The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-01-23

or-1'll double it, get it changed into
sovereigns at the station and hand 'em
round to every man, woman and child. "
Miss Amelyn hesitated. The Ameri-
can girl looked capable of doing what
she said. Perhaps it was national way
of almsgiving. She took the note, with
the mental reservation Of making a full
confession to the rector and Lord Bever-
dale.
She was right in saying that the poor
of Scrooby village were not interesting.
There was very little squalor or degra-
dalton. Their poverty seemed not
descent, but condition to which they
had been born. The faces which Sadie
saw were dulled and apathetic rather
than sullen or rebellious. They stood
up when Miss Amelyn entered, pay
ing her the Difference, but taking little
note of the pretty butterfly who was
with her, or rather submitting to her
frank curiosity with that dull consent
of the poor, as if they had lost even the
sense of privacy or right to respect it.
1t seemed to the American girl that
their poverty was more indicated by
what they were satisfied with than
what she thought they missed. 1t is to
be feared that this did not add to
Sadie's sympathy. All the beggars she
had seen in America wanted all they
could get, and she felt as if she We're
confronted with an inferior animal.
''There's wonderful old man lives
here" said Miss Amelyn as they halted
before stone and thatch cottage quite
on the outskirts of the village "We
can't call him one of our poor, for he
still works, although over so, and it's
his pride to Keep out of the poorhouse
and as he calls it, off the hands of
his granddaughter But we manage to
do something for them, and we nope
he profits by it, One of them is at the
Priory. They're trying to make maid
of her, but her queer accent-they'r re
from the north-is against her with
the servants. I am afraid we won't see
old Debs, for he's at work again today,
though the doctor has warned him"
'sDebsl What funny namen'
eyes, but as many Of these people
cannot read or write the name is car
ried by the ear and not always correct
ly. Some of the railway navvies, who
come from the north as he does, call
him 'Debbers.
They We're obliged to descend into
the cottage, which was so low that it
seemed to have sunk into the earth I'M
til its dropping caves of thatch mingled
with the straw heap beside it. Debs
was not at home, but his granddaughter
was there, who after a preliminary
''bob" continued the stirring of the pot
before the fire in tentative silence.
ST am sorry to find that your grand
father has gone to work again in spite
of the doctors ORDERS" said Miss Anne
Ign.
The girl continued to stir the pot and
then said, without looking up, but as
if also continuing a train of aggressive
thoughts with her occupation: "Eay
but 'e's so set oop in 'issen ee doan'1
take orders from nobbut-leastways
doctor. Moinds 'em now moor nor {
foy. Says zee knaws there nowt wrong
we is cart. Mout be roight-how
silver, sarten- sewer Isl leads a. in ,
muddle! Toims zee goes off stamri1
and starin at nowt as if ZEE ant ,
naporth O. sense. How silver 1 be doi1
my duty by 'e1n-and 'ere's is porritcl
when a. cooms-'gin a. be sick OF
maad.
} What the American understood O
the girls speech and manner struck he
as having very little sympathy with eli
Their her aged relative or her presen
visitor. And there was certain dog
ged, selfish independence about her tina
Miss Desborough half liked and half re
sented. However, Miss Amelyn did no
seem to notice it, and after leaving
bottle of port for the grandfather sh
3 took her leave and led Sadie away. A
they passed into the village carriag
returning to the Priory filled with thei