Page 17 (1/2)

Because at breakfast the Stokelys had not yet heard about the murder of Eben ausley, Matthew&039;s first real test ofhis mouth came when he took his clothes to his laundress, theSherwyn, as was his habit every Friday

She was a big, robust, white-haired woman who&039;d outlived two husbands, owned a little stone house and attached laundry shop on Queen Street, and who collected gossips and town-tales as soht pin butterflies onto black velvet Furthermore, she was an excellent laundress and very fair in her prices, so even at this earlyhour she&039;d already had half-a-dozen custoowns and dirtied shirts but all the news of the night It was for no little reason that Marered over apple cider and gingerbread to trade topics, as when he left here he had enough bustarole to fill a h if he printed ed

"Baaaaad night," said Widow Sherwyn as Matthew entered the shop with his bundle It was said with gri, yet the color in her cheeks was as merry as a three-penny play "But I suppose you&039;ve already heardi"

"Pardoni" was all he could say

"another murder," she explained "Happened on Barrack Street, around enti"

"U, madam You&039;ll have to tell me"

She waved a hand at him to say he was no fun "Eben ausley The headht to look rew up in that wretched placei"

"It wasn&039;t so wretched" He al up," he finished "I regret ausley&039;s death, of course I have four shirts and three pair of breeches today" The shirt that had been bloodied by Phillip Covey was not as

"What about that shirt you&039;re wearingi Right wicked stain on the front"

Courtesy of Joplin Pollard&039;s tipsy hand, Matthew thought He&039;d put water on it when he&039;d gotten home, but too late actually he counted himself lucky the Thorn Bush ale hadn&039;t burned a hole in it "My last shirt," he said "Have to do"

"Liquor staini" she asked, narrowing her eyes "You out and about last nighti"

"Yes and yes"

"I can smell the pipe smoke Gentlemen&039;s habits, indeed! You fellows ht then, I&039;ll have these ready for you on Monday Tuesday if I fall behind Hey" She beckoned hier "Have you seen sbyi Yes" My Mar of tidbits

"Well, when you see hiood authority that some fine lady on Golden Hill ordered a silver service that arrived yesterday from amsterdam and when the bill was presented her husband made a cannon sound an You could hear the Island almost put out on the street, is what happened"

"Whoi The wifei"

"Naw! The husband! Shosh, everybody knows Princess rules that-oopsie, look what you&039;ve o out and spill! I never said that name, now, Matthew!"

"Princess Lillehornei"

"Never never never did I say that name! Go on about your business, now! But don&039;t believe that everything on Golden Hill is gold! You&039;ll pass that along to &039;Duke, won&039;t youi"

"Very well" Matthew started for the door, but so through a puddle of tar

"What tavern did you acquaint last night, Matthewi"

There was no need for a lie, as she could run one down like a hound after a hare "I spent some time at the Thorn Bush"

"My lord!" Her sky-blue eyes widened "Have you put aside those celestial books and decided to join the rest of us earthbound heathensi"

"I hope that one night and one stain doesn&039;t ht have fallen into Grace! That&039;s the name of Polly&039;s nehore, you know Grace Hester She&039;s been working the Thorn Bush"

"I&039;m sure I didn&039;t know" Suddenly Mattheas struck by the fact that not a teacup could be filled, broken, or peed in without Widow Sherwyn hearing of it Her outsized personality was a lahthouse-that drew to her the tales of joy, sorrow, and intrigue that no istrate nor constable would ever hear He realized then what a treasure she was, particularly for someone in his new-found profession of probleht be si atof clothes from one basket to another

"No reason," Mattheered "Just thinking how you know everyone, and how much you know about everyone You&039;ve been in this location for how longi"

"Twenty-eight years in the toelve years here Proud of every day of it"

"Well you should be" He offered her his best s without you"

"Sure you could There are three other laundresses in New York, take your pick Except don&039;t go to Jane Neville, she&039;s too expensive by half Thievery, I call it Outright larceny, and she doesn&039;t even boil enough fat in her soap" Widow Sherwyn stopped herself, as the dawn of understanding bloo to knohat about wholanced toward the door toin "General i"

"Whyi"

"I saw hiht He and his partner, Pollard In fact, this stain ca at one of the dice tables"

"You still haven&039;t said why" The &039;s expression was now solidly serious

"I&039; keeps such late hours" He decided to leave it at that

Widow Sherwyn cocked her head and stared at hile with the ordinary folk," she said, "I expect you shouldn&039;t start with Kippering, as frorave"

"He leads an active life, I presu, probably not in that order But that&039;s co that&039;s not," Matthew urged

"Kippering is not one of ularly I&039;ll tell you soerald is a serious young man with a wife and two children Lives on Crown Street, in a sierald-and I do-he does -up,&039; as he once put it, for both his partners Is paid very well also, but he and his wife are of Puritan stock and they have no want for luxuriesbeyond entleerald the one with brains, and Kippering the one trying to kill himself"

"To kill himselfi" Matthew asked

"Surely and this doesn&039;t coood source that Kippering is one of Polly&039;s best customers Stands to reason, of course, but there&039;s a misery to it He comes in drunk, sleeps with a whore-and soain Soht Keeps a room in Mary Belovaire&039;s house across from Sally almond&039;s tavern Cot and a desk, is what I hear In and out all hours Mary&039;s had to help hiht be Pays his bills all right, but he gambles an awful lot It&039;ll catch up to hih Lord knows Mary&039;s got a line of ladies wanting to ot so sotted Even thepretties don&039;t want to ride a rumpot stallion So he drinks hi, and almost has his name burned on a door at Polly Blossom&039;s Doesn&039;t that sound to you like soreat hurry to diei"

"It sounds toave asmile "He&039;s supposed to be s"

"Interesting," Matthew said, but inwardly he gave a shudder He had to wonder what Widow Sherould say about him, if someone were to inquire

"Now you owe me," she announced

"Owe youi" He realized this wo like a dunce

"Yes, indeedy Did you think this caboodle was freei You pass along a good word for me to &039;Duke, and when you co me a tidbit I don&039;t know"

"The first is easy I&039;m afraid the second may be impossible"