The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-12-24

way docking up at the window where
she was. Now here, my blooming
English maidens, is an article. the last
article of the present evenings sale,
which l offer to only you. the lovely
Suffolk dumplings billing over with
beauty, and won't take bid of thou
sand pounds for from any man alive.
Now what is it: Why, I'll tell you
what it is. It's made of fine gold and
it's not broke, though there's hole in
the middle of it, and it's stronger than
any fetter that ever was forged, though
1t S smaller than any finger in my set OF
ten. Why ten? Because. when my par
ents made over my property to me, [ tell
you true, there was twelve sheets,
twelve towels. twelve tablecloths, twelve
knives, twelve forak, twelve tablespoons
and twelve teaspoons, but my set of
fingers was two short of dozen and
could never since be IN .tched. Now
what else is it: Come. Iii tell you. It's
a hoop of solid gold wrapped in silver
curl paper that l myself took off the
shining locks of the ever beautiful old
lady in Threadneedle street, London
city; l wouldn't tell you SO if l hadn't
the paper to show, or you mightn't be-
lieye it even Of me. Now what else is
it: It's man trap and a handcuff, the
parish stocks and leglock, all in gold
and all in one. Now what else is it:
It's wedding ring. Now I'll tell you
what I'm going to do with it. I'm not
a-going to offer this lot for money, but
mean to give to the next of you beauties
that laughs, and I'll pay her a visit to-
morrow morning at exactly half after
nine o'clock as the chimes go, and I'll
take her out for walk to put up the
banns." She laughed and got the ring
handed up to her. When | called in the
morning she says, "Oh, dear! It's never
you, and you never mean it, Its
ever me" says |, "and am ever yours
and I ever mean it." So we got mar
ried, after being put up three times,
which, by the bye, is quite in the Cheap
Jack way again, and shows once more how
the Cheap Jack customs pervade society.
She wasn't bad wife, but she had a
temper. If she could have parted with
that one article at sacrifice | wouldn't
have swopped her away in exchange for
any other woman in England. Not that
I ever did swop her away, for we lived
together till she died, and that was thir-
teen year. Now, my lo-ds and ladies
and gentlefolks all, I'll let you into a Sc
cret. though you won't believe it. 'Thir-
teen year of temper in palace would
try the worst of you, but thirteen year
of temper in cart would try the best of
you. You are kept SO very close to it in
8 cart, you see. There's thousands of
couples among you getting on like sweet
lie upon milestone in houses five and
six pairs of stairs high that would go to
the divorce court in cart. Whether
dertake to decide; but in cart it does
come home to you, and stick to you.
Violence in cart is so violent, and ag-
grawation in Il cart is so aggrawating.
We might have had such pleasant
life! A roomy cart, with the large goods
hung outside, and the bed slung under
meath it when on the road, an iron pot
and kettle, fireplace for the cold
weather, chimney for the smoke, a
hanging shelf and cupboard, dog and
a horse What more do you want? You
draw off upon bit of turf i'll green
lane or by the roadside, you hobble your
old horse and turn him grazing, you
light your fire upon the ashes of the last
visitors. you cook your stew, and you
wouldn't call the emperor Of France
your father. But haye temper in the
lan f1,a
goods in stock at you, and where are
you then? Put a name to your feelings.
My dog knew as well when she was on
the turn as did. Before she broke out
he would give howl and bolt. Eow he
knew it was a mystery to me; but the
sure and certain knowledge Of it would
wake him up out of his soundest sleep,
and he would give a howl and bolt. at
such times I wished l was him.
The worst of it was we had daugh.
ter born to us, and I love Children with
all my heart. When she was in her fu
ries she beat the child. This got to be
SO shocking, as the child got to be foul
or five year old, that have many a time
gone on with my whip over my shout
der, at the old horses head, sobbing anG
crying worse than ever little Sophy did
For how could I prevent it? Such ;
thing is not to be tried with such TEN
perrin cart-withOut coming to
fight. It's in the natural size and forlna
ton of a cart to bring it to fight. Ant
then the poor child got worse terrified
than before. as we'll as worse hurt g.n
orally, and her mother made complaint
to the next people we lighted on. and tn
word went round, "Here's a wretch Of
Cheap Jack been a beating his wife"
Little Sophy was such brave child
She grew to be quite devoted to her poo
father, though he could do so little t
help her. She had wonderful quantit
Of shining dark hair, all curling natura
about her. 1t is quite astonishing to IN
now that didn't go tearing mad when
used to see her run from her mother be
fore the cart, and her mother catch he
by this hair and pull her down by it an
beat her.
Such a brave child l said she was
All! with reason.
Don't you mind MT time, fathe
dear" she would whisper to me, wit
her little face still flushed and her brigh
eyes still wet; IF l don't cry out, 70
may know l am not much hurt An
even if | do cry out, it will oely be t
get mother to let go and leave off.
What have seen the little spirit bear
for me-without crying out.
Yet in other respects her mother too
| great care Of her. Her clothes We're a
ways clean and neat. and her mothe
was never tired of working at EN-. Sue
is the inconsistency in things. Our bein
| down in the marsh country in unhealth
weather l consider the cause of Sophy
| taking bad low fever; but however Sd
took it. once she got it she turned ava
| from her mother forever1nore. and mott
ing would persuade her to be touche
by her mothers hand. She would shiv,
and say. NO, no, no." when it was Q
fered at, and would hide her face on IL
shoulder and hold me tighter round tt
neck.
The Cheap Jack business had bee
worse than ever | had known it, VIII