Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-05
CHAPTER XIII.

CHAPTER XIII.
ITNHE cottage, as have said, was en-
Il urely hidden from the chance observe
oy reason Of the foliage; ash, alder, ant
orambles auorished mxuriantly. GROWN,
very thick and high. with here ana ther,
great tree; but, upon one side, ther,
was little grassy glade, or clearint
rather some ten yards square, and 4
was towards this that my eyes were d.
fected as ] reseated myself upon III,
settle besides the door and waited tn,
coming of the unknown
Though the shadows were too deem 70,
my eyes to serve me. yet I could follow
the newcomers approach quite easily bS
the sound he made; indeed, I was par.
ucularly struck by the prodigious rustlinr
| or leaves. Whoever II was must be bis
ana bulky, l thought. and clad, probab ably
In a long, trailing garment
All at once knew l was observed, for
the sounds ceased, and heard nothing
save the distant bark of a dog and the
ripple OF the brook near by.
I remained there for. maybe. a full
minutes very still, only my fsts clenched
themselves as 1 sat listening and wait.
ing-and that minute was an hour.
You won't be wantin' ever a broom,
now?"
The relief was so sudden and intense
that had much ado to keep from laugh
ing outright
You won't be wantin' ever broom,
nowY' Inquired the voice again
No" answered, NOR yet a fine
leather bSt with steel buckle made in
Brummagem as ever was"
On, It's you, is it?" said the Peddler.
and forthwith Cabling Dick stepped out
of the shadows, brooms on shoulder and
bulging pack upon his back, at sight of
which the leafy tumult of his approach
was Immediately accounted for. 80 it's
you, is it?' he repeated. setting down his
brooms and splitting lugubriously at the
nearest patch of shadow.
Yes" answered, but what brings
you here?"
II be goin' to sleep 'ere,-my chap"
"Oh!-you don't mind the ghost them"
"Oh, Lord, no! There be only two
things as can't abide-trees as amt trees
is one of EN-, an womens T. other"
"Women?"
Come. didn't I once tell you I were
married?"
"You did"
Very we'll then! Trees as ain't trees is
bad enough, Lord knows!-but women's
worse-ah;" said the Peddler. shaking his
head, "a sight worse! Ye see, trees amt
got tongues-leastways not as 1 ever
heered tell on, an tree never told a lie
or ate a apple, did it?"
What do you mean by ate an apple"
Il means as tree can't tell a lie, or
eat a apple, but a woman can tell a lie
which she does-frequent, an as for ap-
pies"
But" I began
Eve ate a apple, didn't she?"
THE Scriptures say So" l nodded.
AN told a lie afterwards, didn't she?"
so we are given to understand"
Very we'll them" said the Peddler,
there y are!" and he turned to spit into
the shadow again. "Wot's more" he con-
tinued, ''t were woman as done me out
o. my birthright."
How so?"
why, t were Eve as got us druv out o.
the Gardin o. Eden, weren't it? If it adn't
been for Eve I might ha been lvin' on
milk an 'oney, ah! an playin' wi butter
flies, stead o. bein married, an peddlin'
these ere brooms.
Don't talk to me o. women, my chap ;
l can't abide 'em-bah if theer s any
trouble afoot you may take your Bible
oath as theer s woman about some eres
-theer allus is :"
do you think so?"
II knows so amt a-'earin' an a-seein'
such all day, an every day-theer IS
Black large, for one"
What about him?'
What about inn" repeated the Pedler:
WY, amt lis life been ruined, broke, wore
away by one o. them Ewes very we'll
then %
What do you mean-how has his life
been ruined?"
'oh the usual way of it; large loves
a gell-gell loves Jarge-sugar amt
sweeter-very well then! Along comes
another cove--a strange cove-a cove wi
nice white 'ands an soft, takin' ways-e
talks wi 'er-walks wi 'er-smiles at 'er
AN pore large amt nowheeres-pore
Jarges cake is dough-ah an doughy
dough at thatp
How do you come to know all this?'
low should I come to know 1t but from
the man 'isself? Dick says e" (baptis-
NAL name Richard. but Dick for short),
"'Dick,' says e, dye see this ere stick%
an e shows me a good. stout cudgel cut
out o. tn edge, an very neatly trimmed
II were too Ahl sees it, large, said
I. An dye see this un@ says e. 'oldin'
up another as like the first as one pea 10
its fellow. 'Ah! I sees that un. too.
Jarge,' says I. Well says large. ones
for I'm an ones for me-'e can take is
chice,' e says, AN when wa do meet, it's
a-goin' TO be one or 4 other of us, e
says, an wot's more-'e looked II If /
ave TO wait, an wait. an foller i'm, an
foller i'm says large, III catch i'm alone,
one o. these fine nights, an it'n be man
20 man."
"And when did he tell you all this7'
rs marnin' as ever was"
where did you see himr'
"Oh, nor said the Pedler. shaking his
head, mot by no manner O. means. I'm
married, but I amt that kind Of a cove !"
What do you mean?"
1.-THE runners In arter 'im-lookin' for
lin Ugh an low, an'-though married. 1
amt one to give a man away. / amt
a friendly cove myself, never was. an
never shall be-never 'ad friend all my
days. an don't want one-but like Black
Jarge-I pities, an I despises i'm"
"Why do you despise him?"
Because e carries on so, all about a
Eve--w'y, theer amt a woman breathin'
as Is worth a mans troublin' rs cad over
no, nor never will. be-yet ERE g Black
large ready-ah! an more than willin'
20 get 'isself Jung, an all for a wench-
a Eve"
"Get himself hanged?" I repeated.
"Ah-'ung! wy, amt e a-waitin' an a.
waitin' to get at this cove-this cove wi
the nice white 'ands an the takin ways.
aln't e a-watehin' an a-watchin' to meet
'em some lonely night-and when e do
meet i'm" The Padler sighed
"Wellg"
"w'y. there'n be blood shed-bloodl--
quarts on it-buckets on itl Black large
III batter this ere cove's cad soft, so sure
as ! were baptized Richard,-'e II lift
this cove up in is great. strong arms. an