Year: 1875

The following sketch is from very
clever story in the July atlantic, called
"Broke Jail" by q new writer


I'll suppose | was born in Dublin,
though in what corner or cellar or parret
| have no idea. My first Recollection is
OF leading an old woman around the
streets who pretended to be blind, but
could see like cat. She called herself
my grandmother. If that was true n
was the only truth | ever heard her tell
She begged in the streets, and did little
in the way of looking up good Jobs for
the burglars. We lived IN q cellar in
the thieves and beggars' quarter. Old
Mag Rnnnells-that was the old wo.
mans name-was quite character there
People who feared tho police, or who
had stolen something bad to hide or hard
to sell, used often to come to her for ad.
vice. They always brought with then whis.
KY, Tor devil word would old Mag saw
TILL her whistle was wet. Sometimes n
man or woman of our set would want to
borrow small sum of money of her, and
would bring some valuable to be left in
pawn for the loan. She would say, GO
away wild yer bawbe and don't be crack.
ing yer jokes on a poor old blind BODY
1t yell come back in an hour, maybe
can lind some pawnbroker where / car
spout 1t Tor yees. They all know that
ould Mag is honest, aud not wan Of them
fears to put out the money on what she
ietches thin. Yes, yes come back in ar
hour honey. and I'll thry what | can dc
Tor yees. Then she'd send me off tc
play, and while she was alone she would
get the money out Of some hidinc.placc
she did have somewhere.


"Shc was not very hard on me.
must say that for her. She did cuff and
bang me about II good deal when she was
out OF sorts or drunk, but she clothed me
comfortably, and taught me to read and
write and reckon, for she was quote q
scholar, and had done something at for.
gerry in her day.


"lt would have edited you to see the
old woman and me on our rounds in the
streets. She went always in black
threadbare clothes, with never a speck OF
dust on them, and the whitest and stiffest
starched cap in all Dublin. She did look
as decent as church -warden's widow
Her quare old eyes stared straight before
her. She looked binder nor wooden
god and older nor the Lord Lieutenant's
castle. | wore nice, clean, patched jack.
ct and trousers, and close. fitting skull
cap. Oh, but wasn't | the meek, dutifu
grandson, leading his poor blind grand
mother, and didn't know how to blar
ney the kind gentlemen and beautiful la
dies We didn't waste much time OIL
the citizens, but devoted our attention
mainly to the country gentlemen ant
country traders and their good wives
who almost always gave us something
We were the best beggars in Dublin
Old Mag used to say that, if one had ;
talent for it, begging was far more profit
able nor stealing, to say nothing of tht
danger. Sure, the old body had righ
to know, for she had tried both Sht
had been in Jail | don't know how often
and had spent fourteen years at Botany
Ray


"SomeIimes We would 90 into a hous,
or shop to beg. II We got nothing els,
we were sure to get an observation of tn,
premises that might be useful to the bur
glars. | believe Mag's only notion o
honor was that it would he scaly tricl
to report house where the people hat
given her silver to the burglars. But wo,
to those who gave her nothing or coppers
it there was anything in the house wortl
stealing


"These same burglars did use to Dor
row me now and again of dark night, tt
lift me in at windows and poke me through
holes where man couldn't 90.


"One morning when l was about tel
years old, or maybe eleven, | lay in m,
bed OF rags in one corner of our cellar lonl
after | had walked up, wondering why tn,
old woman didn't call me as she used t,
do. At laso crawled out of my own ac
cord, and went to see what allied the oil,
body. She was dead was a sharp lit
tie devil, and hunted the cellar through
for old Mag's money, before | called
the neighbors. | only found few shil
lipgs"