The Dillon tribune., 1886-05-15

| big banker Skatett across the pavement to
his carriage Polly Baxter did not know
this, and thought it was very kind of the
| old gentleman in the queer-lOokinG conf
forter to say a word or two to her now and
then-worls which. with all their GOODNESS.
had Il little ring in them Of interest or
sympathy. or something not easy to com
plphc,,!. and which the tlower-girl did not
attempt in any way to account for.
| Suddenly Jacob Cattley was missed
from Lombard street. and from the neigh
borhood Of Ludyate hill: and Polly l'aN-
| ter's basket blushed with flowers in vain
for him. Every day Polly Baxter had
been accustomed to see him Eetween ! AMI
, 5 trtting honewart,. with his sharp face
set due south: every day hc had said
"GotNl-norning, in Il grave. tatrrl: way,
and with Il solemn bend Ut his long neck:
and Oh saturdays. as we have intlnltcu.
he always stopped to bargain with her for
her yayest pennywnrth. And now Jacob
was missing: and no one knew where
Jacob lived. 81 that the mystery Of his dis
appearance might, have been solved by II
friendly call =:
/ "He's dead, for sixpence. poor old cove
said one of the junior clerks, 4 pert and
slangy and overdpssed youth. whom
Jacob had in his hear; tlisliketl. despite he
Offering of Il penny now and then Hes
off, depend upon it, I'm sorry was 80
deucetl hard on him last week" -.
Polly Baxter wondered more about him
than the rest of the community aware of
his existence. She did not know why she
should "l,othcr about the: old man." but
she did. He was something removed
from her life, IL regular customer gone,
and that was to be regretted when regular
IN MI
bought her flowers ut Covent Garden mar
ket in the early morning, and had taken
them to her little attic where she made up
her penny punches for the day. she caught
herself thinking OF til. "funny little bloke. "
and Of his grave, old-fashioned ways.
Polly Baxter earned her own living hon
cstly. and made the hest of her position by
thrift aud industry, coming very close to
starvation once or twice in the hard times
which will turn up to the llartl-workers.
Still she fought on. and had 1Rgun to
teach herself to read and write uf late days,
ami IT, find her way OH Sundays tn !; little
chapel down u back street, ami listen with
much surprise to what they told TER thea,
and to wonder why it had been kept frcul
hsr all these years, and why no one in til.
highways and byways OF her life had s,.i';
a word about it.
Possibly thinking of this had made her
think Of other folk as the light filtered ii
little through the darkness Of Polly t3nx-
ter's life, but she did think great deal OF
the poor old-fashionctl little man who
seemed to have vanished like ghost. and
it became u matter Of speculation why he
had ever bought flowers of her at all, being
= man who probably had not much to
u,
80 regular u customer, too, thought Polly,
with sigh again.
Suddenly the regular customer, how
ever, turned up again one Saturday, six
weeks or two months after everybody
thought he was dead. 1t was like Il ghost
rising up in Lombard street, and even Mr.
Goldchest, taken unawares by this re-ap-
pearilncc ut his carriage-CloOr, g;tsped out,
"Bless my soul" and slipped one foot Of
the curbstOne into the gutter i'll his firS
! surprise. He was even little curious Tor
SO great man, and said:
"Have you been i'll. jacob
lie did not know his other name. cod
Jacob" was NJ. Baxtcr's cognon,cn in
Lombard street; "Cranky Jacob" some
times
mo. sir. I've had loss, Mr.. Gold
chest"
20, indeed
Mr. Goltlcl,est did not ask what or whom
he had lost: he glanced ut the big rusty
hatband wrapped around the rusty hat OF
his humble dependent: there was II fugi
tiv, fear even tina, there might he some
thing catching from Mr.. Baxter's close
proximity. and he stepped with alacrity
into his carriage. and drew up his window
sharply. He did not reward Jacob On that
occasion; he gave no thought to arrears
which might have accumulated during
Jacobs absence from his duties, and the
old man walked home very thougllttully
and with Il tlowncast expression of cOun
tenlnce. On his way home he encountered
Polly Baxter. who also was disposed t.
take him for Il ghost. and nearly dinppet
her a'n,s,>ct into the London mud ut til,
first sight uf him.
it," she exclaimed.
"Thouyilt OF WHAT" he asked. littl,
curiously.
"Of yo,,r being alive and moving abo,,
like his agn. I'm So glad Where hav
vo, been, sir: Laid up
This WAS Mr.. t;oidchest's inquiry also
but not conveyed with so much interest
And his answer was the same rs before.
1--WE had Il loss.
"NUt--nOt money:
five lost my daughter: all had in tn
world tome: all cared for, child. Goo
day" he said. with an excitement for whic
Polly was wholly unprepare,l.
IVES: but here. hold hard. old I'M" sll
cried. inelegantly: "ain't You ag"ing t
, have amy flowers to"
The "old mn hurried away from heel
larted across the road under horses head
and omnibus wheels. with almost tn
alarrity of youth. Reaching Gravel Ian
he WAS astunishe.l and discounted again