PAYING BILL HARDING

Star (Christchurch), Issue 1634, 20 May 1873, Page 3

PAYING BILL HARDING

* (From the Sunday Majazine Annual.") (Continued.) When he had got beyond earshot, one of Jobafjon's companions, laughing, exclaimed— " Holloa, Johnson, you had a narrow escape, there, I frncy 1 He didn't look the fc»ast like a cadger, certainly ; but, if I'm not mistaken, he bad half made, up bis nrnd tj try on a bit of cadging with you— ' Excuse me being so bold, sir, but would you help a re pectable young fellow on tramp V and so forth." " I'm more than half sorry that I didn't rsk him if I could help him," said Johnson. " Now, look here, Johnson," said the other, "we all know how kind you are, and what you do down here about, where you know or have a chance of finding out who they are you are helping, is all to your credit; but to give to any stray fellow who may meet you in the street is a very different affair. I don't say it would be so in your case, but, as a rule, such promiscuous giving shows more thoughtless weakness than true chanty J" " That is quite correct in a general way," replied Johnson, "but at the same time |.you must allow something for discrimination . I feel sure that that young fellow^ though under misfortune, is as respectable as anr of us. I've a great mind to t«rn back."

Neither of the others made any answer, and they had walked on quietly some fifty yards, when Johnson suddenly exclaimed — " There— -I will turn back. I'll speak to him, if I can do no more." The others turned back with him, but when in a few minutes they overtook the young wayfarer they went on by .themselves, leaving Johnson alone to speak to him. "Good day," said Johnson, in a friendly tone." " You see I have soon overtaken you, but I daresay you are too tired to care "about going fast." **.I am tired," he answered, in a low, Tenement tone, "" and hungry, and penniless, and friendless— and I wish I was dead !" , w No, no ; don't speak rashly," said Johnson, in a tone of kindly remonstrance, " you are only n boy; you have known better days, I can tell ; think that you'll know them again ; have you been on the road long ?" " I've tramped all the way from Sunderland, and Pm going to seek for work ii^ London ; I'm a clerk, but I wonder what would be thought of me if I applied at an office in this guise ; and if I asked for labour it would be thought a good joke." "It would be folly to argue that there wasn't a good deal in what yoifsay," replied Johnson ; " but still, you know, many a young fellow has come to London as poor as you, and lived to be rich and resnected in it." ff Ah, yes, 'but the tnrn-again-Whittington days are over," said the other, with bitterBess. " Well, there is not room for every man to become lord mayor," said Johnson, smiling ; " bat every man's cloud has a silver lining." "It's -very «asy for you to talk," said the young ■fellow, in the same bitter tone. "Well, I have perhaps a better right to talk that way than you think," returned Johnson, good-humouredly ; " I have b?en trader pretty much the same cloud myself, and had what you can hardly haye — a wife and child under it with me ; I have been out of work, and penniless, and, as I thought, friendless, and on a Christmas day too, when all around me seemed rejoicing ; I coulda't see the silver lining even in the distance; but it was there, and came in sight in good time, and the cloud passed away." " I had no idea of that," said the other; " but I did see that you pitied me, and that is why I looked at you, and— and thought to beg of you ; but I would never have forgiven myself afterwards if I had come down to that." " Ah, that is a false pride when carried to an extreme," said Johnson, " though, as far as that goes, there would have been no question of 'begging in your speaking to me ; however, it is perhsps best that I should ask you to let me help you as " <** Excuse me, sir," the other interrupted, "I. don't want to be unthankful, and I didn't mean to be disrespectful —but I don't want help | as you say, as poor fellows as! me have done well in London, and I daresay I shall pnll through, somehow." v I have no doubt you will," answered .Johnson, " still, you will pull through none the worse for having a rest and a bit of dinner before going any further ; you could do nothing towards getting work to-day, as ever; place is closed ; you needn't be afraid j that you will be laying yourself under any ' obligation to me," he went on, interrupting ' the other as he was abont to speak j " I'm sorry to think that I have little more than j the will to assist you, but I'm jost going; Home to dinner, and you liad better come ! with me; I may perhaps be able to point ' out where you would have the best chances ' of finding work.** " I'm such a igure," said the other. " Oh, never mind -that," said Johnson, *• we are not dressy people— come on." i When they reached the house, Johnson briefly explained matters to his wife. ! " Well, George,'' I don't begrudge the cost of anything you may dp for him," she 1 said, with just a shade of vexation in her voice, when the unexpected guest had gone upstairs to wash ; " but it is awkward bringing a stranger here on a day like this." ! "Well, I daresay it is a little," he answered, " but there was something in h : s face that made me feel that I must speak to him, and our inconvenience can be but ' small compared with the hardship it would seem for a youth to be left without a soul to speak to on this day." , " Yes, that would have been hard," 6aid ' the wife ; " and after all, w« have nothing ' to say that any stranger may not hear ; he ap- i pears very well behaved ; he'll be some I decent body's child ; he looks a mere boy ; I shouldn't think he wag more than eighteen." " That is his age ; he mentioned it as we came along:" " Well, you had better go and see hoir he is getting on, and look him out slippers, and anything of that kind he may want ; I'll go and tell Maggie that we are going to have some one to dinner, after all." " Ah yes, that's an improvement; you look §uite another fellow I" exclaimed Johnson, wiien, some ten minutes later, the other stood before him witb his face well washed, his clothes well brushed, and his dusty boots exchanged for a pair of slippers. And thus brightened and freshened, he certainly was a great improvement upon the travel-stained being he had looked when Johngon.43rst met him. He showed a wellbuilt, handsome, pleasant-faced youth; and it was perhaps in as great a degree owing to lier flndid|r.nisn so presentable as to girlish hashfulnessj.thfcfc Maggie blushed deeply as she rose to jjay,£ word of greeting to him when lier father ; fe»ught him into the parlour. Dinner being laid^i&ey at once sat down. At first the young qtsftßger was shy and ncryops; but after a.wjhifei he began to be more at ease, took his share if*, the talk, and under Johnson's delicately in^aged attention he made a hearty meal. (Tobepontiwed.)