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27 chapters
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCES THE CRUMPS.
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCES THE CRUMPS.
IT was drawing towards the close of the last day of the year. A few hours more, and 1836 would be no more. It was a cold day. There was no snow on the ground, but it was frozen into stiff ridges, making it uncomfortable to walk upon. The sun had been out all day, but there was little heat or comfort in its bright, but frosty beams. The winter is a hard season for the poor. It multiplies their necessities, while, in general, it limits their means and opportunities of earning. The winter of 1836-3
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CHAPTER II. THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING.
CHAPTER II. THE EVENTS OF AN EVENING.
AT this moment the outer door opened, and Timothy Crump entered, not with the quick elastic step of one who brings good tidings, but slowly and deliberately, with a quiet gravity of demeanor, in which his wife could read only too well that he had failed in his efforts to procure work. His wife, reading all these things in his manner, had the delicacy to forbear intruding upon him questions to which she saw that he could give no satisfactory answers. Not so Aunt Rachel. “I needn't ask,” she began
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CHAPTER III. THE LANDLORD'S VISIT.
CHAPTER III. THE LANDLORD'S VISIT.
SOON after Rachel's departure Jack, also, was seized with a sleepy fit, and postponing the construction of his boat to a more favorable opportunity, took a candle and followed his aunt's example. The cooper and his wife were now left alone. “Now that Rachel and Jack have gone to bed, Mary,” he commenced, hesitatingly, “I don't mind saying that I am a little troubled in mind about one thing.” “What's that?” asked Mrs. Crump, anxiously. “It's just this, I don't anticipate being stinted for food. I
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CHAPTER IV. THE NEW YEAR'S PRESENT.
CHAPTER IV. THE NEW YEAR'S PRESENT.
“HAPPY New Year!” was Jack's salutation to Aunt Rachel, as, with an unhappy expression of countenance, she entered the sitting-room. “Happy, indeed!” she repeated, dismally. “There's great chance of its being so, I should think. We don't any of us know what the year may bring forth. We may all be dead before the next New Year.” “If that's the case,” said Jack, “we'll be jolly as long as it lasts.” “I don't know what you mean by such a vulgar word,” said Aunt Rachel, disdainfully. “I've heard of
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CHAPTER V. A LUCKY RESCUE.
CHAPTER V. A LUCKY RESCUE.
THE opportune arrival of the child inaugurated a season of comparative prosperity in the home of Timothy Crump. To persons accustomed to live in their frugal way, three hundred dollars seemed a fortune. Nor, as might have happened in some cases, did this unexpected windfall tempt the cooper or his wife to extravagances. “Let us save something against a rainy day,” said Mrs. Crump. “We can, if I get work soon,” answered her husband. “This little one will add but little to our expenses, and there
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CHAPTER VI. WHAT THE ENVELOPE CONTAINED.
CHAPTER VI. WHAT THE ENVELOPE CONTAINED.
THE card which had been handed to Timothy Crump contained the name of Thomas Merriam,——Wall Street. Punctually at twelve, the cooper reported himself at the counting-room, and received a cordial welcome from the merchant. “I am glad to see you,” he said. “I will come to business at once, as I am particularly engaged this morning. Is there any way in which I can serve you?” “Not unless you can procure me a situation, sir.” “I think you told me you were a cooper.” “Yes sir.” “Does this yield you a
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CHAPTER VII. EIGHT YEARS. IDA'S PROGRESS.
CHAPTER VII. EIGHT YEARS. IDA'S PROGRESS.
EIGHT years slipped by, unmarked by any important event. The Crumps were still prosperous in an humble way. The cooper had been able to obtain work most of the time, and this, with the annual remittance for little Ida, had enabled the family not only to live in comfort, but even to save up one hundred and fifty dollars a year. They might even have saved more, living as frugally as they were accustomed to do, but there was one point upon which none of them would consent to be economical. The litt
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CHAPTER VIII. A STRANGE VISITOR.
CHAPTER VIII. A STRANGE VISITOR.
IT was about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, Mrs. Crump was in the kitchen, busy in preparations for dinner, when a loud knock was heard at the door. “Who can it be?” ejaculated Mrs. Crump. “Aunt Rachel, there's somebody at the door; won't you be kind enough to see who it is?” “People have no business to call at such an hour in the morning,” grumbled Aunt Rachel, as she laid down her knitting reluctantly, and rose from her seat. “Nobody seems to have any consideration for anybody else. But that'
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CHAPTER IX. A JOURNEY.
CHAPTER IX. A JOURNEY.
“OH, mother,” exclaimed Ida, bounding into the room, fresh from school. She stopped short, in some confusion, on seeing a stranger. “Is this my own dear child, over whose infancy I watched so tenderly?” exclaimed the nurse, rising, her harsh features wreathed into a smile. “It is Ida,” said Mrs. Crump. Ida looked from one to the other in silent bewilderment. “Ida,” said Mrs. Crump, in a little embarrassment, “this is Mrs. Hardwick, who took care of you when you were an infant.” “But I thought yo
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CHAPTER X. UNEXPECTED QUARTERS.
CHAPTER X. UNEXPECTED QUARTERS.
THE appearance of the man whom Mrs. Hardwick addressed so familiarly was more picturesque than pleasing. He had a large, broad face, which, not having been shaved for a week, looked like a wilderness of stubble. His nose indicated habitual indulgence in alcoholic beverages. His eyes, likewise, were bloodshot, and his skin looked coarse and blotched; his coat was thrown aside, displaying a shirt which bore evidence of having been useful in its day and generation. The same remark may apply to his
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CHAPTER XI. SUSPENSE.
CHAPTER XI. SUSPENSE.
“It doesn't somehow seem natural,” said Mr. Crump, as he took his seat at the tea-table, “to sit down without Ida. It seems as if half of the family were gone.” “Just what I've said twenty times to-day,” remarked his wife. “Nobody knows how much a child is to them till they lose it.” “Not lose it, mother,” said Jack, who had been sitting in a silence unusual for him. “I didn't mean to say that,” said Mrs. Crump. “I meant till they were gone away for a time.” “When you spoke of losing,” said Jack
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CHAPTER XII. HOW IDA FARED.
CHAPTER XII. HOW IDA FARED.
WE left Ida confined in a dark closet, with Peg standing guard over her. After an hour she was released. “Well,” said Peg, grimly, “how do you feel now?” “I want to go home,” sobbed the child. “You are at home,” said the woman. “This is going to be your home now.” “Shall I never see father and mother and Jack, again?” “Why,” answered Peg, “that depends on how you behave yourself.” “Oh, if you will only let me go,” said Ida, gathering hope from this remark, “I'll do anything you say.” “Do you mea
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CHAPTER XIII. BAD COIN.
CHAPTER XIII. BAD COIN.
THE baker introduced to the reader's notice in the last chapter was named Crump. Singularly enough Abel Crump, for this was his name, was a brother of Timothy Crump, the cooper. In many respects he resembled his brother. He was an excellent man, exemplary in all the relations of life, and had a good heart. He was in very comfortable circumstances, having accumulated a little property by diligent attention to his business. Like his brother, Abel Crump had married, and had one child, now about the
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CHAPTER XIV. DOUBTS AND FEARS.
CHAPTER XIV. DOUBTS AND FEARS.
“WELL, what kept you so long?” asked Peg, impatiently, as Ida rejoined her at the corner of the street, where she had been waiting for her. “And where's your gingerbread?” “He wouldn't let me have it,” said Ida. “And why not?” “Because he said the money wasn't good.” “Stuff! it's good enough,” said Peg, hastily. “Then we must go somewhere else.” “But he said the dollar I gave him last week wasn't good, and I promised to bring him another to-morrow, or he wouldn't have let me go.” “Well, where ar
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CHAPTER XV. AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS.
CHAPTER XV. AUNT RACHEL'S MISHAPS.
THE week which had been assigned by Mr. Crump slipped away, and still no tidings of Ida. The house seemed lonely without her. Not until then, did they understand how largely she had entered into their life and thoughts. But worse even, than the sense of loss, was the uncertainty as to her fate. When seven days had passed the cooper said, “It is time that we took some steps about finding Ida. I had intended to go to Philadelphia myself, to make inquiries about her, but I am just now engaged upon
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CHAPTER XVI. THE FLOWER-GIRL.
CHAPTER XVI. THE FLOWER-GIRL.
HENRY BOWEN was a young artist of moderate talent, who had abandoned the farm, on which he had labored as a boy, for the sake of pursuing his favorite profession. He was not competent to achieve the highest success. The foremost rank in his profession was not for him. But he had good taste, a correct eye, and a skilful hand, and his productions were pleasing and popular. A few months before his introduction to the reader's notice, he had formed a connection with a publisher of prints and engravi
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CHAPTER XVII. JACK OBTAINS INFORMATION.
CHAPTER XVII. JACK OBTAINS INFORMATION.
JACK set out with that lightness of heart and keen sense of enjoyment that seem natural to a young man of eighteen on his first journey. Partly by cars, partly by boat, he traveled, till in a few hours he was discharged, with hundreds of others, at the depot in Philadelphia. Among the admonitions given to Jack on leaving home, one was prominently in his mind, to beware of imposition, and to be as economical as possible. Accordingly he rejected all invitations to ride, and strode along, with his
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CHAPTER XVIII. FINESSE.
CHAPTER XVIII. FINESSE.
THE next thing to be done by Jack was, of course, in some way to obtain a clew to the whereabouts of Peg, or Mrs. Hardwick, to use the name by which he knew her. No mode of proceeding likely to secure this result occurred to him, beyond the very obvious one of keeping in the street as much as possible, in the hope that chance might bring him face to face with the object of his pursuit. Fortunately her face was accurately daguerreotyped in his memory, so that he felt certain of recognizing her, u
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CHAPTER XIX. CAUGHT IN A TRAP.
CHAPTER XIX. CAUGHT IN A TRAP.
JACK and his guide paused in front of a three-story brick building of respectable appearance. “Does Ida's mother live here?” interrogated Jack. “Yes,” said Peg, coolly. “Follow me up the steps.” The woman led the way, and Jack followed. The former rang the bell. An untidy servant girl made her appearance. “We will go up-stairs, Bridget,” said Peg. Without betraying any astonishment, the servant conducted them to an upper room, and opened the door. “If you will go in and take a seat,” said Peg, “
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CHAPTER XX. JACK IN CONFINEMENT.
CHAPTER XX. JACK IN CONFINEMENT.
THE anxiety of Mr. Abel Crump's family, when Jack failed to return at night, can be imagined. They feared that he had fallen among unscrupulous persons, of whom there is no lack in every large city, and that some ill had come to him. The baker instituted immediate inquiries, but was unsuccessful in obtaining any trace of his nephew. He resolved to delay as long as possible communicating the sad intelligence to his brother Timothy, who he knew would be quite (sic) overwhelwed by this double blow.
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CHAPTER XXI. THE PRISONER ESCAPES.
CHAPTER XXI. THE PRISONER ESCAPES.
TO give an idea of the difficulties of Jack's situation, let it be repeated that there was but one door to the room, and this was bolted on the outside. The room was in the second story. The only two windows looked out upon a court. These windows were securely fastened. Still a way might have been devised to break through them, if this would at all have improved his condition. Of this, however, there seemed but little chance. Even if he had succeeded in getting safely into the court, there would
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CHAPTER XXII. MR. JOHN SOMERVILLE.
CHAPTER XXII. MR. JOHN SOMERVILLE.
PEG had been thinking. This was the substance of her reflections. Ida, whom she had kidnapped for certain purposes of her own, was likely to prove an (sic) incumbrance rather than a source of profit. The child, her suspicions awakened in regard to the character of the money she had been employed to pass off, was no longer available for that purpose. So firmly resolved was she not to do what was wrong, that threats and persuasions were alike unavailing. Added to this was the danger of her encount
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CHAPTER XXIII. THE LAW STEPS IN.
CHAPTER XXIII. THE LAW STEPS IN.
WHEN Peg left Mr. John Somerville's apartment, it was with a high degree of satisfaction at the result of her interview. She looked upon the thousand dollars as sure to be hers. The considerations which she had urged would, she was sure, induce him to make every effort to secure her silence. With a thousand dollars, what might not be done? She would withdraw from the coining-business, for one thing. It was too hazardous. Why might not Dick and she retire to the country, lease a country-inn, and
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CHAPTER XXIV. “THE FLOWER-GIRL.”
CHAPTER XXIV. “THE FLOWER-GIRL.”
“BY gracious, if that isn't Ida!” exclaimed Jack, in profound surprise. He had been sauntering along Chestnut Street, listlessly, troubled by the thought that though he had given Mrs. Hardwick into custody, he was apparently no nearer the discovery of his foster-sister than before. What steps should he take to find her? He could not decide. In his perplexity he came suddenly upon the print of the “Flower-Girl.” “Yes,” said he, “that is Ida, plain enough. Perhaps they will know in the store where
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CHAPTER XXV. IDA IS FOUND.
CHAPTER XXV. IDA IS FOUND.
IDA was sitting alone in the dreary apartment which she was now obliged to call home. Peg had gone out, and not feeling quite certain of her prey, had bolted the door on the outside. She had left some work for the child,—some handkerchiefs to hem for Dick,—with strict orders to keep steadily at work. While seated at work, she was aroused from thoughts of home by a knock at the door. “Who's there?” asked Ida. “A friend,” was the reply. “Mrs. Hardwick—Peg isn't at home,” returned Ida. “I don't kno
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CHAPTER XXVI. “NEVER TOO LATE TO MEND.”
CHAPTER XXVI. “NEVER TOO LATE TO MEND.”
MEANWHILE, Peg was passing her time wearily enough in prison. It was certainly provoking to be deprived of her freedom just when she was likely to make it most profitable. After some reflection, she determined to send for Mrs. Clifton, and reveal to her all she knew, trusting to her generosity for a recompense. To one of the officers of the prison she communicated the intelligence that she had an important revelation to make to Mrs. Clifton, and absolutely refused to make it unless the lady woul
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CHAPTER XXVII. CONCLUSION.
CHAPTER XXVII. CONCLUSION.
“I AM beginning to feel anxious about Jack,” said Mrs. Crump. “It's almost a week since we heard from him. I'm afraid he's got into some trouble.” “Probably he's too busy to write,” said the cooper. “I told you so,” said Rachel, in one of her usual fits of depression. “I told you Jack wasn't fit to be sent on such an errand. If you'd only taken my advice, you wouldn't have had so much worry and trouble about him now. Most likely he's got into the House of Reformation, or somewhere. I knew a youn
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