The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-12-21
yer did-hi, cop, 'ere's
O wictim-run HMM I"

n
scaly glances up, and, N&SS ~
catching in one terrified ~/V3hS ~
look glimpse of an aw- t@vUSN2A
full, familiar form clad in . .'QNN Se[Hl
dark blue uniform, with but |SVkCW
tons Of brass, he makes VdN
great burst away, and breaking NNV
down a couple of living obstacles, wN
he gathers that-which has come to seem a
living, breathing entity-into his arms, and
sets out upon dead run.
Up this street, up that, down alleys,
through arcade, past portico, pillar and
post, with "Stop theft stop theft" ringing
out like q death knell behind him, until,
stumbling at last upon loosened ribbon OF
his beautiful burden, he falls. sobbing, in an
agony of fear, upon the frozen ground. In
an instant he is lifted high in the air and
great, strong arms are around him. He
feels the labored heaving Of the broad chest
upon which he hides his terror stricken
face, and, judging from the hard run he
has given his captor, he decides-shaking
like an aspen at his own decision-that
nothing short Of death can be his doom.
The usual crowd had collected itself and
he hears: "Who is he!"
"a thief-how sadp'
"Stole donl Heavens, what depraved
souli'
"Thank my lucky stars, my children are
all honestr'
"May de Lawd be marciful to ye-ye pore,
little, done-out white trashr'
"Sure, and if its Phelim O'Dowd as liver
wud be doin' the loikes of that same, it's .
foine thrashin' he'd be after recaivin', b
the powersr
| "Pove 'teet, garcon-"
| But the tongue-clatter 10 suddenly
drowned by the noise OF swift wheels and
the ominous knelling Of gong. Some Of
| ficious person has called the patrol wagon,
and Scaly feels the big form beneath him
ascend laboriously into the smart equipage
and seat iteeH upon one Of the cushioned
seats. He waits to be liberated from the
strong, imprisoning arnns-to be placed
upon the seat beside his jailer-to have his
precious treasure torn from his fond en-
brace. No such things came to pass, for
| Cop Unthank loosens not his hold upon
the frightened miscrcant, but folds his arms
closer about him and joys in the strange
| feeling of little heads nesting half
Willingly, half perforce, upon his breast; for
Scaly, afraid to face the dread terror Of
Poverty Row until actually compelled to,
presses grimy visage close against tho
very brazen insignia of that magnate!
'Drive to my lodgings, ia Scanlon
| street, Ripper; there's no case against the
| boy, I'll go bail. know the whole story,
and it's as clear as daylight! Nobody shall
take the doll from the child while have
the money to pay for it. Turn east, here"
And in the long drive home o great re-
solve has time to enter Cop Unthank's
heart and brain and settle there. For the
first time in all his long, long life Christ
mas gift is brought to him; and he-accepts
it. Bump! bang! Scaly, with hazy ideas Of
| awful dungeons awaiting to receive him,
feels himself carried from the wagon to the
curb, across pavement, up several steps,
through a door that closes noiselessly be-
hind him, then up, up, up a long flight Of
stairs. Another door is opened and. pant
ing with his climbing and the boys weight,
Cop Unthank places his animate and mani
mate burdens upon q huge leathern-cush-
toned chair.
The black fringes of Scaly's eyes uplifs
and large square room, sunlighted, clean
and warm, with never hint of bolt, or bar,
or clanking chain within the four bright,
flower walls dawns upon the
astonished child's bewlldered faculties. He
feels he has escaped, somehow, an awful
doom.
"What's your name, boyl"
"Scaly"
"Scalyl' Well, it might have been
'Scaly' once-but it isn't 'Scaly' now. It's
Observation-Disclosures Unthank-do you
hear? And I'm your father from now on
do you hear that, alsoi You thought Santa
Claus was pretty generous old soul to
fetch you that pink-cheeked dolly there,
didn't you? But he was even more gener-
Gus than that-what's pink-cheeked dolly
to regular parent-h'm! So you are Chris
TOPPER, are you, and you are going to b
baptized in the big bath-tub at the end ofthe
hall, are youl My, but you did give me
breather, Christopher, my son! My old
legs needed oiling in the hinges-how old
are you, do you thinkp'
"I-I dunno"
"Too bad-neither do I; but We'll call is
ten. Tens good age to start out on-dony
you thinkl You're ten years old, Christie
pher, from this very day; and you can al
ways remember 1t because 1t will always be
on Christmas. It's pretty good day after
all, Christmas is, for it brought me q son
and you father; don't you think so, too,
Christopherf'
The Lad turns his wondering eyes far up
ward until they meet the pale blue orbs OF
tLC upOu euO
fore him. He witnesses still another miracle
upon this, to him, day Of miracles. The
ferceness has faded from the Ineaments
before him, the eyes have lost their balefuI
glare, for mirth and pleasure have shut
them up into twinkling Sits, brim full Of
laughing light, while the mouth is spread
in so kindly smile that at this moment he
seems 10 have been transformed into
another being, So family does he resemble
the terror of Poverty Row that the little
human animal before him, feeling in.
stinctively, as animals ever do, the gentle,
loving klndliness that flows, fountain-like,
from the great soul to the small one, cries,
'How nice yer is!f'
'Nicew That E:tie word, 50 honestly
spoken, runs through Ichabod Unthank's
spiritual veins like sweet, intoxicating wine
made from fruit too fine and rare ever to
have grown outside the walls Of Paradise
At iasti At last!
IcoSTrsUED oS THIRD rAakl