The Bessemer indicator., 1894-07-07


after, that he'd took to bettin his en-
ployers' money agen tho rich men up
at the Royal exchange. An the up
shot was that one evenin' while he
was drinltin' tea with his mother in
his lovin', light hearted way, in walks
a brace O. constables an says, will
lam Pinsent, young chap, arrest thee
upon charge o counterfeitin' old
Gregory's handwritin' which is hang
in matteri"
"An' now, sir, comes the curious
part O. the tale; for, If you'll believe
me, this poor woman wouldn't listen
to it wouldn't hear word OF.
What! my son Willie, she flames, hot
as Lucifer. MY son Willie a forger;
my boy that have nussed an reared
up, an studied, marlsin' all his pretty
takin' ways since he learned to crawl!
Gentlemen she says standip' up an
facin' ..em down, what mother knows
her son, If not 1 give you my word
it's all n mistake
'Ay, an she would have it no other.
While her son was havin his trial in
Jail, she walked tho streets with her
head high, scornin' the folk Ms
passed"
"But her greatest freak was seer
when the Assizes came. Sir. she
wonldn' even go to the trial. She
disdained it. An when that moruin'
the judges had driven by her window,
same us they drove to- day, what dee
think she did?
''She began to lay the cloth up in
the parlor yonder, an there set out
the rarest meal, ready for her boy.
There was meats, roasted chickens,
was cheese cakes that she made after
n little secret of her own, an bowl
of junlset, an inch deep in cream, tina,
! bein' his pet dish, an all kinds o
lSnicls-knaclts, wi grapes an peaches
an apricots, an decanters o. wine
white an red. Ay, sir, there was even
crackers for mother an son to pull to-
gether, with scraps o poetry inside.
An tlowers-the table was bloomin'
with flowers. For weeks she'd been a
| plannin' it, an all the forenoon she
moved about that table, givin' it a
touch here an IL touch there, an tax
in step back to see how beauti full il
| looked. An then, us the day wore
on, she pulled chair over by the
window, an sat down an waited.
I'm those days capital trial wa,
kept up till late into the night, if neet
were. BY an by she called up her lit
tie servin' gal that was then, (she's {
gran nmother now, an sent her dow1
to the courthouse to learn how far tn.
trial had got, an run back with th,
news.
Down runs Selma Mary, an back
with word:
They're a-summin' up says she
''Then Mrs. Pinsent went an lii
eight candles. -Four she set pom the
table an four 'pon the mantel shelf.
You could sec the blaze out in the
street, an the room lit up. Wi the
flowers, an fruit, an shinin' glasses.
so the poor woman sat while
| longer an then she calls:
"'Selina Mary, run down agcn, an
! as he comes out, tell 'en to hurry.
| They must be finished by now.'
1.-THE maid was gone twenty min
utes this time. The evenin' was hot
an the window open; an now all the
town that wasn't listenin' to the trial
was gathered in front, gain cur ously
at the woman inside. She was titi-
vatin' the table for the fiftieth time,
an touchin' up the flowers that had
dropped bit i the bowls.
| But after twenty minutes Selma
Mary came runnin' up the street, an
fetched her breath at the front door
and went up stairs slowly and 'por
tip-toe. Her face at the pnrlor door
was white as paper; an while She
stood there the voices of the crowd
outside began to take all one tone,
and beat into the room like the sound
o waves pom beach.
"'oh, missis.' she begins.
"'Have they finislled?'
1.-THE poor cheald was only able to
nod.
"'Then, where's Willie? Why isn't
he here%
".oh, missis, they're going to hang
'en!
Mrs. Pinsent moved across the
room and gave her little push out
into the street. Not n word did she
say, but shut the door pom her, very
gentlelike. Then she went back and
pulled the blind down slowly. The
crowd outside watched her do it. Her
manner was quite ordinary. They
stood there for minute or so, an be-
hind the blind the eight candles went
out, one by one. BY the time the
judges passed homeward twas all
dark, only the blind showin' white by
the street lamp opposite. From that
year to this she has pulled it down
whenever judge drives by"