TIM'S PARTNER.

Auckland Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2241, 12 May 1877, Page 6

TIM'S PARTNER.

' Ain't trot nothin', Miss May, to set up a chap in housckecpin'—have you ?' ' Housekeeping,' the young lady cried in surprise. ' Why, surely, Tim, you arc not thinking of—' and she' paused suddenly, eyeing the figure before her from head to foot. . i A strange, mis-shapen creature it was. He Avas barely eighteen, but lie might have been twice that, from the look of his face, Avhieh avus thin |and sharp, and wrinkled about the eves and forehead, surmounted by a shock of sandy-brown hair, and thatched with an old gray felt hat going to tatters. A short, hutnp'-backed figure, Avith a body out of all proportion to the pinched, slender legs. The arms Avere long, and finished by hands twice too large, A poor, pitiful object ; yet there was something wistful and touching in the great brown eyes. ' Of gcttin' married ? Was you goin' to say that, Miss May ? He !he ! A gal would Avant a husband mighty bad, wouldn't she, when she picked up such a crooked stick ': The good Lord knoAvs why he made nicthis way, I s'pose,' falling for a moment into a reflective mood ; but 'taint that, Miss May. I've got a room of old Mother Budd, and a stove,' and a mattress, and iioav IYe taken a pardner—Jerry ; but you don't know nothin' about him. He is a little chap what has bad a drunken father all his life, and has to get about on tAvo crutches —worso'n me, a good sight,' looking down with pride at his thin legs and substantial feet. ' And now his father's sent up to the Island, and he had no place to go to. So we've set up together. He's smart in some Avays, is deny—can sew like a gal, and cook, and we'll get along just jolly. Only, if avc-. had some dishes and things. You see, Ate have to jtay a dollar a Aveek in advance, for old Mother Bndd's sharp at a bargain, looking out for tricks. Then I. bought some coal an' Avood, an' that took about all my spare capital.' He gave a sort of humourous grin as he said ' capital.' 11 c had shovelled off the snow, and cleaned out t lie gutter to perfection. Miss May had paid him ."Ml cents. After a moment she said : ' Come down to the basement, Tim ; I should not wonder if avc could find you an outfit. Two boys housekeeping ! It's rather fundv !' Tim shaped and wiped Ins feet, stood his shovel ill in? corner of the area, and_ followed the youn£ lady within. All winter he had been on hand to clean the sidewalk, and put in coal. Besides his W?£Oi» she had given him a few old gai'monfa, am! )n* gratitude had touched her. Now she felt rather amused. Bridget gave him a somewhat unfriendly stare as he entered the kitchen. P' n(J UCV( ; r could understand Avhy a lady _kc> M^*May should take fancies 'to o^gaW and that sort of trash, I(Vi JVlay lm¥v\ rather scrio' v cs aboul li, and Avished nev mother had ' lived, Or that MVnt lt'dcP knew lioav to intcrost her in other people. He saw quite ! enough of the misery and wretchedness of the World without having his pretty young 1 daughter breaking her heart over it, , ' Come here and warm yourself, Tim. ' Bridget, where are those cracked and checked dishes and old tins I picked out 1 the other day V And there are some chairs I down cellar." C, and those old comfortables , 1 laid away.'

' Sure, Miss, I avus gom' to ask you it 1 mightn't give the dishes to my cousin, Ann Flynu, Avho is to be married on Sunday night. They'd be a godsend to her.' ° We'll divide them,'' and Miss May smiled. Bridget very unwillingly opened the closet °door. "The idea of giving china dishes to a beggar. She grudged every thing that could go to a ' cousin.' Miss May picked out two cups and saucers, four plates, two howls and several miscellaneous articles, including a blocktin tea-pot and tAVO or three dilapidated tin

pails. ' O, Miss May ! Why, avc'll feel as grand as kings V' and the eyes were lustrous Avith gratitude. 1 Here's a basket to pack them in. Bridget, give him a little tea aud sugar, and some of the cold meat left yesterday. ' I'll run upstairs and find some bed-clothes.' She came back laden. Tim's face glowed to its utmost capacity, which was large, sceiu" that he had been out in the cold all the morning. ' There, I haven't any table, but all these Avill help. You are sure your partner, as you call him, is a trusty fellow 'i ' He's good as gold, though he hain't no legs worth speakm' of. He used to sell papers on the cars, but he stumbled one day, and had one cut oil', and t'other hurt. His father used to keep him round beggin,' but he's bound to have nice times iioav along o' me. If you'could hear him sing, Miss May—it's like a bird lnuigin' out a Avinder. "When the Aveather conies warm he kin sell apples and flowers and sich, I'll have a little spare capital bimeby to start hint with' An' it'll be next to bavin' folks of one's very oavii. I never had any, you see. Not that I'd want a father like Jerry's. Poor little chap, he's had rough times, Avhat with the beaten' and with the starvin'.' Miss May Avinked a tear out of hear blue eyes. Hoav ready these street arabs were to sta_d by one another ! Would any hotly in her ' set' take in a poor brother uuhesitat-

ingly 1 Tim Avas grateful from the depths of his soul, and it Avas no mean one. He bundled the articles into a great pack, and shouldered them, chairs and all, aud dreAV his rough sleeve across his eyes, Avhile kis ' good by' had a very husky'sound. J£ Miss May could have heard the rejoicingJ And yet it avus a miserable little room up~ three flights of stairs, with only one Avh&doAV looking into a rear house Their bedsteadjbad been made of dry goods boxes, and. when they covered it with her clean chintz comfortables, and arrayed their closet shelves Avith the dishes, leaving the door ope_. so they could feast their eyes on their new possessions, they could not resist giving;three cheers; and Tim was actually coasted into dancing a breakdown, Avhile Jerry clapped ' Finnegaii's Wake' Avith his thin _iands on the one good knee he had left. It Avas a blustering March day. but they two fcad a delightfully Avtirm room, and a feast. What amused them most of all, was beautiful Miss May's idea, that Tim was going to be married. ' Tim,' said Jerry, solemnly, when their lau°h bad ended, ' 1 don't know lioav girls feel about such poor cripples as you and me, but my opinion is that my mammy Avouhi have bean glad enough to have had a husband with the great, tender heart you've got. Poor mammy, I'm glad she's in heaven, along of the angels, and I'm glad she don't know about my legs God Avouldn't tell hei- Avhen she's so happy, Avould he, Tim ?' 'No, he wouldn't, said Tim, over a great lump in kis throat. There never were such happy days in the life of either as those that follOAved. Jerry cooked, kept accounts, washed, ironed, and mended, and, as the days grew warmer, began to de quite a thriving business in button-hole bouquets, standing on the corner as the men Avent up toAvn. Noav and then he sold popular photographs on commission, or a lot of choice bananas. Tim Avas brisk and active, and caught up all manner of odd jobs. Now and then he saw Miss May. Once be sent Jerry Avith a bouquet of flowers. ' I wanted you to see him, Miss May,' he said afterwards, hanging around until he caught sight of her. ' lie don't look pale and peaked as he did when we first set up. It's good livin,'you see, and no Dentins. Ami Aye have the jolliest times you ever heart! of. He don't want ite to call him anything but pardner. I do believe that "ere little chap would give his life for me.' •' O. Tim, lioav good you are !' she cried. ' You shame richer and Aviser people. It is very noble to take that poor little boy by the'hand, and love and protect him.' 'Noble!' echoed Tim, pulling his forelock and coloring through the tail aud grime. • Why, Miss May. he's a sight of help and

a little mite *o your happiness. I am going 15 the country soon for the whole summer and, j I Avant you to take this aud spend it just as ; I tell you. You aud Jerry must go on some nice excursion ; there will be plenty of them presently. ' Cet a good dinner, and take all the delight you can, and reinembe. to tell me all about it afterwards.' 'O, Miss May, you are too good for anybody's folks ! "indeed, I'll tell you every Avortl. And can I come again next winter to shovel snow and do chores ?' ' Yes, indeed. I shall be glad to have you. God bless you and your partner, poor brave little soul. I shall think of you often.' j ' I never see an angel xcept the ones in thepicters Avith wings, but I knoAV Miss May is one,' said Tim to himself. Tim and his partner counted their money that ni»ht. Business had been nourishing of late. , ' There's .s2l that avc ye saved up free and clear, and the lady's §5. Tim, you had better put it in the bank ;' and Jerry's eyes sparkled feverishly. 'I'll have to hide the bank-book then ; and Tim chuckled. 'Think of bavin' a bank account ! Why, we'd feed a'niost like Astor or the old Commodore.' ' But I Avish you Avould. Tim. I'm afraid to have so much in the house. It avi'll be something against Aviuter, when business is dull. Now we're making plenty to live on. Won't you, Tim ?' ' To lie sure, I Avill—to-morrow. And we'll hide the book in that same chink in the floor. No one Avould think of lookin' there. And we'll have a rousin' time on some 'xcursion. We'll choose one with a brass band, and have a little dance in one corner by ourselves. There isn't the beat of Miss May in this Avhole Avorld.' ' She's good, but then she's rich, you know. Five dollars doesn't look so large to her as it does to you and me. But, Tim, I love you better than one hundred Mis.v. Mays.' . , , , t i . •-i Tim chuckled and Avmked hard, but said never a word. . HcAvas off early in the morning, as he had an important job on hand. Jerry would have dinner all ready at noon, and lie would put on his ' store clothes and go down to the bank like any other swell. My eyes ! Wcru't they in clover ? ■ Tim could notgethome until 3 o'clock; but he had earned $2 since morning. I bey each bad a key to tho door, and finding it locked Tim drew out his, Jerry Jr.ul gone to busi- ( ness : afternoons were his time. xneiC 'rT* ' •x.dib ■■> nankin. A curious chin oi some- , t„ m V like Pneglect went to Tim's warm | St; but he whistled it J^'^d?^ of cold meat and some oatmeal, xm } decided he would run over on aud tell Jerry of his good luck. It ft ft* too j late to think of going to the bank. i

No little chap sat on the well-known cor- , ncr Tim walked up a block, down again and studied the cross streets sharply. Had he sold out and gone home ? Or may be he had taken the money to the bank ! lim ran home again. Yes, that was it, .he money Avas gone. ... ' He "waited and waited. Somehow he did - not feel a bit jolly ; but he boiled the kettle and laid the supper. No Jerry yet. What bad become of him ? Had he put on las best suit? They had made a clothes-press out of a dry-"Oods box, and Tim went to inspect it. Why—Jerry's shelf was entirely empty. Shifts, stockings, yes, everything, even to his old everv-dav suit—gone. Tim dropped ou the floor, and hid his face in his hands. Had Jerry— , It Avas funny, but Tim squared oft and n-ave the box a thump that bruised his knuckles. It seemed to him that the box had breathed a suspicion that Jerry had stolen the money and run away. Then he kicked it, and sat doAVll and cried as it his heart would break. His pardner, little Jerry, a thief ! No, he could never, never believe it. , He sat up till midnight, and it seemed to him there had never been such loneliness since the world began. Then the next niornin"- he made some inquiries. 1 hentwo nearest neighbours were Avashenvomen. Both had been out all day. No one had seen Jcriw. . . If Jerry's father were not in prison—but he had been sent up in February for a year, and here it Avas only the last of June. Or if there had been any evil companions hanging around ; but Jerry, and every scrap of his belongings, as well as his money, had surely disappeared. _ There avus no gay excursion for 1 im. lie brooded over his desertion and grew morose, began to save his money again, and shut himself up like a hermit. The poor crippled boy that be had taken to his heart, that he had Avarmcd and fed !Ah ! it Avas very bitter. Perhaps even bis beautiful Miss May would not care to remember him. , , So hi did not go near her. Autumn came on apace. One dreary November day, when he could find nothing to do, he turned homeAval d, Aveary and heartsick. Ah, ii there Avas only a cheery voice to Avclcome him ! Some one stood by his door, a lady in dainty attire. Some one caught his arm, and cried : 'O, Tim, I'm so glad you have come! I have been Availing almost an hour. Tim, I have found little Jerry, and he is dying ; but he asks for you constantly. Come right away ; don't lose a moment.' ' Jenv !' in a sort of dazed way, as if he but half understood. ' Little Jerry—my pardner? O, Miss May—no,you can'tmean it—dying ?' ' Yes, hurry, Tim : I've Avaited so long already. ' They Avalkcd'doAvn the stairs and scudded through the street to a horse-car. It seemed toiTini as if they rode an hour. Then they alighted, and a short Avalk brought them to a decent-looking tenement house. Up one flight of stairs, and the door opened. ' Is it Tim ?' asked a Aveak voice, Tim thrcAv himself on his knees by the bedside and kissed the sAveet, Avan face with the tenderness of a mother. For some minutes only sobs Avere heard. ' You told him, Miss May »' ' No, Jerry ; avc hurried so there Avas no chance. But I Avill tell him every word.' ' O, Tim, you didn't think I was a thief ? It broke my heart to go. It was father. He got out some way, and had been Avatching us. He came that night Avhen Aye were so happy counting our money, but he didn't dare offer to take me away then. The next morning he Avalkcd in with a paper, Avhieh he said Avas a warrant for me, and that if I dared to say a word, he'd send me to the refuge. 1 picked up my things—l avus so afraid of him—and then he A\-anted the money, and swore if I didn't get it he'd murder me. I told him I Avouldn't; so he tied my hands and bound my mouth, lest I should scream, and then he hunted everyAvhere ; and O, Tim, he found it !He took me right out of the city to a vile den, Avhere they wanted to make a thief of me.' 'O, Jerry, dear, don't talk ;it takes aAvay your strength. God knOAVs I never could have a hard thought of you now ;' and Tim broke down. 'Just a little. I couldn't get back to you. They Avatched me and beat me until I Avas sore and stiff; and there T staid until only a fortnight ago, when one night I gave them the slip. I a\'anted to come back and tell you how it avus, but the Avay Avas so far, and I was so tired, so tired ! Then I fell down iv the street, and a good woman picked me up and brought me in here, where it's so nice and clean, Tim, and such a quiet place to die in ! And then I don't seem to remember much until yesterday, Avhen Miss May came in, and this morniiur, when she brought her t'other. And then l wanted to see you, to tell you—Tim, if yon could hold me in your unns again ! Miss May said I would find mammy in heaven ; that (rod cared for poor little ho vs. Does he. Tim? [ like you to tell me. And will

At the portal Jesus waits : All the heavenly host begin • Open wide the starry gates. Let the little wanderer in.' sang the sweet voice, over a tremendous sob. Closer clung the thin arms, ami the enoll cheeks Avere pressed against Tim's hot, wit], burning tears. The little hands that had kept their house tidy and prepared thesimple meals, lay limp and useless. The eyes could not see any more, hut the ii Ds smiled and murmured a few incoherent Avords, soft, sweet, and then there Avas aAvesome silence. The little waif Jerryhad gone over the river. ' O, Miss May,' cried Tim. ' they will take him in, won't, they ': For. you see the poor little chap didn't have a square chance in this Avorld ! He's been kicked and culled about, and had to go on cruthces air been half starved many a time ; But he wouldn't lie nor steal for all that. He ought to be happy somewhere. 0, Jerry Jerry, I loved you so ! And you avus true to the last !' , They Avill take him in,' Miss May said with solemn tenderness. And presently she unclasps the arms that wound around Jerry's neck, lays the poor hands straight and leads him ov:r by the Avindow. Helooks at her Avith dumb, questioning eyes us if he would fain have her fathom the mystery that he knOAvs so little about. She brushes away some tears ; but 0, Avliat can she say to comfort him ? For Jerry was all he had. Presently Tim conies back, and kisses the cold lips, and stares at the strange beauty overspreading the wan face, ' O, Miss May,' he cries, 'do you suppose I could ever earn enough to pay for his being buried in some country place, Avhere there'd be a few floAvcrs, and a tree gnwing over him ? I'd work all my life long. For he'd like it so, I can't bear to think of having him carried away.' ' No,' s3ie said, with a shiver. ' I will see about it, Tim.' Then she gave a fe^v orders to the woman and went away, leaving Tim with his ' pardner.' Dr. May shook his head at his daughter at first, and said it avus folly, but two days after he had him buried in a pretty rural cemetery, with a white marble slab above his head, containing two words : 'Tim's partner.' And Tim, who takes care of the doctor's horse iioav, and does odd chores, pauses occasionally aud says to Miss May; ' There never can be anybody quite like i Jerry to me again. Overiu the other country Ave'l! be pardner,? forever. c