The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-05-01

very softly, as she looked into my hand
 You aint going to set the police on him, or anything like that. are you? I'll l promise to keep him away from your things another time you won't say any more about tito her or to any one You hit him very hard, you know
 Don't you think q month in the house ofcorrection would do him good? 2" asked, just to see what she q say.
 Good heavens! you wouldn't be so hard on him or on me Why, what ] should do without him? ltd break my i heart for such thing to happen!
 It seemed odd to think of her caring so much for the young scamp; but what was odder still, from that moment the l lad was kind O precious to me myself i | q give him my dinner willingly on the hungriest day-which did many times for no other reason than to do good to something she set her heart on. So when she begged for him, seeing that had never meant to make TOW about the matter said
 Gouv ve got q very tender heart, and >ha II 90 for h make it sore Let hygoneS be bygones. and you can give me a bunch of primroSes just to show we rr friends NcXtly, what about my fortuue.tcllinI2
 of that question she took no notice
 Whowa> that gentleman. she asked, who came to send me about my buSi- ness this aiternoon2
 told her, and then she asked me d lot of things about Mir. Arthur, more than l had a mind to an>wer-tor hadn't come there to talk about him. and so, as soon as could change the subject, l did. Soon her mothers voice came out short and sharp:
 Now then. Hester how much longer are you going to stand gossiping there? How do you think I'm to do all this lot of primrose> alone?
 She turned round quick to go, and could see that she was a bit frightened of her mother by the way she made haste
 What about my howers2 l asked
 He wants a few primrose>. she said going into the house
 All right, there plenty here They re penny a bunch. or you can take four punches for threepence
 But while was feeling for copper in my pocket seeing that the woman meant to make something by my visit Hester caught up a handful anyhow heads and tails and gave them to me
 "Geodnipht she said it all right
 And so went away. sorting out my primreses. but remembering all the while that lIr>ter.> head had been much too full ot Mir Arthur and of .Iackv to leave room for any thoughts of me. cy- crpt in >o far IL was mixed up with I I..,. # ;.l standing th" small encourasement had. Was only Lent on going again and again.
 Now shoul,ln like tomakc ml story too long by telling how many. many times went in the evening to that dirty thatchrd cottage. where Hester Welsh lived with her mother and young Iacky, and how never got much speech with her. partly because her mother was nearly always thorr and partly because of d saucv, >tand-otf way the girl had at such times as found her alone Some times l thought We were quite good friends, and l felt happy accoriin' more times it seemed as if she didn't care straw whether came or stayed away, and then all the world looked black
 Perhaps some wiscacrc may call me fool for being in such trouble of mind to get into the good graces of wild gypsy girl. for was a respectable work nGman earning pretty well t2 week, and there was more than one nice tidy girl, as l hintcd before who looked pleasant at me and would have taken my arm on sundays if ld been ~o minded a~ to ask But venoticcd that II iSnt only babies in arms who cry after the moon at the bottom of pail of water, and suppose Hester Welsh ln this case stood for the moon to me the baby. And, contrairiwisc. any one might have thought that poor girl like her who got her living by telling for tunes, which k nothing but telling lies. and by selling flowers. which means tramping the country to pick them and trape>lng the streets to sell them would have snapped at the chance ot steady. respectable husband At least that's what thought at first; but later on l began to see that l wasn't in il at all. and that, though every now and then she did show me bit ot favor. there had been no hope for me from the min ute had first set my heart on her
 l kept my eyes shut a. long as could, and my ears too-tor more than one of our mates. who knew where I went eourting would try to cure me with d bit of unwelcome information. But >hirk the blow how would. it had got to come, just as if I'd been hurt and was bound to have my leg ott without any choice i'll the matter
 And this was how and where 1t fell on me. Did l happen to mention while ago that when our line had got a mile or two beyond St Martins Hill it went across sort of common, called ! Calder Rough, where there was wood 1 land and open spaces. and little brook lets running between soft, waving sedges and wonderful lot of wild-how- { CTS growing here there, and every where? Some folks said that our works 1 snnilinn th.. hna,it,. .,f Hi. ,,.;li !