The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-10


him when he came away from honae, ne
] had parted with it for a song. He ola NOT
/ know the value Of things he TOOK wat
! ne could get. When his watch was gone.
ue had nothing left to part with. only the
/ things he had left behind at his rooms,
/ and he had nearly walked the boots on MS
I feet looking for work
He went back TO his old lodgings early
! one morning, before anyone was ABOUT,
I 10 fetch them. ii could raise little mon
+ ey upon them. he told himself and ne was
4 cold and hungry and breakfasuess- Ihere
/ was nothing else 10 De done.
4 Sally was cleaning the front door steps
! when he came for them. She was clean
] ing them rather early that morning be-
] fore her mistress was about. Week had
+ made such a difference in him, week OF
I walking the streets, and sleeping out. that
/ she hardly knew him. His fair, fresh face
1 had fallen in. and his clothes hung loose
1 upon him. and lac dragged his feet IN
T spiriuess way as he came up the garden
Good gracious" she said, in her jerky
/ voice. Il didn't know yer. You haven
/ sot any work yet1 She didn't ask IL
80. he said. shaking his head; mo.
/ I'm most tired Of trying. I've come for
I my things; al least for the bag, If ] may
take some of them out, and leave the rest
She fetched the bag down into the pas
/ sage ana she watched him take the Things
out that he had come to fetch. She
watched him sharply with her lips screw
ed up and her forehead puckered she
knew exactly what ne was going TO 40
{
"Tn leave the rest for another time
he said, as he went away. end she saw
him go limping down the street with
the shabby bundle under his arm. she
knew the look of those shabby bundles
SO wei.
He was back again before the week was
out and the bag was again brought down
into the passage. and denuded further of
It's contents. When he called the last
time there was very little left for him 20
carry away IT there had been much he
would not have had the strength to ear
ry 1t. His gaunt lOOse-imbed frame had
become shTunken and emaciated, and he
stopped, she remarked as he walked like
an old man; all the youth had gone out OF
him. His long nerveless hands, she mo-
ticed, shook as he opened the bag, and
! he had nasty cough that made him
put his hand to his side, and brought
pink flush into his hollow cheek.
The poor shabby wretch coughing on
the doorsteps was not at all like the
| bright fresh-colored youth who used to
come up them so gaily a few weeks ago,
and who always seemed to bring a whln
OF the country with him.
There was nothing left in the bag fer
books. and the Bible his mother had given
| him when he was boy that ne had
promised her to read every night before
| he went to bed. He had promised her
| faithfully to read it when he came away,
and he had never opened il after the hrst
| night. There had been 50 much else to
DO in London. to take off his attention
and when he came home at midnight from
II music han it was toe lare, and he was
not exactly in the mood to read the Bible
took it out of the bag; he remembered
her dear face, and her tears falling upon
il as she put it into his hands, and mace
him promise to read it. Perhaps if he had
| kept his promise he would not have been
standing there now, hungry and fOOtsorc,
and shivering in the fresh morning air
THAT amt likely to fetch much.' Sally
said, with a disparaging sniff as he took
it out Of the bag. "Tain't the sort o. books
they can sell agen easy. They might keep
!
thought of buying it, an then they'd want
ii give to them"
'Itl have to so with the rest" he said,
with sigh, and L may as well take the
bag, too, as there's nothing left"
what are yon going to do when it's ali
gomez" she asked, bluntly.
what? what?' He asked himself the
question in a stupid dazed way, but he
could find no answer to il. I'm sure
don't know" he said, with a forced un>
mirthful laugh; when a fellows down on
his luck there's always remedy at
"A remedy?" she said, interrupting him,
sharply; what remedy?"
THE river" he said, with a wretched
attempt at a smile, and his lips quivering
There is always the river
Don't make a fool of yerself, Paul Fer
rarsv' the girl said, with an impatient
shrug of her shoulders. THE river isn't
for the likes of you. It's for those who
are seorched up wi burning flames in
side EN- that won't give 'em any peace
an who think the rivers going TO put
em out. who think when they've once got
their heads under water, airs over They'll
find out the difference, may be. The river
isn't for those Who'Ve got friends to love
EN-, and be sorry for EN-, who hasn't
given the world a fair trial ] should be
ashamed to talk of the river If / were
man. an had got pair of hands to work.
Don't you go breakln' your mothers
| heart, Paul Ferrars; you don't suppose
she's left off loving you. COS you are out
1T isn't that" he said, hanging his
head.
her forehead puckered and her head on
1 one side, as If she We're considering the
! case with judicial severity; its some
/ thin worse? l Nigh ha' knowed 1t was
! somethin' worse; but I've never heerd tell
/ that Ii makes much difference in forgivin'.
/ There's story heerd, | can't tell where
l heerd it, Of q young chap who had come
up from the country leastways he had
4 come from a long way off, an he got into
lived WI the pigs; an when ne was at
i his worst he didn't go to the river; he
went back to his old father, who had been
breakin' his art about him all the time
! him a-comin' he knew him ever so far off,
he ran across the fields to meet him, an
| he lugged him into the house a-cryin' for
Joy; and he killed the latest beast in the
! stall for dinner, an he dressed him up in
! his best clothes, and called on all the
/ neighbors round to wellIim him."
/ Sally paused for breath; she had never
made such long speech before in her
''Ive heard that story before" he said,
| In his husky ashamed voice; its in the
/ Bible / couldn't go back like he did If
| / would; ] couldn't get the money for the
fare down; it's a long way Off, in Devon
! shire. l should never reach there if
tried to walk 1t, should drcn by the way.
| Besides, l couldn't go back like this"
He looked down at his ragged clothes,
and his poor, broken boots, and sighed.
| His mother would not know him in that
| plight; and the neghbors-he would not
have the neighbors see him like that for
| the world.
Il never heerd that the young man in
the story bought new coat an a bowler
before he went back to his father. Most
like his old dad would not ha' been in
such a hurry TO run out an meet him If
| he had. He'd a sent akerridge to the
station to fetch him an bring back the
| luggage an there had been no need of
| brincin out his best clothes an KILN the
/ fat beasties," Sally said, with fine scorn.
Still he hung his head and looked down
/ at his shabby boots
THE countrys lookin' fine just now
'spects" she continued, looking up above
the lilac bush by the gate. in the front
/ garden, which was putting forth its fresh
green leaves and its scanty purple bios
sons at the blue sky above the house