LITERATURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7800, 17 April 1905, Page 4

LITERATURE.

* REUBEN SALMON'S BABY. TYaid 'l'm a bit iate, Mr Salomon," saM the-riouching man, stopipftag tn front of the shop. lj?■ Depend* whether you've come to ■J. nay or to borrow," responded the jf'Jew.'with at shore, soft laugh. " It's late t6 receive money. Mr t; Burton—never, • never. I'm putting ; these shutters—what's come to >tbe thing r—to* keep folks away who to borrow, or want to cx%change 'ol 'clo for bright jSfleW i&feay—wtuch Is worte ? " J^r il lt'B that last instalment, said ißurton, a ring of, pride in his voice. 'J 1 . '* Good. Belter late than. never. jjeWanlt to buy a good wjnler coal — ggandsonre artjde ? Just your lit, I say. Bon t say no till you've gj«e«i it. Well cut—first-class tailor, I'll let you have for a bob t,. tnore'n I paid for it only this forefeaoon. Cone inside." E. "iSKmon shut the door behind his and shot one bolt.

P Night's are oqU, don.t you ihe .saW, loading-the way mgh the 3ark shop ta the ilmit parlour behind. '' 1 lays arc Ml'. gag is dear—shocking.; Sit fljWWli/Mr Burton, sit down, an. I'll ajfco* you the coat—a beau-tiful " good." protested Burton, dul-&J-.Can't afford it tcxiay— not to®on t say that until you ve seen W&X, ®W"t Sfty that f Cheaper than Doo't ny that until you |Bow the price • Never bought for g?® guineas/' He disappeared into 3ne.shop, carrying a guttering candle Alius hand. It '* No good, Mr Salmon, I assure after h.m "The Sfact. * Fire* got* von"bure money." |Hb jookod down at his right hand subtly closed, and lus flaljby, white grace hardened. look here < Tij .t on, just please me, Mr Burton," said the retumang.with a heavy, black whifch * 'he held in both iwxto by the velvet collar, iflttrto# cast- t. furtive glance at the IgiM:, and rose. waste' of' time,'' he said, again at the coat, and noting,. .the dealer's big,'beaming fuce i ■above if. I £i^'. !t on ' my friend," persisted |

Burton moved as if to c o inpU, but Mtoeke* himself, and leant on the heavily, %('?- course, it may not fit Vou— Salmon suggested con'ifSiii? * Tr y *' on ' Look here. s-TIl tell you-what I'll do; K It fits fgp your satisfaction—you shall have |pJE|r .* pound—just what L paid-for £ Burton straightened himself, and i«diis chest £ " Pound ! Come, let's square PW businesß." W" To ° '•ear ? Jfy faith, drf you cvchance t« buy a coat like *S™V cut ''J l ® that, made like that, R« material, too ? Just take R® your 'ands an' examine it " took. it r - and .threw it over MMNij.'flf % chair. . |fp r «»y well," said Salmon, de•"d. he turned to the ncktrier behind him. : " I'll TMbt/^° U ° Utl a reCeipt for soveng" Five four, Mr Salmon," the othcorrected, quickly, his face sudand Ms.tone uneven; flwlw nancy-lender swung round, and ®Vj * tanl, malicious fey''Due on tEe. tenth, eh? "ho said

my lord, man," cried HurgjjSf. ypwlmg -a step. " you're not to charge me forty-four hob oZ*!c#° u * days' grace ? " talk about • grace ; ' there gW «0 mnlioa of ' grace ' in the bill, interest's two-four per calendar 0f a mont h- Pour Ms**:* P Qrt . of a month. You nKEgVfcto. the terms when you wantfdhtlw money ? " . I can't do it ! " 15r3'J B ? rtp ? <«e»perately. " I'm gt of hick. I could only scrape ensHf „ b , ury m y Bife - and—this. n?rW'r',Mr Salmon ! TaHc it l H I the other-later, I will." 18 bußhress - You paid an' why cheat me?" ggß MCT:'rafted his finger-tips on tho Wflfti,*™ glanced about him absnet-

11715 P«y the undertaker." yoa ' U * av e to pay me ." gjpireaiat you can't get blood out of K*. IKOae, exclaim*] Burton, with junpied bravado. Z cri ? l Salmon stung bv the g»l»e.. ' Hut I m-flOt sure jou are a gpSOwSr an I won't 'believe it till I ggwe cracked you.. My faith, Mt Bur&/L\ POOr h>n * ly mara l>» gwariWl by every white-livered Gens' 1 * wroply because 'e s a Jew » Arc SL I ®, wave,vm y legal and just rights you to pay for a funeral i a<l for nothinggSrf P^ n *, ? Mr liirr-On-principle I claim What's principle. ' SeYinit over. X 'a\vn"t iik : procee# ings -i |Whon-ow. . Xo> „ n- u: ri< won t look at it-X touch it. WS&iZFiZ:?■V*? bh y >"»< Tina rcI I othf 3 -lea let- with b»;rn-M&t&fy-l Tto», With/ Ihe money hidunder h,s hand, he sai .i j n , W '""J* far «tUfe chiWren—> ' lc ' ve a "„ S e from intcrKctrt you buried : h °Pe ot having BMigWt ♦>, > Biirttift continued, his pfe - . hi « hcr awl higher ™ sentence. "y ou '. l " pocrite who BlljPyipouaw 6nly a few weeks a child's cot at the SmflSuC 1 ta 1 1 e an >'— I Salmon %. §£ than :ndiffercn,f;y But U»e otter cut him |

jllPmt ®y, wfc ? What PPffi S2S^ eSsfc , ,d f w< *t about you° ? " hC ° Undrel 9 ges^ure . E^^^riV 9^* iake ° b »^ ntt tt e day after to. KSrn I ?^ with a BSL™'' Dllt Burton r«Viu;n-sl ■^°f w now ', hiH pns«>i on »P the mono\ Ji, <i,e p° ckct ot his jacket and put mffitthnJ :t "" '"cchan,B&fe* /ace' evt "* fro "> fl " Uthor word ,n i° ,he hh «p mil , Bu, '' on fumbled in the ' II opened, and jv"aiked.gj ow ijr

er to the fireplace! and stirred the '.flawing embers very gently till they flamed. | He held his fat hands over the flames and passed each tenderly over the back of the other, glancing down in a : near corner for his slippers as lie did so. The slippers were always there when he wanted them, ■because he -always put them there when he took them off. There was no one to 'move them, no one to play with j jt'hem, no one to draw them about | the room and ,call them " sips " and |" tafts " ; ho never had to turn the inside-out to find them and vow that Jacob or Rebecca should be spanked next time they were misjsing; they were always there, alI ways. And he was heart-sick <jf always finding them exactly there." Reluming to the sitting-room, he prepared a ligiht supper for himself. |He hutod attending to his own needs ,but the alternative of engaging do tfie work was more hateful t~o his mind—and dearer. He had done it for years now —ever since his wife, Beccu Had (li ( ,*d -ovu since. Perhaps he regretted 'Becca on; that account ; but on the whole the thought of her rather irritated that depressed him.. . . . And a man like that—Burton—was a father, was repeated in flesh and blood ! A man who was moved to violent passions by the diffemeco between five-pounds-,"our and - scven-pounds-eight !•.... He would never know the awful pangs ol feeling age creeping on him. The pass- . years would not be marked on a yard-measure ; the years would come and the years woidd go, hut merged into each other indistinguishable because of the little life that was part of his own palpitating Reside him, (To bo continued.)