Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1890-07-18

WIN Daby IN her arms, rocking
slowly TO and fro, and singing wearily,
over and over again,
''rhere is not in the wide world a valley
so sweet"
A mere girl she looked, but very
wasted, and her checks had not a tingc
Of color; and yet it was enc of the
sweetest faces, Archy thought, that he
had ever seen. If this was Warner
wife, perhaps he was a lucky fellow
after all.
lie wondered if there was anything
70 eat in the house. She did not look
as If there was. But, for the life OF
MIN, nc dared neither ask her, nor
order anything to be sent from the
nearest provision dealers; and though
nc thought of all kinds of expedients
Tor getting shilling inside the door
That should look as if it belonged TO
one of them, and had been mislaid.
none of them were feasible. If it had
been du k he thought, scanning the
water-spout, with critical eve, he
might have clambered on the roof and
dropped the shilling down the Chin
hey lie was nearly as tall as the
house already, and he could climb like
a sailor. But it was broad daylight !:
and at last-he had been lounging all
This time in front of small grocer's
shop close by-he turned away in de-
spair, rejecting that, after all, Warner
had had a days work on Monday, and
1t was on'y Wednesday. He would
go now into some other quarter of the
city, and look for work himself. For
work? Well, yes. 1t was hardly that
he consciously made up his mind to do
50. But that was what he did.
1T was month later, and Archy
had not gone back to his old position.
Neither, however, had he foursT'glyu-
lar work. If he had gone to the right
quarters, it may be said, of course, he
might have found it. Archy s'o3d,
indeed, for moment outside the
doors of the general relief committee,
but there the beautiful probability of
his story of having place as omnibus
conductor that he had not been dis
missed from, and yet could not go
back to, owing to having heard a
white-faced girl through window,
sigging the Injecting of the Waters"
keA&tcd to credulous relief com
's.2ss, struck nm 50 torcrD1y tnar ne
broke into loud laugh as he turned
away.
But it was not CHEEKY laugh
Though he had given up his old lodg-
ing and been sleeping where he could,
the few pence he contrived to earn
were not enough to keep him, and for
weeks he had not had Ii arty meal
A dull despair was creeping over him ,
but he tramped DlindIy on, asking for
work, till he faDcied that the officials
at different establishments were look
ing on him with suspicion, as one
whom they had refused before. And
all the time he knew that he might go
back to his old place. Warner would
give it up without a murmur, or a
grudge; he was that kind of fellow.
Then he fancied Warner going home
to tell his wife the news, and then he
fell to wondering how they were get
ling on. lie fancied he would 90 and
see.
That day, when Warmers omnibus
stopped at the end If the route, at l
o'clock, every passenger had left it.
They had quarter of an hour to wait,
and the driver slipped hastily across to
his favorite public house, which was
conveniently situated Warner looked
eagerly up and down the street, as if
expecting some one, but it was almost
deserted. There was policeman o
little way down; there was a shabby
looking fellow standing at the corner,
against a lam .)-post, with his hat
slouched over his eyes-no one else.
Warmers face fell, but it lightened
again in moment, as girIish figure
emerged from street nearly opposite
and ran lightly across TO the omnibus.
Warner held out his hand and she
sprang in.
s.IIere it is" she said proudly, un-
packing the small basket. "You
can't guess what I've made you for
dinner today, and, if you eat it now, !
do believe it will be hot"
..Meat pie, Janetl" said Warner.
..Wcl, you are cook ard no mis-
take. I've twelve minutes-blcst if
there amt that unfortunate old lady
who always comes a quarter of an
hour before we're timed to start"
uShe's long way off," said Janet,
with look of disappointment. "Go
on with your pie, Will; she won't be
here yet awhile"
Every we'll item" said Warner re-
luctan,ly. "Hang the old girl-look
at her umbrclla!"
They kissed each other hastily in
tho omnibus, thinking that no one saw
fhem. Least of all, the aimless vaga-
bond at the corner, with hat slouched
over his eyes, who was looking al
nothing. He-ah, no! Then jane
snrang down again; and presently tho
old lady mounted the step, and War
nor ate his meat pie furtively, between