CHAPTER I.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1771, 10 November 1883, Page 5

CHAPTER I.

" Cast thy bread on the waters, and it shall return to thee after many days."

We were a mixed lot at Mrs. Birfcles', and no mistake. Mrs. Birtles, or as we called her, Mother Bristles, kept a boarding-house near the top of Fitzroy-street, Fitzroy. Why or how she came to be callad Mother Bristles it would be hard to say, for surely no one ever less deserved such an appellation, and I am sure it was out of no disrespect that we thus denominated her — more I think from habit, or perhaps a kind of affectionate familiarity than aught else. She was an apple-cheeked, rosy-lipped, dark-eyed, little woman, with a snatch of a song or a merry word forever in her mouth ; a woman whon?, to ÜBe the old aphorism, "it did one's heart good to look at ; " one who " whistled down the wind," the cares and troubles that beset her own path, and strove to lighten the burden of any weary wayfarer with whom she might be brought in contact. She was never cross or harsh with us, no, not even when we, as sometimes happened, could not pay our board. She was, in short,' a good woman and a dear old soul. Not a fool, mind you, by any means, as had you tried any humbug with her, you would soon have found out. i She was what is known in colonial par. lance as a "grass widow," for Birtles, who was a carpenter, and a sad scamp, had, after robbing her of nearly all she had, disappeared one fine morning when they had been five years married, and she had never heard of him since, leaving her with a little one, a girl of a year old, a bill of sale over the furniture amounting to over twenty pounds, and *bout seven and sixpence to meet it with. Fprtunatelys Mrs. Birtles had a little property of her own, very little, which her father had left her tied up in suoh a way as that her blackguard of a husband could not touch it, so that she was not altogether penniless. That property oonsiated of a house and a small cottage in Fitzroy-street. Many women left in like plight would have succumbed, or perhaps, gone to the bad ; but not so with Mrs. Birtles. She had, before her marriage, been Stewardess on one of the New Zealand steamers, and worthy Captain j Ohaßcer, on hearing of what had happened, j wrote and offered her the first opening in a like capacity. But she would not, if she could help it, leave her ohiid, so she thanked him. and declined the offer. - Mrs. Birtles was a woman of few words but of prompt action. After waiting a month for the return of her runaway husband, earning enough to keep herself and her child from starving by charing, sewing, and doing odd jobs for her 'neighbors— who, poor as they were, took 6are not to let her starve — she gave him up as hopeless, and determined to shift for herself. But how? .The first thing was to go and see old Milliken Moss,' the Jew money-lender, who held th& bill of sale over the furniture, and find out what could be done with him, VNow, old Milliken} Moss, although reputed tor be wealthy, lived in- a jniserable tumble--down-- shanty -in narrow streets leading , out ol^nii&^ireeVpjollingwood, and' •*#as,.the, t£rrojr.Vof^the^ywlwle neighborhood, /that tia jqf^theii,o^eless i^thei^r^^^

his house with a feeling of sinking at her heart, much like that whioh a prisoner must experience when he is brought up to receive sentence. She walked timidly in at the open door, on whioh was inscribed the legend, (Mr. Moss, money lent in sums from £5 to 5000, to bt, repaid &c, &c.,) and tapping on the counter asked for Mr. Mo&s. Presently {he old man came out of an inner room, looking more grimy and snuffy than when she had seen him before, ar^d wearing a greasy skull cap over his iron grey hair, and a pair of ironriinmed spectacles on his hooked nose. ■ " Vat is it? " he asked in a harsh, rasping voice." ", My name "is Mrs. Birtles, and I've come about the bijl-of sale on the furniture, if you please," she replied falteringly. "Bill o' Sale, Birtles, oh yes, come in my good woman," and he led the way into the inner office. He did not even ask her to sit down, but took up a dirty ledger ang muttering " let's see," began to turn over the leaves. As he did so, a tall, showy, gaudily dressed woman came out of the front office, and crossed over through another door leading to the back part of the dwelling. Mrs. Birtle3 fancied that the woman eyed her strangely as she passed her, but supposed ib must have been out of idle curiosity. At last the Jew found the page, and laid the book open on the table. " That's it," he said. " Here ifc is : cash advanced* thirty pound, inventory a pound, Bill o' Sale and stamp two pound seven, registration ten shillin', thirty-three pound seventeen allreg'lar." " Thirty-three pounds seventeen sir," she said tremblingly^ "but we, my husband, had only tvrenty pounds." "Borrowed thuty for six months, ten interest, twenty cash, all down in the book reg'lar. Come to pay the money ? Make you out a receipt for it ? " "Alas, no sir," said the poor little woman, turning pale, my husband has deserted me," and then with many tears, she told him her sorrowful tale. Even as she did so, she saw, but scarcely noticed that the_ frowsy blind to a little window looking into the room was slightly lifted, and then let drop again. "Very sorry for you, my good woman," said the jew she had finished, "but business is business, the moneys due on Monday, and if it ain't paid, I shall seize. Mind you don't move a stick or I'll have you arrested for stealing, and that'll be — " " Milliken, come here," called a woman's voice from the back room. "Yes, ma dear, one moment — I was tellin' you that if—" " Come here at once," called the voice imperiously. "Dear, dear, vot is it I wondor," said the old man shuffling across the room. "Vait there yon minute ma good woman," and he disappeared through the doorway. Mrs. Birtles waited with a crushed heart. This was even worse than she had antici- '< pated. Presently the old man shuffled back, looking at her curiously, and said in a kinder tone, — " Go in there missis, somebody vants to speak to you." It was a small room she entered, furnished with old but solid mahogany chaws and table, and was dark and stuffy. " Sit down, ma'am," said the woman she had seen before—" Do you know me? " " N-no, I don't think so." " And'yet I know you, or I think I do." 41 Mrs. Birtles looked at her helplessly, and paid nothing. " I'll aid your memory, said the JeweßS with a smile. Do you remember the year 1868 ? " "1868— yes," replied Mrs. Birtles. "That was before I«was married. I was then—" " I know, Stewardess on the Tarrarooma between Melbourne and New Zealand." " Yes." " Do you remember the fearfull passage from Dunedin to Melbourne in September of that year ? " " No, I can't say particularly — " "Well, perhaps not, I suppose you were used to it. I'll help you again. Do you remember that your two lady passengers left the ship at the Bluff, and wouldn't venture anyfurther ? And de you remember that there was a poor lone young woman in the steerage, who had to go on, and that you threatened to leave the ship if the Captain didn't let you take her into the ladies' saloon cabin." " Well," said Mrs. Birtles, " now you mention it, I do remember something of the sort ; but how did you — ? " " I am that poor friendless young woman — I. Me it was that you nursed and waited on as if I had been the first lady in the land." " You 1 " exclaimed Mrs. Birtles, breathless with astonishment. "I, Rachael Cohen, daughter of — but never mind that — I who ' owe you, perhaps, my life," and the Jewess took one of her hands and pressed it to her lips. "Do you think I have forgetten. No, we of our race never forget a benefit, nor — Fear not, my husband will not harm you now. Yes, my husband, for I am wife to Miliken Moss. But I forgot," and she called sharply to someone in the rear, " Jooly make some tea at once. You must stop and have some tea, and tell me yq,ur troubles, and we'll see "—" — But Mrs. Birtles protested that she must go ; she had left her child in the care of a neighbour, and she really must. " Not until you have eaten bread and salt beneath this roof " said ih&_jewess solemnly, " until then I cannot let you go." And so it came to p pass that Mrs Birtles was saved a great trouble. Milliken Moss, who could refuse his wife nothing, undertook to hand her over the furniture, "though on second thoughts," he said, " it'll be best for me to seize the goods, and hire 'em out to you at, say a shilln' a month ma dear, so that if that precious scamp of a husband o" yoilrn should ever turn up, he'll have no claim on 'em. And look here, if you're thinkin' o1o 1 takin' boarders, you'll vant a few more things, let me buy 'em for you, I can get 'em beautiful as good as new, at half vat you'd have to pay for 'em, and, s'help me, I'll only charge you half the reg'lar commission."