The record-union., 1893-02-03

Lltt la-Iza pulled her sharp chin.
Yes" she said; Ben i'd curl up COM
fortable."
She was philosophic person, Litt'la-
liza. She had no conception that there was
such thing as luxury: Hunger and
cold and pain and weariness seemed to
her rs essential to human existence as
breathing. Though she was neglected no
one was actively unkind to her. Perhaps
If she had reasoned about such things she
would have said she was not l3thappy.
AS for happiness, Litt'la-iza looked not
for 1t in this life, for the simple reason
that she knew nothing whatever about it.
She took things as they came. AS the bed
was always crowded it was not worth eX-
Guiding Ben, because he would make one
more. Yes" she repeated; Ben ID curl
up comfortable" And she added pen
sively, but not in way complainingly, and
rather as if she were speaking of some
other person. Seems a pity me lum-
BERN of it, don't it?''
1T can't be helped" said Mrs. Liver
such. But dunno" she added wearily,
how we are going 10 manage later on"
u don't neither" said Litt'la-iza.
The facts of her existence were such
that this poor little cripple could not pre-
tend to ignorance of those stern facts of
life from the knowledge of which happier
maidens are jealously guarded. Then she
changed the subject.
Amt there any dinner ?' she asked.
Mrs. LiverSuch awoke from a reverie.
There's bit of bread and drippin'."
she said. Il dropped il in the saucepan.
Give us the knife, Walter"
The small youth thus addressed pro-
duced knife from somewhere. The lid
OF the saucepan was taken Off and piece
OF stale bread disclosed. The dripping to
which allusion had been made was
dark fatty substance which had already
which it had been nesting in the sauce
pan.
The eager children crowded round
their mother. She cut few thick slices
and smeared the dripping over them.
Grlmy hands were stretched out, and
there was contented sound OF MUNICH
ing.
''Liza?" inquired her mother, the knife
held interrogatiyely toward her.
No" said Lift laiZa, 81 amt hungry"
She often said that at meal. times. Some
times it was the truth and sometimes it
was not. She had certainly accustomed
herself to do with a minimum of food,
and could well have been training for a
fasting prodigy. il drink of water seemed
to make satisfactory meal for poor
Lltt tla-iza. When she said, II amt
hungry" even if her tone was wistful, no
one attempted to urge her to eat. All
were too glad to have the chance of an
other bite of bread and butter, and some
times when Lit la-iZa accepted Il slice it
was only to hold it to one little mouth
alter another with a shrill Ave Il bite?''
which was always unhesitatingly ans
wered without the aid of words. And no
one of them all realized that Litpla-iza
was dying before her time Of slow starva-
ton.
Dying before her time, and yet she
lived too long, it would seem. The new
sar.f lNxrx
more of the society of her family than
she had formerly enjoyed, certainly
helped her on the downward way. She
was used to breathing Yitiated atmos-
phere, but seven in room during sum
mer weather made even her well-trained
lungs sometimes cry out for a little
oxygen, though she did not understand
what it was that they wanted and why at
night she longed to fling out her weak
arms painting. If she had done so she
would have disturbed her bedfellows,
and so she lay and suffered.
In the daytime she had still some hours
of comparative solitude, however, for
such OF the young ones as had clothes of
any description went to the ragged
school or played in the gutter. Mrs.
Liversuch never went outside, but she
sometimes gosslped on the landing or at
the street door. Mr.. Liversuch, other
work still GLIDING him, had gone tramp
ing. 1t was probable he would be away
during the time of harvesting and hop
ping.
One day a neighbor dropped in on Mrs.
Liversuch. She was the woman from
down stairs, who had promised to aid
Mrs. Liversuch in time Of need. She
was an untidy, pleasant-faced woman,
with practical bent of mind.
There was no one in the room but
Lift -la-iza, who was lying with her eyes
closed, 50 that they thought she was
asleep, though they would not have
troubled themselves in any case about
her presence. Mrs. Hobbies was talking
about her daughter who had lust cot
married, an event that is OF Importance
in all ranks of society, though in the
East End mothers get their daughters
''off their hands" with less difficulty than
those OF the respectable West.
81 miss her." said Mrs. Hobbies.
Daughters is companionabler than sons.
Y on amt never lad one, ave yer?''
"OnIy her." Mrs. Liversuch pointed
to the bed. ''She don't 'ardly COUNT
The small figure in the tattered shawl.
who lay outside the equally tattered COW
erlid, stirred slightly; the little gray face
which was so weird and ugly and
shrunken, quivered. She had known all
along that she didn't "'ardly count" and
yet there was enough life in her still to
make it grievous to hear these words.
''P'raps this'n be a girl, my DEAR said
Mrs. Hobbies soothingly.
"P'raps so,'' said Mrs. Liversuch. And
then she sighed heavily.
"Oh, dearw she said, Il don't see how
Pm to manage. There amt a thing in
the place, and poor Litt'la-iza's not tit TO
be moved.'
shell have to be-" said the other
woman. You owes yourself dooty.
Besides, you'll want the child to be
strong.'
son, dear, yes" said Mrs. Liversuch
with energy. It's bad enough havin'
'em at all, and Emery not earnin'.
couldn't abear to have another cripple"
No; poor Lift tla-iza's enough,'' said
Mrs. Hobbies.
Then she walked round to the bed and
regarded the child.
Il don't think she'll last,'' she said in a
stage whisper. Poor little crittur.r she
added, not urgently. Her life amt
much value TO her. It'll be a mercy
when she goes"
"Yet I'll miss her." said Mrs. Liver
such, who had followed her friend.
''She's 'elpless. She can't even do mend
ing or nothing now. But she's willin'.
And she's my own child, yer see, Mrs.
Hobbies. A mothers 4 mother'
At these words two tears crept from un-
der LitCla-iza's closed lids and tricked
down her cheeks. Neither of the women
observed them. Mrs. Hobbies had turned
to go outside. and Mrs. Liversuch ACCOM-
panied her to the door.
Not long atterward Mrs. Liversuch was
sitting on the rickety chair. with her
hands clasped on her lap and her ewes
fixed in dreary contemplation of nothing-
ness, when the thin piping voice of Lit
la-iza reused her. She turned and looked
at her daughter.
Yes, Liza"
"Do dyin' hurt?"
Il don't-know. 1t depends. What for