Gratia's Trials — page 66: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

GRATIA’S TRIALS. 57 ing after she had deposited her burden on one of the empty cribs. , “No!” snarled Nurse Simmons, showing her yellow, decayed stumps of teeth, like an infuriated elderly tigress. “Well, then, its a shame!” ejaculated Hannah; ‘‘and if I knew where her friends were I’d let em know some of the go- ings on here.” ‘‘Mrs. Simmons, I don't at all understand this,” said Gratia., ‘‘“Where is Mrs. Moultrie? Does she never visit these little children, whose cares she has taken upon her ?” Hannah, who had just reached the door-way, turned round and laughed. “*No!” she answered. ‘‘ You'll learn a thing or two, young woman, before you’ve been long in this place. Mrs. Moultrie pockets the money—plenty of it, there is, too, for the fools aren’t all dead yet—and acts the sweet, and affectionate, and amiable —dear, dear! none so softas she. Youd think to hear her talk butter wouldn't melt in her mouth—and there's the end of it. All the rest you can see for yourself. Mrs. Simmons does the dirty work ; she’s well paid for it, too—and the children do the starving, and fretting, and pining away.” | Aud having thus relieved her mind, Hannah went away. ‘¢Would it not be better for me to put this little fellow on the lounge or in one of the cribs?” involuntarily asked Gratia, as she observed Aleck moving uneasily on his hard couch, ‘‘No!’’ said Mrs. Simmons, with asperity, ‘‘ he’s well enough, And he has got to sit up and behave like other children. I _won’t have him encouraged in making a great baby of himself. Aleck! Aleck, I say!” But the child did not answer, or seem to heed her call. ‘“T think he has fainted,” said Gratia, apprehensively. ‘“Pshaw! Stuff and nonsense !” said the amiable Mrs. Sim- mons, ‘‘It’s all stubborness. Throw a cup of cold water up his ROStE eon stay—better pinch him in the leg ; ; a good nip, now,” (e(oy apical evevey <3 (E(o im