FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135  
136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   >>   >|  
abman. "Do you see this young oyster? He pretends to drive a cab," said his enemy. "Yes, I do see him. And I sees you too. You'd better leave him alone. He ain't no oyster. He's a angel come down on his own business. You be off, or I'll be nearer you than quite agreeable." The drunken cabman was a tall, stout man, who did not look one to take liberties with. "Oh! if he's a friend of yours," said the other, drawing back. Diamond got out the nose-bag again. Old Diamond should have his feed out now. "Yes, he is a friend o' mine. One o' the best I ever had. It's a pity he ain't a friend o' yourn. You'd be the better for it, but it ain't no fault of hisn." When Diamond went home at night, he carried with him one pound one shilling and sixpence, besides a few coppers extra, which had followed some of the fares. His mother had got very anxious indeed--so much so that she was almost afraid, when she did hear the sound of his cab, to go and look, lest she should be yet again disappointed, and should break down before her husband. But there was the old horse, and there was the cab all right, and there was Diamond in the box, his pale face looking triumphant as a full moon in the twilight. When he drew up at the stable-door, Jack came out, and after a good many friendly questions and congratulations, said: "You go in to your mother, Diamond. I'll put up the old 'oss. I'll take care on him. He do deserve some small attention, he do." "Thank you, Jack," said Diamond, and bounded into the house, and into the arms of his mother, who was waiting him at the top of the stair. The poor, anxious woman led him into his own room, sat down on his bed, took him on her lap as if he had been a baby, and cried. "How's father?" asked Diamond, almost afraid to ask. "Better, my child," she answered, "but uneasy about you, my dear." "Didn't you tell him I was the early bird gone out to catch the worm?" "That was what put it in your head, was it, you monkey?" said his mother, beginning to get better. "That or something else," answered Diamond, so very quietly that his mother held his head back and stared in his face. "Well! of all the children!" she said, and said no more. "And here's my worm," resumed Diamond. But to see her face as he poured the shillings and sixpences and pence into her lap! She burst out crying a second time, and ran with the money to her husband. And how pleased he was! It did him n
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135  
136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Diamond
 

mother

 

friend

 

answered

 

afraid

 
husband
 
anxious
 

oyster

 
pretends

Better

 

friendly

 

father

 
questions
 

attention

 
bounded
 

deserve

 
waiting
 
congratulations

poured

 

shillings

 

sixpences

 

resumed

 

children

 

pleased

 

crying

 

stared

 

uneasy


quietly

 

beginning

 

monkey

 

stable

 
carried
 

shilling

 

sixpence

 

coppers

 
drawing

liberties

 
triumphant
 

twilight

 
business
 
agreeable
 

drunken

 
cabman
 
disappointed
 

nearer