The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-12-24


where to leave her, and this giant, other
wise Pickleson, did go so far as to believe
that his master often tried to lose her.
He was such very languid young man
that don't know how long it didn't take
him to get this story out, but it passed
through his defective circulation to his
top extremity in course of time.
When l heard this account from the
giant, otherwise Pickleson, and likewise
that the poor girl had beautiful, long dark
hair and was often pulled down by 1t and
beaten, couldn't see the giant through
what stood in my eyes. Having wiped
'em, gave him sixpence (for he was
kept as short as he was long) and he laid
it out in two threepenn' orths of gin and
water, which so brisked him up that he
sang the ''Fayorite Cstnic of Shivery
Shakey," amt it cold?-a popular erect
which his master had tried every other
means to get out of him as Roman
wholly in vain.
His masters name was Min, very
hoarse man, and | knew him to speak to.
went to that fair as mere civilian
leaving the cart outside the town, and
looked about the back of the vans while
the performing was going on, and at
last, sitting doing against muddy cart
wheel, l come upon the poor girl who
was deaf and dumb. At the first look
might almost have judged that she had
escaped from the Wild West show; but
at the second thought better of her,
+ho,1o.l.+ hot 81,
for and more kindly used she could be
like my child. She was just the same
age that my own daughter would have
been if her pretty head had not fell down
upon my shoulder that unfortunate
night.
To cut it short, I spoke confidential to
Min while he was beating the gong out
side betwixt two lots of Pickleson's pub
lies, and I put it to him, ''She lies heavy
on your own hands; what'l you take for
her?' Min was most ferocious swearer.
SURPRISING that part of his reply, which
was much the longest part, his reply
was, ga pair of braces" ''Now, I'll tell
you," says /, ''what I'm going to do with
you. I'm going to fetch you half dozen
Ibs
and then to take her away with me-"
Says Min (again ferocious), "I'll believe
1T when I've got the goods and no
sooner" made all the haste l could,
lest he should think twice of it, and the
bargain was completed, which Pickleson
he was hereby so relieved in his mind
that he come out at his little back door,
longways like a serpent, and give us
"Shivery Shakey" in whisper among
wheels at parting.
1t was happy days for both of us when
Sophy and me began to travel in the
cart. | at once gave her the name of
Sophy, to put her ever toward me in
the attitude of my own daughter. We
soon made out to begin to understand
one another, through the goodness of the
heavens, when she knowed that meant
true and kind by her. In very little
time she was wonderful fond of me.
You have no idea what it is to have any,
body wonderful fond of you, unless you
have been got down and rolled upon by
the lonely feelings that I have men
toned as having once got the better
of me.
You'd have laughed-or the reverse,
it's according to your disposition-if you
could have seen me trying to teach
Sophy. AT first l was helped-you'd
never guess by what-milestones l got
some large alphabets in a box, all the
letters separate on bits of bone, and say
we was going to Windsor, 1 give her
those letters in that order, and then at
every milestone showed her those same
letters in that same order again and
pointed toward the abode of royalty.
Another time give her cart and then
chalked the same upon the cart. An
other time l give her Doctor Marigold
and hung a corresponding inscription
outside my waistcoat. People that met
us might stare bit and laugh, but what
did L care If she caught the idea? She
caught 1t after long patience and trouble
and then we did begin to get on swim.
mingly, believe you'll AT first she was
little given to consider me the cart
and the cart the abode Of royalty, but
that soon wore off.
We had our signs, too, and they was
hundreds In number. Sometimes she
would sit looking at me and considering
hard how to communicate with me
about something fresh-how to ask me
what she wanted explained-and then
she was Tor 1 thought she was; what
does it signifyD so like my child with
those years added to her that l half be-
heved it was herself trying to tell me
where she had been to up in the skies,
and what she had seen since that I'M
happy night when she flied away. She
had pretty face, and now that there
was no one to drag at her bright dark
hair, and it was all in order, there was
something touching in her looks that
made the cart most peaceful and most
quiet, though not at all melancholy.
IN. BIN the Cheap Jack patter, we
generally sound it lemonjolly, and it
gets laugh
The way she learnt to understand any
look OF mine was truly surprising. When
sold OF night, she would sit in the
cart unseen by them outside, and would
give eager look into my eyes when
looked in, and would hand me straight
the precise article or articles l wanted.
And then she would clap her hands a d