The record-union., 1894-05-19

TO the nearest seaport town and return
them to New York, on the most pitiabie
emigrant fare.
They were sitting by their window
overlooking Cheyne Row when this as
founding discovery was made. At that
moment Pelham caught sight of two fa-
millar figures opposite They were cost
ermongers, a pearl -buttoned Jackey and
his "donah," man anu wife, who had be-
come indissoluble friends of the Pei
hams, first through liberal purchase of
vegetables, again through accompanying
them on various expeditions among the
lowly of London, and, lastly, through a
previous years outing with Chaf1inch
Ike, as he was called, and his Wife, Hetty,
! through the shires OF Essex and Suffolk,
to Great Yarmouth by the sea, by dom
key and van, subsequently generously
loaned to Chaflinch Ike, which donkey
and van, the latter transformable at
convenience into a huge coster's cart.
had brought Ike and his Hetty to the
pinnacle of cOster competency and aris-
tocracy.
The costers were protesquely attired,
as if in full bloom for Epping Forest,
Hampstead Heath, or the Derby, and
were exerting themselves ludicrously to
attract the attention of their friends in
the apartment window above.
''By Jove," cried Pelham excitedly TO
his sister. There are twenty pounds in
assets we had overlooked-our donkey
and van which Chatfinch Ike and Hetty
are using"
well, George, we will just keep on
overlooking them. Ii we cannot es-
cape our troubles without plunging those
two poor souls back into the misery and
degradation they were in when we first
came to know them, We'll just starve
here in London"
''All right" replied Pelham resignedly
''Starve it is, then;" and quick starve
say Ip'
''Ta-ta-ta! ta-ta! ta-ta-ta!'
This i'll shrIll whistle assembled pierc-
ingly and almost appealingly from Chat
finch Ike. 1t was Immediately followed
by the same from Hetty, whose face
blazed as redly as her crimson scarf from
her great effort.
Pelham knew this was the imperative g
signal of the coster, and he raised the win
dow and softly replied with the whistled
coSter answer of
''Ta-ta-tai ia tap
He also motioned for the two to ascend
to their apartments, where the Pelhams
had often received them for little treat S
before, but Chaffinch Ike, with an ex-
preSSive curve of his thumb and a still
more eloquent grimace of his face toward
the area entrance below, indicated that
unexpected opposition had already been
encounted in that quarter. This sent the
Pelhams indignantly to the street. After
a short parley with the landlady-one OF
humiliating evidences of their changed
conditions-they led the costers in tri-
umph to their rooms.
Hetty and Ike were in state of mingled
pride and sympathy. Hetty began blub-
bering with. "Oh, an whatever jigger 'as
struck ye?'
"Doan't mind 'er," interrupted Ike.
| 9Th donah 'asn't a ounce of bloomin'
grammar in 'er. But 'er art is as right
as th' Monument; hit isl"
Then Chaffinch Ike looked about the
apartment ruefulIy.
"Play hit gently, Guvernor," he con-
tinued, addressing Pelham, "but wat 'as
you an th' missus run up agin, hany'ow?
Strike me lucky! but hit quite puts hout
me heyes, so it does!'
Then Mercy Pelham came and sat be-
tween the two costers, taking q rough
hand of each in her own, while George
| glowered out across the river to the dark
ening Surrey hills.
She told them simply and in straight
! forward womanly way of their utter loss
/ and ruin, while Hetty blubbered harder
! than before and Chaffinch Ike frowned
/ down the demonstrations of his wife, ap-
! pealing to her, like the valiant coster that
he was, to 'strike him lucky and gil
more bloomin' grammar in Ter, afore
mussin' up lady's pallus," to hide the
| mistS in his own eyes as Mercy finished
| her recital with:
$50 you see. good friends, much as we
| would like, we can be no further help tC
you"
''Elp to hus?-Elp to hus?" almost
| shouted Chatfnch Ike, in desperate
! wriggle for adequate sympathetic words
l.lf "A
! hits th' tOSher way we wants hit Strike
me lucky! Them's th' langwidge as we
uttered otly t. th' hold puss below, w Ell
we com'd afore to-day = say good-by ful
! o. houting down in Kent along o. tn
'ops. Sne says. they 'as no need o. veg
| etables, nor either good-bys. They
! done fur 'All th' more need o. friends,
says Hetty. Go long, says she. 'ol
| HILL ave ye summonsed.' At that, says
l, Easy does it, missus. Hactionable
| langwidge kicks both ways, like my
moke' donkey. At witch we left, with
| leads as Ugh as st. PauPs clock. Now
we're 'ere agin t. give DER th' houtin'
an T. take ye T. our 'ome. Strike me
lucky, 'taint no Lud Mayors pallus, but
if ye can put up 'long o. Hetty's 'avin' nc
bloomin' grammar in 'er, hits yours as
| long as Hetty can holler or Hi can shove
q cart! Lady an Guyernor likewise, is
hit a go?"
He said this in an almost pitiful tone O.
appeal, as Pelham and his sister, touched
by his genuine magnanimity, showere0
thanks and blessings upon them both.
You spoke of going TO Kent on a little
outing. Did you mean among the hop.
gardens, Ike?'
Didn't Hi, thought"
I"How were you going?" continued
Mercy with unusual earnestness.
Same as all O. hus T. Yarmouth, last
year. In our van, to be sure"
what can each of you earn per week
and how many weeks work are there?''
Thirty bob tshillings)fur four weeks
.'That is six pounds each?''
"Gor bli me, lady, them's th' figuresp
slke," and the handsome young woman
regarded the coster with kindling eyes
can we-my brother and I-go with you
and Hetty in the van?'
Ike gave such fierce whistle thai
| Mercy laughingly stopped her ears agains
its piercing shrek, when the coster, cut
ting several ecstatic pigeon wings about
the apartment, loosened his neck clott
"kingsman' as if to express the almost
/ choking nature of his Joy. Hetty blub-
! bered and gurgled radiantiy at the unex-
pected turn OF events, while Pelham
turned from the window, laughing at the
/ hubbub, but with an anxious, "Whai
crazy scheme is this of yours now,
/ Merce?'
Nothing crazy about it! You and
picked hops, George, back there on the
/ dear old Mohawk Valley farm with our
neighbors' children, year after year.
There was nothing crazy about it then
| We thought it the treat of the year. And
J how proud father was because we-you