Outpost

mally about her, began at last to cry. At the sound, a crooked old woman, with a great bag on her back, who had bee

young one?" asked th

he old woman, who was very dark and hairy as to the face, very blinking and wicked as to the eyes, and

egrange's beautiful breakfast-shawl, and twitching it off the c

not touch it; you might soil it,

ittle lady, ain't you? B'long

home," stammered 'Toinette

the way home," said the woman, as, seizing the little girl's hand, she led her to the bottom of

e woman, letting go the child's hand when they rea

ch, and, drawing it across the rusty stove, lighted a tallow candle, and stuck it into the mouth of a junk-bottle. This she set upon t

claimed the hag, as, pulling off the shawl 'Toinette had again wrapped about her, she examined her d

Them ain't your clo'es; you k

exclaimed 'Toinette

amma gave them to me,

e 'em; and I'm a-going to take 'em off, and give you back your own, or some jist like 'em. Then I'll

r dress. In doing this, her attention was attracted by the bracelet looping up the right

ng at it, until, as 'Toinette had done with the other, she broke t

and say that ere's yourn!" added she severely, as she held th

ay. They're my bracelets; only mamma said I was too little to wear t

t'other o

as going to be like Merry, that weared a

e you my old hood; that's more like it, I reckon," replied the hag, amus

es, and carry me home. Then mamma will give me a gingham dress and a su

to take em now. I don't b'lieve a word about your ma'am giving

retty gaiter-boots; so that the poor child, frightened, ashamed, and angry, stood at last with no covering but th

he result, apparently, of many a day's begging or theft. From them she presently produced a child's nightgown, pettic

clo'es here all ready

ughty lady, you ain't good a bit!" screamed 'Toinette, passi

which left the print of all her horny fingers. It was the first time in all her life that 'Toinette had been struck; and the blood rushed to h

ow it was the bad spirits that made you st

put on these duds about the quickest, or I'll give you worse than that. Lor, what a mess

d, grasping the shining, curls in her left hand, rapidly snipped them

d, and her trembling lips a little apart; while the old woman, after laying the handful of curls carefully aside, dragged on the clothes she had selected, in place of those

don't speak a word to man, woman, nor child, as we go; for, if you do, I'

acelet into her pocket, then, with the parcel in one hand, graspe

tte piteously, as they climbed the broken st

woman angrily, and turning as if to go back. "N

. I forgotten that time, I did;" and the timid child, pale and tremblin

you off this time; but see that you don't open

y dark except for the gaslights, and more strange to 'Toinette's eyes than Fairy-land would have been. As they turned the corner, a tall, broad-shou

Winch! What's

ddy Mahoney's going to leave some duds at the pawnbro

y no more than you honestly come by," said th

ugh one street after another, until, tired and bewildered, the poor child clung with half-closed eyes to

ture in sight all up and down the narrow street, except a cross-looking dog walking slowly along the pavement toward her. For one moment, she sat wondering what she had better do; and then, as the cross-looking dog fixed his eyes upon her with a sullen growl, she started to her feet, and ran as fast as she could in the direction taken by Mother Winch. Just at the corner of the al

er father had given it to her; and it seemed somehow to take her back a little w

e, pretty bracelet, hasn't you

the dark and lonely streets, her little face growing paler and paler, her little feet more and more weary, her heart swelling fuller and fuller with fr

'm lost. I think he doesn't know

nk down in the doorway of a deserted house, and, covering her face