The Sunday morning news., 1891-12-13
ABSOLUTELY PURE

to the next people we lighted on, and the
word went round, Here's wretch OF q
Cheap Jack been beating his wife"
Little Sophy was such a brarn child!
She grew to be quite devoted to her poor
father, though he could do so little to
help her. she had a wonderful quantity
of shining dark hair, all curling natural
about her. 1t is quite astonishing to me
now that didn't go tearing mad when
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 a brave child said she wasl
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
ewes still wet; ''if / don't cry out, You
NAV 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 l consider the cause of Sophys
taking bad low fever; but however she
took it, 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 | had known it, what
with one thing and what with another
land not least what with railroads. which
will cut it an to pieces, expect, at last),
and was run dry OF money. For which
reason, one night ut that period of little
Sophy's being so bad, either we must
have come to u deadlock for victuals and
drink, or | must have pitched the cart
as did.
couldn't get the dear child to lie
down or leave go of me, and indeed l
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 herr
"Now, you country boobies says l.,
feeling as if my heart was o heavy weight
at the end of broken sash line, Il give
you notice that l am a-going to charm
the money out of your pockets and to
give You so much more than your money 8
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 75 per cent. less
than give for 'em, and 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 donst want to know:
Then you shall She belongs to the fai-
ries. She's q fortune teller She can tell
me all about you in a whisper, and can
put me up to whether you're a-going to
buv a lot or leave it. Now do you want
a saw. No, she says you don't, because
you're too clumsy to use one. Else here
| a saw which would be lifelong blessing
to a 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 awlkwardness, which
would make it manslaughter. The same
objection applies to this set OF three
planes, which won't let you have
neither, so don't bid for 'em. Now am
going to ask her what you do want. =
| Then whispered, s'Your head burns
SO that am afraid it hurts you bad, my
pet" and she answered, without open
ing her heavy eyes, "Just a little,
/ father.'O "Oh! This little fortune teller
saws it's a memorandum book you want.
| Then why didn't you mention it? Here
| it is. Look at it. Two hundred super
fine, hot pressed, wire wove pages-ii
You don't believe me, count em-ready
ruled for your expenses, an everlasting
| ly pointed pencil to put 'em down with
double bladed penknife to scratch 'err
! out with, book of printed tables to cal
culate your income with and caml
stool to sit down upon while you give
! your mind to it! Stop! And an uln
brella to keep the moon off when yor
give your mind to it on pitch darl
night. Now, won't ask you how muci
] for the lot, but how little? How httl'
are you thinking of? Don't be ashamed
! to mention it, because my fortune tellel
knows already" (Then making believ'
to whisper l kissed her and she kissed
4 me.) ssMhy, she says you're thinking o
as little as three and threepence!
couldn't have believed it, even of you
unless she told me. Three and three
N@EH AE,.g-