The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-12-22

HE will never hurt us again, Teddy dear.
1t was the laSt time, the last" she NUT
tered, with half insane exultation. at
went on long enough, didn't iti Enough
blows, enough Starvation The brute-the
brutel Oh, seem still to see his red, sod
den face so near-his surly curses ring and
ring in my brain. Baby, do you think
they've found him yeti 1t wasn't our fault,
was 1t, that be stumbled and went over the
stairs' Six flights downright He is ly-
ing there in the shadow can see him-I
can see him-still-so still-alone. He must
be dead. Yes, he must be"
She laughed and the sound was strange
mournful cooling that seemed to rise from
the ruins of soul
Terror enlarged her eyes as through the
falling snow she saw police officer APP
proaeh-a man she knew.
Hello, Nancel What are you doin out
in the storm, heyf" he asked kindly.
Eancef Yes, it was she-three years old
er, three years sadder.
Its Christmas eve,n she faltered, fore
ing a smile, and wanted to show Teddy
the shops, the crowds"
Got bruise on your face againf Rad
ley's at his old tricks, chr It'd be good for
you II he died"
He did not guess what horror his words
had aroused but she bent her pinched,
tremulous mouth down to the pale child's
face, nodded and hurried past him.
"See that girli" the officer asked of
friend who strolled up to him. 1--WE been
watching her go down, step by step. This
New York's queer place, terrible place.
/ sometimes stand on my beat here and
watch the paopla naea Y knotr lots nf
them, and more about them than they
think. Well, that girl just gone by has
made bad job of her life, a bad mess Of
it.n
She's pretty still, only a bit hungry look
ing and scared. The baby hersf" asked
the listener,
Yes, the poor kid heard her tell her
story once to n police Judge when her
scamp of II husband was up for street fight
ing and she tried to get him off 1t was
like this: Three years ago she was singing
on the stage, and as pretty as rose her
face was. ! remember seeing her in The
Mikado.' Pretty' Well, that isn't the
word for it. She had such baby look in
her eyes and round her lips you'd never
thought a man could have had the heart to
scold her, much less beat her. Well, she
fell sick and lost her voice. She was all
gain. When she was hard up and des-
perate, she somehow met that fellow Rad
ley, who was mixed up with so many racing
swindles few years ago. He was flush
with money, initiated the swells, lied to
her. guess, and persuaded her to marry
him. Luck was against her. He lost ev-
cry penny when Lady Betty went under in
the Suburban, and then he became like
fiend, went from bad to worse, and now he
has hardly sober moment. They live in
terrible hole down by the bridge. He
beats that poor little wife of his. Some
night he'll Kill her."
By the time this brief recital of her sad
history was finished Nance had gone some
distance up Broadway-a strange, hopeless
figure among the busy crowd.
In the shelter OF doorway she counted
her last coins, There were just 20 cents.
When they were gone, what was lefti All,
what' Nance knew. She was taking her
farewell of life today, and she would take
1t grandly, lavishly, spending all.
1t was this feeling Of reckless fina1ity
that made her hail car and sink into a
corner. At another time she would have
suffered much before spending the money
required for fare, but it seemed a small
consideration in view Of this being the last
time.
The familiar streets were coming. Soon
they would pass the theatCr where she sang
three years before. An uncomfortable mag
netism to the spot made her alight and
stand looking up at the brilliant crystal
lantern in the lobby. How long ago the
life there seemed! Was it only years since
she had seen Mark LoranceY Not centuries
since that white, winter nightf Not anoth.