Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1895-11-13

membered, perchance, for that, and
the rest forgotten. But it cannot be,
I suppose. II am grateful, DR..
Richards, for all that you have said;
I am more, much more than grateful.
But it cannot be. lam a married
woman"
looked at her incredulously, and
would have spoken, but she stopped
me gently and went on.
"When I left school I met q man
who was, to my girlish fancy, all that,
my dreams had painted; I ran away,
and married him. Only too soon I
discovered the bitter wreck I had
made of my life. Twill not dwell upon
it; suffice it that he was coarse and!
common creature, possessing no man.
ly attributes. I lett him; 1 fought
my way alone; trained myself for
this; I hid myself here. He may find
me again when he wants money. That
is my story"
In my pity and distress took her
in my arms again, and shc leant her
head upon my breast, and cried there
softly for few minutes,
It was just ut that moment that
Ginger awoke, and we were startled
by the exclamation, in weak voice.
cob, my eye!"
Mary sprang away and busted her,
self with the window curtain; walked
across to the patient, who was regard
ing me with a grin. AS drew near
he whispered:
"Ain'tshe a daisy, guv'nor. But, guv'.i
nor, straight, I didn't mean to say.
nufink; 1 'aven't grabbed it, ave I. y
Thereafter Ginger's admiration and
gratitude to his "nuss," as he called;
her, knew no bounds. He would fol-
low her respectfully at distance; he
neglected his precarious business dis
gracefully in order to be near her and
to perform small services for her.
One night, some months after his
illness, he burst suddenly into my:
surgery, and sank into chair, and
regarded me with blank expression
of terror. I saw that he was trembling
in every limb.
"Gawd clip me, guv'nor, he whis-
pered. "I'ye done it this time, an;
no error. It's 'anging job-that's,
wot it is, guV'nor."
By degrees I got his story from him,
told in jerks.
T was walkin' along be'ind my,
nuss, when bloke e stops in front of
'er, an speaks an she shoves 'er 'ands
on 'er face, and begins to cry. Then
the bloko lays 'old of 'er arm. and
speaks rough like, an shakes 'er, an
e says, so I've found yer, ave ], on
e shakes her again. An 1 rushes up
to i'm and ] jumps on i'm, on o stag.
gers, wi me on top of i'm an'-oh.
Lord !-he goes right over in the road,
an a railway wan was comm round
the corner, and it misses me, nm goes
slap over is ed. An it warn't my
fault, guv'nor-sw'elp me- it warn't;
] on'y meant to make i'm let go OF my
nuss. An they've took i'm to the
'orspital, guv'nor."
I had started up, in my excitement,
when I suddenly saw Mary's quiet fig
ure in the room. Her upraised hand
stopped me.
"You can do nothink," she said, in
q low voice.
"Is he"
"Dead. Died before he reached
the hospital-almost before the cab
started"
"And-Mary-was he" I began.
eyes, the man of whom I spoke to
you
Mary and I were married some.
twelve months after that, and the
sense of the fitness of things urged US
both to do something for Ginger; but
he stoutly declined. We see him
sometimes; he was even present at our
quiet wedding, and scandalized every
one by standing on his hands, in tho
presence of very dignifed beadle, in
the church porch.
But he persists in living his old
life; his "scraps" with neighboring
urchins are as numerous as ever; and
I firmly believe he wears the same
suit of clothes.
But we have not lost sight of him,
and we cherish hopes. Illustrated
Ritu