The record-union., 1891-02-22
slight confusion, There's nothin' atwixt


that Liz was going to keep the helpless
Doynes with her and not pack him OFF, as
prudence dictated, to the tender care of
the Paupers' Mansion. Mrs. Dolly Bobs.
who slept and lived in the same small
compartment with two grown-up sons
and daughter, besides her husband said
/ 1t wasn't decent;' the landlord of the
inn, who had fingered much of Doynes'
money, and so spoke as an old friend,
perhaps, really thought the 'Ouse was
good enough for the likes o. it-meaning
Doynes--and said so to every one who
was curious on the point; and the parson,
TOO, pasty-faced young fool, who hadn't
Deen ordained three years, came and eX-
horted her to the same effect; but Liz was
| losing patience, and was distinctly rude
to him.
'She stayed at the place where the ac-
| cldent had happened for q little over a
fortnight, and tended Doynes with the
most delicate care, although, when speech
returned, his groanS of Self-pity would
have driven any one else distracted; and
| as by that time she had sold everything
that would sell, except the dogs-the ex-
| chequer was empty to start with-she
harnessed the old horse in the shafts and
started OIL to the nearest fair, which was
| luckily not many miles away. Thanks
to Doynes' previous laziness. she was
quite capable of doing everything by her.
| self, and she declared to me that this new
era OF her life was not an atom harder
| than the one which went before. In fact,
she SAID 1t was easier, because the knowl-
edge that Doynes wanted little comforts,
which cost extra money, made the getting
OF it seem lighter.
| 30 course she told me, with a mis-
chievous flash of those black eyes of hers,
| 'o' course, vittleS is dearer now. cause /
amt s. andy at pickin' up things as 20
was; but then, when we gets 'em my
way, we ken eat 'em when we likes. an
don't ave to bolt 'em in hurry. Lord,
L mind i'm an me an the dogs wolfin' a
goose in ten minutes once, an none too
| soon neither, fer they come to look for it
| whiles we was a-pickin' our teeths!'
Winters We're the hardest times; the
! first one especially. 1t was difficult to
lay by any money for the hard season.
and more difficult still to earn any in it.
| Liz would sometimes get an odd siXpence
or perhaps shilling by doing bit of
washing or baking, but these windfalls
were precarious. Dwellers in cities don't
like lshmaelites, and all respectable
people fight shy of a young woman that
lives with man who is no relation to
her. -
but, as Liz said, in her bright. cheerv
way: We allus worried through some
'ow; an if Downes didn't get is poort, 'e
never went wi'out a sup o. beer
''She starved herself to death TO let
Doynes have luxuries.
And so things went on till last winter.
which, as you know, was an exception.
ally hard one; and then troubles came
down upon them thick and fast. The
horse-a sorry beast-died, and with him
! passed away a steady source of incomes:
! the clever collie-not the one which found
her originality, but his successor-was
| poisoned, and he was the best dog of the
| troupe; the caravan-which was very old
l IsaE,. Il rsNtfn Al L
| and they could not afford to get it satis-
factorily repaired, though Liz did all she
could with painted canvas and tin tacks;
| Doynes got very feeble and sickly. and
| required constant nourishment and at
tentlon; there was a strike in the neigh
borhood, and consequently no work to be
obtained; and finally Liz herself con-
tracted cough which raczed her contin-
ually, and made her, as she expressed it.
'as fond, am feeble an doddery as new
| born pup
"It was terrible struggle that winter
and when spring came Liz carried the
marks of it clearly. Her black eyes We're
more brilliant than ever, and her once
heal~>y brown cheeks were now sunken
and Redeemed with dangerous hectic
flush. She hired horse for the road-a
| plebald beast belonging to Van Davey's
American Cirque which necessitated
her always following in the wake of that
| equestrian exhibition, and made a large
| hole in her own takingS.
But she said, with feeble attempt
at the old cheerfulness, luck was down.
The tent was dirty and patched, and my
! props was very much the same, an
though | might bawl myself 'oarse out
! side, an say as Doynes' wonderful dogs
was wonderfuller nor ever, most people
'ud take me at my word, an only a few
! 'ud come to see if it was so. An when
/ do
maybe get riled at the sell, for the dogs
was really orful bad. They was willin'
enough, most of 'em, but they seemed to
"a lost their brains. Doynes ed "a fixed
'em right enough; 'e wor clever wiz dogs,
'e wor, am could teach 'em ole. e could
| "a whacled talkin' into 'em, if he wanted,
believe; but regretfully-'cannot
kech lis stroke some'ow.
Y ED be surprised to see 'ow thought
full them dogs is sometimes, now. They
seem to know when grub's scarce, lust as
we does, an they'll not 'owl 'arf SO 'ard
for their dinner when they see me and
| Doynes is q bit down i the mug. In
course they does bark bit when their
| Stomachs Is empty, but allus in an apollo
gisin' sort o. way, like as if they was
ashamed o. theirsels for doin' it. AM
! then when [ pats 'em, an tells EN-, Pm
very sorry, but there amt anythink for
'em to eat, they'll wag their tails as much
as to say, I'VE catches your meanin' an
winks," an then they'll go out am prip
as natteral as any Christian.
But latterly rs been SO bothered wiz
| this yer cough that | kinder frightened
| people away, am so Doynes' vittles 'as
! been worse ner ever. But 'e's been very
| good about it. 'E 'asn't grumbled much
sim 'e saw as I couldn't 'elp it. The other
showfolks says as 'e's selfish brute, but
they're liars, liars every one ON 'em.
Didn't e pick me up when was sniv-
cling little brat by t. roadside, an 'asn't
| e KEEP me wiz him ever sin'?'
Poor lass, she struggled bravely
against her illness, often keeping on her
legs through sheer force of will when
weakness made everything seem to swim
before her. But when she arrived here
with lot OF others for the village tide
as they call the feast-just week ago. Che
| tent in which Doynes' performing dops
We're wont to perform was not set up.
Dolly Bobs came sneaking in here late at
night in mortal fear of his wife-for Liz
was a pariah among her people-and told
me why, and gave me Liz's history as far
as he knew 1t. He came really to relieve
| his conscience, | believe, by asking me to
| go and see her. evidently doubling
| whether / would do so when no pay was
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS old brute.
"Of course | did go, and L found things
| even worse than he had told me, The
caravan was fearfully dilapidated old
rattle-trap, weather-beaten and rotten to
the last degree and but for couple of
NANCY ,mongrel ours which We're crouch
ing on the steps, there wasn't sign of
life about it. The battered tin chimney
gave out no smoke, both doors were close
ly shut, the windows were half covered
with painted limitations of curtains. /
Knocked and went in. Everything was
frightfully ruinous and poverty-stricken.
and there was plenty of evidence to show
that nothing had been done in the tidying
line lately. There was bunk against
each wall at the opposite end. In one of
them the bearded face of a man of about