The Van Buren press., 1894-11-10

away money like dirt In the street ON
lot O. swindlih' tailors, an me work
in an slavin' ere to save 'apenny; an
This Is my return for It. Anyone 'ud
think you could pick up money in the
'orse road; an b'lieve I'd be thought
bet ter Of II laid in bed all day, like
some would-that ! do" So that
Thomas Simmons avoided the subject,
nor even murmured when she resolved
to cut his hair.
So his placid fortune endured for
years Then there came q golden sum-
mer evening when Mrs Simmons be-
took herself with basket to do some
small shopping, and Simmons was left
at home. He washed and put away
the tea things. and then he fell to
meditating on . new pair of trousers,
finished that day and hanging behind
the parlcr door. There they hung, in
all their decent innocence OF shape In
the seat. and they were shorter OF leg,
longer of waist and wilder of pattern
than he had ever worn before. And
as he looked on them the small devil
OF Original Sin awoke and clamored
in his breast. He was ashamed of il,
of course. for well he knew the graft
tude he owed his wifr for those same
trousers among other blessings Still,
there the small devil was, and the
small devil was fertile in base sug-
gestions and could not be kept from
limiting at the new crop Of workshop
gibes that would spring at Tommy's
first public appearance in such things.
"Pitch 'cm In the dust bin!" said the
small devil, at last; Its al they're fit
for"
Simmons turned away In sheer hor.
ror Of his wrecked self and for mo-
ment thought of washing the tea
things over again by way Of discipline.
Then he made for the back room, but
saw from the landing that the front
door was standing open. probably by
the fault of the child downstairs
NOW, front door standing open was
thing that Mrs. Simmons would not
abide; 1t looked low. So Simmons
went down, that she might not be
wroth with him for the thing when
she came back, and, rs he shut the
door. he looked forth into the street.
A man was lettering on the pave
iaent and prying curiously about the
door. His face was tanned, his hands
were deep in the pockets Of his un-
brsced blue trousers. and well back
on his head he wore the high-crowned
peaked cap. topped with knob of
wool, which is affected by Jack ashore
about the docks. He lurched a step
nearer to the door, and MRS. Ford
amt In, Is she?" he said.
Simmons stared at him for a matter
of Ave seconds and then said: "Eh?"
Mrs. Ford rs was, then Simmons
now, amt it?"
He said this with fu rive leer that
Simmons neither liked nor understood.
NO" said Simmons, "she amt in
now"
"You amt her 'usband, are YEP
"Yus."
The man took his pipe from his
mouth and grinned silently and long.
"Blimy," he said, at length, you look
the sort o. bloke she'd like" and with
that he grinned again Then. seeing
that Simmons made ready to shut the
door, he put foot on the sill and a
hand against the panel. Don't be in
a hurry, matey," he said, II come ere
t'ave little talk with you, man to
man-d'ye see?" And he frowned
fiercely.
Tommy Simmons felt uncomfort-
able, but the door would not shut, so
he parleyed. "Wotjer want9" he
asked. II dunno you"
Then, If you'll excuse the liberty,
I'll interdooce fieself in a manner of
speaking" He touched his cap with
bob of mock humility. "I'm Rob
Ford" he said. ''come back out o.
Kingdom Come, SO to say. Me as went
down. with the Mooltan-safe dead
five year gone. l come to see my
wife"
During this speech Thomas Sim
mons jaw was dropping lower and
lower. At the end of it he poked his
fingers up through his hair, looked
down at the mat. then up at the fan
light, then out into the street, then
hard at his visitor, but he found moth
ing to say.
"Come to see my wife," the man re-
peated, $50 now we can talk 1t over
as man to man."
Simmons slowly shut his mouth, and
led the way upstairs mechanically, his
fingers still his hair A sense of the
state OF affairs sank gradually into his
brain, and the small devil woke again.
Suppose this man was Ford? Suppose
he did claim his wife? Would it be a
knock-down blowP Would it hit him
out or not? He thought Of the trou-
sers, the tea things, the mangling, the
knives, the kettles and the windows,
and he thought of them in the way Of
backslider.
On the landing Ford clutched at his
arm and asked in hoarse whisper:
"'Ow long fore she's back?"
"'Bout hour, expect" Simmons
replied, having first of all repeated the
question in his own mind. And then
he opened the parlor door.
"Ah" said Ford, looking about him,
you've bin pretty comftable. Them
chairs an things"-jerking his pipe
toward them-''was hers-mine, that
is to say, speaking straight, and man
to man." He sat down, putting medi-
tatively at his pipe, and presently:
"Well," he continued, "'ere am agin
ole Bob Ford, dead an done for;
GAVIN down in the Mooltan. On'y I
amt done for, see?"-and he pointed
the stem of his pipe at Simmons waist
coat; II amt done for, cause why?
Conscience O. bein' picked up by ole
lormau sui1ir ros-,utch m, <ooL <o