"
O Charity, O Philanthropy, descend to the spike and take a lesson from
Ginger. At the bottom of the Abyss he performed as purely an altruistic
act as was ever performed outside the Abyss. It was fine of Ginger, and
if the old woman caught some contagion from the "no end o' meat" on the
pork-ribs, it was still fine, though not so fine. But the most salient
thing in this incident, it seems to me, is poor Ginger, "clean crazy" at
sight of so much food going to waste.
It is the rule of the casual ward that a man who enters must stay two
nights and a day; but I had seen sufficient for my purpose, had paid for
my skilly and canvas, and was preparing to run for it.
"Come on, let's sling it," I said to one of my mates, pointing toward the
open gate through which the dead waggon had come.
"An' get fourteen days?"
"No; get away."
"Aw, I come 'ere for a rest," he said complacently. "An' another night's
kip won't 'urt me none."
They were all of this opinion, so I was forced to "sling it" alone.
"You cawn't ever come back 'ere again for a doss," they warned me.
"No fear," said I, with an enthusiasm they could not comprehend; and,
dodging out the gate, I sped down the street.
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