Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-03-14

its position in the sling formed by
it's mothers arm, the boy holding
close to her, pulling at her shawl
aud continually asking her in an
unintelligible mutter for something
that she either had not got or
didn't mean to part with. Her
bonnet was slipping of her dull,
untidy hair; her face was white,
With tired, lusterless eyes, pink,
pinched little nose and dlsconten'
ted mouth. The poor little apology
for a baby might have hung round
her neck by a ribbon, and the other
child was small and sickly. a
shrunken, depressing little group
Just as Stephen Mostyn was be-
gining to weave round in his mind
a pathetic, tender fancy, the small
boy becoming more than usually
lmportunate, hismother said, With
no flicker ot|change in the express
sion of her face, but with avoice
whose rough grating easily over
powered the noise OF the tram:
"Jest you stop worritin', Tom
my, else I'll tell yer blOomin' dad
when We git 'ome-see if l don't"
Stephen shut his eyes, and only
opened them as the little family
bundled out two stations further
on.
"The Monument ~ "Mark lane y
No further passengers invaded his
carriage.
al can't stand this any longer,
and the condensed fog chokes one.
shall get out at the next station
and go back"
"Aldga.e!7 n
Out he jumped and crossed to
the return platform, literally feel
ing his way. The underground
station at Aldgate is often quite
dark IN the middle of summer, and
on this day the fog was dense. lie
found his way to a seat and ( sc
thick was the darkness did not
discover, till he had taken bis
place at the end of it, that there
we're two other people near him.
One of them, a man, was speaking
in a dlsagreeable, Querulous voice.
"I'm sure It's not my fault if
get nothing to do. l am always
ryiug to hnd something"
eyes; in other peoples pockets,
answered a woman's voice. "YOt
want the wage, not the work."
"Good heavens ! that is Mill
cents voice exactly" though
Stephen "what an extraordinary
resemblance~
"What becomes of money il
your hands can't conceive" she
vent on.
at is MllIlcent's voice. Wha
! in Gods name Is she doing :" ant
Stephen tried TO get a catcl
glimpse OF the figure that wa
screened from him by the man be
tween them, and still more so by
the darkness.
"What have you done with th'
money l sent you last Z"
"Done with it? Spent it, o
course. a family cannot live OF
nothing. 1t was not much for you
to give-you. who live in luxury
you, whose husband is rich; yoI
-
"My husband Is very far fror
rich and ii he were 80 1t woul
bene6t you in no way. Ever
fartherlng 1 have given you 10
your wife was nay own, made b
my own work. l, a woman, wort
ed to help a woman, as l would
man, but not such IS you"
"whateyer you may have give
you owed to my wife,"
"I owed her 7"
"Yes; for taking from her VIVA
was hers by right"
"Shall / let this brute go O.
speaking to her I" SAID Stephen
himself, holding the edge of IL
seat tightly in each hand.
"And now that she Is i'll and
want you in your prosperity grudG
a little help to her and her hung
= children
81 have lowered myself by liste
U ening to you thus far said Mil
+ c. Mt, in order to see If you wOuI
not in time Say what expect Il
It you-what waited for. Nc
o that you hsye doLe 80 l will a
r swer you fully this once and new
e speak with you again. | feel tn
T, you cannot have lived your II
i without some ones having call
r you liar and coward or wltho
d your knowing that many had
= right to do so. Therefore | "
not pause to add my testimony
"a thair. Whan uour frat letter cal