The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-04-10
when young fellow, who hadn't spoken

down. The girl Smith was engaged to
used to be leading soprano at Trinity,
and people came from far and near to
hear her sing that as solo. 1t kind OF
upset him hearing it, l suppose.
"Wcll, some laug ned and some sneered,
but didn't wait to hear what else was
said. A fellow showed quarter in my
hand and l slid out.
Smith was standing under the 'lectric
light on the corner, with his hans in his
pockets and his hat over his eyes as l
was goin' past. lie catched me by the
shoulder NOT rough, though and
twisted me round.
"Joc," he says, sudden like, eff I had
some Of the money Ive thrown away,
sou should have new suit OF clothes
from top to toe"
For my duds was Just awful, and that's
the fact. Rags and patches, only the
rags was worst. And before l knowed
what he was doin', ne went down on his
knees, and after fumblin' about his vest
bit, pinned up the biggest tear of all,
SOS the bare skin didn't show quite so
had in where my troWses was ripped
from knee up. .
Course I didn't think nothing much of
it more than it was kind Of freak took
him, till next mornin'. And if
you'll believe me, Smith had took a
pin opil, sot with little dimuns-outer
hs uecktie ior to pin up my rags with.
didn't know what TO do at the first
of it, not having any idea where to look
for Smith. And not movin' IN what you
might call the highest circles, my
'ouaintances mostly wasn't them Ia
care TO ask advice of rcgardin' jewelry.
But theresa young lady lives up nigh
Washington Square that was awful
good to mother while she was sick. She
belongs to ''gulld," l think they call
'cm, and teaches mission school down
in our ward, where 1 used to drift IN
sometimes of Sunday. took the pin
to her and told her the whole story.
She turned whiter'n one of the marble
statutes in her parlor when the sees the
pin. But she never spoke for minute.
"You did quite right to bring me this,
Joe," she says, after bit. "Mr: Smith
is-a-a friend OF mine, and l will see 1t
returned to him. If, as you heard, ne
has lost all his money"
And then she stopped, and walked to
the window. She stood there lookln'
out ct nothin' ever so long. Then she
gave me dollar and I left. And it was
over a wear fore I ever heard Of or sec
Smith again.
But meanwhile Miss-the young lady
Pm speaking of-Miss Blank, I'll call
her, got me q steady job carrying out
papers for O newsdealer she knowed.
And We'nesdays and Fridays she paid
me for blow;n' the little organ to the
mission chapel I was telling of.
l was late that day, and when I got to
the mission little Mike Dwyer was
blowin' in nv place. There wasn't q
soul there to hear, but Miss Blank was
kind OF playin' all to herself, so l sot
down bit to lis'cn.
Some one come shu!llin' in and sot
down near the door. When I looked
round, he'd dropped his arms on the top
of the settce for'ard of him and laid his
face down on 'em.
'IIalf drunk, likely enough" I said to
myself-for lots of that kind drift into
the mission-it being sort of in the
slums, as you may say. But its folks OF
that kind the mission is trying to get
hold Of. And this man, so far as could
make out by his seedy rig, seemed to be
something in that line of business.
Whilst was in the choir boy line, l
heard some pretty good singing as a
matter of course. But talk about your
sopranos-Miss Blank just went ahead
of anything.
Curious wasn't it, that she should all
at once have struck in on ''kindly
Light?'
$50 long Thy power hath blessed me; surs'
Will lead me on,
Ger moor and fen-Uer crag and torrent-
The night is gone;
And with the morn those angel faces smile
Which have loved long since-and lost
awhile"
She and the organ stopped all at once.
It was still as death in the vcstry, and
heard her give kind OF a sob.
"Great Heavens" says the man be-
hind me. And l look round again to
shake my head at him. But you might
have knocked me out with feather
duster in one round. 1t was Smith
but his own mother if she'd been alive
ncverd knowed him. Pale and peaked,
with shiny coat and trowscs fringed at
the bottoms-well, he didn't look much
like the Smith l see at Dlorrison's, you
can bet.
All the same, I knowed him; and
went for him like shot, for he was
making break for the door.
'NIr. Smith-Mr. Smith," I sung out,
"s:op, I want to tell you about your
scarf pin. Miss Blank has got it,
and"
arthur.
It was only o word, but it turned
me round like top. There stood Miss
Blank, staring at Mr. Smith-only
staring isn't the worldwide I was hang
ing onto like anything. For was bound
to make myself square about the scarf
pin.
"Arthur," she says again, and sank
down onto the settee like she was faint.
He never said a word. He put his hands
over his face, went square down on his
knees front of her and dropped his head
in her lap.
amt none too bright about things
like that; but I've read love stories in
the papers before now, and I see that
wasn't no place for me, so I lit out soon's
1 got my wits about me, and let 'em fix
things up their own way before any one
come in.
Was they married fnally3 Well, I
should say so. And always cal'lated l
had hand in it, too. For, don't you
see, the opil and dimun' pin was one
Miss Blank had give him for birthday