That Awful Orphan.

Cromwell Argus, Volume VII, Issue 316, 1 December 1875, Page 7

That Awful Orphan.

laia a retail chemist, in a very small way, in a beastly healthy neighbourhood. I began anguine, and dispensed gratuitously once a week to poor persons. There are some poor persons who will take quarts of the nastiest draughts you can mix them—if they can get them for nothing ; and you may lose money over coloured water, if they don't bring the bottles %ack, to say nothing of the cork and label. My good lady used to say that I had not dash enough ; but I don't think that much dash was needed fnr pills and powders, o>- perhaps I might never have gone into the line. I have conscientiously made the medicines as strong as I could for the money. I don't think you could have bought a more ravenous leech or a more drawing blister anywhere ; but the public never responded properly. I always had expectations from my uncle Abraham. He used to say, When I drop off the hoiks, Sam, I shall leave you something, and you must take care of it. You will, won't you ? Promise, of course. I thought it was to to be a nice round sum, and I put a plate<dass ! window in the shop, mentally, and made several iother improvements. But it wasn't sum—either (round Or otherwise—it was that awful orphan. When Uncle Abraham was at death's door he sent for me, and I rushed out in the middle of serving a customer (whom I lost by it) and flew to his bedside. "Sam," he said, "you have been more than a son to me ; you must be a father to my boy."" " Wh-a-t ?" said I. " Sam," lie said, |"I have deceived you, and I own it. '.never liked to tell you I was secretly married axteen years ago J to a woman who is since dead, yhat little I leave behind—which is next to ii)thing—is my boy's. You must take that boy lime and bring him up and love and cherish km (he is not a particularly large eater, as boys g<), and you must make a chemist of him. If y<i thwart my dying wish, Sam, I feel as though Ihould rise from my grave and haunt you"" Wjh this cheerful remark my uncle gave up thl ghost, and 1 took home that awful orphan. I Wt say that he was naturally vicious, and systematically left the wrong bottles at the paints' houses. I don't believe he gave the seefy- young gentleman who asked for a "pickmejp," oxalic acid on purpose. He said afterwars that he thought the young gentleman wanfcd Epsom salts. No, though the boy in the id blasted my fair fame, and utterly ruined my Aspects in life, I feel it is only fair to state that t is my opinion that he meant well after all. 1 knew a boy with a more inquiring mind. Therjwas hardly a jar on a top shelf he did not climbhj to and pull over on his head some time or otty. He was passionately fond of leeches. He usfl. to take them out and make them run races. \He said he could not bear to see the poor things bottled up, and nothing would induce him to teep the lid on, so that now and then a few Waled up stairs, and wanted to sleep with L n< VT l l y go ° d lady- T toW hhn l bought he had betfr not try to draw any of my customer.*' backteel till I had given him a few lessons ; but he M the gentleman he pulled two for would till I came in. He broke the gentleman jaw, and the gentleman brought an action an<l-ecovered damages. Sometimes when the given me a rather dreadfuller doing thaiisual, and I had been looking over the books, nd totalling up and realising how awfully balmy business was getting, I would come over and creep out in the still twilight for a gl p of air. From the corner where my shop stof I could see the reflection of five other opposion chemists' lamps, who were doing much b\ter ; so the view not being particularly cheeul, I generally crept back again and had a goo( C ry, with my head on the slab we rolled the H Us on. Well, it is over now He meant well- feel sure, and I will always say it, though 1 wa tried for the manslaughter of m y gwdlady, M om he gave the lotion to internally They portrait in the Police tfews, and they wrote a3l as hj n „ leader about me in a penny daily. Th, did not hang me, it is true • but the judge waa- DO d enough to say if it had rested with him 1 would have done so. Perhaps, after all, T shad have done better if 1 had made up my mind t De haunted by Uncle Abraham, and left theor aan to take care of himself. As it is I am haut.d by my good lady, who died believing I di( f or her> and who comes every night and shakth er head at me, with the dreadfullest groans y t cau i magine> Aa for the orphan, he goes ab lt say i ng I have robbed j him, and lie has entered service of one of the o tner five opposition j