The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-06-27
PoIyo'oly
and the Lump
By Edgar Jepson
eo,,.,s-r. ,e,o, By tn. rrAssos rv,lpnrc co.

eo,rssss1. 1910, By tn. PEARSON PUBLISHING
The Lump shan't 90 into the work
hoase-never-I won't let him." said
| the angel child with the red hair,
| firmly.
| Mrs. Brown shook her head; the
| gloom on her round and usually cheer
full face deepened; and she said, Il
don't know how you'll manage-you
| bein' only twelve-an' work SO ard to
! git"
II promised Aunt Hannah. just be.
fore she died. that he should never go
| into the workhouse: and he shan't,"
said the angel child in a tone of cold
resolution. I've got twenty-five shill
| ings as 1t Isl
An that won't last long, Pollyooly,
my dear" said Mrs. Brown.
But on Saturday there'll be ten
ing the work for her. you know" said
Pollyooly.
But p'raps when the gentlemen
hear as she's dead. they won't pay you
the whole ten shillings," said Mrs
Brown.
They won't hear" said Pollyooly
CURLY
But II they knew how bad she was,
they'll have bin expectin' It," said Mrs.
Brown.
They only know that she's i'll. /
didn't tell them that it was an acct
dent and how bad 1t was. And I'm not
going to tell them she's dead. I'm go
ing to go on doing her work just as
long as I can" said Pollyooly in the
same tone of cold resolution.
Lor', Pollyooly, what lies you'll
have to tell! An whatever would
your Aunt Hannah have said to that?
An she so strict with you," said Mrs.
Brown. raising her plump hands.
1t isn't for me-it's for the Lump.
And it's all there is to do" said Polly
DOLLY with touch Of distress In her
tone. And | shan't tell any lies, Mrs.
Brown, shan't really If they ask
me straight out If Aunt Hannah is
dead. shall tell them the truth"
What row there'll be when they
do find out" said Mrs Brown.
can't help that-theres the
Lump" said PollyooIy Besides.
cook their breakfasts and clean their
rooms quite well-ever SO much better
than that dirty old Mrs Meeken does
the floor below"
must say your aunt did bring
you UP to do things proper. And ex-
pect you do do them six rooms quite
we'll. What's six rooms after all?
90 hope as you'll keep the jobs a good
long time. | don't see who's to tell
the gentlemen that your Aunt Han
nah's dead. But things do turn out
So" said Mrs. Brown; and she sur
yeyed the two children gloomily.
Yet they were not of an appearance
to cast a gloom on the faces of those
who beheld them. Pollyooly was to
the eye the genuine angel child Her
eyes were deep blue; her mouth was
shaped like Cupid's bow; the hue of
wild roses stained her pale cheeks;
and her white skin was translucent
like mother-of- pearl. Her chin was
perhaps little squarer than the chin
OF the conventional angel; and her
red hair was further at variance with
the Christmas-card ideal But to the
eye of persons of taste she was the
genuine angel child; just as the Lump
was the genuine. but red-haired,
cherub.
Pollyooly's black frock and the
Jumps black tunic threw their clear
compilations and delicate coloring into
vivid relief. They had but just re-
turned from the funeral of their great
aunt, Hannah Bride. Five days earli-
CT an enthusiastic motorist, engaged
in spirited effort 10 beat the speed
limit along the Thames Embankment.
had knocked her down: and she had
died Of her injuries in ST Thomas's
Hospital
Mrs. Brown had helped Pollyooly in
the matter Of the funeral, and now, on
their return from ii, was giving the
children tea in her room She and
her husband, member of the Civ
Police, were their only friends in
London: for she was native OF Nut
tle-Deeping, and had been in service
at Deeping Hall when Hannah Bride
vas housekeeper there. When, two
years before. the death of Lady Con
stantie Deeping. from whom she had
received a pension, and the loss of her
savings in an imaginary gold mine
rad brought Hannah Bride 10 London
to begin the world afresh at the age
Of sixty-two. Mrs Brown had been
her mainstay. She had found for her
lodging an attic at the top OF the
house in which she herself lived: and
1t was from her that Hannah Bride
lad learned that the post of laundress
e two sets of rooms in the Inner
Temple was vacant, had applied for
them. and had been so lucky as TO
obtain them
Mrs. Brown, after the manner of her
class. reckoned a funeral an occasion
for teasting: and she was giving the
children bnttered toast with jam on II.
They both enjoyed II the Lump with
the natural freedom from care OF his
three years, Pollyooly in spite Of her
anxiety about the future, and her grief
az her aunt's death During the res,
Of the meal she discussed with Mrs.
Brown the prospects Of getting work.
when she should have lost her Temple
posts.
After tea she took the Lump UP to
their attic and washed him. Then
they sailed forth into their street, that
little slum on which the back win
dOWc M no