Los Angeles herald., 1891-11-14
NOT THE RIGHT WOMAN.
PATHETIC RESULT OF A WRITER'S
BIT OF DETECTIVE WORK.

PATHETIC RESULT OF A WRITER'S
BIT OF DETECTIVE WORK.
She Had Heard That All Beggars Were
wealthy and She Followed Woman
who Played an Accordion, Expecting to
Find Princely Home--what She Saw.
She sat all day in the dust and the
wind on the street corner grinding
dreary tunes out of dilapidated old ac-
Gordon that shrieked and groaned and
wheezed but was never in the least mu-
steal.
.'She owns block of houses" l said
to myself, ''and has money in the bank.
shall not drop a penny in that old tin
cup. 1t is wrong to encourage mendi-
cacy."
was only repeating what had been
said to me about street impostors. Now
that l had good chance to study one of
these characters from the window of Il
hotel, became interested. Yes. With
out doubt this woman was an impostor,
Her rags of raiment were eloquent with
that personal poverty which appeals so
strongly to the sympathetic. Her head
dropped over her recumbent figure. She
sat on the curbstone and mechanically
ground out her doleful music.
She was there at nightfall when
stepped out of the hotel, but she was
preparing to leave.
''Aha. my lady," 1 said to myself,
"here is chance to follow you and see
how much of your doleful plea is true.
If you are an impostor shall soon know
it," and skipped along in the shadow
until / had traversed long distance
from my hotel, treading all the alleys
and back streets in the city, it seemed to
me.
NO DECEPTION ABOUT THIS.
Then she climbed a pair of rickety
stairs on the outside of tumble down
house. l still followed her and CROPPED
my way in the dark to miserable room
in the rear, where a chorus of little
voices saluted her.
Mamma, oh, mamma, wese been
good-wese been jes as good as wese
could. Hasn't wese, johnny" cried a
wan faced little girl lying on the poor
bed in the corner.
The door was left open and l slipped
out of sight behind it, but could both
see and hear, and if I was discovered,
why, was looking for mythical wash
lady who once lived in those rooms.
That was all.
''Dot some pread an putter, mammal"
continued the child voice, while a feeble
wall from the bed added its note of sup
plication.
The woman had dropped her musical
burden on the table and now she emptied
her pocket.
"Dere's feeteen cents, mall in pennies,
Johnnie, run and get some hot sausage
an loaf of bread. An I'll boil some hot
coffee against yer back"
Johnny could not run. He was a
frightful little cripple, but he limped
away with the pennies.
Then came forward and made my
bogus errand known, and asked to see
the sick child in the bed.
The woman looked at me suspiciously.
"'Taint dip'thery," she said, Sits con-
soompshun, an ye cannot take her to any
hospital while have breath in my
body"
"Do you go out with that thing every
day and leave these children here alone?"
asked.
TALK WITH THE CHILDREN.
II amt a regular" she whined, ''the
woman-she were a Bohemian-died
and left me that for takin' care of her.
I cud play 1t that well you couldn't tell
betwixt and between us, and give up
washin, for this is easier and more Teddy
like. was allus that fond of music"
J $50 am l, and if you don't mind l will
come here sometimes and hear you play,
instead of stopping on the street-no,
no." as she seized up the instrument,
mot tonight" and slipped out, leaving
my humble contribution on the table.
I heard the woman singing to her sick
child before had reached the foot of
the stairs. At the corner met crippled
Johnny. He had brown paper pack
age Of food.
"Sasserges n bread" he said smack
ing his lips.
"But what is there for the sick baby?'
! asked.
"Golly, yer ought to see her eat sas-
sage? She jist snatches 'em."
Johnny" I asked seriously, "has
your mother block of houses and a lot
of money in the bank?"
"What yer givin us?" asked the boy,
staring at me.
81 mean is-is-your mother poorT'
"Ain't she, tho, jist orful somptimes,"
and he lmped away with the food, re-
garding me with wonder as he walked
backward.
have concluded that there must be
some mistake about the princely wealth
of this impoverished family and that it
must be the woman with the organette
and not the woman with the accordion
who own houses and lands, and I shall
make sneak some day and follow her.
Then if she is the nabob in disguise /
will let you know.-Mrs. M. L. Rayne
in Detroit Free Press.
Cigars and Music Combined.
While I stood at the showcase in a
cigar store the other day a music box