The brother clerks : $b a tale of New-OrleansTownsend, Mary Ashley
General
The brother clerks : $b a tale of New-Orleans
Townsend, Mary Ashley
New Orleans (La.) -- Fiction
off to suit the dimensions of the present owner--and, altogether, the
appearance of this miserable object, with his one blind eye, and the
cunning leer in the other, was calculated to excite both pity and
disgust. The brothers looked upon him for a moment in mute astonishment,
until again startled by that squeaking, supplicating voice--"Un
picayune, Monsieur--one picayune to buy me bread!"
Guly took a dime from his purse, and dropped it into the ragged cap
which the beggar extended, while he held his crutches by pressing his
arms close to his body. As the piece dropped into its ragged receptacle,
he shook it up from the greasy folds, and tipped his left eye down to
look upon it, not unlike a vulture glancing down at its prey. After
eyeing it a moment, he held the cap toward Arthur, as if expecting
something from that quarter.
Arthur had already searched every pocket for the change, which he felt
certain was there the day before; but, to his utter astonishment, it was
all gone, together with a very beautiful portemonnaie his mother had
given him when he left her, and in which, the day before, he had placed
two ten dollar bills, for the purpose of sending home when he should
write.
He knew he could not have spent it all in yesterday's rout, and the
conviction forced itself painfully upon his mind that he had been
robbed.
As the mendicant held forth his cap, he shook his head, and showed his
empty hands, at which movement the old man raised his eyebrows
inquisitively, and muttered a most disagreeable and chuckling "Hih! hih!
hih! hih!" He then picked out the dime with trembling fingers, and
slipped it quickly into some unseen deposit about his person; then, with
one more lift of his grey brows, adjusted his crutches, and swung
himself away.
The brothers gazed after the receding figure, until the mist entirely
obscured it, and the skirts of the long coat could no longer be heard
trailing on the pavement; then, again linking their arms, proceeded on
their way.
Although Guly dwelt wonderingly upon the incident they had just met
with, Arthur maintained a moody silence; nor could aught that his
brother said, direct his thoughts from the new course the recent event
had turned them upon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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