The Story-Teller.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume X, Issue 920, 20 June 1891, Page 4

The Story-Teller.

(Continued.) 1 Yfs, hot | only ate a wee bitl when_ I fell,' said the boy, quite captivated by the kindly tone. „. : < ? ; £ . ' He's bean punisned* enough,' wns the Bailie's decision ; then turning ta tm«h«Jiid, "«r and gift ncr a lu»a,rs.i * aboot ii, an., tell her>t!ist if it linfipens ag.in w.'Jl put berin jail.' As soon aa jhe^TJouct Wls ov;er ""I, went intoHbrside roora4rwhTch'Fr»ddy was waiting, buay.aver a-slice^ot .bread and butter, an.4 _B*idLll>P jdp-VV 1 ' Yoa'H take me to your mother, for I want 4o.;apeak to her.*-) MJ . -: • i ; With the greatest readiness he gate me hia3B*Bs an^ we iwlAr tfowri the; Canongate thus till we oame to the bnrying k g/pdndf in& jjkiotij muoh4o my° ■urprise. he turned The wave-diggers were busy J at a*neW-grive, v Wb <FrißtJdy led the wayy^fr; th^j, down ;to ;,n weedy corner at "the baokof'ttie buryingground, where ifeVpdiri&edloai a spot* on the rngge^ turf^ p«y,ing ; — „..<,,. . ' She's m there.'

« In there I - a 'Wliat; tio' yba Win ?» I cried, thinking that his •mall bisin bad been turned?. '«; IS We 'deati?' ' : '

1 Tbey said she was, 'bnt father wa&n't at home taße*< arid rm^sdre 1 she wki only sleeping whoa.^thej ■■ put her m there. Ijhink she's awake new, for she always hears what I say to !ier.' He stoppeil, evid«qtly expecting me to began' trh>t I -bad' to say tastier, arid I th«B, finding ; th at I only itarad it him and remained silent,: he gripped may arm with h^ small fingers and said---♦Tell)her t ajbont jt now. You, c»n tell it' batter ithan me, for I — l always begin to cry,' and he began then, and got sffjsaddehly violent m his sobbings that hVbad to hold on to tyy arm with both ha,nds and lean his face on my sleeve j i. v > . I ,r'>'v:;' ! : . '•■ •■ ' ltf» t not this mother I want to speak to — It's the new one, ? I gently observed aa soon as the fit had passed off. ( I'm afraid it's no use speaking to her,' and I nodded- significantly- at the weedy tarf. 4 Oh, yes, it is. I often speak to her, and *h« hears me and answers me That's how I know she's awake again,' he eagerly returned. 1 Speak* to yea 1 What does she say?' '• She says, , • Keep up, . your .heart, , Fieddy.i/Ijlr&kecarepf jdu.' > ; i\ 'Is that .all?' 1 That's all/Dut she" siiys'it over v and over again'; Sdmetimes'sbe siys' she's sorry L'ntad<httngY)rj<bnlr'l i don't' ■« think i she can get out to give me anything,' 'Why?' ' •■"■■* ♦ I riou't know. It's against the rules. The gravediggers don't like it. One of them told me so ' He was qqite, convinced that if she could have got out she would havo come, shj was.sbvfun.l of- hunr-anl that she was conscious and ; alive, and that she heard every wprd. he utJered ; close to the grave, He came m nearly every day, unless the gate was shut, and once he htt'l-goir m through the iron railings, and asked her if she couldn't take him m besido her* hs J}« thought it must / \ bo warmer^and wonted to get quite olose into hbr 1 ' t anng. > But the "''only' answer was the old words, ' Keep up your heart, Fredfly ; I*ll take care of you.' He ha-i heard of heaven, an-i hud been told that she was there, but, if so, he was sure that, the bole he ha<l seen m the turf was tlie%«'e dfiit, and that she was not for inside, or, she could not have heard him and answered him,. I led him out of thY bury ing-ground, and down" to Ldchcind'a Clone, his terror increasing at every step, though I asstirftdjiim that this • othw mother' would not dare to touch him while I was by, and that I was. going to frighten her out of ill-uking him m fnturo, ' " ' Contrary to (my expectation, I found the wo|nan ; a,t ,home— a. great^ lusty., Irishwoman, with a fist, like a sledgehanimer^a voice like a dragoon, and abreath J lrka an erbpty cask. The moment siie sighted the trembling slip of a boy she set down the chid she held on the floor, and made a wrench at him, saying m her harshest tone — ' fc*o jou've came back from jail, have jon, you joung thief and vagabond After being away two days nearly when I wnnted you to nurse the child. Now I'll jast kill you for it.' ' 1 ® .^°y.. c l Q °g .*o me m desperate terror •<j>ji take me back to jail !' he screkmed : take me back where the I o! icemen w«re so kind to me and gave m« toys to play with before a t»ig Bre. 1 wan V to go back : to jail, and I won't cry tfhen talte hie- in before all the ppople.' * You_ t hear th e ypung vagabond ? ' criwd,. the, woman, as I disengaged her clutch with no gentle hfcnd. 'Who could make anything of such a little divit? 1 « Now, look you ! ' I B »id, sternly, 'you've starved that child till he grabbed at food on the street like a wild beast. If I could hate got hold of you yesterday, you wou!<i have been m jail now, I am certain.' Tue woman held up her bands m affected amazement. Well, nojv, that i« like big lies. Starve.! him ; nnd it's myself wouM give him the very bitn out of me mouth and does it, indeed, every day m the world. It's not nuch I have to give, but »ur« he gets more Jrindnews an^ W6h' j