Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-07-12
A PARIAH.

Hason's Chop House glands at the lower
corner Of Slynes Chare-Mason Cnop
4 House, where generations OF honest Tyne
side sailors have consumed pounds OF
| honest mutton and beef, and onions
/ Herewith. For your true salt loves an
onion ashore, which makes him pleasant
| er companion at SEA. Mason'sEhop House
| is a low-roofed. red-tiled. tarred cottage,
with a balcony-a "baIcohny overnanB-
/ ing the river. IL H. quite evident tDat the
| "balcohny' was originally built, and has
subsequently been kept IN repair, W
| sklp's carpenters. II is so glarineiy SNIP
shaped, so redoient Of tar. so ridicuiousV
The keen. fresh breeze-and there Is no,
thing keener, fresher stronger, ana
wholesomer in the world than that when
/ comes roaring up between the Two pieIs
! Of the Tyne-ths breeze blows rlgh.
| through Mason's. and blows the fume Oh
/ cooking out into Slynes Chare. ,.,.
/ IL "a niug-fea-time-and the day
work is almost done; for mason ssoRR does
| rubbing pewter pots at the door. MIs'
Mason comfortably somnolent AT the en-
| trance OF the little kitchen, Watchss er
daughter-c0mey, grave-faced Annie Mn
s0n-"our Annie" as she is called, VINO
! is already folaing the tabe-cloths. A few
! belated customers finger in the paItl-
| toned loose boxes, which lend ceItalh
/ small privacy to the tables, and often save
| country voices, which are never harsn.
a man comes In, and after a moments
| awkward pause at the open door'
| seeks a secluded seat where the gas over
| head hardly affords illumination. lie f.
| a broad-built mana Tynesider; not SO
very big for South Shields; matter or
six feet one, perhaps. He carries a blue.
| spottod hanIA srchief against MS leIl
check. and the boy with the pewter pots
| siares eagerly at the other. A boy or
| poor tact this; for the customeTs rlght,
| check is horribly dishgured. IL Is an
| bruised and battered in from the curve
| of a square jaw TO the cheek-bone whicn
Is broken But the eye Is intact
! shrewd, keen eyt, accustomed 70 the pshe-
| tration of a northern mist-accustomed TO
a close scrutiny Of mems faces; -
FAITHFULLY obvious that this sailor-for
| gait and clothes and manner set ASIDE
an other crafts-is horribly conscious OF
ne Got the tt.Sothache?" inquiries the tact
init newcomer replies in the negative
and orders q cup OF tea ana q herring;
IN is Annie who brings the simple meal
and sets il down without looking az the
man -. 49,,
and the woman pauses suddenly. She llS-
tons "a IL hearing some distant sound
Then she slowly turns-t0r she mas gone
q step or two from the table ana ihdhcs a
pretence OF setting the salt ana pepper
Three shigs had come up with the, after
noon tide--a coaster, NorWeBah DaIqus
in ballast, and a full-rgged snip WIN
nitrate from the west coast OF south
Lust ashore?' inquired Anniereconomi-
eel with her words, as they mostly are
| round the Northern river.
Aver
From the west coastT'
"Av." grumbles the man. He holds me
handkerchief to his cheek ana turns tns
herring tentatively with toth. c.. >, so,,s
s,sI - m.
the woman bluntly. Her TWO hands are
pressed to her comedy bosom In a singular
wax. 80 {, ba hal
~ The clock strikes six, and the boy. more
mindful OF his own tea than his nelghDor
ailments, slips on his jacket anu soeS
home The last customers uaWu!.e ~ ~
with a grunt intended for salutatloh:
Mrs. Mason is softly heard 70 snore. Ana
am the while Annie Mason-al the coiqr
vanished from her wholesome face-slailuS
with her hands clutching her dress eazIns
down al the man. who still examines inc
herring with a self-conscious awkward
ness. ..tioa
Ccorl.e 100 South Shields. ,,.
"Av. last" he answers. shamefacedly.
Annie Mason sits down suddeuly-Oppo-
site TO him. lie does not look up but re,
mains. his face half hidden by tne sPottea
biue handkerchief. q picture Of seit-cOn-
"What did We do It for. Geordie?" she
asks breathlessly. "E even years, come
March-oh, II was cruel
what did l do D. for ne repeats.
WHAT did l d. 1t for7 Why lass can't
We see my faceF -
He drops the handkerchief, and holds
ND his poor SCARED countenance. lie &c
not look at her, out away past ner' WI W..
the pathetic shame Of manned dog. Inc
cheek thus suddenly exposed 10 view ~
whole and brown ani healthy: Beneath
the mahogany cOlOred skin there Is Z
glow singularly suggestive iof a blush.
"Ay | see your face" she answers with
a note Of tenderness for the poor Scared
cheek IL hope you haven't been Ut the
drink
He shakes his head with a little sal
smIe that twists up ms Onc-sided mouth
us II because you wanted 70 get shot
Of meoN asks the woman, Win soy Oh
braathlessness She has large, gray-blue
eyes, with a look Of constant waiting IN
them-a habit OF looking up at the open
door a. the sound OF every footstep;
"D-n Il, Annie. Could / come back 10
YOU with face Ike this, and you the
prettiest laSs on the Tyneside?
She Is fumbling with her epron-string.
There is a half coquettish bend or her
head-with the gray heirs already at the
temple-awakened perhaps, by some Iat-
OF echo IN his passionate voice. she looks
up slowly, and does not answer his ques-
"Tell us" she rays slowly. Tell us
"Been!-oh. / don't know, lass! I don't
rightly rem mber. Not that II matters.
Up the West Coast, trading backwards
and forwards. I've got my master ceruh-
cate now. Serving first mate on board the
Maii-f1 TO Falmouth for orders, and they
ord rcd Us TO the Tyne. l brought her
rounI-I knew the way / thought you'd
be married lass. But maybe ye areY
MAYBE I'm DAFT" puts in Annie cooliy.
Il greatly feared" the man goes on with
the slow ef-consciousness OF one unac-
customed to talk Of himself. Il greatly
feared ia meet up with BARN OF yours
playing in The doorway. LOshi could not
have stood that But that's why stayed
away, Annie. lass! so that you might mar
ry a man with a face on him. thought
you would not know me II / held my
handkerchief over my other cheekl'
There IS a strange CLEAN In the woman
eyes-a CLEAN that one or TWO or the Old
masters have succeeded in catchlng ana
impartlng TO the faces OF their Aiadonnas,
How did you come by your hurt?" she
asks in her low voice.
Board the old Walleroo going OUT. You
mind the ole ship. We had a fire in the
hold and the skipper he would go down
alone To locate iL before We cut a hole In
the deck and shipped the hose In. The Old
man did not come up again. Ye mind him.
Old Rutherford OF JarrOW. And ! went
down and looked for him. 1t was hell
OF smoke and fire, and something IN the
cargo sinking like-like hell fire as n
burned. got a hold OF the old man, anI
was ietchelg him out on ny hands ana
knees. when something busts up and
sends us all through the deck. | had three
months in Valparaiso hospital; but
saved old Jack Rutherford, OF Jarrow
And when got up and looked at my face
L saw that II was not IN the nature OF
things hat / could ever ask lass TO
have me. So / just stayed away and
made believe that-that had changed my
The man pauses. He IA not glib OF