The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-24
2 nd condensed miIk.

and condensed milk.
 Mir. Kennedy-Some charitable people
 have sent little money for this poor woman. and shall hand 1t to you, Mir. Holmes. to distribute at your discretion.
 2 Mir. HolmesA-It would be good thing for her to clear off the G7 owing on the sewing machine.
 MT. Kennedy-we haven't got E7 but no doubt it will come.
 The child, who had been sobbing silent ly in the dock, was discharged and hand
 ed over to her mother.
 With the object of learning what prac-
 tical assistance could be afforded to this
 unfortunate family, representative of The Daily Telegraph saw Mir Holmes and then paid visit to Mrs. Howell,
 Margaret Street, a shabby little thor
 oughfare. lies in the Hackney district, in the bewildering centre of many streets of equal shabbiness.z The houses are small, grimy, and dejected looking. the
 vicinity dull and splritless, and nearly every room in these worn little dwellings
 shelters. a family. A dark staircase led
 to the two rooms which the widow and
 her children, occupy. The little cripple
 boy. aged z. was just shuffiing away to
 afternoon school. Pale and tired he | looked. but his infrmities seemed caused mainly by the want of nourishing food. Considering the circumstances, the room was remarkably clean and tidy. but noth- | ing could hide the pathetic poverty. A feeble fire glimmered in the. tiny grate; for food there was half loaf on the ta- ble, with a paper containing traces of margarine; no blankets and sheets-in- deed, no cover1et conveying any real warmth-lay on the beds. Yet winter had
 come; the sewing machine was idle. for no work had turned up that day. For these rooms the widow pays 3s. Sd. a week. and this only by the good nature l of the landlord. who has done what even Mir Holmes. with all his experiences, considered unique The landlord-be it said to his credit-has recently reduced his lodger's rent from 5s. to 3s. Cd. week.
 Hard of hearing; her face stamped with
 the toll and stress of her wearisome life, the widow readily told her story-a story of everyday hardship which would
 seem incredible did not grim reality prove
 its authenticity. Briefly. her story Is this:
 She receives from the parish 3s. Cd a
 week. which enables her to pay her rent. and four loaves of bread-one for each child. This bread, if possible. is made to last the week. For living she makes
 blouses at the rate of is. 2d. do2'R.
 What can you actually make a week?' as the question. "When blouse making Is in full swing from 6s to 7s., but the average Is more likely 5s." That Is to say. she gets 5s. a week, out of which she has hitherto paid Is. Cd. toward the cost of the sewing machine. leaving a balance of 3s. 6d.. or exactly Cd a day on which to feed and maintain herself and four children. aged 12. g. and 2. And to do this she has to begin work at 4:30 in | the morning. and continue until at | night In the midst of the story the little | girl, Amelia, rushed in breathless on the | way to school. Her pinafore was wiring ing wet Asked where she had been since | she came out of school at 12, she answer | ed that she had been washing up dishes for lady who had given her some work, but this means that practically all the child's spare hours are given up to help ing her mother as best she can, and bringing back a few pennies at the end of the week. As sternly as he could. the missionary told her mother that for a few days. at any rate, she must not al- low "Milly'' to work. and this may be safely done, as immediate distress has been relieved. The reaction of her ter rible ordeal has told on the child. With proper and practical aid much could be done for her. She is clean, bright and
 intelligent. perhaps impulsive, but it is easy to comprehend her sudden yielding to temptation.