The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1884-06-13

| was very faint perhaps" however
woman was in the pawnshop MS she
waited bargaining with the proprietor over
little girls clothing-costy things, strangely
out ofplace in her hands. Becky noticed
this, saying to herself that they were never
fairly come by. But she had forgotten all
about it when, coming out of the bakers, n
little voice fell on her ear, and looking down,
she saw barefoot child of four, in wrctchcd
rags, sobbing pitcously
Becky was soft of heart but in poor quar-
tiers crying children were common enough,
and her own were waiting for the loaves in
her basket. She walked on hastily, and so
upset the toddlcr. Then Becky must needs
stop and pick her up.
"Why don't you go home to your mother
this night time," she said, land not stand here
10 be Knocked down ?"
And n little silver thread of voice an
swcrcd:
II can't find mamma. | can't find my
home. Where is mamma? Oh, mamma |"
Becky knelt down. A white head of
crumplcd curls and n pair of blue eyes, swim
ming in tears, she could just make out.
But the child could tell nothing. 1t was
plainly lost. Becky took it in her arms aud
made inquiries at the corner grocery, where
she bought n slice of ham; but no one knew
| the child. 1t was growing late, too, and
Becky could not leave it to its fate.
"Pll take 1t home" said she, and to morrow
| find its folks"
So when the cobbler and his children saw
| the door open ut last, there entered by it not
| only their mother and basket, but baby
| also
| A new baby came frequently to that eslab-
lishment and the children, in their Juvenile
view ofsuch matter, opincd that they had
"anothGr little sister"
ITS poor lost child" said Becky. "Pm
going to keep it tonight. It's parents arc
poorer than we are; you can see that by its
bare feet and only one little frock, poor
thingl Now hold her, Nick while l cook
supper. | didntbeg it, Nick-so don't fretp
| And then, keeping her ring finger out of
| sight, Becky friedthe ham, and made gravy,
and cut bread, and sent for two cents worth
| of milk-which, judiciously diluted, made
quart of milk and water-and tried to be very
cheerful.
The lost child cried, but Becky fed 1t and
soon coaxcd it to talk; then came story of
"bu dcss" and "nassy woman"
The youngest, who had chewcd the red kid,
| acted as interpreter. Soon it was discovered
| that some woman, described as "nasty," had
taken away the child's blue dress and OTHER
garments, and had whipped her.
Becky listened intcntfy.
"That dress was blue, Nick" she cried
81 knew it warn't hers-a tpsy, ragged wo-
man and folks that own them things don't
| come to pawning. /"
Then she paused; the secret was out
Nick's eyes had danced towards her we'd
ding ring, and back again TO her face
"Oh, Becky p he cried. "Becky, we didn't
think"
Becky flushed scarlet.
81 didn't mean to tel" she said, 'but now
q y, M p1 al In aop hn tnl
1t was Mt the pawn shop saw the blue
dress" And she told them of the woman
she watched and of her suspicious. "rhe
child has been stole, Nick" she said. "It's
n genteel child, you can see, and if we can
but find its name out we may save some one
trouble we never had. Think of one of ours
being gone all night, Nick"
The baby's name seems to be Minny Smith
though an. s." might he any thing else,
and putting the children all to bed, ali in
row, like the little ogres in the fairy tales,
his wife started off to the pawnbrokcrs.
The man was good.natured, and looked ut
the garments They were marked nj. s.
81 am right, them" said Becky. "They
are the childs, and they were stole. And il
we can but find its poor mother, wen save
here more than any but mother can tell"
But think of all the Smiths" said the
pawnbroker. "Thcrc's thousands of EN-"
"And thousands" said Becky. "But these
mcn-the policc-they may know"
And out went Nick and Becky to question
the guardians of the night, until, at last,
despairing of un answer, they were turning
homeward, when n blaze of light from an
open door fell over them, and they saw on
the steps weeping woman and tall hand
some man.
my precious little Minnie r' cried the
woman.
Then Nick and Becky gave n sort of little
cheer in unison
"It's thcm," said Becky; "thcm certain sure
Oh, mum, if your name is Smith, and you've
lost Il little girl we've found her"
And then the cobbler and his wife were
bounced upon and the story told
In half an hour the six poor little ogres
without crowns were aroused from their
| slumbcrs by IN arrival and the odd baby in
| their midst was taken out, to their distress
and CONSERVATION, for they had counted on
| keeping her.
And Nick and Becky forgot their own
troubles in the parents joy. And Nick
said it was "likc poetry" and Becky said it
was "like play"
And so it was-One with happy ending
for what should the lady do but beg and
pray Becky to tell her what she would like
Dest, anu BecKy confessed That TO have her
wedding ring back was the hope other life
and this led to the cause of its pawning, and
all the story of poverty and sorrow. Then
the dark hours ended and day broke; and
there was food in the house, and fire; and as
it happened that baby Mnnic's father needed
just such IN honest man for work as poor
Nick could do, he gave the place to the cob
| bier and from that day there was enough
and to spare in the little home, because of
| simple goodness shown to baby Minnie.
$50 it's never time thrown away to do n
kindness to any one" says Becky, often, for
somehow you always are rewarded for it.
lfPd left the little lost beggars child, as /
thought it, in the street, and never stopped
to care for it-as might have done in such
trouble-where would Nick have been and
the children and me this night. Not that
did any thing but what Christian ought
but see how we were paid for IT,