Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-06
,een Illuminating over

spokesman. who had been Illuminating over
the matter, said: "a
"Wot dye sly t 'avin' another pint in
soide? Then we go { tn meetn' and wotc
for TIL stroke Larn i'm lesson. l like
is impotence, l do. Tork bout muddlin'
wen show 'oose muddled."
This was unanimously agreed to as ilu-
minatng the situation. 1t is perhaps a pity
| that Marsten did not know the result of his
/ brief conversation with his fellow workmen.
! He was young, and had to learn many
things. He did not know that the desire for
| improving ones condition is not at all uni
versal and that even where there may be the
germ of desire people do not wish to be
dragooned into bettering themselves. Tact,
as Mrs. Hope might have told him, goes
/ further than good intentions A drop of beer
and friendly smite on the shoulder would
have got him several votes against the strike.
AS it was, he had merely strengthened the
arms of that ass Gibbons" by making the
mistake of supposing that the average hu-
man being is actuated by reason.
Meanwhile the young man had passed un-
der the archway and up the court, until he
came to doorway No s. The hall and the
five Pairs OF grimy stairs were only less
public than the court which in it's turn
was only less public than Light street be-
cause fewer feet trod thereon. He ascended
the first fight OF stairs and paused at one
of the doors at the landing. From within
came the dronlng notes of a harmonum, and
Marsten forebore to knock as he listened to
the sound. slatternly woman came down
the second flight with a water jug in her
hand. she stopped, on seeing a stranger
standing there, and listened TO the music
also. The dirge being played did not sOohe
whatever savageness there was within the
breast OF the woman, for she broke put
against the inmates of the rooms
"Oh, yes" she cried. Zine COINS on for
the likes O. them. A harmOnyum, If you
please. Gawd save us We amt good
enough for the likes o i'm. A harmonyum!
in Garden court No good can come o stray
agance like that. Wot's e, I'd like to know?
BahH
The woman, with wave Of her hand, ex-
pressed her contempt for such goinEs on
and departed down the stains with her jug.
Her husband spent his spare cash at the
pub as a man should, and not in such
yanities as a second hand musical instru-
ment. She had, very properly, no patience
with extravaganza.
Maisten raped when the playing ceased,
and Joe Braunt himself came to the door
Come in, my boy" he said, cordially and
Marsten went in
A tall girl, who might have been IA or 16
or Is, rose from chair at the harmonium.
She was pale and thin, with large, pathetic
eyes that gave melancholy beauty to her
face. Shaking hands with her How arc
you, Jessie?' said Marsten. "Is the cough
any better?"
81 think, it's always about the same"
answered the girl.
1T is hard to get better in this hole"
said her father, gruhly.
Braunt spoke with the accent of a York
shlreman. He was a man who in stature and
build did credit to his county and it was
hard to believe that the slender girl was his
daughter However much Joe Braunt's
neighbors disapproved of his putting on airs
and holding himself and his slim. useless
daughter above their betters, they took
good care not to express their opinions in
his hearing, for he was rough, masterful
man. tacturn and gloomy, whose blow was
reader than his speech; not only prompt.
but effective. The whole court was afraid
OF him, and it acted on the principle cf let
ting sleeping dogs lie. The woman with the
Jug In her hand had good cause for resent
ment against Joe Braunt. She had been get
ting her man home one evening from the
pub with difficulty, and, In spite OF many
breakings away on his part she had sue
ceeded in pushing and hauling his as far as
the first landing. when he overcome by a
cruelty in dragging him from the brilliantly
lighted public bar. filled with jcllity, gin
and good cogIradeship, to the dismal back
room two flights up, with nothing but her
own bitter tongue for company, clenched his
fist and felled her to the floor the back of
her head striking against Braunt's door as
she went down.
Braunt, pulling open his door, found the
husband walking over-or perhaps 1t would
be more accurate to say staggering over
the PROSTATE body OF his wife ice clutched
the drunkard and flung him airily over the
landing rail. The ill-used man rolled down
the stair and out into the court where he
lay in a heap and groaned. Braunt lifted
the woman and carried her mp to her room
She had dazed idea Of what had happened
and at once, rather incoherently at first, be-
gan to give her rescuer her opinion of him.
Who was he, she would like to know, to
interfere between man and wife, great. |
strong brute that he was? II her man had |
been sober he'd have given him what for |
for takin' advantage OF a man wot 'ad a drop |
too much. Braunt went down, down the |
stairs and picked up the pore" man who |
had certainly had one drop too much, car