Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-10-28
hand encouragingly on hers, but few words

r hand encouragingly on hers, but few word
we're spoken. ..
At last they reached a dilapidated house
at whose open door knot of dirty men wer'
lounging The often-repeated question wa
this time answered in the affirmative. Yes
they were here. Fallen so low as this Tht
, Boutons mounted the filthy stairs swarmine
f at ever flight with squalid children, up and VI
till they reached the topmost garrett Here
they Knocked, and in minute woman
came out, closing the door behind her. A
woman but could that lean, careworn crea
ture, with untidy hair and threadbare clothes
that hung loosely about her pinched figure
could that be the bonny, comely Mrs. Fan
shaw of old days?" Jane Bouton' was pas
speaking by this time; her knees were sbak
ing under her; she could hardly stand, bu
she signed to her husband to tell her story
He did so at once, in frank, manly way
standing all the time in the dreary passage
He touched tenderly upon the various Incl
dents, but he omitted nothing, and he ended
by humbly entreating forgiveness for his
wife. His listener heard him in entire silence
and as he paused waiing voice called from
within: "Mother, mother, do comet"
Mrs. Fanshaw turned without word, and
hurried back, leaving the door wide open
The Boutons followed her. There was not
an atom of furniture in the wretched room,
except two straw pallets and some old boxes
which served as seats; no signs OF food, no
fire on that bitter day. On the floor beside
the empty CRATE crouched two boys of nine
and ten, while girl year or two older was
trying to infuse some of her own vital warmth
into little child of four. They were all
dark-haired, and Mrs. Bouton's eye passed
them and went to where Mrs. Fanshaw was
bending over pillow Of straw, on which
little golden head was lying. The mother
could contain herself no longer. She flew
across the room and threw herself on her
knees by the side Of the pallet. "My baby,
my baby !" she cried. Johnny opened his
eyes with look of wonder, but did not speak.
He is DYING" hoarsely whispered Mrs.
Fansbaw; dying of hunger"
For one moment Mrs. Bouton turned
away her eyes from her child. Fetch food,
she motioned with her lips to her husband ;
and he was gone in a moment
There was a silence in the room till his
return, both women brooding over the child:
At last he came laden with all that he had
been able to seize in raid Of two minutes
upon the pastry cooks, and followed by boy
bearing steaming can of soup.
With flood of tears Mrs. Fanshaw held
out her hand 10 the woman who had been
the cause of her husbands ruin, saying {:
"God bless you for having come in time to
save him; he is like my own. I forgive you
for his sake" And the two women embraced
and kissed each other by the side of the child's
poverty. stricken bed.
The sun rose bright and clear on Christmas
Day. About noon Henry Bouton carried
weak little Johnny in his strong arms to a
warm, CHEEKY lodging in healthy neighbor-
hood. Most of the family had moved some
hours before, so as to be ready to receive him,
and the child looked around with amazement
when he had been softly laid on the little
white bed in the corner.
Mrs. Bouton had decked the room with
greens, cozy fire was cracking out its wei.
! come, a kettle was singing on the fire, and
the table was spread Tor the dinner that was
already sending out savory whiffs from the
adjoining kitchen. Mrs. Fanshaw was there,
already beginning to smile and beam again,
surrounded by her children in warm Winter
dresses, and Mrs Bouton waiting on them all.
Johnny ideas were vague as to the relation
ship in which she stood to him, but he had
no objection to find second mother in the
loving woman who watched and petted him
so tenderly.
Presently in came Mr.. Fanshaw, who had
been forbidden to make his appearance ear
lier, and his astonishment was sight worth
seeing. An arm. chair had been drawn up to
the fire place, and Henry Boutons CHEEKY
voice invited him into it. As he was about
to sit down he found bundle lying on the
seat, but he almost let it drop again when he
saw what it contained. Of all things in the
world, a bran-new conductors uniform !!
eyes, you are honorably reinstated, and pro-
NOTED to a conductorship," Henry Bouton
was saying, when he recovered from his stu
pefaction. 81 wish you joy, I'm sure"
"Now, little woman, let's have dinner"
They had dinner, and such dinner There
was turkey. of course, and roast beef, and
sausages and mince pies, and plum pud-
ding and all the delcacies that we're ever
thought Of The very spirit of Christmas
| Steucu w SiluO VI A1CulJ ooutou
and to illumine his good humored face; he
was resolved upon fun, and he was not a man
to be daunted.
Bless you!. the stories that he told, the
Jokes that he made, the absurdities that he
perpetrated at that dinner would I'll vol
ume, and then the children began first to
laugh, and when the magnificent apparition
of the pudding, spouting fire with all its
might, burst upon them, genuine shout of
baby glee came from the youngest, which
rejoiced its mothers ears, and of which he
was as proud as could be. The Boutons were
in no hurry. They had taken rooms in the
same house and meant to live there.
And there they live 70 this day, a thriving,
happy, prosperous lot of people as one would
wish to see
How YOUNG LADY Won $5,000.-But
here comes one of my favorites, writes the
Boston correspondent of the San Francisco
| q II