The Springfield herald., 1908-11-20

1T amt fair play agin a woman
says old Sam, three strong men agin
one poor old woman; that's wot We
feel. Ginger
"'Well, l don't feel like it, seq Gin
please myself
p" h went OFF in Il hum, an next
morning 'e was SO disagreeable that
Sam an Peter went and signed on
board Il steamer called the Penguin,
which was to sail the day arter They
parted bad friends all round. and Gin
ger Dick gave Peter nasty black
eye, and Sam said that when Ginger
came to see things in Il proper way
agin he'd be sorry for wot ed said.
And 'e said that i'm and Peter never
wanted to look on is face agin.
Ginger Dick was n bit lonesome
arter they'd gone, but 'e thought 1t
better to let few days 20 by afore e
went and adopted the red-'aired land
lady. He waited week. and ut last.
unable to wait any longer, e went out
and 'ad shave and smartened hisself
up, and went OFF to the Blue Lion.
Glass O bitter ma'am, please he
ses to the old lady as she came out o
the little parlor at the back o the bar.
THE old lady drew the beer, and
then stood with one and holding the
beer.pull and the other on the coun-
ter, looking at Ginger Dick in is new
blue jersey and cloth cap.
Lovely weather, ma'am,' ses Gin.
ger, putting his left arm on the coun-
ter and showing the sailor-boy dancing
the hornpipe.
Its ard life, the sea- ses the
old lady.
She kept wiping down the counter
in front of i'm over an over agin, an
'e could see 'er staring at is wrists us
though she could 'ardly believe her
eyes. Then she went back into the
parlor. and Ginger card her Whisper
ing, and by and by she came out asin
with the blue-cyed barmaid.
Have you been at sea long, ses
the old lady.
"'Over % years, ma'am,' ses Ginger,
avoiding the barmaid's eye wot was
fixed on is wrists, and I've been ship
wrecked four times; the fust time
when was little nipper O four
teen
Pore thing ses the landlady,
shaking 'er cad. 4 can feel for you;
my boy went to sea AT that age and
I've never seen i'm since
I'm sorry to ear 1t, ma'am, ses
Ginger. very respectful-like. I suppose
I've lost my mother, SO | can feel for
you
Suppose you've lost your mother!'
ses the barmaid; don't you know
whether you have?'
No ses Ginger Dick. very sad.
When | was wrecked the fust time l
was in open boat for three weeks,
and, wot with the exposure and 'ardly
any food, got brain fever and lost Ey
memory
Pore thing ses the landlady asin.
- might as well be orfin,' ses
Ginger, looking down; sometimes l
seem to see kind, 'andsome face
bending over me, and fancy it's my
mothers, but l can't remember 'er
name, or my name or anythink about
'cr.'
You remind me o my boy very
much ses the landlady, shaking 'er
cad.
Ginger Dick would ha' liked to ha'
seen 'er bit more excited, but g
ordered another glass o bitter from
the barmaid. and tried to think 'ow
he was to bring about the ship on his
chest and the letters on is back. The
landlady served couple O men, and
by and by she came back and began
talking agin.
IL. L..
is. my boy was a sailor; and another
thing is, they've got such feelin' carts.
There was two of 'em in ere the other
day, who'd been in ere once or twice,
and one of 'em was that kind 'earted
thought he would ha' 'ad fit at
something | told him
"'Ho,' ses Ginger, pricking up his
ears, 'wot for?'
- was just talking to i'm about my
boy, same as | might be to you. ses
the old lady, and | was just telling
i'm about the poor child losing is
finger
Losing is wot?' ses Ginger, turn
ing pale and staggering back.
Finger ses the landlady. f was
only ten years old at the time, and I'd
sent i'm out to-Wot's the matter?
Amt you WELL?
"Ginger didn't answer 'er a word,
he couldn't. e went on going back
wards until e got to the door, and
then 'e suddenly fell through it into
the street and tried to think.
Then 'e remembered Sam and
Peter, and when e thought of them
safe and sound aboard the Penguin he
nearly broke down altogether, as e
thought how lonesome he was.
"All e wanted was is arms round
both their necks same as they was the
night afore they ad i'm tattooed."
MORE THAN ONE DIFFERENCE.