Christian life -- Juvenile fiction; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Temperance -- Juvenile fiction
"Oh, Pattie!" said Denys earnestly, "don't say that. If you love one
another, you can be so happy even if you are poor. If he is steady and
nice, that is much more important than being rich."
But Pattie's shake of the head was only the echo of Gertrude's words.
"Love _and_ Money. Love _and_ Money." "It's all very well for _you_ to
talk."
CHAPTER III.
A GREAT BIG SHAME.
"It's a shame! that's what it is, a downright shame," cried a woman's
voice angrily, "and it's just like you, Jim Adams, to put upon a poor
woman so. As if I had not enough trouble with one child, and you want
to bring your sister's brat here. I never heard of such a thing."
Jim Adams stood with his broad back turned towards her, and he made no
reply.
"Yes! much you care!" she scolded, "but I tell you, Jim Adams, I won't
do it! You can write and tell your precious sister she can make other
arrangements. You are married now and you can't do just as you like;
you've got a wife, and I won't do it! There! you've waked the baby,
shouting at me about your sister; but I won't have anybody else's
child, so there!"
The lusty crying from the adjoining room continuing, she went in,
banging the door behind her, and Jim was left alone, staring doggedly
out at the tall houses opposite.
Should he write to his dying sister at Whitecliff and tell her to make
other arrangements? What other arrangements could she make? Could she
bring back her young sailor husband from his grave in the Red Sea?
Could she stay the progress of the cough, the outward sign of the
fatal sickness which was bringing her to an early death? Could she
send the child, her treasured little boy, to any other relative? Jim
knew she could not. Nellie and he had been alone in the world since
they were children. If he did not take little Harry, the boy must go
into the workhouse.
Should he tell Nellie that she must make that arrangement? He was an
easy-going chap, this Jim Adams, too easy-going. He stood six feet one
in his socks and was big and broad in proportion, a veritable giant in
looks, but his strength was mere physical strength, and he knew it. He
was not strong in himself. This was the very first time, since he
had known and courted Jane Green, that he had resisted her will for
twenty-four hours, and even now he was contemplating the possibility
of giving way.
Jane could make herself very disagreeable indeed if she were thwarted.
He had had nothing but storming since yesterday morning when Nellie's
letter had come, and he had had two half-cooked suppers and a
miserable cold breakfast. He did like a good supper, and if this was
what it was going to be if he had Harry----
The sound of a gay voice singing on the pathway below, startled him.
There were always noises in the street, but this song caught his
attention.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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