The morning times., 1895-07-30
Joe OIdroyd's
Last Pledge.

why dost tha' stay in so, Meg, lass?"
asked lean, lapk Aunt JeZabel, ironing
collars on the kitchen table.
Meg still sat silent by the fire. She also
had been ironing, and was tired.
''Meg!" called the old woman. reproach-
fully, but the lips of the girl moved only to
be drawn tighter against her teeth by her
breath If she spoke she would cry.
''Wheer's Joe these four neels?"
Meg's gray eyes dropped from the level
of the oven top TO the depths of her white
apron, ard Aunt Jezabel ironed The collar
then in hand as If it Were a miniature
white corpse of Joe.
She scorched il. The poor corpse turned
brown ard then curled up as If 20 look at
itself, and Aunt JezabeI banged the flat
iron on the inverted basin with forebodlng
emphasis.
"Aw tell thee what it tis-it's pity he has
tongue ard tina has a ear, If they come
betwiXt thee boath so much. That's what
il is" And Aunt JeZabel began another
collar. An what aw lick so much abaat
him is. he's as soft and washy as soap wi
lasses as woHldna' have him for the pickin'
up; but WI thee he's mOestly soda and
| starch
Meg's cheeks were now drawn in, even
under the grip of her teeth, and tears
peeped at the fire from over her eyleids
HAST ia had words agaen?'' ridicUIed the
aunt
Not intending it as reply, Meg shook
her head 1t was a mere involuntary disa-
gTeement with that theory of tue old wo-
| man; but it was seen.
"Noa? Then he's broke, aw suppose. and
| gone the fool on his old ways! And now
| he's breakin' thee"-and that sent the cor
| ner OF Meg S apron between her teeth, where
| she bit and tugged it, the tears rolling and
| tumbiing down her checks.
| ITS nobbJt penny see saw Wi the boath
o thee; he's up, thou's dowan; he goes on
| drink and thou goes off fOoid; he goes out
! iaikin' and Iaughin' and tina stays inmoepin'
and dumpin': he sIeeaps sound, avn be
bound, and tina tosses from one Weakness to
| another Tack my word, Meg, thai do no
| gooid wi him. He's wastrel. Gle himup,
lass; give him up and have done wi himl''
Meg burst into a sob.
A tear fell even from Aunt JeZabel's eye
onto the not iron and frightened her with its
| fizz. That hardened her into common
sense.
"What'suse givin way and maxim yer
seIfbad likethat? Ireckonhe snone shakin'
himself for thee. He only cries when all
=
his pocket, he's brass enough in his face TO
borrow. He had a shillin' from Sal Wright
croftlast meet Aw didna' thank her and aw
said so, for aw thout o thee, waitin' for him
to sober. And then, of COerce, he'll come
crawiin' here ike wizened warped-Up
frosted worm, and expect thee to gogiOatin'
on tow path wi him agacn.- Aw wouldn't
less it Were TO duck him in canal. Tack
my word, Meg, if he's the heart TO burt tina
feelin's now. he'll have the hand to hurt
tha flesh after Gle him up, gle him
upi"
Meg openly sobbed her protests.
''Thar't too gooid for his Ieks. Tha TT
worth better stuff. Why, as he is, he
could not pluck a daisy wi'out dirtyin'
it. Aw wouldn't be his daisyI' said
Aunt Jezabel taking another finished
collar TO the piled oven door.
Patting Meg's shoulder, she said ''And
doen't tha'. Tax my advice, Meg.
There's always whOam for thee here.
AVN be a Joe to thee, lass. We've
tried it these seven year and aw think
we're as good as wed, as far as share
and share and good feeliu' and under
standin' goes-eh? If AVID crust tha'd
have the softest half; and tha'd have a
bonnet for Sunday if aw stayed ia nysel'.
Aw nivver had a lad-nobbut but once
and we didn' hit the nail-and aw see
mysel no worse nor many women folk as
has and Gamma tack care of their bairns OF
theiFSenS. "
Aunt Jezabel took up another limp
collar from the damp heap.
Think it over, lass; and not wi tha
thowts outside the hOuse-but in it. Think
on the seven year that have gone and tina q
bin sure of here; and the mayhap kind OF
seven times seven year tha'd be maxim
for thysen wi him-as he is. It's q
thousan pities tha' ever took on wi him,
and I always said so. He'll be no sooid to
to thee, no gooid to bissen, no gOoid
TO memo gooid to US all.
An unsteady knock at the door disturbed
Aunt JeZabel.
"Why, can his knocks drunkeni'' she
said, going to the door with the iron il
her hand.
Meg rose as the door was opened.
'Iz-iZ her in?" asked Joe oIdrOyd.
Meg buried her face in her apron-in he
shame for him-he was drunk.
''Iz her in, Aunty Je-yes-a- -bulI?"
''Aud if her rs? Hands off my door!" sal,
the old woman, shaking her property agains
his kuuckles.
''Aw mum see her"
''Tha' nun notl Hands off,
Hers mine-her belongs to me''-(Me
cast herself across the bed in the kitche.
coruer)-'a lad asis near husba nd can Sc
the lass as is near his wief!" and he seize
the handle OF the latch.
Hands Off Hands OFF, said the oil
woman, quickly putting the nose OF the hot
iron to his hand. III iron the lies out {
thee!' She added, following hinIup as he pu
his finger to his mouth as if to eat it. II
swerved away: she closed the door au
bofted 1T.
Then it's thrue after all what folk ar
sayin'l" said aunt JeZabei, going To tn
bent and weeping figure on bed. ''Heca
claim thee? On. lass, lass, thar'st lost thu
sen in dirt. Aw wouldn't have believed