The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-03-02

interest IN the DOy lot the sake OF LIE
dead comrade. Monkey.face was an
orphan, and the only relative he had ever
known was the woman who brought him
up, q cousin of his mothers. This wo.
man was fish peddler, a brawling, bru-
tai creature, whose affection for her
Young charge was manifested only by
blows. Perhaps if he had known o
parents love he would have been less
perverse.
One afternoon, the lad took it into his
head to run away from the factory, and
60 vagabonding about with gang of
young rufians like himself. AS they
were coming slowly home after night
tall, they heard, to their astonishment.
the CRY of an infant. The sound seemed
to issue from long, narrow, dirty ally
which opened on the street, aud at the
other end of which hung dimly flick
ering lamp. After short consultation,
the street boys venturcd softly into the
passage, and one of them espied, behind
the door, little bundle of rags which
struggled and walled. he seized hold
of it, and the whole party ran into the
street, triumphant, stopping under a
lamp to examine their capture. 1t proved
to be a baby-girl a few weeks old,
wrapped up in Il series of dirty cloths, a
poor little innocent abandoned to the
charity of strangers.
A council was held to decide what
should be done with the booty, and the
young captors gave free play to their
mischievous imaginations. One said to
put the baby back where they had found
it; another, to hide it in a half-empty
prune-box which stood at q grocer's
door; a third proposed to climb
up to a second story balcony and
leave the youngster there, and
how astonished the people would
be next day! But Iii Monkey-face
secuted all these ideas and declared that
the baby must be given ito the gypsies.
There was band of these people near
by, who practiced jugglery ard fortune
telling, ,and instances of kidnapping were
by no means rare.
Monkey faces decision was hailed wit b
enthusiasm, and he claimed the right to
carry the treasure-trove in consideration
of his having made the plan.
"Give US the kid" he said. The baby
had, all this time, been screaming
piteously, but it stopped suddenly when
Monkey.face took hold CT it, and while
he walked along with an air of triumph,
it fixed its great blue eyes upon his
ugly face, and smiled, at the same time
stretching its tiny hands out as if to
caress him.
"She is laughing!" cried the boy in
delight, "see how she looks at me-"
Then new impulse seized him.
II will not give her away" he said,
IL will keep her myself"
His companions protested Indignantly,
but in vain, for as they we'll knew Zizi
Monkey. face had at the end of each arm
an argument so strong that it would be
useless as we'll as unsafe to oppose his
wishes.
When he reached home with his
burden the fish peddler exclaimed
furiously.
"Do you think I have not enough to
do to fill your mouth, you lazy imps
Take that brat to the police-quick
now" Pif, pafl A box on each ear
showed the boy that she was in earnest,
and he fed from the house.
That night he did not return, and the
next morning he was in the factory as
soon as it opened, for the first time in
his life.
"Mr. George he said timidly to the
overseer, show much will you pay me If
I work hard all day"
"I have already told you, twenty
cents" answered the man in surprise,
and Monkey face worked indefatigable
until night. The overseer, amazed and
delighted at the change. paid the boy
for his work and gave him twenty cents
in advance, in order to encourage him.
That night Monkey-face was again
absent from his home, and his cousin,
the fish peddler. went to the factory the
next evening, lay in wait for him, and
dragged him home in spite of his strug-
giles, administering thrashing on tae
way. But it was no use; as soon as the
old woman turned her back to cook the
soup for dinner, the boy slipped out OF
the house and did not veturn.
The factory overseer having been in
formed of the state of affairs made mp
his mind to settle the matter at once by
finding out where Monkey.face spent his
nights, and for this purpose watched the
lad as he left the factory. Mr.. George,
in company with one of the workmen,
followed the wanderer at short distance
aud observed him enter bakery and buy
a small loaf of bread; next he went into
a dairy and came out carrying bottle
of milk, and then turned his steps
towards lonely deserted quarter near
the river. Suddenly his followers saw
him plunge into muddy alley; the place
having no lamps was as dark as an oven,
but Monkey-face was dimly visible as he
stopped before board fence. The next
minute he had scaled it with the agility
of the animal that was his namesake, and
was lost to sight.
The two men determined to discover
his hiding place, climbed over the wall
and found themselves in a large vacant
lot, surrounded with weeds and rubbish,
but of Monkey-face there was not a
signl.
At last they espied in the farthest
corner, low wooden shed whica had
evidently once served as a fowl.house,