Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-12-21
TheMyStt. yOfaHanSOnC Cab
By FERGUS W. HUME.


 self on her arm, her eyes sparkling with vim dictive fury. "'E, a-comin' around witt almonds and gold, and a-ruinin' my DOT, girl; an how 'e's 'eld is bloomin' lead up al these years as if he were a saint, cuss i'm cuss 'iml"
 "Who does she meang' whispered Caltor to Kilsip.
 s'Meanp screamed Mother Guttersnipe whose sharp ears had caught the mutteret question, "Why, Mark Frettlbyl"
 Good God!" Calton rose up in his aston ishment, and even Kilsip's inscrutable coun tenance displayed .some surprise.
 Aye, e were a swell in them days,n pur sued Mother Guttersnipe, "and e comes a-philanderin' round my gal, blarst i'm, an seduces Ter, and leaves 'es and Ter child tc starve, like black 'earted villain as e were
 ''The child! Her namer'
 Bah" retorted the hag, with scorn, 'tas ii you didn't know my gran'darter Sal"
 ''Sal, Mark Frettlbys childf"
 "Yes, an as pretty girl as the other, tho she 'appened to be born on the wrong side of the edge. Oh. I've seen Ter a-sweepin' along in Ter silks an satins as tho we were dirt an Sal Ger 'alf sister-cuss 'er" Exhausted by the efforts she had made, the old woman sank back in her bed, while over the astounding revelation that had just been made That Rosanna Moore should turn out to be Mark Frettlby's mistress he hardly wondered at; after all, he was but man, and in his young days had been no better and no worse than the rest of his friends Ro- sanna Moore was pretty, and was evidently one of those women who-rakes at heart prefer the untrammeled freedom of being a mistress to the sedate bondage of a wife In questions of morality, so many people live in glass houses that there are few nowadays who can afford to throw stones, so Calton did not think any worse of FrettIby for his youthful follies. But what he did wonder at was that Frettlby should be so heartless as to leave his child to the tender mercies of an old hag like Mother Guttersnipe. It was so entirely different from what he knew of the man, that he was inclined to think it was some trick of the old woman's.
 "Did MT. Frettlby know Sal was his childa" he asked.
 'Not e." snarled Mother Guttersnipe, in an exultant tone; '" e thought she was dead, e did, arter Roseanner gave him the go by"
 "And why did you not tell himF'
 "'Cause wanted to break his 'eart if e lad any," said the old beldame, vindictively. ''Sal was a-goin' to ell as fast as she could till she was tux from me- If she had gone and got into quod I'd lave gone to him. and said Look at yer darter! 'Ow I've ruined her as you did mine'"
 "You old devil," said Calton, revolted at the malignity of the scheme. "You have sacrificed an innocent girl for this"
 "None of your preachin," retorted the hag sullenlyi "I ain't been brought up for a saint, ain't-an' wanted to pay i'm out, blarst i'm -'e paid me well to old my tongue about my darter, an I've got it 'ere," laying her hand on the pillow. "Al gold, good gold-an' mine cuss me-"
 Calton arose; he felt quite sick at this ex- hibition of human depravity, and longed to be away. AS he was putting on his hat. however, the two girls entered with doctor, who bowed to Kilsip, cast sharp scrutiniz- ing glance at Calton, and then walked over to the bed. The two girls went back to their corner. and waited in silence for the end. Mother Guttersnipe had fallen back in the bed, with one claw-like hand clutching the pillow, as if to protect her beloved gold, and over her face deadly paleness was spread ing, which told the practiced eye of the doc tor that the end was near. He knelt down beside the bed for moment, holding the candle to the dying woman's face. She open- ed her eyes, and muttered drowsily:
 ="Whos you2 go t 'ell," but then she seemed to grasp the>situation again, and she started up with shrill yell, which made the hearers shudder, it was so weird and eerie.
 My moneyl" she yelled, clasping the pill low in her skinny arms "It's all mine, ye shan't have it, blarst ye.''
 The doctor arose from his knees, and shrugged his shoulders. Mot worth while doing anything" he said, coolly, ''she'll be dead soon."
 The old woman, mumbling over her pil- low. caught the word, and burst into tears.
 'Dead! dead! my poor Rosanna, with 'er golden lair, always lovin' Ger pore mother till e took Ter away, am she came back to die -die-ooh!"
 Her voice died away in a long, melancholy vail, that made the two girls in the corner shiver and put their fingers in their ears.
 My good woman" said the doctor. bend ing over the bed, "would you not like to see @ minister?"
 She looked at him with her bright, beady eyes, already somewhat dimmed with the mists of death, and said, in a harsh, low 
 'Becanse you have only a short time to hve," said the doctor, gently ''You are dy- ing"
 Mother Guttersnipe sprang up, and seized his arm with a scream of terror
 'Dyin, dyin'-nol mol" she walled, claw ing his sleeve. sI aint fit to die-cuss me: save me-Save me; Idon't know where I'd % to, s'elp me-save me-"
 The doctor tried to remove her hands but she held on with wonderful tenacity.
 Tt is impossible" 1" he said briefly.
 The bag fell back in her bed.