Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-12-24

When he reused himself from his
thoughtful quest he fancied, from thu
turn of the hand and its situation in
reference to himself, that the unseer
eyes We're looking at him keenly. L
made him shudder, and feel very cold
They left the busy scene, and Went
INTO an obscure part of the town, where
Scrooge had never penetrated before
altho he recognized it's situation, and its
1 bad repute. The ways were foul ane
narrow: the shops and houses wretch
ed; the people half naked, drunken
4 slipshod, ugly. Alleys and archways
like so many cesspools, disgorged Their
offenses of small, and dirt, and life upor
the struggling streets; and the whole
quarter reeked with crime, with filth
and misery.
Far in this den of Infamous resor
there was low browed, beetling shop
below penthouse roof. where iron, ole
rags, bottles, bones and greasy offa
were bought. Upon the floor within
were piled up heaps of rusty keys, nails
chains, hinges, files scales, weights anG
refuse iron of all kinds. Secrets thai
| few would like to ScrutiniZe were breG
and hidden in mountains of unseemiy
Tags, masses of corrupted fat and sep
ulchres of bones. Sitting in among the
wares he dealt in, by charcoal stove
made of old bricks, was a gray haired
rascal, nearly 20 years of age; who ha6
screened himself from the cold ali
without by a frowzy curtaining of mis-
cellaneous tatters. hung upon line
| r., IN
calm retirement.
/ Scrooge and the Phantom came into
the presence Of this man just as g
woman with a heavy bundle skunk into
the shop. But she had scarcely entered
when another woman, similarly laden
came in, too; and she was closely fol-
lowed by a man in faded black, who
was no less startled by the sight OF
them than they had been upon the rec
ognition of each other. After a shori
period of blank establishment, in which
the old man with the pipe had Joined
them, they all three burst into a laugh
| Let the charwoman alone to be the
first!" cried she who had entered first
Let the laundress alone to be the Sec
ond: and let the undertaker's man alone
| to be the third. Look here, old Joe
here's chance! If we havn't all three
met here without meaning It'll"
you couldn't have met in a better
place." said old Joe, removing his pipe
| from his mouth. "Come into the parlor
You were made free of it long ago, you
know; and the other two arn't strang-
ers. Stop till I shut the door of the
shop. All! How it skreeks! There
ant such a rusty bit of metal in the
place as it's own hinges, believe; and
I'm sure there's no such old bones here
as mine. Ha ha! We're all suitable to
our calling, we're well matched. Come
into the parlor. Come into the parlor.'
The parlor was the space behind the
screen of rags. The old man raked the
fire together with an old stair-rod, and
having trimmed his smoky lamp (for 1t
was night, with the stem of his pipe,
put in into his mouth again.
While he did this, the woman who
had already spoken threw her bundle on
the floor, and sat down in a Haunting
manner on stool; crossing her elbows
on her knees, and looking with bold
defiance at the other two.
What odds, then? What Odds Mrs.
Dilber?" said the woman. Every per-
son has a right to take care OF them
selves. He always did"
That's true, indeed" said the laun-
dress. mo man more So
why, then, don't stand staring as II
you was afraid, woman! Who's the
wiser? We're not going to pick holes
in each others coats, suppose"
mo, indeed" said Mrs. Dilber and
the man together. 1--WE should hope
not"
Every well, them cried the woman.
"That's enough. Who's the worse for
the loss of few things like these? Not
a dead man, I SUPPOSE"
mo, indeed said Mrs. Dilber, laugh
ing.
eff he wanted to keep 'em after he
was dead, wicked old screw" pursued
the woman, why wasn't he natural in
his lifetime? If he had been, he'd have
had somebody to look after him when
he was struck with death, instead of
living gasping out his last there, alone
by himself"
ITS the truest word that ever was
spoke" said Mrs. Dilber. Its a judg-
ment on him"
II wish it was little heavier judg-
ment." replied the woman; and II
should have been, you may depend upon
it, if could have laid my hands on any
thing else. Open that bundle, old joe,
and let me know the value of 1t. Speak,
out plain. I'm not afraid to be the
first, nor afraid for them to see 1t. We
knew pretty well that we were helping
ourselves, before we met here, believe.
It's no sin. Open the bundle, Joe.
But the gallantry of her FRIENDS
would not allow of this; and the man In
faded black, mounting the breach first
produced his plumber. 1t was not ex-
tensive. A seal or two, pencil-case, a
pair of sleeve-buttons and brooch OF
no great value were ALL They were sew
erally examined and appraised by old
Joe. who chalked the sums ne was dls-
POSED to give for each upon the wall,
and added them up into total when he
found that there was nothing more TO
come.
.That's your account" said Joe, and
I wouldn't give another sixpence II
was to be boiled for not doing 1t. Who's
next?"
Mrs. Dilber was next. Sheets and
towels, a little wearing apparel, two
old fashioned silver teaspoons, pair OF
and few boots. Her ac-
count was stated on the wall in the
same manner
81 always give too much to ladies. It's
a weakness of mine, and that's the way
T ruin mlself" said old Joe. That's
vour account. If you asked me for an
a