Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-11-15
CHAPTER XVII

| MOTHER GUTTERSNIPE JOINS THE MAJORITY
Punctual to his appointment, Kilsip called
at Cations office at o'clock, in order to
guide him through the squalid labyrinths of
| the slums, and found the barrister waiting
| impatiently for him.
| They went into Little Bourke street, and
after going through the narrow and dark
lanesx which now seemed quite familiar to
CaltOn, reached Mother Guttersuipes den,
for in truth it could be called nothing else
| After climbing the riGkety stairs, which
groaned and creaked beneath their weight,
they entered the room, and found Mother
Guttersnipe lying on the bed in the corner
and the elfish child with the black hair play
ing cards with slatternly looking girl at the
deal table by the faint light of tallow can
die. They both sprang to their feet as the
strangers entered, and the el6sh child pushed
broken chair in q sullen manner toward
Mr.. Calton, while the other girl shuffied into
far corner of the room, and crouched down
there like dog. The noise of their entry
awoke the hag from an uneasy slunber into
which she had fallen, and sitting up in bed,
she huddled the clothes round her, and pre-
sented such d grewsome spectacle that Calton
involuntarily recoiled. Her white hair was
all unbound, and hung in tangled masses over
her shoulder in snowy profusion. Her face,
parched aud wrinkled, with the hooked nose
and beady black eyes, like those of mouse,
was poked forward, and her skinny arms,
bare to the shoulder, were waving about as
she grasped at the bedclothes with her claw
like hands.
She was evidently growing very weak, so
Calto,, t1,rno1 III Tilcir opI to11 L,;,x, -,
whisper to get doctor The detective
scribbled note on sone paper, and, giving
it to Lizer, ordered her to take it At this,
the other girl rose, and, putting her arm in
that of the child's, they left together.
Them two young usseys gone?" said
Mother Guttersnipe. Fright you are, don't
want what I've got to tell Is get into the
roospaper, don't"
'And what is it?" asked Cation. bending
forward
The Old woman took another drink of gin,
and it seemed to put life into her, for she sat
up in the bed and commenced to talk rapidly,
as though she were afraid of dying before
her secret was told.
you've been ere aforeF' she said, point
ing one skinny finger at Calton, land you
wanted to find out all about 'er; but you
didn't, blarst ye. She wouldn't let me tell,
for she was always proud jade, a flounciH'
round while 'er pore mother was starvin'"
Her motherl Are you Rosanna Moore's
mothers" cried Calton, considerably aston
ished
MAY die if ain't," croaked the bag.
I2r pore father died Of drink, an E'rl fol
le.i4 Ii to the slEle ly.ace in The sane way.
You weren't about town in the old days. or
you'd bin after her, blarst ye."
"Afte- Rosanna?'
'The very girl" answered Mother Gut
tersnipe. "She were on the stage, she were,
an my eye, what swell she were, with ell
the coyes a-dyin' for er, an she tancin' over
their black earts, cuss em; but she was
allays good to me till e came'
''Who camel"
"'BF' yelled tho old woman, raising her.
Don't look at me-don't," cried the hag,
falling down again amid the shining gold
Eye want me to die Blarst ye-I shan't-
i shan't-give me my gold" clawing at the
scattered sovereigns "I'll take it with me-
I shan't die-G-G-" whimpering. II amt
done nothin'-let me ive-give me Bible
save me, G-cuss it-G-,G-," and she fell
back on the bed, corpse.
The faint light of the candle fickered on
the shining gold and the dead face, framed
in tangled white hair; while the three men,
sick at heart, turned away in silence to seek
assistance, with that wild cry still ringing in
their ears
&c save me, G-r