A Romance of Billy-Goat Hill

saloon sent a glow over that entire region of Billy-goat Hill. Every

arguing about the matter. Myrtella, his twin sister, who for fifteen years had presided over innumer

dry third floors back, she had for years followed the current casualties with burning interest.

rly age to sink or swim as they saw fit. Myrtella had survived by combati

d so many opportunities for him to exercise his histrionic ability, that the idea of settling down to a routine of lab

Immanuel Church in the city. Here philanthropy burned with such zealous enthusiasm that the harvest

ly smoothed his red hair, and made his way to a front pew in the Immanuel Church. At intervals, calculated to a nicety, he fell from grace, and was reclaimed, passing from periods of grave backslid

r needy poor," "our brother-in-misfortune"? Did he not freely offer up his family for each new church society to cut its wisdom teeth upon? Had Maria, his wife, not labored wearily through unintelli

ft in her wake traditions of unexcelled cooking, and unparalleled cleanliness, together with a vanquished army of mistress

ger than her brother and his family. But the bond of blood, stronger than likes or dislikes, favor or prejud

ing fact to be added that Myrtella was pleased. In her fifteen years of rebellious services she had never before approximated a place that gave satisfaction. To be sure there were dark and not-to-be-remembered instances where she had failed to give satisfaction her

ore she got well under way, the wind had made her furious. It was a frisky March

variance with the embarrassed, almost timid movements of her hands and feet. Short locks of straight black hair whipped across her face, her skirts,

balloon jibe, that sent the sails all flapping against the mast, and left her in such a flurry of indignation, tha

ce, Myrtella picked herself up from the pavement and, peeping through a crack in the fence, smi

e that strove to be gentle; "why don't

e string bag which she carried, scrambled forth, the fo

queer noises in his throat, "that he never knowed it was you. He nev

ushed the dust from her skirt. "Here's a orange I

he took that bath you ast him

orner grocery swallowed them and their new nick

half attic, rested its weight against the cottage next it, with something of the blind reliance that Phineas Flathers rested upon the Church. On its oth

at had not tumbled down. And all this activity went on almost under the wheels of the dump carts that passed to and fro all day. Myrtella, picking her way through the mud, was just turning the corner of the Flathers' house when her eyes fell upon a broken

llar, the glances with which Myrtella swept the chamber and its one occupant, might have been a trifle less seve

been soaked out of her long ago by those hot, steaming suds that enveloped her the greater part of her waking hours, and left her physically, mentally, and morally limp. Her one strong instinct was motherhood; but five little Flath

fe in their back yard, continued as everything else continued when once established at the Flathers

to port and docked at the door-s

ot this here was your afternoon off. I t

the better of her temper, as she removed an old shoe a

its another man to collect. Guess

at's been printed.

Chick!" this to an invisible presence that manifested itself only through a shower of pebbles that followed in the wak

ch a year," said Myrtella thou

m to the Widows and Orphans' Home. She says she can

payin' the grocery bills, I got a right to say w

remove something surreptitiously

I might 'a' knowed you'd git the mate to the other one, and not a squa

an squaw, whose head-feathers reposed upon her arm. Then she placed it on a corner of the st

she demanded

as spending so much car-fare going to church and that bow-legged, onery rent-man, that comes sneakin' round h

in her withered bosom. To baffle him, to evade him, to anticipate his co

of the household, which was promptly followed by th

ning to flag at the Church; his regular attendance, his apparent absorption in the sermon, and his emotional execution of the hymns, all went to lift him from the class of interesting converts, to the deadly commonplace of

wn doorway, a hand on either side

see you still continue to favor yoursel

tily; "throw it in my face that I'm hard to please, an

hrowing it in yer face exactly," be

y-teller?" Myrtella squ

ineas; "no harm's meant. Go on

never thought of utterin'! I ain't left, and w

nuated note of surprise: "The lady you

u'll be some day. She's

announcement put a momentary quietus

s their names, out on College Street, right around the corner from the Immanuel Church. He's a teacher or something, one of them bookwormy men, whose head nev

put in Phineas astutely;

from cellar to attic. Miss Connie, she's the oldest, as flighty as a pidgeon and head so full of boys she don't pay no attention to another livin' th

re was three children

words before they git 'em out of their mouth! The third one is a boy, Bertie th

n the door-step. Did you

he didn't seem to have nothin' clea

rse of an ordinary conversation was little short of astounding. This being more than an ordinary conversation and his mood being mellow, called for an extra vocabulary. He graphically set forth the facts in the case, then gave his imagination full sway in accounting for them. He interpreted the whole affair as a clash between capital and labor, a conflict between the pampered aristocrat and the common man. The shooting wa

se, as proud as a king and stirrin' me up about the rich folks not allowing us poor working classes to have no streets out here. I suspicioned somethin' right then; say

his knees drawn up to his chin, listening intently, but a

ghter knot at the back of her head. "He takes on like that every time he hears us talkin' 'bout it, and n

used to be I ain't surprised," Myrtella

all his bills paid, and the swells lookin' after him. I hear he ain't even goin' to prosecute. They've fixed him all right; besides he don't want to git that fly young gang down

suggestions, was very insidious. In some subtle way he made the favor all on the

"I'm payin' the grocery man now, and buyin' clothes for Chick. What good does it do? I no more than

rdens. Jires, the flagman, over to the Junction has been laid up with rheumatism and he don't want th

y trains

downs and a coup

die of the exertion.

e a-slavin' and a-hordin' when I ain't got a child to leave it to? If C

ou. The Lord certainly done a good job when he

ria feebly, by way of diverting an old discussion. "I

rocery to see what time it was, c

a quarter of six, but I'm always there on the minute. That's what Jires pays me fer, fer bein' regular and reliable. Jes' le

to the Queeringtons!" was Myrtella's parting shot as he rose

'Maria, you needn't feel so cut up 'bout askin' Myrtella fer the rent this month, because this is her home, too. There ain't a board in it but I'd share with her

hat led to the Junction, instead of the broad highway indicated by the plank walk that led

ica over all other nations. The fact that his country had never been proud of him in no way deterred him from being

the passenger train was already in sight. Jires, helpless and terrified at

ger train. Get out the red flag! Quick man! Be ready to signal the engineer

the crossing, joyously waving a white flag, while the engineer with his hand on the th

lifelike portraits, took her departure. It was not the first time she had faced the alternative of paying the rent, or seeing her only relative t

arkly when she reached the Queeringtons'. So absorbed was she in her own wrongs that she

aced young girl, with her hair brushed straight

matter, Mi

dent just below the Junction. They can't even bring him home. They are taking him to a place out there, a Colonel Car

n girl, could find no words of sympathy. In fact she a

y how, there ain't no reason why you shouldn't have