Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-06-12
SWINTON'S STORY.

when | think OF the unconsldered
acorn from which 1t sprang.'
Then turning to me with q
bright sparkle in his eyes, SWIM
ton drew bis chair closer to mine,
so that we might both face the
glowing, Christmas fire and he
said abruptly: II never told you
the origin of my fortune. Light
one If these Russian cigarettes
with aferme's name on them and
/ Will do so now. 1t will just last
tillKate orders us to bed.
Il was, as you know, a found
Ing, and never had any education
worth speaking of. l had neither
a sixpence nor a friend. / was
simply human waif, and If had
thrown myself over bridge and
been drowned any day before /
was FIVE and twenty. nobody
would have inquired what had be-
come of me. / was an active chap,
too, and got odd jobs (which kept
me alive. / am certain l was not
unhappy. Healthy life never is
SO, and a hungry young fellow
who lives on sixpence day and
earns 1t, after all only follows the
advice which an eminent physi-
clan gave to his best patients. /
was keen-witted lad, moreover,
and / think 1 would have got on
sooner if / had a chance, or even
half q one. I beat the London
pavement with my feet till | knew
every inch of 1t, yet / never found
anything but now and then hired
horse to hold. 1t was always a
hired horse, for gentlemen were
generally attended by grooms In
my time, and commercial travel
ers' horses stood without holding.
"The best part Of my income
came from running erfands for the
beadle of a public company, Of
which / am now chairman. He
was beadle of an august pres
ence, and it was his duty to stand
at the Office door with an impos-
ing staff every time one of the d.
rectors or the secretary went in or
out. To these ceremonial func-
lions he added little private bus
mess of his own, and undertook
to provide messengers for the es.
tablishment. His charge was six
pence a message for short distances
and one shilling for longer, ones.
He paid me q penny In both cases,
and affected such hazy ideas about
time and space that i knew I
would get nothing III i asked for
more. Plenty Of street Arabs
would have been glad to cut me
out; and, indeed, / soon acquired
a sort of favorship among them
from the regular nature of this
employment, considering myself
as one of the company's servants.
The height of my ambition at
that time would have been to
have had shiny cap with band
of silver lace around IL, and have
been able to say: "Yes, sir, direct
ly. sir,n to Alderman Dumping,
who. was a greet light, in the con-
Germ. tetga bna Eui4 q 30 sgol sII atl
az must have been Q gaunt, lam
tern-cheeked lad when i was
moving about one Sunday after
noon ct Hyde Park corner. near
Tattersall's. The cOmpany's of
flee was. of course, closed on that
day, and / was on the watch to
see If I could pick up any odd
coppers. But ] had q hard time
of it with the red jackets, who
were the regular men who did odd
Jobs for noble spOrtsmen there.
abouts, and who punched my head
with distressing vivacity when
ever they caught me tresspassing
in their diggings. l had almost
given the thing up for that day,
and was slouching along with u
black eye and a sore nose, toward
Knightsbridge, when 1 saw a
weak. knock kneed little fellow
strapped to a. clumsy sort of a
truck, and pulling away with all
his small might and main. 1t had
got some sticks of furniture piled
upon it, and a hair trunk broken
in the middle, with a splintered
cover. Still the load was far be-
yond the child's strength, and the
sweat streamed down bis face as
he dragged hard at 1t to little
purpose. Therefore, although !
was very hungry, and more or
less out of sorts, / began to whis-
tie, and putting my left hand care
lessly to the truck, took the
weight off the boys shoulder, and
set in Juggling along briskly
enough for anything.
"'Now, then, spider, what are
yer hup to?" said the little man,
gasping out the indignant words
as well as his spent breath would
let him. He was pro1d boy, aud
would not have begged for any
body's help; but suppose there