The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-12-05

| keepers were too numerous.
| Lets go out and get breath OF fresh
| air" he suggested, the evening the money
| had been reduced to the thirty six cents
| ''Fresh air is free, even in the city. we
| ought to get our share
tKeep up a good heart" said Hetta
| putting on her shawl and hat. "Perhaps
| there lCW be an answer tomorrow TO some
| of those letters you've "ritten."
Neither had any idea what both would be
| prompted to do that night when they LETT
| the close little room and went out to stroll
| on the avenue; but John was desperate 10
do something. He walked on moody and
| silent, though Hetta insisted on talking ana
! keeping up her courage. The streets were
| full of people, the stores were crowded;
| everybody seemed to have money enough,
| at any rate to provide for their wants;
| John got in a bad humOr with himself and
| his bad luck What in she world were they
to do the next day and the next after that,
he wondered with only thirty-slX cents to
| live on! BY and by there was crowd
rushed past them, following a couple OF
| policemen who were forcing a shGbby-look-
! ing fellow along huTiedly between them.
They saw him hustled into the police sta
ton few minutes afterward, and some
one in the crowd said that he had been
caught stealing ham at grocery up the
| avenue.
CHATS what l shall come to next, - said
John in a low tone, while they stood lock-
ing in at the man.
'Hushn' Hetta whispered. drawing her
arm closer through his. Don't mention
such a thing
Both went on silently some distance.
Hetta had suddenly become sober and
thoughtful She was tired also.
isn't there any way we can get away
from here, dear" She asked, finally. .
mean can we get into the country where
there are no streets nor crowds, nor police
stations. It's dreadful to be here with no
money -
.TGSey- won't have us in the country
Some one owns all the fields there just as
somebody owns the houses here, and they
wouldn't even let us eat grass without pay
ing for it,
They walked into the park in Washing
ton Square, and sat down on one of the
benches.
Eve got PLAN said Hetta, brighten
ing. We can go into the country and live
| in tent while the weather is warm. Some
where you know, near a pond where you
can catch fish: and perhaps | can get a
chance to do sewing for the people on the
farms. | used to think the country was
lonesome and horrid; but l wouldn't mind
it. dear if you were there with me-
Chow will we get the TENT" John asked,
suppressing a laugh.
"pve thought of that, too. I'll go to that
tent store we passed in the avenue tell the
proprietor all about US, and get him to hire
us a tent on trust for month
John laughed now without restraint
" He'll do it, Of course. All you've got to
do is to ask him.
perhaps he's a kind man. and he might
do it if | told him all about ourselves"
'Hetta''-John turned her pretty face
around to him-''yOu'Te one of the best lit
tie wives any one ever had and I'm mighty
glad I've got you, in spite of bad luck; but
you're too innocent for this big town.
That man would believe us q couple of
escaped idiots, if we yentured to make such
a request of him"
Hetta finally intimated that perhaps it
would be best to write for assistance to dis
tant friends; but John did not care to con
slider any proposition of the kind. They
sat there III the park a long while, until
they noticed that policeman began to
| look at them SuspiCiouSly. Then John sud
denly came to a decision what to do next.
| Among the few persons he knew in the city
was the ianitOr of the building in which he
had been employed. who was now a night
Waterman ut Fulton Market He would go
down to the market and borrow FIVE dol
lars from him. He would rather starve
than ask such a favor of the man: but he
could not let Hetta 60 hungry any longer.
| They left the policeman to his suspicious,
and went away in the shadow of the trees.
Hetta was rested, and declared She could
| walk any distance. She could not walk
rapidly, however, and it was growing late
when they arrived at the market. The
farmers had begun to come in with their
produce, and a line of loaded market
wagons was forming around the four sides
of the building, They fingered in the
vicinity several minutes before John could
screw his courage to the sticking point to
go in search Of the man. and finally, when
he did, he found that the man was not on
duty there that night.
This is the worst fix ever was inl' he
said, standing still and trying to gather his
wits
Never mind. I've thought of something
else Hetta whispered, squeezing his hand
under her shawl. I'VE viii ask that man
unloading his potatoes over there if he will
let US ride into the country with him. He'll
be going pretty soon
what can we''-
No! mo- don't object" she insisted,
drawing him along to the man ''Ill ask
him myself"
John humored her, dumb with surprise
at her audacity.
"Will you let my husband and myself
ride with you, sir, when you go home"
she asked the man. who paused to look at
them as soon as they stopped near his
| wagon.
Where do you want to go:" he asked,
after some hesitation, and turning red with
embarrassment.
81 see by the name and place painted on
| your wagon that you come from Jamaica,
on Long Island" Hctta answered, gaining
courage. That's where we want to 60"
| 'BeIOEg OUT on Uhc island! WIN SuS-
picious look.
"No; but we're thinking of living out
there John broke in, seeing that it was
time he said something, land we'd like to
go out tonight, SOS to be there early in the
morning"
The man took off his hat scratched his
head looked at Hetta admiringly, and re-
Elected. "Well, | dunno as l mind he
said. Il shall have this load off in a few
minutes, and then start back right OFF.
guess you can go along, if you want to-"
"Oh! thank youw said Hetta, quite
happy, giving Johns hand another squeeze.
wen wait for you back here out of the
way"
They stepped back and stood in the
shadow of an awning. John wanted to es-
cape when the man turned his back; he had
no idea what they were going into the
country for But Hetta said she would
much rather ask people in the country to
help her than in the city. Besides, there
were no police stations in the country.
So they rode away with the man across
the ferry, through smoky Williamsburgh
and its dTeary suburbs, and then along a
dusty road that led them into the locality
of farms and out of the crowd. Where
they would eventually bring up, or what
they would do, were matters wholly left to
the future. 1t was enough just then TO be
aware that they had actually done some
thing, and that the next day would not find
them in quite the same uncertainty they
had endured the past few days They had