The Sunday morning news., 1891-12-13

pence! And ~ set OF printed LapleS III
the lot that'n calculate your income up
70 forty thousand yesrl With an in
come of forty Thousand a year you
grudge three and .sixpence. Wen, then,
III tell you my opinion. so despise the
threeuence that I'd sooner take three
shillines. There. For three shilllngs,
three shillings, three shllilngs! Gone!
Hand 'em over to the lucky man.
AS there had been no bid at all every
body looked about and -rinned at every
body. while touched little Sophy's face
and asked her il she felt faint or giddy.
"Not very, father. 1t will soon be over"
Then turning from the pretty patient
eyes, which were opened now, and see
ing nothing but grins across my lighted
grease pot went on again in my Cheap
Jack style. "Where's the butchers" (my
sorrowful eye had just caught sight of a
fat young butcher on the outside OF the
crowd. 'She says the good luck is the
butchers. Where is he?" Everybody
handed on the blushing butcher to the
front, and there was a roar, and the
butcher felt obliged to put his hand in
his pocket and take the lot. The party
SO picked out, in general, does feel obliged
to take the lot--good four times out OF
six. Then we had another lot, the coun-
terpart of that one, and sold it sixpence
cheaper, which is always very much en-
loved. Then we had the spectacles. 1t
amt special profitable lot. but put
'em on, and see what the chancellor OF
the exchequer is going to take off the
taxes, and see what the sweetheart OF
the young woman in the shawl IS doing
at home, and sec what the bishops has
got for dinner and deal more that sell
dom fails to fetch 'em up in their spirits,
and the better their spirits the better their
bids. Then we had the ladies lotS-the
teapot, tea caddy, glass sugar basin. half
q dozen spoons and caudle cup-and
all the time I was making similar excuses
to give look or two and say word or
two to my poor child. It was while the
second ladies' lot was holding 'em en-
chained that felt her lift herself a little
on my shoulder to look across the dark
street. what troubles you, darling"
Nothing troubles me. father. lam not
at all troubled. But don't see pretty
churchyard over there?" .'Yes, my dear"
"Kiss me twice. dear father, and lay me
down to rest upon that churchyard grass
SO soft and green" staggered back
into the cart with her head dropped on
my shoulder. and says to her mother:
"Quick! Shut the door! Don't let those
laughing people seer Whats the mat
ter?" she cries. "Oh, woman, woman!' |
tells her, you'll never catch my little
Sophy by her hair again, for she has
flown away from you'll"
Mavbe those were harder words than
meant 'em; but from that time forth
my wife took to brooding, and would
sit in the cart or walk beside it hours at
stretch. with her arms crossed and
her eyes looking on the ground. When
her furies took her (Which was rather
schooner than before) they took her in a
new way, and she banged herself about
to that extent that was forced to hold
her. She got none the better for little
drink now and then, and through some
years | used to wonder, as plodded
along at the old horses head, whether
there was many carts upon the road that
| held so much dreariness as mine, for all
my being looked up to as the king of the
Cheap Jacks So sad our lives went on
till one summer evening, when we were
coming into Exeter out Of the farther
west of England, we saw woman beat
ing child in cruel manner, who
! screamed, Don't beat me! Oh, mother,
mother, motherr' Then my wife stopped
her ears and ran away like wild thing,
and next day she was found in the river.
Me and my dog were all the company
left in the cart now, and the dog learned
| to give a short bark when they wouldn't
bid, and to give another and nod of his
head when asked him, ''Who said hall
a crown? Are you the gentleman, sir
that offered half CROWN He attained
| to an immense height of popularity, and
| shall always believe taught himself en-
tirely out of his own head to growl al
any person in the crowd that bid as low
as sixpence. But he got to be well on II
years, and one night when was con-
| wulsing York with the spectacles, he
took conwulsion on his own account
upon the very footboard by me. and il
finished him.
Being naturally of tender turn,
had dreadful lonely feelings on me artel
this. conquered 'em at selling times
having q reputation to keep (not to men
ton keeping myself, but they got n'
down in private and rolled upon me
That's the way with us public characters
See us on the footboard, and you'd giv'
- L. L