Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1897-03-25
SALLY.
By ALBERT FLEMING.
LCopyrisht, 1895. by the Agthor.l
CHAPTER I.

hotter and hotter till nearly midnight.
In tho year 1870 Cow court and its
unwholesorne cluster of neighbors still
Clung to the skirts Of Holbo:n and fes-
tered round st. Adams church, stretch
ing from Gray's Inu road to Leather
lane. The fine shops and warehouses
that now adorn Gray's Inn road then
only existed in the brain Of some city
architect. OF all these alleys Cow court
carried of the palm for squalor, dirt
and general decay. You had to turn out
of Leather lane to get there. The turn
ing was hanked on either side by tav-
ern, aud these taverns, with their plato
glass and gliding, were the only things
that were bright and cheerful in this
region. II you explored farther, you
saw an arohway on the right, made by
sweeping away the ground floor of ono
OF the crazy tenements. This was the
postern gate TO Cow court. If any one
ever got so far as this and retained his
watch and chain, he always lost them
on approaching this archway.
On this August evening young man
was passing through Leather lane in
search of Cow court. He was dressed in
the latest west end fashion, but even
the hideous chimney pot hat, pointed
shoes and rigid collar could not disguise
his coneliness. At guess be was three
and twenty. Being Of trusting nature,
he allowed his gold chain to disport it.
self across his waistooat, and his jew
eled pin remained in his scarf.
Kenneth Gordon was down from Ok
ford and had been calling Oh ono Of tho
cIergymen at ST. Alban's, who had asked
him to take letter to dying girl in
Cow court. He strobe through the dingy
street, sometimes asking his way of one
of the residential ladies Of Leather lane,
and always winning civil answer by
the force Of his genial smile, When he
reached Cow court, pleasant thrill of
excitement pervaded that locality. The
watch and chain had survived Leather
lane, and now flashed gayly in the even
ing light. His pin held its accustomed
place. His handkerchief cleaned white
against his coat.
Inquiring of boy, he learned that
Polly Turner lived at No. z, and he was
escorted there by crowd of loafers. The
girl was dying. The stuffy room was
crowded with friends, nearly dark and
unspeakably miserable. Kenneth gave
her the letter, but had to take it back
and read it to her. In the presence Of
that deathly white face he felt ell usual
forms Of speech to be useless He held
her hand for a minute, tried to soy
few kind words and then felt thlt he
had failed, but the gentle touch and
words went straight to the girls heart,
and there rested until it ceased to beat.
When Kenneth left No. z, child was
lying in doorway just opposite. Dirt,
famine and ill usage had etfectually OBJ
scured the bloom of youth in her. Her
face was so dirty that he could only see
two large eyes flashing from a tangled
mass of hair, This was Sally. As she
never owned u surname it is impossible
to introduce her more formally. If her
friends wished to identify her with pre-
cision, they called her Tins Sally.
Tim was her father, and his surname
was also hidden in obscurity. Sally had
heard that young swell had come into
Cow court and was waiting to have
look at him. On that she reckoned with
out her father, for Tim, coming down
the passage behind her. enforced paren
tai discipline by vigorous kick on her
shirs. When you have kicked body
for ten years, you acquire precision in
the art, and Tim planted his kick with
such exactness that the girl fell down
on the doorstep, and there she lay, too
iistless to cry out Now nothing is
tanner or more monotonous than to waste
good kicks OH an irresponsive person.
So Tim was aggrieved, and followed up
his first kick by others, accompanying
them with volley of inspiriting oaths.
The last kick must have caught Sally in
u sensitive place, for she gave sharp
scream of agony.
whats that?" cried o woman from
an inner room.
"Oh," said another, "it's only Tim
a-waking up his gell.
AS Kenneth left No. z he saw this
kick and heard Sally's scream. He in
stantly strobe across the court. Tim was
girding himself up for more kicks. For
the first time in his life he found this
simple pastime of his interfered with.
Kenneth faced him sternly.
Leave the girl alone, you black
guard How dare you kick woman?"
Not kick woman! Cow court was
convulsed. Why, women were kicked
every day. They expected it, accepted
it as q law of nature. Tim and the by
ISLANDERS paused for moment to grasp
the full absurdity of the idea but only
for moment. Then Tim turned on him
like wild beast, the veins in his great
bulls neck swelling like cords.
"Who the ---- are you? Can't man
kick his own gell? Get out of this, Or
I'll kick you too!' Then, in mere bra
vado, he lifted his foot to give the girl
another refresher.
Touch her at your perilp' cried
Kenneth, flushing to the roots of his
hair. In another moment he heard the
thud Of THUS foot as it drove Justify
into the girl, and at the selfsame mo-
ment Kenneth's fist crashed into Tins
face, catching him ON the jaw and send
ing him reeling backward down the
passage. Then Cow court perceived that
there was joyful prospect of Homeric
combat. In few moments ring was
formed. and old Biddy was whisked
aloft in her chair in the arms Of two
stslwart supporters. Kenneth's blood
was up. He flung his coat and waist
coat to one bystander and his hat to
another. Cow court accepted them with
aIacrity. Tim divested himself of some
superduous rags, barred his stalwart
arms and prepared to "smash the swell. !"