Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-07-18

tne storm created rush or traf1ic, he
was nearly run over by reason Of his
own carelcssness and received a slash
! from a whip. accompanied by loud
oath from an angry cabman. He SHY
cred. but never even looked around
| Crossing Trafalgar square, he plunged
through the vortex of 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 q speechlcss driver pulled them
back onto their Launches. Again. the
off wheel of an omnibus actually grazcd
his heel as he sped behind the statue
Of Charles !.
At last he reached the comparative
seclusion of the Embankmcnt and
stood for a moment to gaze lixedly
at the swirling, glnting river.
"Not here" he muttercd aloud. II
must be nearer to mother -ClQl,r old
mother. She is there waiting for nc"
lie trudged steadily away through
Queen Victoria street, Cornhill, Lead
cnhall street. and so on to Johnson's
News, in the Mile End road Pausing
by an army pcnsioncr. an Irishman,
with whom he had slight acquaint-
ance, he entered. An elderly man was
lahoriously reading a paper of the pre-
ceding days date.
Good evening, Mr.. O'Brien," he
said. can you obliae me with a
piece Of ropef l want n strong piece
al nrf., i,,
can only spare three halfpence.'
'FaiX, | dunno. They use nails on
the crates mostly nowadays, If have
a bit it's at yer sarvice. | wouldn't be
afthcr chargin the likes o YOU
Philips story was known in that
humble locality, and the old soldier
sympathi2ed with the boy. "lIc has
rae spunk an no mistake" was his
verdic when others said Philip was
proud and overbearing O'Brien NOV
ed rhcumaticaly about the sqnalid
shop. At last he found some portion
of a clotheslinc
evil that dog" he inquired
Philip tested II with vigorous pull.
Ing against his knee.
"Excellently," he said. Let me pay
you for IT,"
"Arrah, go away wild ye And. be
the powers, isn't the poor lad cowld
an furnished? Luke here, now. In
five minutes I'm goin' to have cup
O tay."
Il am awfully obliged to you, but I
could not touch morsel | am in a
hurry"
Are We goin' a journey? Have ye
got job?'
81 think so. It looks like perma,
nency Gooiby"
"Goodby, an good luck to ye. Sure
the boy looks mighty quare. It's GRIEF
for his mother has turned his head en-
tirely."
No words could more clearly express
Philips condition than this friendly
summing up. Since his mothers burial
he had been half dementcl. 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 met
the open hints of the undertaker's as
s!stants. barely suffiCc1 to keep him in
food for a week Then he sought en-
ploymcnt. but with such stiff upper lip
and naughty Indifference to success
That he lnknowingly turned those
against him who would have assisted
him.
For two days lie was chosen to act
as van boy for n parcel delivery firm.
He earned few meals, but in fit OF
alteration induced by the sight of n
lady who was dressed in costume
similar TO one he remembered his moth
er wearing at Dieppc, lie allowed a
ham TO he stolen from the rear of the
van. This procured his instant dis
missal. with threats. Then he sold
newspapers, only to find that every
good site was jealousy guarded by a
gang Of roughs who mcrcilcSSly bullied
any newcomer Personal strength and
courage wHro unavailing against sheer
numbers. Ills face was still swollen
and his ribs sore as the result Of being
Knocked down and kicked at Ludgate
Circus. At Charing Cross next day he
was hustled under the wheels of an
omnibus and narrowly escaped death.
So he was driven into the side streets
and the quiet squares, In which, during
three or four days, he managed to
earn an average of eightpence daily,
which he spent on food
Each night he crept back to the poor
tenement in Johnsons News his bleak
home amid the solitude of empty
stables and warehouses. The keeper Of
coffee stall. touched one night by his
Woebegone Appearance, gave him some
half dried coffee grounds in a paper,
together with handful Of crusts.
Put arr that in pint Of water"
he said, looking critically at the sod
dened mass of coffee, AN when it
comes to a bile let it settle. It'll sur
prise You to find 'ow grateful an com
fortn' it tastes on n cold night. AS for
| the crusts, II you bake 'em over the
fire. they're Just as good as the rusks
you buy in tins"
This good Samaritan had repeated
his gift on two occasions, and Philip
had fairly large supply Of small coal,
sent to his mother by the colliery COM
nany, so his position. desperate enough,
was yet Den BILE had he but sought to
accustom himself TO the new condi-
tons of life. There was a chance that
to the necessity to earn living, and