The daily Cairo bulletin., 1883-01-07
A PHANTOM BRIDE.
BY the Author Of "THE Ice CAR
NIyAL."

clothes were mere collection of rags.
the skin barely covered her bones; yet
she had been exposed to the terrible
frost of Wednesday last. during the en-
tire day, and when she died, post-mor-
TEN examination proved that the stom-
ach must have been empty for days
past. The miserable wretch was un-
Willingly in the last stage of consump-
ton; the best Of ofnourislment, care, at
tention. and warmth could at best but
have prolonged her life for q few weeks
or months at most; as it was, however,
she literally periShed from want of
food and exposure To the elements.
She was brought in late on Wednesday
and died before noon Yesterday. When
asked what was to be done with her
effects, and whether she had any final
instructions to give, she desired that
the three half-pence might be handed to
the nurse, who had been kind TO her!
The organ was TO be returned TO a GER
tain address in the City, for, as it
transpired, it was only hired from an
Italian, who made his living by letting
out these instruments of public torture
at so much per week or month";
'Ah, sad enough, for the onl0okers
at any rate, no douht,' observed Sir
Jasper grufly; Notwithstanding which,
my dear lIollingshead, you must per-
nit me to doubt whether the deceased
is after all so greatly to be pitied She
is at rest, her troubles are over; she has
laid her burthen downfall burthen
which, after all, may have been no whit
heavier fitted to her back than that
which most OF us, in some form or an
other are destined to bear to the end
The troubles Of this world, in my opiu
ion, are meted out less unevenly than
might at first appear-each human unit
has its share to carry, young or old,
rich OF poor. Fill your glass, lIollings-
head, and pass the decanter on TO
Dick!n
II can't altogether agree with you,
Jasper. there" returned the Doctor,
complying with his hosts injunctions.
"This woman was at most forty years
of age; she had been in all probability
hard-working and industrious, accord
ing to her lights, for three parts of her
life, yet ultimately she dies like dog
in gutter, and possibly none of her
own kith and kin will ever learn her
precise fatey"
Had she husband, family, Or
"Ah! By-the-bye, you remind me of
perhaps the saddest phase III the whole
history; directly consciousness was re-
stored she made anxious enquiries
about child, girl, who should have
been alongside her, she declared, when
she stumbled and tainted III licca-
dillyl"
Dick, who had SO far manifested but
q feeble interest in the conversation, as
he sat slipping his sherry, nursing one
leg and gazing fixedly into the iames,
started involuntarily. his wandering at
tention mesmerically riveted as this
last sentence escaped the doctors lips.
"And it was cOmical--eyen whilst
tragica." the good doctor continued
with pitiful smile, ''to note the work
ings of the ruling passion strong III
death. When informed that no child
had been noticed in her vicinity, the
poor creature fell to eXhausting her re-
naming modicum of breath in vituper-
alton and violent abuse of this missing
'varmnt!' A regular good-for-noth-
ing, idle, gaping mink, that's wot she
wurl the doomed wretch averred, and
il seemed even at that crucial moment
an aggravation of her personal suffer
ingS to picture 'Greta,' as she called
her--the name struck me as at once ell
phonious and staring round
eyed and open -mouthed in at 'co0k-shOp
winders. as though there wur nothing
else i til world t do,' Was anything
at once so ludicrous and pathetic ever
heardyn questioned the doctor, turning
-. a., al, hn
speechless, unaccountably enough.
1t was the baronet who first broke 81
lence.
"This-this child, was she the-the
woman's daughter, do you say? and
and what age may she have been? Did
thus much happen TO transplre-though
really he added suddenly, with a
strange forced laugh, 81 hardly know
by what rhyme or reason enquire
She did not know the child's age ey-
actly," returned the doctor, but
guessed it would be about nine or ten
years old--for ii was Of course necessa-
ry she should furnish the police with a
full description, that the girl might he
traced if possible, and taken in charge
under the Nagrancy act. The child
was not hers, she distinctly stated
she had loaned it, as she expressed it,
from some other woman, in order that
it might 60 OH the tramp with her tt
collect the coin, and play the tambou'
rine, Quite a usual proceeding the
woman inferred, and the police say this
lending and hiring out Of children is q
distinct branch of business, and al
everyday transaction among the
wretched denizens of the City slums.
"And the child-Gr has anything
been heard of herr" asked the baronet
irrelevantly. Dick glanced curiously al
him. Surely it was singular he should
have caught the name so precisely, anc
dwelt upon the matter as though il
were one in which he was personally
concerned
Not up to the time of the woman''
death, yesterday morning." returned
the doctor; "and the police say it is i'm
probable they will come across her now
She will probably pick up, as the!
term ii, with some other itinerant mu
having already served her ap
premiership, seemingly, to the profes
sion---the happy possessor Of dancinI
monkey, or Punch and judy show
and is possibly miles away from tn
town ere this, journeying towards som
country fair. The woman professed
strangely enough, TO bo bound for Vim
bledon, via Barnes Common, and spok
quite famlliarly of various hating
l.. 81. 4 .t.I