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

llfel A roomy cart, with the large goods
hung outside. and the bed slung under
meath 1T 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
horse. What more do you want? You
draw off upon bit of turf in 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 have temper in the
cart, tinging language and the hardest
goods IN stock at you, and where are
you then? Put name to your feelings
My dog knew as well when she was on
the turn as l did. Before she broke out
he would give howl and bolt. How he
knew it was mystery to me; but the
sure and certain knowledge of it would
wake him up out of his soundest sleep,
and he would give howl and bolt. At
such times wished / 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
80 shocking, as the child got to be four
or i've year old, that have many time
gone on with my whip over my Shout
der, at the old horses head, sobbing and
crying worse than ever little Sophy did.
For how could I prevent it? Such
thing is not to be tried with such tenn
perm cart-without coming to a
fight. It's in the natural size and forma-
hon OF cart to bring it to fight. And
then the poor child got worse terrified
than before. as we'll as worse hurt gen.
orally, and her mother made complaints
to the next people we lighted on, and the
word went round, ''Here's wretch of a
Cheap Jack been beating his WIFE"
Little Sophy was such brave childi
She grew to be quite devoted to her poor
father, though he could do SO little to
help her. She had wonderful quantity
Of shining dark hair, all curling natural
about her. 1t is quite astonishing to me
now that I didn't go tearing mad when I
used to see her run from her mother be-
fore the cart, and her mother catch her
by this hair and pull her down by it and
beat her.
Such brave child I said she was!
| All! with reason.
| ''Don't you mind next time, father
| DEAR" she would whisper to me, with
her little face still flushed and her bright
eyes still wet; 'if don't cry out, you
| may know am not much hurt. And
even If do cry out, it will only be to
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 took
great care of her. Her clothes were al
ways clean and neat, and her mother
was never tired Of working at 'em. Such
is the inconsistency in things. Our being
down in the marsh country in unhealthy
weather consider the cause of Sophy's
taking bad low fever; but however she
took 1t, once she got it she turned away
from her mother forevermore, and moth
ing would persuade her to be touched
by her mothers hand. She would shiver
and say, ''No, no, no." when it was Of
fered at, and would hide her face on my
shoulder and hold me tighter round the
neck.
| The Cheap Jack business had been
worse than ever I had known it, what
with one thing and what with another
(and not least what with railroads, which
will cut it all to pieces, expect, at LAST,
and was run dry OF money. For which
reason, one night at that period of little
Sophy's being SO bad, either we must
have come to deadlock for victuals and
drink, or I must have pitched the cart
as / did.
couldn't get the dear child to lie
| down or leave go of me, and indeed I
hadn't the heart to try, so stepped out
on the footboard with her holding round
my neck. They all set up laugh when
they see us, and one chuckle headed JOS
kin chat | hated for it, made the bid
ding, ''Tuppence for her!'
SNOW, you country boobies" says I,
| feeling as if my heart was a heavy weight
| at the end of broken sash line, 81 give
you notice that am a-going to charm
the money out of your pockets and to
give you so much more than your moneys
worth that you'll only persuade your
selves to draw your Saturday nights
wages ever again afterwards by the
hopes of meeting me to lay 'em out with,
which you never will, and why not? Be-
cause I've made my fortune by selling my
goods on large scale for 70 per cent. less
than give for 'em, and I am consequent
| ly to be elevated to the house of peers
next week by the title of the Duke of
Cheap and Marks Jackaloorul. Now
let's know what you want tonight and
you shall have it. But, first of all, shall
tell you why have got this little girl
| round my neck? You don't want to know?
Then you shall. She belongs to the fai-
ries. She's fortune teller. She can tell
me all about you in whisper, and can
put me up to whether you're a-going to
buy lot or leave it. Now do you want
saw. No, she says you don't, because
| you're too clumsy to use one. Else here's
saw which would be lifelong blessing
to handy man, at four shillings, at
three and six, at three, at two and six, at
two, at eighteen pence. But none of You
shall have it at any price on account
of your well known awkwardness, which
| xuOuld make IL rnapclo =, ohtay Tho so,,,o