The evening times., 1897-11-24
A ROMANCE IN Low LIFE.

1t was hot i'll Barker Buildings AS Il
matter of fact, it was hot everywhere, but
IN Barker $ Buildings one was fairly iroiled.
Altogether what With the heat, and the
,nangle, aud the noise next door, where Mr.
and Mrs Flinders We're having a few words
which meant "a good many-MrS. Wicks
ro1El LeTSelt taking Il decidedly nessimis.h
view of things in general and Barker s
Buildings in particular.
"Lor', what it'd seem like To be dc WI
in The country accn. Sich n fool Us Were
ever to leave it But then we're n.ost On
us fools GnCe ;n our lives, an it's no us.
cryin' over split mix: best thing you can
do istotakea cloth an wipeit up. But often
and often I've arst myself whatrvcrI see
in Wicks to leave the village ana 'ume an
friends an r.!lshunS, tests though they
was lot of cid lumber, an come up to
this yere great, grimy, ard; ';sr,ed, over
growed wilderness - bricks an mortar.
that there no finding your way outer once
You set foot lit. LawkS- a-tiais yme wip
ing the perspiratiun rom her forehead,
What TirNeto see hem parts agen whei .
ders an orclids, an lanes, an edges. an
the cottage rardins where yuu C Iid gro "
your bits .: Vegetables an pick the cur
-ints an ;uoseherries off yer own bUSlCs,
with Il n"secay to stick in mug IN lie
windcr- sill. ="
Her eye roveG for an instant toward the
w,uacy di'on which the sun was concen-
tratine its rays with such apparent single
Hess Of purpose that one almost expected
to see fhe rusty Grape Horticultural decora-
tons Of Mrs. Wicks headgear put forth
frns!! buds and leaves. and the mangle
bsussora like the rose.
Between the blind and the curtain was a
space through which she could catch a
glimpse oi the only view which Rarker's
Buildings provided for its inmates. 1t cpl
sisted Cf d large asphalt square. surrounded
by tail dinry, hil-ouS brick crections,
pierced with many windows. Three or
four portable z,nC dustbins slightly relieved
tie mOnUtony, the human interest being
supplied BY a slatternly woman Sitting Gin
c.rs, Ghe while her voice was upraisel
lit mst"rnal admonition toward some nirm.
her Of her home circle:
You, IiZabetl liam. wait till gets
old OH Yer, an if | don't break ev-iy
bone III yer body ~
No, t2ir't like the country qdrnit ted
Mrs. WichS with a sigh The row then,
two do keep up next door, too, 5 'nough
to deafen anyone. Seems like wood.
legged man when the drinks iii inns
woTSen the ord nary
The dpOr opened To admit a prim-lookin-
young woman with bundle und Il each
ann.
''T,ilt You, Em1y?''
This being the sort of salutation that
seemed to require nu reply, Emily Gther
wise Miss WIcils made none, hut put dowu
her buE'iles, aud, taking off her hat. h;In.,
ii ON its own particular peg beside her
II pther'S best black bonnet hers ec1nd best,
as has already been intinated. gracct Mrs
WiCks' head: indeed, as Il RUE, she only
took off hei bonnet uu put on her night
cap.
\ sInaSh. as Of crockcry, followed by the
npscttlng of chair and accompanied by
a torrent OF vitaperation iii Il !igE :reiI"
caused Miss wicks to elevate her eyebrows
at her mother
lie ,k.lt Srn rally break out So early in
the w.ckpseeing today's only We'n'sd'y,"
observed Mrs. Wicks. deprecatingly Pore
so DO We, for that matter" replie-i her
daughter WHAT'S the good of us working
ourselves ;o the bone to try and keep re
spectacle. v hen the neighbors carries On TN
sich style I.ithei tie 'usbans hangs their
wives pr the wives bangs their children
There was Mrs. Priggins. In No Z. pitching
into ti.at gal OF 'ers something shocking
not two minutes ago. 'Lizabeth Hams no
angel, but lifting II 'er over the 'eai
with shovel amt the way To better 'er as
far's can See I'm sick of Barker's RIild
ingS- thai I amr'
No sicktr'n 1 am, comes to that" an
swerpd her mother. "0nly what 8 the
r0cd? Nemust live somewheres.''
Miss Wicks shrugged her shoulders irnpa.
uently, and, unpinninc the bundles, proceed
ed tc count oyer the contents.
a tEud, follow ed by d scream. and the
noise OF something heavy rolling over the
floor, seemed tn Indicate that d cliuav had
been reached ia the Flinders menase Then
came tie banging of a door, and the SOUND
OF wooden leg, somewhat the worse. fo.
drink, zilzagging along the stone passage.
IN be getting the tea now" said Mrs..
Hicks. with sigh of relief: "p'raus wen
he able To ave it in peace and quietn.ss."
She wiped her streaming face with her
apron. Il dom bclieveI got 10 much as 4
dry thread on me. That there manylc's
'hOu.h to give body the happcrpIexy, with
tie sun acquiring in at the winder like we
was q sorter patent fuel. as he was bound 70
set light to some'ow."
She was little, bert old woman, with
scanty gray wisps Of hair grabbed back
tight and fixed into hard ball with one
time-worn hairpin. Anyone who watched
her as she trOtted round, setting cut two
Cracked cups and saucers and battered
looking roue Of block tin teapot on the
small round table covered with American
CLOTH would, on his Own responsibility.
have aided at least another ten years or 50