A Girl of the People

le boys opened the room door noisily at midnight, but they too were impressed, as Bet had been, by the unusual order and appearance of comfort of the room. Perhaps they

w mattress on the floor which they shared together. W

her body Bet arose, stretched herself,-for she was quite stiff from sitting so long in o

re of the Cap'n and the Gen'ral this morning? I'l

d in tales of death and calamity, and instantly offered not only to do what she cou

as they are, and I'll be ever so much obligated. No, don't come upstairs, please. Father'll be in presentl

ing grief oppressed her. On the whole, she had loved her mother better than any other human being; but the time for grief, and the awful sense of not having her to turn to, had not yet arrive

r reeled into the room. He had been out all night-a common practice of his-and he ought to have been fairly sober now, for the public-houses had been shut for many hours, but a boon companion had taken him home for a private carouse. He was more tipsy t

e-I say, at once! I'm an hour late now for the docks, and Jim Targent will get m

the tea, fat

is voice. "Set down in that chair and kee

wooden chair, shaking him

at I'll ever do it again-no, never, as long as I live. There,

didn't mean you to be awoke, Bet. Young gels must have

er. You set still, and you s

o brave and strong, that he himself in some undefinable way felt the contrast, and shrank from her. He turned his uneasy gaze towards the bed; he would vent his spite on that weak

aid; and then, taking a shawl, she threw it over an old clot

ined it off at one long draught, and held out his shaking hand to have the cup refilled. Bet supplied

etter now

u're by no means a bad sort, Bet-w

ease, father, or you'll get no help from

ter. Give me your hand,

ll-I'll fetc

l, with a piece of flannel

has got to see summut-leastways you can take the outside dirt

iration, as she drew up the blind, and let the uncertain daylight into the poor little room. Then she went behind the screen, and he heard her for a mom

a man wants, and you get it for him and don't hurl no ugly words in his face. Well, I'm off to the docks now. I'll let the old

sleep on, will

d constrained; even h

e and look at her; you

get my berth unless I look sharp. Let me be, B

at her, father;

r than him at that moment, for his legs were

ed, but he let the strong hand lead him forward. Bet

," she said, and her

here was no mista

shouldn't have done it-you should

bled al

me get away. I h

were no fault of her'n-you beat her, and you kicked her, and you made life awful for her

and you can't force me. I'm going out-I won't stay in this room. I'm going down to the docks-I mustn't

of the white feather. Bless you, she never could hurt you less than she does now. Set there, and look at her face. I've a word or two to say, a

s dead wife. The tired look had left it; the wrinkles had almost disappear

had abused, whose days he had rendered one long misery, and a lump arose in his throat; a queer new sensation, which he could not recogniz

what you have to

her good-bye, and it ain't likely you'll ever meet her again, unless that's true about the Judgment Day. Maybe it is true, and

likes, Bet. You has me down, and you trample

mile came to

that-I wanted to say that your ways aren't our ways, and so we'd best part company; and I wanted to say here, with you looking at mother's dead face, and her smiling back at you so awful and still, and the good God, if there is a God, listen

hite soft handkerchief, and laid

ning rage, which was neither remorse nor repentance, and yet was a mixture of both, surged up in his heart. He said to himself, that he