Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-07-19
From London Society.l
DARBY AND JOAN.
BY GoRGNoN.

1t was filthy street, or court rather,
for there was no roadway; the houses
were OF all sizes, shapes, and colors, and
all III the last stage of rot, merely hold
ing one another up-lihe group of
drunken cripples-by leaning together.
Were one house pulled down the whole
lot would fall with a crash and poison
the air with the fearful smells they hold.
A gutter ran down the center of this
Eden, and the whole place was strewn
with wrinkles shells, blOater heads, orange
peel, broken crockery, straw, dead
vermln, and other refuse deposited from
time to time, SO that the ram, which was
falling steadily, had collected III puddles,
through which sundry bare-footed
0rchlns would run, from time to time, to
the beebOuse at the corner.
Ine third house up the court was,
perhaps, Gf such thing could possibly
be, )mOre broken down and gone to seed
than all the others put together; the
door was warped, cracked, and painless
and chung like grim death to the one
hinge 1t boosted, the stairs were In such
condition that one Of the very boldest
inhabitants only could show the way up
with any degree OF safety or certainty; if
: one did manage 10 get up, doors-in va
fIOus stages OF apparent inebriety-op-
ened Oh to the various landings, and
gave passers-by view (and a sniff of
different conditions Of poverty, each
stage upwards beng seven times worse
than the preceding; and yet, here, amid
vice, disease, CRIME, all that is awful and
horrible III life, hearts beat with love,
yes love, although they know no more of
God than / of Sankrit of the language
of our forefatners anted,luvian, for [ be-
heve the place was even too foul for
missionaries, The place has gone now,
Large brick mansions having usurped the
spot, III which rich ladies live who are
all virtue, and love and holiness, and
nineteenth century hypocrisy. After
one would think he had got to the top,
last flight of stairs would be found-the
fourth--steep, narrow and more rotten
than the others, leading to the tOpmOst
room, the attic. Attic did | say !? it was
hardly worthy Of the name. The ceiling
sloped till it met the floor on all sides,
and, OH such hoOr-there were pools
OF water on 1t for carpet, let In by the
roof during every storm such as was
pouring now, and it was worm eaten and
rotten. There were no windows, what
Light they had came IL with the rain and
smoke and wind, no fire, no food, no fur
nIture, but moaning, half-dead woman
On a bundle OF straw and rags IN the
least cold corner of the hovel.
"Oh ye ladies and danes, her bed
had no soft pillows, no warm cOverlet, or
rose tinted curtains, but pain, fever,
hunger and cold to make her toss and
moan: her eyes and cheeks had so sunk
that her head looked more like the skull
Of one who had been dead for years, es-
peclally in the dim light, than of a liv-
ing creature and woman, and there she
lay moaning and writhing In pain.
One would hardly think she had ever
been pretty, and yet, forty years ago,
she had been the belle of all her little
circle, and made capital marriage when
she went to church with John. What
strong, loving man he was-hoW loving
now-although he is bent with age, care,
want and hunger How well they had
managed at first He was his masters
right hand man, till his master failed,
but he soon gained another place, but
there he had an accident, and then-Oh !
his master discharged him, and got a
servant who could work quickly tor less
money-and since that they had sunk
lower and lower IN poverty, as age crept
on, and friends fell off, till now, in their
old age. she is lying moaning and starv-
ingsand he
The sound Of some one coming up
stairs made the woman lift her head and
listen. Yes! it is Johns step; you can
hear he walks lame as he comes, pausing
every few steps to gain his breath, for he
is old-no strong John is he now, but
loving John for aye.
''John, is that you?'
eyes, lass, it's me-" (she was his lass
stilD. ''Aye, and I've got things to eat,
and things to drink, and when ye've fed
yen leave here, and Wen have fire.
No more cold nights for We. Here, eat,
Iass!" And slowly seating himself on
the floor by his wife, he lifted her up
with his arns, and placed before hen
dainties for her to eat, whilst his arm
supplied the place of the strength she
would never have again.
EAT, lass! say, why don't ye eat? ]
bought them fof We! Why, they'll make
ye strong and-why don't ye eat? Ye
are not too Ear gone, are ye, lass?" And
wonder of pathos was there In his
cracked old voice. "There, eat then
there's heaps and heaps where L go
that. l met a gentleman-oh! such &