeks
old, no more. A pink and white piece
of human china as fragile as Dresden,
and as delicately fashioned and tinted as
biscuit or Rose Pompadour.
"Where did you come across it?' asked
one.
"Lying on the line, just where it fell.
Perhaps it didn't fall; perhaps it was
chucked out. What matter? I've got
it, and got to look after it, and that's
enough for me. Some day may be I'll
come across those as owns it, and then they
shall pay me and take it back"
''ls there nothing about him9 Turn
MIN over"
The little mites Inch was white and of
fine material, but he lay upon an old
shawl and few bits of dirty flannel. All
they found was dilapidated purse, a
common snap-lock bag purse Of faded
brown leather. Inside was brass Thin
bic, apawn ticket; and the half of a
Bank of England note for G100.
"What goods half bank-note to
your
"Half a loat's better than no bread"
"Yes, but you can eat one, but you
can't pass the other. Won't you catch
it from your wife? How'll you face her,
Dan? What'll she say@' J
"She'll say done quite right" replied
Dan, stoutly. "She's good sort, God
bless her"
$50 are you Dan, that's a fact. God
bless you too" said more than one rough
voice in softened accent. perhaps the
bratll !, bring you luck {: after all"
Winter-tide again six years later. but
this season is wet and slushy. Once more
we are at Kirklington, long straggliag
village, which might have slumbered on
in obscurity forever, had not the North
western line been carried close by it, to
give it place in Bradshaw and certain
as a junction and centre for
goods traffic. But the activity was all
about the station. All the permanent
officials had houses and cottages there;
in the village lived only the field labo-
rers who worked at the neiehboring es-
tate, or sometimes lend their hand for
job of navvying on the line. The poor
folks had a gruesome life Of it, hand-to-
mouth struggle for bare existence against
perpetual privation, accompanied by uu-
iemitting toll.
A new parson-Harrold Treffy-had
come to Kirklington. He was an earnest,
young man, who had won his
spurs in an East End parish, and had
now accepted country living, because it
seemed to open up new field of useful
aess. He had plunged bravely into the
midst of his work; he was forever going
up and down among his parishioners, So
iacing and comforting, preaching manful
endurance and truthfulness to all.
lie is now paying round of social
visits, accompanied by an old college
hum who is spending Christmas with
lim.
"Yonder," said Treffy, pointing to
hin thread of smoke which rose from
'ome gaunt trees into the sullen, wintry
lir, "yonder is the house--if, indeed, it
deserves so grand name-the hovel,
'ather, of one whose case is the hardest of
III the hard ones in my unhappy cure.
This man is mere hedger and ditcher,
me who works for any master, most often
or the railway, but who is never certain
If job all the year round. He has
warm of young children, and has just
ost his wife. He is absolutely Frustrated,
Ighast probably at the future before him,
md his utter incapacity to do his duty
~ his motherless little ones. Jackw said
he parson, stopping short suddenly, and
ooking straight into his companions
ace, '1 wonder whether you could rouse
lim7 Ifyou could only get him to make
! sign; to cry or laugh, or take the small
st interest in common affairs. Jack, |
'elieve you're the very man. You might
Jet at him through the children-that
marvellous hanky-panky of yours-those
tricks--a child takes to you
naturally at once. Try and make friends
With these. Perhaps when the father sees ,
hem interested and amused he may
warm a little, perhaps approve, perhaps
mile, and in the end give in. Jack, will
rou.try it%
Jack Newbiggin was by profession
but nature had intended
lin for new Houdin, or Wizard of
he North. He was more than half a
by the time be was full
.rown. In addition to the quick eye
nd facile wrist, he had the
arer gifts of the sauve manner and the
ace of brass. He had even studied mes
nerism and clairvoyance, and could on
ccasion surprise his audience considera-
'ly by his power. They entered the mis-