The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-04-26
"A good days work, Tommy" SHIT

"A good days work, Tommy" sne
said, glazing at him.
Her face was flushed, and there were
tears in her eyes.
Yer miserable old skinfint, yer'u
live to repent it"
Re hurried from her, but her words
rang in his ears for many q day after.
ward. !
He was both angry and pleased
angry that he had been innocently IN
| strumental in the boys conviction, n
| pleased that be was rid Of the pest,
and that Little Make-Believe now stood
in no fear of contamination from the
! society Of the young thief.
The gentlemen who were destined to
play an important part in the lives OF
Little Make-Believe and Saranne were
Mr.. Deepdale and his son Walter.
The father was a gentleman of indie
pendent means, and n of Thomas
Dexter's best customers; Walter was
a handsome lad Of sixteen.
They lived alone-the father being a
widower and having no other children
and were inseparab!e.
Mt. Deep6ale had n love and n
hobby-his love was Walter, his hobby.
was the antique.
An easy, credulous man, whose lines
of life had been cast in pleasant places.
one great grief had afflicted bin
the loss of his wife.
One great compensation for a sorrow
which otherwise would have been un-
bearabie was given him.
His boy was all in all to him, verita-
bly, the apple of his eye and the heart
of his heart, his s~olace, his comfort,
his joy.
And when to this was added the
means and opportunity Of INDUCING in
a passion for old china, old carvings,
old enamels, old anything, it will be
EASY of belief that his life was n to
be enyied by the toilers and moiiers
Of the world.
The truth must be told. He had about
as much knowledge of art as the man
in the moon, but whether an article
belongs to the fourteenth or the nine
teenth century is really of small! con-
sequence to the possessor If he derive
pleasure in the possession and if his
faith be not disturbed.
Thus, ME-. Deepdale was an easy prey
to the dealers, who fooled him to the
top of his bent, to their profit and his
qualification.
Having received a letter from
Thomas Dexter informing him that
he had a service of Old Derby for sale,
he and Walter FASTENED one night to
Clare Market to secure it.
The month was August, and oysters
were in; also grottoes.
On their way they were attracted to
three children, who had formed them
selves into a company and had
launched into a speculation. :,
Their stock in trade, the value Of
which was nil, was represented by oys-
ter shells, but they had an available
asset (which, however, was consuming
itself and eating itself up, as it were),
in the shape of a penny candle.
The firm consisted Of Little Make
Believe, Saranne and another child
whose visions Of wealth-coDjured
chiefly by Make-B elieve-were of an
enhancing nature, the browning glory
of which was to be an eel-pie supper. d;
The grotto they had built was more
artistic and ambitious than most; the
candle was alight and the children
were ready for business. 8
But whether it vas owing to the
strikes in the north, or the scarcity of
meat, or the high prices of Goals, or
over-population, or the disturbed state
of Ireland, or the rise of a half-penny
in the four-pound loaf, certain it was
that trade did not flourish with Little
Make-Believe's firm, one of the men,
bers, at least, of which worked hard
for nearly a couple of hours without
obtaining a copper.
"Please remember the grotter" was
first launched merrily and saucily at
the passers-by; at the end of the first
half-hour there was nc l~ight-hearted-
ness in the appeal; at the end Of the
second it became pathetic; at the end
Of the third, mournful; at the end Of
the fourth, despairing. q.
Saranne was the first to give way;
cold looks chilled her, and she left the
battle to her two partners, of whom
Little Make-Believe was the active
worker.
Two-thirds of their only asset, the
candle, were consumed, and the eel-pie
supper was an airy imagining, not at
all likely to be eralized.
Saranne was crouching sullenly on
the ground, the light of the candle
shining on her face; she was an i'm
patient sufferer-the very reverse Of
Little Make Believe, who was, merci-
fully, endowed with a fortitude rarely
excelled even in men engaged in the
highest struggles for %humanity's sake.
To be continued.
Typhoid Fever and Oysters.