Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1892-09-29
TAYLOR'S FIRST FEE.

heaval as an earthquake, and piles
of dirt lay along each side Of the
ditch. Jagged boards bristling with
nails were put in here and there to
prevent a landslide, and the laborers
worked in hourly expectation of
mud bath, if nothing worse. But
Emil Selim Hooper rejOiced. Up the
highest mound of the lOosest earth
his chubby bare legs toiled, and on its
top he laughed aloud. He felt as
convinced that he was ageneral hold
ing a fort as Miss Rose Bailey felt
that he was naughty little runaway
who would have a bad tumble. She
stood and watched him as if fascin-
ated by his and her helplessneSS. 1t
was between u and l, the workmen
had gone, the street was deserted,
and her dinner was growing cold. But
Emil Selim looked as if he didn't eX-
pect any dinner-poor child-how diff
ferent from her own kindergarten
tots who owned everything from their
mammas to their little tin banks. If
only some man would come along
ah, somebody was locking his Office
door.
AS Alec Taylor slipped the key into
his pocket and stepped on to the side
walk, he was confronted by the first
serious Question Of the day. Could
he 60 home without having his boots
BACKED? But, he reflected, it was
very seldom demanded of a person
that both eXtremites should be kept
shining, and about his brain polish
he knew, without any vanity that
there could be no doubt. Wealth,
family, travel had united to make
him the most eligible and the idlest
young man in town. His law office
was a cross between a club-room and
a library, and no client had as yet
profaned it with a tale of woe. But
now he was face to face with what
the old story-bookS would have called
a female figure in distress.
p ''I'm afraid he will fall" said Rose
Bailey, without any circumlocution.
her sensitive mouth quiVering. Then
her eyes danced at the thought of
what a picture the rescue would be.
s'My calling him did not have any eff
feet" she added.
''Didn't it," Alec Taylor said in a
tone of respectful amazement. 'EWell,
I'll collar him." And across the
plank, through the slime, among the
boards and up the western peak he
went, and rescued Emil, not Emin.
He set the child down on the side
walk in front of Miss Bailey; whose
motherly instinct changed to the pro-
fessional one as she saw him safe and
manageable.
sEWhy aren't you in SCHOOL," she
asked.
'sSchool-hus too full for baby like
NO caid cOOa6 il
,chuckled the boy.
''Dear mel wish 1 could am
the kindergarten teacher" she said,
turning to Alec Taylor. 81 suppose
it wouldn't be fair to my pupils, who
are little +. f. VS., to take a charity
child, even if he is a Raphel's cherut
and the Neapolitan boy rolled into
one?" she inquired, deferring to the
Young man.
s'We could put him in purple anC
fine linen and have him come in a!
new scholar whose parents ar,
boarding him in town for the sake o
lake and mountain air." Alec Sug
gested, with shrug at the pools ant
mounds about the sewer. 81 have i
my mother said yesterday she wa
sorry l was too old to buy frocks for
Il 3.
charmed with that Casabianca owe
there he said. pointing to a cloth
ing store where the lay figure of
little boy in a charming suit stuck t.
the burning pavement.
''Mother will be delighted to ente
a protege at your school. You viii
accept him, revised and corrected"
80 yes" laughed Miss Bailey. ''Il
k,1r IN, II hn l-pnrrrc hn
sesame"
She was leading the little fellow OF
now, and Alec Taylor was left pre-
to new emotions. He wanted t
help somebody. He reflected tnat h
had felt benevolently towards tn
j child before he had realized that tn
girl was pretty. 1t would be inter
esting to see what came of putting
that little leaven of gutter-wit int
the mass of steady-gOing children
And he could look in on the expert
ment once in a while. Consequent
Alec Taylor gave up his cigar afte
dinner in order to lead his mOthe
through the necessary phases of fee
ing in regard to the case. ConsC
quentlY, the child, transformed Xix
pauper to prince, raped at the kir
dergarten door three days later, an
looking up into Miss Bailey'S aston
ished face, said, ''Please, Mrs. Taylo
wants you to make me nice"
''Come right in, dear, and 70
shall make Yourself the best lIttl
boy here" Rose cried, thinking t
herself, ''Nice. So that is her sun
mum bonum, is it? No wonder NJ
Alec Taylor is lazy and fastidious.
TlsrE 4
Alec Taylor. and now thai he saw