The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-11-03
WHEELING DAILY INTE111GENcER SATURDAY NOVEMBER 1891

| " heard, the imperative humping
dissent OF the stef upon my hollow
deck.
Somsthins like feeling Of Solemnity
now came upon me. The persistence
and Insistenes OF the lace In the ink
stand reused me from dRlliance 70 ac-
/ rubbed my eyes iuriously. thinking.
"Eog, presto! and away it fiesF but IL
was shll-Ihere. ] clapped my hands
londly together, but the Wraiih was nn-
moved. l dashed my penholder down
beside the inkStand, but 1t was as
though the bumped body had merely
momsutarily laid aside her staff.
Ileft my chair and bathed my eyes in
cold water, paced the room for q time,
and even read Ia my books. When l
turned 70 my GeSk again, IL seemed as
though the face in the inkstGnd was
looking wonderingly and protestlngty
into mine ] stepped to the gas jet,
turned II Of, went out Of my apartment
and took several quick turns 10 the
hallway. When ! had come back and
relighted the gas, the little old woman
only gazsd up into my face with pug.
zled and troubled look.
/ rang my bell aud servant shortly
came.
"Take this inkstand." said TO him,
"have II cleaned thoroughly aud bring
me fresh well OF ink"
When be had done my bidding and
had retired from the room, II was long
time before ! dare turn TO the cruel
placement I felt certain had been
wrought Even then, my eyes stole
sheepishiy, guilty, 70 the deik.
There, brighter, clearer, more inerad.
icable than before, was the face in the
inkstand, its tear-dimmed eyes following
nv every movement with pleadinclook
Of bewilderment and fear.
In q moment more, with hat and
great-coat donned, and with a parting
glance at the face which now seemed
radiant in smiling approval, had left
my inu and gained London's midnight
streets.
Almost as in a dream where q city's
thoroughfares seem like cloud.tllled
canals with ghostly humans drifting
along their lower depths, l turned into
Maiden Lane, rounded Leicester square;
pushed through the harpy throngs OF
Trafalgar Square and the Strand;
crowded on into Fleet street; penetrated
the maze Of wynds aud alleys round
about the Royal Justice Courts, as far
as Chancery Lane, aud thence, around
by Lincoln Inn folds, by zi9zag, tortu.'
GUS course, peering into every woman'a
face saw for likeness OF the face that
haunted me, came at last. exhausted
and discouraged in my search, to the
corner Of Southampton street and the
Strand.
Here he halted for q little, leaning
against the Southampton side OF the ex-
treme corner OF the building there,
gazing ruefully into the Strand, which
was still crowded with tue Godforsaken
OF London after midnight hours.
at lie her face; and will find it yet"
muttered aloud as l cast parting
glance up and down the fog.shrouded
human tides OF the Strand.
"Is it IN old face or a young one, you
are looking for, my dearT inquired q
soft voice at my elbow, just around the
corner OF the building in the Strand.
The voice was as sweet as an innocent
child's; and yet 1t held thatsubtle chord
of interest and sympathy which caa
alone be modulated by mature and
tender human heart.
whirled and faced, or rather bent
over, the speaker; for her head scarcely
came to my waist. saw with beating
heart aud bowildered brain the haunt
ing face in the ink-stand; the very face
l sought; the lace of little, old,
humped-back woman, with sturdy staff
in hand; face set upwardly, as is the
sorry way with dwarfs; face in which
some unutterable human hopelessness
was drawn into stony lines, and yet on
which there seemed, as you looked upon
II, to grow In high relief aradiant trans
figurelnent of trust and filth; the oldest,
plaineat, sweetest face in the great Lon
don town; and face l could only look
upon in astounded silence for Its friend
ly reassuring smiles.
"rm just Drury lane Betty, sir.
Everybody on the Strand knows Betty.
Some OF them loves her too. I'm here.
abouts at nights-I like 1t best, strand
sometimes Betty helps them that falls
to the earth from discouragements and
the like, sir. The nighttime is when
helps most needed, sir. Besides. old
D6IkN IL lODhluR AaSCI WV bhs Dhb
are you In trouble2 Sometimes them
that's best dressed, sir, have deepest
hurts. I'm just now going in. sir, and,
II you don't mind, We will have a cup OF
tea toy ether. We can talk better over
bit Of FIRE and cup OF tea, you know.
Come along, my dear"
She swung her staff into ono hand
and grasped it firmly; with the other
she reached confidently for my own
and placed 1t beneath her shoulder and
trundled away with me toward Fleet
street, her head perked to ono side like
little white old birds; her fascinating
prattle only now and then checked, as
some officer or long frequenter Of the
quarter gave her commisssrating
though hearty greeting, to which she
replied cheerily. calling each one by
his Christian name; until we at last
turned into the now darker and less fire..
queuted Drury Lane.
A walk OF few steps. in this thor.
oughfare brought us to the fruiterers'
district, and We halted before an an.
Client and narrow structure. Here my
strange companion produced an enor.
nous key, and ushered mo into a hall
way black as the portals OF Erberns.
Ordinarily would not have assembled
its creaking stairs with any human
other than a Scotland Yard inspector
for thousand sovereigns. but felt no
fear with her. Up. up, up wo scrambled,
the dwaried little body guiding mo
without misstep or blunder, until
fourth landing had been reached, when
with lively Here we are, my dear" q
door was thrown open and we stood full
La LLn rnar linl,t al n lnEnn and rhhnrfnl