Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-06-08
BEADS tikE A ROaAN0E,
A story Of London Lille That
Might be Worked Up ut
Greater Length.
London Tolegraph.

lAbIANANo n4A DCCu tuACA VIII NnS INV
ly arranged bed Of snowdrop and
crocuses and set q watch for the de-
linquent, who was an early morning
visitor. The. watcher had noticed q
small girl, poor little ragged urohin
of seven or eight years old, who FREE
quently came through the park as soon
as the gates were opened; but, as she
always emerged at the gate of exit
empty handed, and her scanty skirts
showed no sign of bullying pocket
beneath, suspicion did not attach to
her. Nevertheless she proved to be
the offender. 1t was not remarkable
since her attire was made up of mere
makeshifts of odds and ends, that she
should wear an old bonnet many sizes
too large for her, and it was in the ca
pacious crown of this article Of head
gear that the stolen flowers were be-
slowed. The gardener saw her pause
at bed, and, after looking wsrily
about, produce from her bosom a piece
Of slate fit for digging with, and then
she knelt down, and, taking off her
bonnet, to which half q dozen tiny
roots we're rapidly transferred, she
placed it on her head again and went
on her way, to be presently stopped in
fright and accused Of the petty rob-
berry. 1t was useless to deny it, nor
did she attempt to do SO She went
down on her knees, however-this
time without producing the criminals
ing piece of slate-and begged the
park keeper not to take her to the
police station, because, if her mother,
who was i'll in bed. came to hear what
she had done it would kill her. Pre-
Stunning that it was much more likely
that the child's story was but an
artful pretense, and that probably
her mother had sent her to steal
the flowers to be afterwards con-
verted into button hole bouquets for
sale in the streets, the little girl was
taken before q magistrate and put
back awhile for inquiries to be made.
The address she gave was at house
in a squalid back street in the
borough-at least a couple of miles
from the park where she had pur
Joined the snowdrops, and it was soon
discovered that the tale the child told
of her mother being i'll was quite true.
The poor creature was found confined
to her bed in a dark and miserably
furnished back room, and there she
had lain dying of consumption since
last winter set in. The father was in
prison, and the sick woman's only
means of support were her two chill
dren, respectively two and four years
older than the child in custody, and
they all earned few pence each daily
by selling cigar lights near London
Bridge. At a glance it was evident
what had become of the, flowers. A
piece of board was fastened sheltwise
across the foot of the sick woman's
bedstead, and on it. in three or four
old gallipots, were as many
punches of crocuses, snowdrops
and wallhowers, each in setting of
green grass. The poor invalid had not
the least suspicion that they had been
dishonesty obtained, and the person
inquiring being in official costume and
perceiving her condition, oharitably
reirained from enlightening her.
You are looking at my garden, sir,
her white face lighting with wan
smile. "They are will flowers, sir, so
my little gal tells me, but she has to
go ever so far to pick 'em. When
the winter weather went away and
the sun came out began to feel
that craving for the sight and smell OF
fresh flowers that | couldn't express
if | tried. 1t is through lying here so
many weeks so dreary and dull and
so many hours all by myself, sup
pose; but | knew it was no use thinks
ing about EN- at the price they are
when they first come in the spring,
though [ couldn't help talking and
saying that if | had few felt sure
they would do me more good than all
the physic. And so without saying a
word about it to anybody, my little
Kittie-a mere mite of seven, sir-she
gets up at 5 in the morning, and before
breakfast time she back with as pref
ty bunch as ever you set eyes on.
They didn't last very long, poor
things, in this stuffy little room, and
it seems almost a shame to bring 'em
here out of the fields where they
grow, but there's thousands Of EN-
there, Kitty tells me, and / don't
think that those who have their
health to go and see 'em growing
would grudge me just few brought
away for my share"
mo one certainly would, supposing
the little girl you speak of comes to
them honestly" the visitor ventured.
mo fear about that" replied the
sick mother, confidently. "Why, /
happened only to hint something like
what you just said when she brought
home the first lot, and she fell crying
so that | didn't know what do with
her." So the kind hearted Official
came away with his original purpose
untulfilled, and the magistrate being
informed of the circumstances, dis
charged the terrified little prisoner
with a caution. Whether she ran
home and made a confession / cannot
say, but unless she did so within a
week it was too late, for at the end Of
no longer an interval she was mother
less, and it was my privilege to assist
in placing Kitty and her two sisters in
country home, far from the vice and
temptations Of London streets, and
where wild flowers in plenty may be