The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-02-23
SALLY
BY ALBERT FLEMING.
copyright, 1890. by tho Author.l
CHAPTER I.

CHAPTER /.
1t was q hot day in August, one of
those reekiDg days that begin to be hot
early I'm the morning and go on getting
hotter and hotter till nearly midnight.
In the year 1870 Cow court and its
nnwholesome cluster Of neighbors still
chung to the skirts of Holborn and fes-
tered round st. Alban's church, stretch
ing from Gray's Inn road to Leather
lane. The fine shops and warehouses
that now adorn Gray's Ipn road then
= only existed in the brain Of some city
architect. OF all these alleys Cow court
carried off the palm for squalor, dirt
and general decay. You had to turn ont
OF Leather lane to get there. The turn
ing was fianked on either side by o tav-
ern, and these t~averns, with their plate
glass n gliding, were tho 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 one
OF the crazy tenements. This was tho
postern gate to Cow court. If any ono
ever got &c. far as this and retained his
watch and chain, he always lost them
son approaching This archway.
On this August evening u young man
was passing through Leather lane in
search OF Cow court. He was dressed in
the latest west end fashion, but even
tho hideous chimney pot hat, pointed
shoes and rigid collar could not disguise
his comeliness. At q guess no was three
and twenty. Being of a trusting nature,
he allowed his'gold, chain to disport it.
self across his waistcoat, and his jew
eled pin remained in his scarf.
Kenneth Gordon was down from Ok
ford and had been calling on ono Of the
clergymen at st. Adams, who had asked
hin to take n letter to u dying girl in
Cow court. He strobe through tho dingy
street, sometimes asking his way Of one
Of the residential ladies of Leather lane,
and. always winning IA civil answer Ivy
the force of his genial smile. When he
reached Cow court, q pleasant thrill Of
excitement pervaded that locality. The
watch and chain had survived Leather
lane, and now flashed gay!y in the even
Ing light. His pin held its accustomed
place. His handkerchief cleaned white
against his uout.
Inquiring Of a boy, he learned that
Polly Turner lived at No. z, and no was
escorted there by Il crowd Of ~loafers. Tho
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
n read it to her. In tho presence Of
that deathly white face no felt all usual
forms of speech to DO useless. Ho held
her hand for a minute, tried 20 say q
few kind words and then felt that he
had failed. but the gentle touch and
words went straight to tho girls heart,
u there rested until it ceased to beat.
When Kenneth left No. z, u child was
lying in q doorway just opposite. Dirt,
famine and i'll usage had etfectually OBJ.
scured the bloom Of youth in her. Her
face was so dirty that he could only SEQ
two large eyes flushing from q tangled
mass Of hair. This was Sally. AS she
never owned a nan it is impossible
to introduce her more formally. If her
friends wished to identify her with pre-
~oisioh, they called her Tins Sally.
Tim was her father, and his surname
was also hidden in obscurity. Sally had
heard hat u young swell bad como into
Cow court and was waiting to have a
look at MIN. On that she rcckoned with
out her father, for Tim, coming down
the passage behind her. enforced paren-
tai discipline by q vigorous kick on her
shins. When you have kicked q BODY
for ten years, you acquire precision in
the art, and Tim planted his kick with
such exactncss that the girl fell down
ON the doorstep, II there she lay, too
l~istless to cry out. Now nothing is
tanner or more monotonous than to waste
good kicks Oh AN irresponsible person.
So Tim was aggrievcd, and followed up
his first kick by others, accompanying
them with a volley Of inspiriting oaths.
The last kick must have caught Sally In
a sensitive place, for sho gave a sharp
scream of agony.
"What's that?'' DRIED a woman from
an inner room.
"Oh," said another, "it's only Tim
a-waking up his CELL"
AS Kenneth left No. 2 he saw this
kick IL heard Sally's scream. He in
stantly strobe across tho court. Tim was
gtrding himself up for moro 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
guardl How dare you kick a woman?''
Not kick a womanl Cow court was
~convulsed. Why, women were kicked
every day. They expected it, accepted
1t IA a law Of nature. Tim and the by-
ISLANDERS paused for q to grasp
the full absurdity Of the idea, but only
I. for q moment. Then Tim turned Oh him
like a wild beast, the veins in his great
bulls neck swelling like cords.
WHO the - Rre your Can't q man
kick his WI gell2 Get ont of this, or
I'll kick you tool' Then. in nero bra.
vado, he lifted his foot to give the girl
another refresher.
"Touoh her at your perili'' cried
Kenneth, flushing to the roots Of his
hair. In another moment he heard the
thud OF Tins foot as it drove Justify
into the girl, and at the selfsame mo-
ment Ronneth's fist crashed into Tins
face, catching him on the jaw and send
Ing him Keeling backward down the
passage. Then Cow court perceived that
there was a joyful prospect of a Homeric
combat. In II few moments O ring was
formed, and old Biddy was whiskcd
aloft In hor chair in the arms of tw,
stalwart supporters. Kenneth's bloc
was up. He flung his coat aud waist
coat to one bystander and his hat t,
another. Cow court accepted them with
alacrity. Tim Invested himself Of some
su%parfuous rags, barred his stalwart
arms and prepared to "smash the swell -