The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-04-19
Ll@TTLE lord" LATlNlER,

ing into a small house in chear
suburb.
When the little boy was born. Mr.
Latlner, ST.. allowed his son a fur.
ther fifty pounds a year. but there
was no increase when the little CIR
came.
" hen the boy was five years old ant
the little girl was four. harold Lati.
iner caught severe chill, which de-
veioped into pneumonia. and departed
this life hastily. leaving his widow to
the mercy OF his father, and his on
tracts to the Shakespeare Library al
Stratford nAvon--a gift which was
tee.
Mr.. LatImer, at the period of his
sons death, was sixty-five, and hale
anG hearty. He buried his son. had a
short interview with his sons widow,
and offered to take the little boy and
bring him UP.
Mr.. Latlmer did not like his daugh-
ter-in-law. He saw the little girl.
thought che took after ller mother, and
did not like her.
So he made a bargain Jenny was
to keep the girl, and have nm allow
ance OF twenty-five shillings week,
so long as she did not attempt to see
or to claim Harold Latimer, Jr.
The offer was not generous. Mr..
T4ati.ler did not intend 1t to be. He
had discovered that Mrs. Latinier had
developed habit of resorting to stint
ulants in order to fortlfy herself
against British Museum extracts. and
he made UP his mind that. with lit
tie girl and herself to keep on twenty
five shillinEs a week. she might be
kept from over-indulgence.
Jenny, after little hesitation. con-
scented. Little Harold Latimer babe
his mamma good-by, and was borne off
in his grandpapas carriage.
Jenny went over to Peckhal1, where
she had married sister with top
floor to let, and lived there OH her
twenty-five shillings week, with
Maggie, her little daughter.
1t was little Magse's misfortune to
he particularly plain, and, having
been dropped" In her second year, she
was lame. Maggie was good little
girl, but even her mother confessed
that she was not good-looking. Per
haps that was why the proud old
grandfather had left her with her
mother. The boy was as pretty and
as charming as the little girl was
plain and awkward.
In the top floor at Peckham, Mrs.
Latimer, having no husband to look
after and no extracts to listen to. had
a good deal OF time on her hands. Her
sister had little boy, and the little
girl played with him.
This left Mrs. Latimer free to walk
abroad, and her walks usually took
the direction of the saloon bar at the
Crow and Chaiiinch, which was at the
top of the street.
Three months Growing and
left Mrs. Datimer in diff
culties, and she saw at once that il
she wanted to continue patronizing the
saloon bar regularly and generously,
she would have to add to her income.
A lady in the neighborhood, hearing
all about her from her sister, and
knowing that Mr.. Scholes, the school
master, wanted respectable woman
to come in daily and do work OF the
charing order, recommended Jenny and
told Mr.. Scholes her story.
And in this way Mrs. Latimer found
daily employment, and an addition of
fifteen shillings week to her income.
The saloon tar of the Grow and
Chattinch was preserved to its generous
patronesg.
Jenny Latimer had lively disposi-
ton. 1t had saved her from melan-
cholia under the extracts, and In he,
widowhood 1t left her with the faculty
of enjoying her evenings and her Sat
urday afternoons.
She drank great deal more than
was good for her But she did not
get drunk, and she was fairly good
mother to little Maggie, who, as she
grew older, grew palmer, and left a
good deal to herself, and the kitchen
as playroom, grew also grimler.
Mrs. Latimer's money was paid
weekly by postal order. But the or
ders came with bank sheet OF note
paper, and there was no communica-
ton with regard to little Harold.
But news of the grand surroundings
In which her little boy was living
reached the charwoman from time te
tlme, and one day she heard, quite ac-
cidentally, from an acquaintance sh,
met occasionally, that Master Harold
Latimer's tenth birthday was to be
celebrate with a children's garden
party and great festivity.
The saloon barring of Mrs. Latino,
had increased with the lapse of years
and so 1T happened occasionally tina
Inc mother of Master Harold LatimeI
became excited, and began to broof
over her wrongs.
female acquaintance in whom she
.oniided, sympathised with her Oh,
evening at the accustomed resort am
added fuel to the fire.
III ] was YOU, I'd have my rights
Hes your flesh and blood. and II he,
| gong TO have grand birthday part,
who's better right to be there thai
the mother as bore him and his littl,
sister?"
That night Mrs. Latimer sat dow,
and wrote letter to her father-in
| law.
she was not u praoticed letter writer
and her smelling was entirely her owl
mr.. Latimer read the letter an,
| handed 1t to his wife.
The woman demands to be presen
at Herold's garden party, she insist
on seeing her son, and says I let he
go out charing for a living" he said
1T is utterly impossible that we ca,
! nave her here and introduce her L
our guests. 1t would be disgrac
70 the boy and a humiliation to me. Fl
| does not know that his mother is
tharwoman who drinks"
sf,N.1 a.