The Worthington advance., 1900-09-28

legend attached to the wires ''Your
fortune told for pennyi Dear heart,
must have it done! Dost remember,
Will, lad, how you an me an tn owd
woman towd as We should marry
happy?'': .,zrsz: :..t...,..
"Ay," said william, IT Go that. An
now one O. these little green birds shall
tell you again" *. -. "sna*'
He dropped penny into Guiseppa's =
palm; at her signal one of the spar
rows pertly lifted a folded scrap OF
paper and pushed it between the bars.
Mary donned her spectacles and un-
folded it and read in silence. ; The
message affected her strangely; she
staggered q little and would have
fallen had not William caught her in
time. One hand pressed the paper
against her bosom. .-
1T says good news comm fro
across the seas" she whispered, faint
ly. can now I know for sure as tn
lad is SAFE" s~
Then she fumbled in her skirt-poc-
ket and took out little moleskin
pouch, so worn that the hair only
showed in patches. She united the
string and shook out the contents
sixpence, threepenny piece, and
some half-pence-into Guiseppa's 9
hand.
"lt's all I've gotten, wench," she
said, 'but you're kindly welcome to
it," Guiseppa's big black eyes had
filled with tears; one or two trickled
| slowly down the smooth olive cheeks.
II thank you, 'am,' she said, in a
broken English hard for these old
folk to understand. 1T will find me
room and food for night"
Some young men from the neighbor-
ing village of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
strolled up to the cage, and William
and Mary moved away.
"Poor soul!" sighed the wife. "She
Gamma be more than IS, an she looks
nearly starved. It's cruel work-a
pretty lass like that-a black un,
maybe, but as comely as ever did
Sec"
'Come, loove," said William.
''Thou'rt always findin" pity for
something, even though it be lame
6.uckling. Where be'est thou, for
nowth' Bowd Cloudesley or tn Bulls
Yead?"
II be for home," she replied, 81
dunna feel as if 1 could talk to any
body tonight. My hearts so full O.
what's comm. Go you to'where you
please. I'll be safe enow gettin'
back"
William pinched her arm slightly,
II ne'er were one O. that Sort" he
said, merrily. "You Gamma how'd it
again me as I e'er neglected you. I'm
for home wi you; we'll keep our
Wakes indoors"
So they crossed the green and re-
turned without seeing Guiseppa again,
choosing a different way through the
Hollow Wood and along the Moor
Edge. For the, rest of the evening
they sat and talked of their lads
childhood-of his pranks. and his ro:
queries. They made surmises con-
cerning the changes in his appear
ance since he went to sea five years
ago; they pictured him with long
beard of ruddy hue, like the nous
tache that had sprouted on his upper
lip. When they retired beoward they
did not toss uneasily as they had done
since the post had ceased to bring his
letters, but fell asleep at once and
| did not waken till sunrise.
Mary was astir first; the new
strength made her resolved upon TAX
ing up all her old duties. Before Will
liam had come downstairs she had
"redded up" the house-place. As she
heard his stockinged foot on the
landing she took basket of corn and
opened the door, so that she might
feed the poulty. A sharp cry, how
ever, brought William to her side in a
moment. He found her on the thres-
hold, gazing bewildered at the Sleep
ing figure of Giuseppe, who reclined
in a corner of the porch. A broken
hurdy-gurdy and cage crushed out
side; and in a hollow of her gaudily-
of all shape lay on the flags at her
side, and in the hollow of her gaudily-
aprone lap lay two poor stiff Java
sparows.
cts tn foreign wench," said Will
liam. ''Mercy on us, how came she
here, wi her music box all smashed.
an her little birds are dead as stones!''
Mary lifted the girls head dress,
which had fallen forward. The dark
face was all stained with tears. The
old woman's touch, gentle as it was,
wakened a plaintive little moan. Gui-
seppa's eyes opened, and she began to
sob so bitterly that William stole away
ON tiptoe.
'You'd best manage her yourself,
Mary, love-" he said. II cannot bear
to hear it,
Then he hurried away, with his hands
pressed to his ears, whilst Mary knelt
beside Guiseppa, and, putting her arm
around her waist, she drew her gently
| to the house.
"What is it., my pretty?" she said,
soothingly. 'How came You here, an
what's happened to your birds?"
Guiseppa's tumultuous weeping
ceased soon, and she told the old wom-
an a piteous story of how some drunk