Dickens' Stories About Children Every Child Can ReadDickens, Charles
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Dickens' Stories About Children Every Child Can Read
Dickens, Charles
Children -- Juvenile fiction; Children's stories, English
After wrapping the baby in a blanket and laying him in a warm place, the
old nurse straightened out the limbs of the young mother and folded her
hands on her breast; and, spreading a white sheet over her still form,
she called the doctor to look at her--for the nurse and the doctor were
all who were there. The same sweet smile was on her face, and the doctor
said as he looked upon her: "Poor, poor girl, she is so beautiful and so
young! What strange fate has brought her to this poor place? Nurse, take
good care of the baby, for his mother must have been, at one time, a
kind and gentle woman."
The next day they took the unknown woman out to the potter's field and
buried her; and, for nine months, the old nurse at the workhouse took
care of the baby; though, it is sad to say, this old woman, kind-hearted
though she was, was at the same time so fond of gin that she often took
the money, which ought to have bought milk for the baby, to buy drink
for herself.
Nobody knew what the young mother's name was, and so this baby had no
name, until, at last, Mr. Bumble, who was one of the parish officers
who looked after the paupers, came and named him _Oliver Twist_.
When little Oliver was nine months old they took him away from the
workhouse and carried him to the "Poor Farm," where there were
twenty-five or thirty other poor children who had no parents. A woman by
the name of Mrs. Mann had charge of this cottage. The parish gave her an
allowance of enough money to keep the children in plenty of food and
clothing; but she starved the little ones to keep the money for herself,
so that many of them died and others came to take their places. But
young Oliver was a tough little fellow, and, while he looked very pale
and thin, he was, otherwise, healthy and hung on to his life.
Mrs. Mann was also very cruel to the children. She would scold and beat
them and shut them up in the cellar and treat them meanly in many ways
when no visitors were there. But, when any of the men who had control or
visitors came around, she would smile and call the children "dear," and
all sorts of pet names. She told them if any of them should tell on her
she would beat them; and, furthermore, that they should tell visitors
that she was very kind and good to them and that they loved her very
much.
Mr. Bumble was a very mean man, too, as we shall see. They called him
the _Beadle_, which means he was a sort of sheriff or policeman; and he
was supposed to look after the people at the workhouse and at the poor
farm and to wait on the directors who had charge of these places. He had
the right to punish the boys if they did not mind, and they were all
afraid of him.
Oliver remained at the cottage on the poor farm until he was nine years
old, though he was a pale little fellow and did not look to be over
seven.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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