The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-09-13


papers scattered over the roadway and
near them the partly eaten bun. After
wrench at his garments he produced
penny.
Here" he said to the boy. "RHy
another bun and be of It's good
Job for you the young lady spoke mn
the way she did"
"she merely told the truth That
man was a har."
Refusing the pronered penny.
boy turned on his heel The policeman
looked after him.
That's a queer kid" he thought.
talked like a regular young gent l
wonder why he is selling papers. Poor
/ lad! He lost bob's worth at least,
and small thanks he got for It,"
Passing out OF the square by the
nrsG eastward street. Philip Arson.
with his head erect and hands clinched
in his pockets, strobe onward at a
rapid pace. The lightning was less
frequent now, and the thunder was
diving away In sullen rumbllngs. He
was wet and hungry, yet. although ne
had three hahpence, the remaining
balance Of the only sales effected that
evening, he passed many shops where
he could have bought food.
/ In Piccadilly. where the cessation OF
| gEiss sIUrIn CrcuLeu a rush IN trdnIC, ne
was nearly run over by reason OF his
own carelessness and received a slash
from a whip, accompanied by loud
oath from an angry cabman. He shiv-
cred, but never even hooked around
Crossing Trafalgar square, he plunged
through the vortex OK vehicles without
troubling to avoid them in the slight
est degree. Once the hot breath of a
pair of van horses touched his cheek
while a speechless driver pulled them
back onto their launches. Again, the
or wheel Of an omnibus actually graSed
his heel as he sped behind the statue
of Charles l.
At last he reached the comparative
seclusion of the Embankment and
stood for moment to gaze fixedly
at the swirlfng, glinting river.
mot here" he muttered aloud. Il
must be nearer to mother-dear old
mother! She is there waiting for me.
He trudged steadily away through
Queen Victoria street, Cornhill, Leaf.
enhall street, and so on to Johnson ;
News, in the Mile End road. Pausing
at a marine store dealers shop kept
by an army pensioner, an Irishman.
| with whom he had slight acquaint-
ance. he entered An elderly man was
laboriously reading a paper Of the pre-
ceding days date.
"Good evening, Mr.. O'Brien." he
said. "Can you oblige me with
piece of rope? l want strong piece
about three or four yards in length.
/ can only spare three halfpence."
! sFaix. | dunno. They use nails on
the crates mostly nowadays, If ! have
| Lit It's a. yer sarvice. wouldn't be
afther chArgin' the likes O. YOU"
Philips story was known in that
humble locality. and the old soldier
sympathized with the boy. HE has
rale spunk an no mistake" was his
verdict when others said Philip was
proud and overbearing O'Brien NOV
! ed automatically about the squalid
shop. At last he found some portion
| of a clothesline.
"Wir that dol" he inquired.
Philip tested 1t with vigorous pull
ing against his knee: 4
"Excellently," he said. "Let me pay
you for It."
"Arrah, go away wild We! And, be
! the powers, isn't the poor lad cowld
an famished? Luke here, now In
FIVE minutes I'm goin' to have cup
o. tay."
II am awfully obliged to you, but !
could not touch q morsel / am In a
hurry"
"Are ye goin' a Journey Have ye
got job?"
81 think so. II looks like a perma
nency. Goodby."
"Goodby. an good luck to ye. Sure
the boy looks mighty qnare. IT'S grief
for his mother has turned his head en-
tfreIy."
No words could more clearly express
Philips condition than this friendly
assAtSSnnfqnfSgGp S{Kee his 6ther's bufsall
he had been half demented. His curt.
disconnected answers had lost him two
places as an errand boy, which he
could easily have secured. His small
stock of money, ridiculously depleted
by the generosity with which he ma
| the open hints of the undertaken ;.'
sistants, barely sufieed to keep him 4.
food for week. Then he sought CIV
ployment, but with such stir upper ~
and naughty Indifference to success
that he uaknowipgly turned tAGs"
against him who would have assisted
! him
For two days he was chosen to AL
as van boy for parcel delivery hrn
He earned few meals, but in rte
alteration induced by the sight OF =
lady who was dressed in a costume
similar to one he remembered his HotI
er wearing at Dieppe, he allowed
ham to be stolen from the rear OF tn
van. This procured his instant dis
missal, with threats Then he soiV
newspapers. only to find that every