The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-06-20
MRS. PHELPS REVELATION.
BY CHARLES T.. REED.


entered her carriage.
No, I've no money to waste on lazy
yagabonds!" was her sharp reply as
the carriage door slammed shut.
Mrs. Phelps, wealthy young widow,
prominent in fashionable society, was
in an unpleasant frame of mind. She
had just visited three of the largest
stores in the city in vain search for
a certain costly fabric, and now felt
that she was an exceedingly unfortunate
and most ill-used individual Present.
ly the carriage drew up before another
store, which Mrs. Phelps entered after
instructing her four-year-old son to
remain seated in the carriage until her
return. Master Phelps was very obedi-
cnt for about three minutes. Then his
attention was attracted by something
which appealed to him quite as strongly
us to less aristocratic juvenile-the
antics of monkey under charge of
peripatetic musician. Standing on tip
toe, he laid his hands against the door,
which, having been accidentally
left unfastened, yielded to the pressure
and partly opened; and in very short
time the young gentleman was out of
the carriage and halfway across the
street. Then, in an instant, there was a
hoarse cry of warning, woman's
strickland something grasped the boy,
swung him from right in front of a
runaway team, and laid him, frightened
,i,,.r u ,e I,
After she had soothed the child and
put him into the carriage, Mrs. Phelps
turned to the rather shabbily-dressed
man to whose agility her sons rescue
was due
you have saved my Arthur's life!"
she exclaimed. "Come tomorrow to
my residence and name your reward.
Meanwhile, take this" and she handed
him $50 gold piece.
But the man refused the proffered
gold.
'Why should you reward lazy vaga-
bond? That is what you called me g.
bit ago when l asked you for some
thing he remarked.
Mrs. Phelps looked at him closely
and recognized him.
II was out of humor," she explained.
Pardon what I said, and tell me how
| can assist you
Madam, you've invited me to come to
your home. If you'd do me kindness,
come to mine instead"
Mrs. Phelps looked at him in amaze
ment
Il can hardly do that" she said. II
would much rather"
CAS- you please, madam. I'm glad l
was able to rescue your child. If you're
glad, l wish you'd visit my home. 1t
isn't much to ask"
What is your name, and where do
you live?"
He said his name was James Thomp-
son, and named an obscure street as his
address.
"After I've taken my child home, I'll
call and see you" said Mrs. Phelps.
"Pll be there by the time you are" he
responded.
An hour later Mrs. Phelps, accom-
panied by trusty servant, having
driven into narrow street, entered a
most uninviting tenement, and assembled
three flights or rickety, filthy stairs.
was admitted to small attic room,
lighted by single window. The floor
was carpetless. A cracked stove. an
old table, large box which served as
II cupboard, a bed, and two or three
broken-bacled chairs, were the only
furniture. But though so bare and
comfortless, the room was clean. Upon
the scantily covered bed lay two persons
"a woman of perhaps 35 and a little
girl of about six-both evidently i'll and
both sleeping uneasily.
81 asked you to come here because /
wanted you to see this" said Thomp-
son in a low voice. "This"-with n
comprehensive wave of the hand-''is
my home. You see all my furniture
except what's at the pawnshop. l have
no fire, and no fuel to make it with; no
food, and no money to buy it with. !
have little medicine left by the doctor,
but none of the comforts needed by my
sick wife and child. This, madam, is
why l asked you for help this morning"
Mrs. Phelps covered her face.
"How long have you been in this de-
plorable condition ?" asked Mrs. Phelps.
To-day is the first I've had to beg"
was the reply; something I'd have
thrown. myself into the river rather
than do if it hadn't been for them. But
| couldn't see them starve. | came to
the city five years and more ago." he
added after a moments pause. 81 had
bad luck. for work was dull. From hav-
ing n little house by ourselves, we were
obliged to move here, and then my wife,
who was a good seamstress, succeeded
in getting mems trousers TO make at IS
cents pair"
eighteen cents a pair!" exclaimed
Mrs. Phelps.
ayes; but the price soon fell to Is
cents, and as was out of employment,
| helped with the sewing. BY working
from early morning till late at night
we managed to earn enough to pay our
rent and buy sufficient food TO keep us
from starving. But the rates went
down, down, down, to 10, to ~, even to
ten cents pair"
WHAT Ten cents for making a
pair of trousers? Who is mean enough
TO pay such wages as that?"
1.-The great clothing firm of Phelps &
Co, madam!"
.'Phelps & CO.. Impossible!"
''The firm, madam, of which your
husband was the head. | wonder if,
- L. ..o,-n lnro,nlr To snnne lihrnrN.