The Democratic advocate., 1885-10-17
Select Storg.
A BANK NOTE, IN HALVES.
From CaSselps Magazine.
FIRST HALF.

scene hlrkllnSton, on the Lonuon anu
Northwestern; the time, 1915, just after
the night mail has flashed through without
stopping, bound for Liverpool and the
North. The railway officials -pointsmen,
signalmen, porters, platelayers-are collect
ing preparatory to going off duty for the
night.
"Wheres Dan p asks one of the crowd
upon the platform.
II saw him in the hut just after the 10.45
went through. Can't have come to any
harm, surely ?"
No. he said he seen something drop from
the train, and he went down the line to
pick it up"
And Dan had picked up something. 1t
was basket, common white wicker basket
with a lid fastened down by string. What
did it contain? Refreshments Dirty
clothes? What?
A baby-a child half dozen weeks old,
no more A pink and white piece of hu-
man china as fragile as Dresden and as de-
licately fashioned and tinted as biscuit or
Rose Pompadour
"Where did you come across it F.? asked
one.
Lying on the line, just where it fell.
Perhaps it didn't fall, perhaps it was chuck
ed out. What matter? I've got it and
got to look after it, that's enough for me.
Some day maybe I'll come across them as
owns it and then they shall pay me and
take it back
"Is there nothing about him? Turn
him over"
The little mites linen was white and of
fine material but he lay ON an old shawl
and few bits of dirty flannel. All they
found was dilapidated purse, common
snaplock bag purse of faded brown leather.
Inside was a brass thimble, pawn ticket
and the half of bank of England note for
9100.
"What good S half bank-note to you.
"Half loaf s better than no bread. "
ayes, but you can eat one and you can't
pass the other Won't you catch it from
your wife? How'll you face her, Dan
What'll she say ?"
"She'll say l done quite right" replied
Dan, stoutly. "She's a good sort, God
bless her
$50 are you Dan, that's a fact. God
bless you, too" said more than one rough
voice in softened accents. "Perhaps the
bratll bring you luck after all. y
Wintertide again six years later but this
season is wet and slushy. Once more we
are at Kirklington, long, struggling vii
lage, which might have slumbered on in
obscurity forever had not the northwestern
line been carried close by it to give it a
place in Bradshaw and a certain Importance
as junction and center for good traffic.
But the activity was all about the station.
All the permanent officials had houses and
cottages there; in the village lived only the
field laborers, who worked at the neighbor-
ing estate or sometimes lent their hand for
job of surveying on the line The poor
folks had gruesome life of it-a hard,
hand-to-mouth struggle for bare existence
against perpetual privation, accompanied by
unremitting toll. A new parson-Harold
Treffry-had come lately to Kirklington.
He was an earnest, energetic young man,
who had won his spurs in an East-end
parish, and had now accepted this country
living because it seemed to open up new
field of usefulness. He had plunged brave
ly into the midst of his work; he was for
ever going up and down among his parish
toner's, solacing and comforting, preaching
manful endurance and trustfulness to all.
He is now paying round of parochial Wis
its, accompanied by an old college chum,
who is spending Christmas with him.
"Yonder," said Treffry, pointing to a thin
thread of smoke which rose from some
gaunt tree into the sullen wintry air, "yon-
der is the house-if, indeed, it deserves SO
grand name-the howell rather, of one
whose case is the hardest of the hard ones
in my unhappy cure. This man is a mere
hedger and ditcher, one who works for my
master, most often for the railway but who
is never certain of job all the year round.
He has a swarm of young children and he
has Just lost a WIFE He is isabsolutely pros
trated, aghast probably at the future before
him and his utter incapacity to do his duty
/ by his motherless little ones Jack !" said
the parson, stopping short suddenly and
looking straight into his companions face,
II wonder whether you could rouse him :?
If you could only get him to make sign,
cry or laugh, or take the smallest interest
in common affairs Jack, l believe you're
the very man. You might get at him
through the children-that marvellous
hanky-panky of yours, those surprising
tricks; child takes to you naturally at
once. Try and make friends with these.
Perhaps when the father sees them inter-
ested and amused he may warm little,
speak perhaps, approve, perhaps smile, and
in the end give in. Jack, will you try p
Jack Newbiggin was by profession a
conveyancer, but nature had intended him
for new Houdin, or wizard of the North.
He was more than half a professional by
the time he was full grown. In addition
to the quick eye and the facile wrist he had
the rarer gifts of the suaye manner and the
face of brass He had even studied mes
merism and clairvoyance and could upon
occasion surprise his audience considerably
BY his power They entered the miserable
dwelling together. The children-eight OF
them-were skirmishing all over the floor.
Tbax, ,vara oI,ita a11nmana0eahle and heyoDd