The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-04-26
THE WIZARD OF WALWORTH.

THE WIZARD OF WALWORTH.
was recently in company with the
medical officer of health con-
nected with parish the name of
was on a dilapidated- dwelling eXpe-
ditiOn, and in dreadful little room in
one of long row of rotten, old houses
we found a man and his wife. 1t needed
but a single glance to discover that
they were deeply plunged in poverty.
The woman was apparently much older
than the man, whose age could not
have been more than twenty-siX, and
she-in dirty, battered gown, and with
her head tied in a rag as though she
suffered from neuralgia-was about to
sit down to meal, of which dry bread
and toasted herring were the chief in
gradients. But | was most struck with
the husbands appearance. 1t was I'M
mistakable that he was not of the COM
mon back-street type of humanity. He
was intelligent-looking and smartly
built. and, attired in decent clothes,
would have presented quite genteel APP
pearance. At ordinary times he might
probably have passed as good looking,
but he decidedly was not so now, with
his face distorted into an insolent,
scowling sheer occasioned, seemingly,
by the medical officers stare of sur
prise. "You in this place, Hamshire?"
he remarked. To which, with bullying
and defiant manner, the man (the
woman, who seemed nervous and afraid
of him, began to cry) made answer:
''Here-yes. You are precious sorry
for me, no doubt; and more sorry
still for Mrs. Hamshire, who is always
glad of something to set her off sniv-
cling. You may 90 to blazes, the
whole lot of you, for all | care, and
take her with you"
When we had examined the other
rooms of the house and emerged in the
street, remarked to my companions:
"You appeared surprised at finding
that man, who was without his coat,
living here with his wife. Who and
what is hep" ''He is about as thorough
faced rascal as you would find in q
days marching" was the reply. 81
certainly was surprised to see him. [
thought he had left the neighborhood
months since. should have supposed
he would have been glad to do so, con-
sidering how narrow an escape he had
of being sent to prisOn-to penal servi-
tude, probably. His wife-the woman
you just now saw-was implicated in
the affair am abiding to. But be-
Heve she was more to be pitied than
blamed for the share she took in it. A
stupid creature. She should have known
better than marry the fellow, and she
old enough to be his mother. 1t was q
queer story altogether" Naturally, |
was curious to know in what its queer
ness consisted and inquired to that eff
feet. "Well, the truth is" was the re-
reply, ''if knew all the details of the
story | should only spoil it by attempt
ing its recital. There is only one indi-
Vidual who can tell it properly, and
that is the victim himself, or rather, |
should say, he whom our friend in the
dirty shirt-sleeves designed as his VIC
tim. There is not much of romance in
the NATTER he continued. laughing,
las regards the characters who PLAYED
the leading parts in it. You have seen
Mr. Hamshire and his wife Their con-
federate was a vagabond who, for many
years. had been practicing as a sly for
tune-teller, but he has iudiciously kept
out of the way since the exposure The
hero of the tale is foolish old fellow
who keeps q general store in one of the
by-streets Il few minutes walk from
this. :. III you have desire to hear the
story | will introduce you to the chand-
lery storekeeper by and by, and he'll
relate it readily enough. But you will
understand it better if you are first
made acquainted with the circumstan-
ces that led up to it.
''The chandlery business | have men
toned was not always in the possession
of its present proprietor. 1t belonged
to an old person whose name | forget
but we ii call her Mrs. Ingledew. The
woman who is now Hamshire's wife is
her niece, and lived with her, assisting
in the business for many years. 1t
was n valuable concern, in small
way, the goodwill and lease being
worth 5000 to E700 probably. and it
was generally understood in the neigh
borhood, as matter of course, that
the niece would come in for and con-
tinus the business when old Mrs. Ingle-
dew died. 1t seems to have been so
understood, at all events, by one indi-
vidual who lived thereabout - by
Mr.. Hamshire. can't tell you any
thing about his antecedents, but he
seems to be fellow who lived by his
wits without resorting to downright
criminality. He was always, as / am
told, smartly dressed, and had some
pretension Of being good-looking, and
a large share of impudence, and on the
strength of that capital he formed the
design of making love to Martha-the
neice who was turned forty. with a