Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-16
WHAT BECAME OF MR.. BLIND
WEED.
BY b. L. FARJEON.
From All the Year Round.

| for! You want Mr.. Thomas Blindweed? Well,
what do you want with him? To see him on a
| little bit OF business Oh! Is il anything wor-
! ritlng! Because I've had enough worry to last
me pretty long time, and if you're going 10
add TO 1t, the sooner you cut your stick the
| better l shall like it. Yon amt come to worry
me. You only want to hear the true story of
the inquest-Mr. Blindweed's inquest, its got
| to be called-and anything else I've a mind to
tell YOU You mean by that, l suppose, that
you want to know all about me? You're
modest, you are! Why, I've never set eyes
on you till this minute. What are you. if l
may make SO bold? descriptive writer.
what, for shop windows? No? What for.
then! Newspapers and magazines. Ell? All,
you want TO put me into print. Well I've no
objection, so long as I'm paid for it. And if l
| am put into print, and if nv beautiful wife
happens to read what tell you. it may do her
! power Of good You're willing to pay me!
My tunes precious-suppose we say so much
minute. What do you offer? A penny minute.
Won't do. Tuppence. That's better. Let's
| make calculation. Sixty minutes to the hour
| a hundred and twenty pepce-ten bob. To
! patter away at that rate ten hours day-ten
| tens-hve pound nOught. But on second
thoughts, it'd be wearing to the tongue
ml%htnt be able to keep up the steam III
strike bargain. Thrippence minute I'll
| take, and no less. 1 reckon six minutes gone
already. You don't mind? Well, that's hand
| some OF you. It's just II o'clock. and I'll take
ten bob on account Thank you. Easy to know
| gentleman when you see one.
You don't object to a pit of personal history,
! hope, because it's necessary in what I'm going
| to tell you. NY beautiful wife is out and won't
| interrupt us. When she's out there's peace in
| the house; when she's in there amt But she's
| beginning to discover that I'm master here. us
| man and a husband ought to be, l gave her
| scare lately it'll take her some time to
cover from. You'll hear abont that.
| must commence little way back Three
years ago my wife-Molly's her name-was a
| rare handsome piece of goods, and. to do her
justice she was aware of 1t. She's showing
| signs of wear and tear now; and she amt half
| the hgger she was I'm continually cautioning
! her about 1t. and think she'll take heed of
| what say, because if there's one thing more
| than another she's vain of it's her good looks.
| Molly. my DEAR" l says to her, your face
! Is falling in. your nose is turning red. your
mouth is losing its pritty curves. your eyes
! amt got half the shine in 'em they used to
| have. and your tigger, Molly-not TO put to fine
point upon it-your tiSger's Citing scrimpy.
! Ii you don't bring that temper of yOurn more
| under control. i'll year or two You'll be no
! better than a bag of bones
/ It's temper. guvnor, more than anything
| else that alters womans looks. If they could
/ be got to understand that, they wouldn't be
4
| was single she was perfect beauty. and lots of
| chaps was wild after her. me among the rest
| L don't deny 1t. | was mad in love with her
| pritty face and shining eyes, and her pleasant
! mouth that thought butter wouldn't melt ill.,
| But 1t will, guv'-Ive found that out long ago
In the days I'm speaking of. she wouldn't look
| at me-turned up her nose whenever l spoke
| to her.
/ Il amt good enough for you, suppose"
says to her.
''Notb by a long way" says she to me.
Why wasn't l? Because | was a working car
penter. making about twenty bob a week.
| That was as much as Dick Pawson making,
but then she was sweet on him. and wasn't on
me, which made all the difference. and didn't
show her sense. slim kind of chap, Dick
Pawson; curly hair. little feet. face like a wax
dummy, could dance i'll the latest fashion--ah,
| that was powerful bait for Molly. As they
| went round and round in the dancing academy
where l used to go sometimes to keep my
| eye on her-he looked like dying duck in
| thunder storm. He was a shop-waker in haber-
dasher shop. A regular ladys man. Not
bit of stamina in him. l could throw three of
him in the air and play ball with them. / told
him so once, and offered to fight him with
one hand. but he staggered and refused, and
| says to Molly:
Call the likes of him man. Why, he amt
| got backbone
But that didn't set her against him. The
more run him down, the better she thought
him. It's the way Of women, guv'.
| You won't have me?'' says l.
| NO" says Molly. Il won't have YOU: and
wont have any man unless he can keep me like
a lady"
Can Dick Pawson do that!'' asks.
| when he gifts shop of his own, he can"
| she answers.
One great thing against me was that 1
couldn't dance. If tried polka, was sure
to fall on my nose, and bring my partner to
| grief Now Molly was dancing mad: she'd loll
| and uIsh in
round and round the academy-admission tup-
pence; ladies' free; cloak-rOom penny: light
| refreshments on the premises at moderate
prlces-for an hour and more; and when the
| music stopped, and she was obliged to, YOU
thought she could never git back her breath,
| 1t come that short. But what did that matter
| to Molly? Breath or no breath. round and
round she'd go, casting her eyes up at the
ceiling with look that couldn't have been
more egstatic If she'd been floating among
angels. And Dick Pawson d come up to me.
simperlng and staggering. and say:
weedr'
Well, Molly kept flirting away with this one
and that one, but most of all with Dick Pawson.
and never with me, till something occurred
! that astonished me as much as it astonished
her and everybody else. gifts a letter one day
| from lawyer chap. and on the envelope I'm
| called Thomas Blindweed. Esqerwire" Now,
| that was unusual: so was the letter was to
call on the lawyer chap as soon as possible to
hear something to my advantage L went, you
| may take your oath on it, and did hear some
| thing to my advantage. There was brother
| of mine that I'd lost sight of for don't know
| how many years. Went to America. Made
| money there, and was buried without leaving
! will behind him. As he single man and
l was his only relation, his money was mine
All had to do was to prove that was Thomas
! Bhndweed. Esqerwire, brother of Nicholas
Blndweed, Esqerwire, who lived and died in
America. Says the lawyer chap:
| Its all right, Mr.. Dlindweed. Leave the
matter in my hands, and I'll make things snug
| for you"
He did. and made things snug for himself by
handing me bill of costs. 1t made me stare
but i. was no use fighting against it. l got
what was left. 1t wasn't to be sneezed at A
matter of fifteen hundred pounds.
| bought myself new suit of clothes. from
/ top to toe. and walked up and down in front
! of Molly's house, with a flower in my coat.
lavendar-colored kid gloves on my hands. and
a shiny bell-topper on my head. And, what
was more. l smoked cigar instead Of pipe
From choice? No; knew what was about.
Molly wanted to marry man that would make
Q lady of her.
| Now, thought l. what shall 1 do with nv
money? Start business and lose it in twelve
months? Set up carriage. anT spend ii in
six? Or go to the races and drop it In a week?
do a sensible thing, Tom" says to myself.
Invest. it and make it bring you in so much
! week for the rest of your natural life Then
| there'n be no occasion for you to work any
more" 1 don't mind telling you, guvnor L
| amt fond of work; l like to smoke my pipe