The Argosy — page 136: what you’re looking at

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

The Story of Dorothy Grape. 121 Looking-up the back lives of people takes a lot of money, you See ‘But why did you not relieve her with it, or a portion of it? That is the question I’ve come to ask, young man, and I intend to have it answered.” The young man looked all surprise. ‘‘ Why, what an idea!” lisped he. ‘Our association does not profess to help sinners, ‘That would be a go!” “Sinners !” “We can’t be expected to take up a sinner, you know—and she’s a topping one,” continued he, keeping just as cool as the Squire was hot. ‘‘ We found out all sorts of dreadful things against the woman. The name, Mapping, is not hers, to begin with. She went to church with a man who had a living wife ‘ “She didn’t,” burst in the Squire. “It was the man who went to church with her. And I hope with all my heart he came to be hanged !” The clerk considered. ‘It comes to the same, doesn’t it?” said he simply. ‘‘She did go to church with him; and it was ever so long before his proper wife found.it out. And she has gone on call- ing herself Mapping ever since! And she managed so badly ina lodging-house she set up, that she was sold out of it for rent. Con- sider that! Oh, indeed then, it 1s not on such people as these that our good gentlemen would waste their money.” ‘“What do they waste it on ?” demanded the Squire. “Oh, come now! They don’t waste it. They spend it.” “What on? The sick and needy ?” “Well, you see, the object of this benevolent association 1s to discover who is deserving and who is not. When an applicant comes or sends for relief, representing that he is sick and starving, and all the rest of it, we begin by searching out his back sins and misfor- tunes. The chances are that a whole lot of ill turns up. If the case be really deserving, and—and white, you know, instead of black, we relieve it.” “Now look you here,” retorted the Squire. ‘Your object, the enquiring into cases, may be a good one in the main and do some ex- cellent service; I say nothing against it; but the public hold the impression that it 1s ve/zef your association intends, not enquiry. Why is this erroneous Impression not set to nights P” ““Oh, but our system is, I assure you, a grand one,” cried the young fellow. ‘‘It accomplishes an immense good.” ‘And how much harm does it accomplish? Hold your tongue, young man! Do you suppose I should have given my ten pounds, but for being misled, for being allowed to infer that it would be ex- pended on the distressed ? Nota shilling of it No money of mine shall aid in turning poor helpless creatures inside out to expose their sins, as you call it, Zha?t’s not charity. What the sick and the conniclooolkks (C(O) *»