The record-union., 1894-11-03

ers OF the men, and the strange, limping,
shu1I1Ing, halting cortege, moved slowly
away to the shrIIl but subdued notes OF
Little Joe's fife and Harry McDuh's
muffled drum. which hesitantly picked
out the familiar air of the 18th psalm.
All, here surely are the pathetic Incl
dents Tor story, L thought, as moved
softly 10 old Billy's side and touched him
gently on the shoulder.
knew that pensioners grief, even
his mIrth, had but one fitting compan-
ION. L knew, too, a little alehouse hard
Dy-the Royal Military Asylum Tavern
III ancient tranklln's Row-where That
companion could he had along side
CHEEKY fire and glittering rows OF copper
puncheons and pewter mugs, and as L
touched him on the shoulder l asked him
alphabetically:
with me and over 4 mug OF -four ale' and
fresh pipe OF tobacco, tell me something
about yourself and Mixer"
lie looked at me suspiciously for mo-
ment While emitting something between
childish sob and surly growl, but as
the vision of proffered cheer gradually
broke over him, be yielded to it's blan-
dishments and fell III behind me with
soldiery step on our way 10 the little tav-
ern with the big name III historic Frank
Inns Row.
L say historic Franklin's Row, for the
very place where we were finally costly
seated before huge deal table beside
cavernous fireplace was the kitchen of
the identical house i'll which the disso-
Lutte Charles, touched by the generous
pleadings of kindly Nell Gwynne, gave
TO her, 10 be Instantly transferred by his
tavorite as Il site for a pensioners hos
pital, Kings James College and its
pleasant surrounding meadows which
Charles had just purchased for his
rlfrEf Nnll of ho II ri rarin Of
thirteen hundred pounds.
The cookies OF the old pensioners
heart were soon warmed, and noticing
my Interested looks about the dark and
antiquated place, after deep and COM
lorting draught at his mug and a few
sputterings wEiffs at his pipe, the vet
eran rumInatively began:
"Ay, ay, pardner-no 'fense sense Mike
is gone!-ips NelPs oP 'ome: 'ome o. the
horarnge gal as made Us th' 'ome DER
theer, sech as 1t be-"
Here he pondered awhile as if fixing il
all in his memory just as legend had
brought the pretty tale down to its trem-
bling old beneticiaries.
'Ye see Nell did 'eep o. dreamin' fur
Ter lordly barrymore. She dreamed this,
that an 'tother, rapid like. King Charles
allus 'eeded 'er dreams. Maybe that
made Ter dream more am more. ANYHOW,
one night Nell dreamed mighty 'ard.
Next day she wuZ glum like. The King
shook rs 'ead an Worried o. er it. Watts
hup, Nell?' go pumped at 'er, rough am
ready. 'Oh, ye won't mind watts hupp
she an'sers discouraged like. 'Odso, give
it a namen says ee. SO she hups an
houts VII it."
Here the old pensioner closed his eyes,
pursed his lips and began in hoarse
whisper of secrecy which could be plainly
heard into the middle OF the street
'Methought.' says Nell, rollin' Ter fine
heyes up'ard, L was in th' fields o.
Chelsy, an slowly theer rose afore nv
heyes a gorgus pallus WIZ thousand
chambers. In an hout theer walked
many old an worn out soldier men VII
all kind OF scars an many manned o.
limb. All o. 'em was aged an past
service, am as they went out an come in
th' oP men cried out: God bless King
Charlesp Then l opened my heyes am
wuz sore worritted DER my dream
Hup Charles roars: Nell Gwynne, 1
wish you'd dream dreams as didn't cost
so muchv Then she ans'er up: 'Oh. o.
course l know'd you wouldn't do it!'
Wen ee says: We'll, ye knew amiss that
time. Nell Gwynne, fur l will do iti' AM
ee did!'
He snorted and beamed on me in very
excess Of triumph at his historical recital
and continued deprecatingly:
That's th' way tn 'ospital come'd T.
be, sir, an no 'tother. 'Thout Nell
Gwynne's dream, right 'ere in this very
'house, sir, hus as made th' British Hem
pire what it be, wouldn't lad ary place
u lay our OF an worn hout 'eadsp
''Old? Why, Uncle Billy, you're not
DID," insisted encouragingly.
He looked at me moment commiser-
atingly. He tugged at his pipe furiously.
Then taking his wrinkled face in his two
hands and planting his elbows on the
table stolidly he said, with childish van
ity and woebegone earnestness,
'pll be 92 year ol this month, God
willingr'
"Impossibler' I retorted, affecting
amaZement.
"Ninety-two year" he repeated SOL
emnly. ''Listed in tn Thirty first Foot
in 1919, served over forty year, an come
back T. th' workus or that-that 'ere pen
amt much better!"
"Kith and kin all gone, Uncle Billy?"
"kitb an kin all gone"
mo brothers, or sisters, or friends"
Not airy one"
mo children, or wife, orr
''See 'ere now, pardner-no 'fense sense
Mikes gone t. Brompton!-I told ye they
wuz all mustered out"
''Why, didn't you ever have wife.
Uncle Billy?"
1 cannot tell why drove him so closely
on this point. Perhaps il sprang from
vagarous human contrariness. But l
did it with dim sort of notion there had
been perhaps somewhere, sometime, a
little woman proud in her way of this
battered old hulk in its braver days, and
that he might have forgotten the fact,
along with other things, old soldiers
should often better have remembered.
"Willum Merrill-that's my full name,
sir am born in Bedfordshire-had a wife.
forty or fifty years ago. SIR"
.Forty or fifty years ago!-here in Lon
don, Uncle Billy?"
LAY, right here in Lunnonn
'What became of her?'
"Dead."
"Do you know that?"
docs | know I'm lookin' at you?"
'But how do you know that she died?',
'Does / know | ave this 'ere rose-red
dec rashun on my breastie? Does | know
ave this 'ere yaller an blue dec'rashun
on my tother breastie? Does / know
Were an low l got 'em? Does 1 know
Wen L left service on a bob Ia shilling) a
day pension, l marched more miles DER
Lunnon streets, a searchin' of 'er than |
hever trod in Turkey or tn Crimea?
Does l know that nothin' on yearth'd
made me give hup th' searchin' an th'
pension. an lay my bones in that theer
livin' greave, 'cept / was cock-sure she
was dead am gone!-gettin' nothin' but a
penny Gay, fur ale an 'bacey money, a
bunk no bigger than poor Mixes box T.
sleep on. AM arf loaf, a ounce o. butter,