Year: 1866

| tifully helping her poor old father in diff
Guilty.


No, not the spoons, Martha" he said
''the money"


What about the money, father 2"


It's all gone, Martha ?'


All gone The money you've got tc
live upon, father" cried Martha, hysterical
ly, "all gomez"


Every farden," said the old man.


Martha could not believe it. She gave
baby to neighbor to mind, and insisted
upon the old man going back with her tc
his lodgings Immediately. He gave her the
key, aad she tore open the top drawer in a
frantic way. She seized the canvas bag in
which the old man kept his money (for he
had an unconqnerable distrust of banks, J
and plunged her hand into it, She could feel
nothing like coin. She turned the bag in.
side out and shook it, nothing fell out of it.
She rummaged among the useless odds and
ends in the drawer and not farthing could
she find. Suddenly she paused and said


You've been robbed, father Some,
body's been at the drawer"


No. no, my dear, you mustn't say that
nobody has been at the drawer but me- I've
spent it all. There wasn't much of it, only
eighty pounds altogether, and it would mt
last forever. It's me that's lived too long,
Martha :" and the old man sat down in a
chair and began to whimper and weep.


Martha could only sit down and weep
too. She was overwhelmed by the thought
of her fathers destitution and the prospect
which lay before him in his weak old age
His money was all gone, and his few sticks
of furniture, with the silver spoons, which
remained, woul scarcely realize enough to
bury him.


This was sad news to tell John when he
Martha by way of breaking it gently to
him, Historically shrieked out the tidings at
the top of her voice as John was coming i'll
at the door


40 John, fathers moneys all gone 7" she
cried.


Seeing that Martha was in a dreadful
state of excitement about the matter, john
with proper appreciation of artistic con-
trast, took the unwelcome announcement
cody


"Well," he said, ain that case zoe must
keep him He has nobody else to look TO-"


And so one day John went over to Dad
dy's house, sent for a broker and disposed
of all the things except the old mans bed,
which he dispatched by the truck to the
emporium. That done, he locked the door,
sent the key to the landlord, and taking
the old man by the hand, led him to the
shelter of the broken-backed roof Putting
him into the old armchair by the fire, and
patting him kindly on his bald head he
said


"There, Daddy consider yourself at home,
provided for for the rest of your life"


So it happened that John and Martha
were burdened with old Daddy Dodd, in
addition to their own numerous offspring.
And Daddy araS burden, though neither
John nor Martha ever said so, even to each
other. He was an expensive cid man, for
though he did not eat much and was well
content to share bedroom with the boys,
he had, considering his circumstances, an
unreasonable passion for snuff and glass
of "six ale" punctually every morning at
eleven o'clock, was absolutely necessary to
his existence. The glass of six ale he ,cOuld
have, and he would have it nowhere but in
the public house. standing at the pewter
bar, according to custom which he had
most religiously observed for more than
forty years One of the inconveniences of
this requirement was, that the old man had
to be provided every morning with three
halfpence in current coin of the realm; and
another, which followed in the course of
time when the old man became decrepit
and feeble, was that some one had to take
him to the particular public house on which
alone he would bestow his patronage (half
mile distant and bring him back again.
Still no word of comp aint escaped eth
er John or Martha, until their family in
creased to that extent when every hall-pen-
nv became. as Martha said, an "obiect"
in general but significant terms, asked his
good wife what was to be done.


at is not fair to you, john" Martha said
"and you sha'n't be burdened with him any
longer" And while the old man sat doing
in his chair, II was resolved between them
after hard struggle on Johns part and
many silent tears on Martha's part, that
John should next day put old Daddy into
the werchOuse. The resolution was taken,
and the old man slept on Neither John
nor Martha had the courage to wake him
They were afraid that he might read their
terrible intentions towards him in their
guilty faces. 81 cannot do it, Martha, u
John said and he made an excuse to go
out of doors to smoke his pipe. Martha
could not do it either, and sat waiting for
the old man to wake and presently he
awoke and called for her. She had with
drawn into the shade, and he could not see
her with his dim old eyes.


Martha, he said "where are you? Come
here and let me tell you what have been
dreaming about Such pleasant dream
my dear, about the old days when you was
all at home | thought l saw you al
round the table eating your Christmas din
ners and there was turkey and plum-pud
ding, and all the nice things that we used
to have, you know and then drcamt that
| was taking you to the boardingschool
where you was for twelve months, you
know and-and as we were driving dowr
the Edgeware road in the chaise, John came
up and wanted to borrow five pounds, JUS
as he used to do you know and-and
lent it him, just as used to do, Lnd--ant
but what's the matter with you Martha
you're not crying, surely"


Poor old man, he little knew what thorni
he was planting in his daughters breast
She ,cas crying. but she hid her eyes, ant
said kindly it was time for him to go t.
bed