The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-07-09

school mistress said: uoc1le ana anectiOn
ate--came out of the school with her COM
peers into the frosty dusk of December
afternoon, singing snatches Of schoo
songs;
Mothers loving smile at home,
Baby Growing, Sissy's come
and SO ON. She loft 'Melia White mt ;
Prospect terrace, through whose window
paIlor fire and the teapot blinked cor
dial welcome; and Janey Andrews at hei
door, with her arm around her mothers
waist.
Then she went on moro slowly to her
own home, one of row OF dull little
houses, with a barren garden and prim
muslin curtains covering the windows.
Nolight and no mother here. lilly had
ceased TO sing ;she Knocked half-heartedly,
looking up and down the house with a
forlorn eye. All remained dark and silent.
Then
"It's no good, Tilly. child" Mrs. Jen-
kins, from the next door, called out.
"Your aunt's out visiting again, and
your uncle's at the Rose / can't have
you here, because little Ebenezer has got
the chicken-pox ana the baby's slokening.
Kun up to Mrs. White and ask her to let
you SIT in her parlor.
She closed the door. lilly shivered
and considered her position. She had
nretty well exhausted the hospitalities OF
The neigh borhood, even IL repaid by nurs-
ing babies and cleaning passages. she
swung her school bag desoIately and tears
came into her eyes. A loud, good-na-
tured voice hailed her from across the
road:
''Hallo, Tlly What's upY'
"Aunt's gone out again. George, TIL
ly replied. with whimper In her voice,
ian amt 'ad my tea. -
''Oh, / say. That's bloomin' shame. "
Hunger is a trouble boys always under
stand.
.sI say''-he turned and appealed to
three or four other lads-''it's that Everett
girl. Let's treat her at the coffee shop 7"
Ready assent lilly was invited across.
She came little sbyly, with her head on
one side. swinging her bag in her finger
tips.
kind hut don't know If aunt"
"Other folks must look after you If she
doesn't. 4" said George finely. "We sha mt
'urt you; we're goin' to give you "a good
blow out. !"
Tilly had a royal tea, and the boys on
that occasion adapted their talk very
fairly to a girls ears. Nevertheless Tilly's
dead mother would not have cared To see
bor fair haired girl the only one among
the lads in the coffee shop.
"We'll treat you again. said George
royally. "And, / say, Till, your folks
won't be home yet awhile; let's go and
ave game on the Ice. F"
Tilly went because she had nowhere
slse to GO. Her aunt boxed her ears when
The learned her "goings on, but did not
,tay at home to welcome her the more for
hat.
Tilly was treated again at intervals
She could sing nicely; first, school songs.
Id hA fnI
things whose humor she could not under
stand as the boys did.
AS she grew older IL was not always
coffee shop but sometimes public house
instead, and she began to see why Melia
White tilted her chin at her and Mrs
Andrews ceased to invite her to tea with
Janey.
Tily's aunt went to chapel and so did
her uncle, though he was chairman at the
Harmonic Club at the Rose" but Tilly
was as sheep having no shepherd.
Iilly was sitting very drunk, on the
stems of q closed shop at l In the morn
ingt She was no longer II years old, or
good and docile or girl at all: and
George. now a respectable young mechanic,
had ceased to invite her out to tea. Her
email features were submerged In dis
NAL sea of drink bloated face. She was
very dirty. Her hair hung over her eyes,
her battered hat lay beside her, her print
gown was flounced to the knees with
Etreet mud. She still sometimes sang
school songs, but they had odd refrains;
and she now entirely understood at what
the boys used TO laugh, and laughed too,
or wept, as the fit took her.
She was engaged in a lively argument
with young and red checked police
man.
Both were intoxicated. She with gin,
he with the dignity of novel Office; and
the prospect OF agreement seemed remote.
Iilly was not violent but sluinberously
stubborn.
She resisted him inertly when he took
her by the arm, and turning her bloated
face upward, grasped the steps with her
red chapped hands and stated that her
aunt went to chapel, and she (Iilly) was
mot going to be run In by green orn
without an air on is face.
She had previously fatty declined to go
home. with the altogether impossible
statement that her aunt was having tea
at Mr. Spurgeon's with the Pope When
the man tried To pull her up she screamed
shriiiy. not because he hurt ner, but as
protest; then, because the public Is some
hines hard on its servants he concluded
to blow his whistle for counsel and as
sistance. An older constable came up
shortly and stood, looking down dispns-
sionately, beside his agitated brother,
who detailed his difficulties
.Called me every name she could lay
her tongue to- she has" he concluded.
"Didu't said lilly, unex pectedly Sho
had been asleep suddenly-"o green
'un.
She laughed then abruptly shed tears,
and, looking up through them with some
thing of tho lost 1illy's innocence in her
eyes. said plaintively
"Aunt's out to tea again.
The elder constable tho ught o. his home
and his wife and the fair haired little
girl whose last whisper has been that her
Band OF Hope collecting card was To 20
bnck TO the teacher, with all her money
He stopped down and asked Tilly gently
enough II she wouldn't go home But she
merely swayed vaguely 10 ard fro. and
vas then informed that she would bo
taken somewhere and kept safe for the
night and nobody would hurt here II sho
went quietly.
lie me do my air, dear, said lilly,
clawing Mt It.
The other constablo ohafed, but his fell
low knew by experience that small con-
cesslons saved time.
Let the girl be-" he said. "She'll
come quiet.
"Gurlr' said No /. "Old hagV'
II amt, said lilly, putting on her hat
"S'elp me II I'm twenty"
IL was true, end sounded true, though
IL looked an pxtrnvaQaDt fnleahOOd.