The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-27

al dppTcu0nSlFc IulcH, Until AC " as u.s. ~ W.
| that Patsey was unframed, when he fell
upon the boy AID added strong. earnest
supplement to the policeman's shaking.
He followed this with a mighty cutting,
| we'll administered, as far as l could see
| from my post upon the hilltop, and then
turning him about, sent him, by scien-
tifcalIy directed kick, fairly upon his
| return trip up the hill.
Thus set free, the adventurous naviga-
| tor turned blithely along the incline until
| he had nearly reached the plateau where
I stood meditating plausible prete1t for
addressing him. Then from behind big
bowlder another boy appeared. The two
| were evidently strangers to each other.
They halted sharply and stood at def
| ance, after the fashion OF two dogs met
for the first time. Patsey's face plainly
expressed challenge, question. and GER
tain my foot is on my native heath"
| feeling that was unmistakabe. Equally
| plain in the countenance of the newcomer
were written scorn and measurement.
Plainly he thought ne had sized Patsey
up, for after an exchange of visual insults
he said:
II kin thump ye silly"
eyer lie! Ye can't dot" was the re-
ply, and the two clinched.
The combat was short, fierce and de-
cisive. 1t ended in the total defeat of the
stranger, who, routed foot and horse. fled
| to the safer region of the plain. The vic
tor remained upon the hill, following the
fight of the foe with opprobrious epithets
delivered dancing back and forth along
the trail. with one arm raised and the ex-
tended fingers of that nand held midway
of his v:sage in gesture designed to ag-
gravate the effect of his parting remarks.
| Then, with marked accentuation Of
the ''native heath" air he swung around
| toward the plateau. He saw me now, but
deigned no notice of my presence. In
stead he suddenly bent over new prize.
| Clinging lovingly TO the face of a rocky
ledge, where it seemed as if no soil rested,
a poppy was growing. 1t was such a wee
plant, and it had put forth two early,
| wind-tossed, stunted, pale yellow BIOS
SONS, that set the bare brown cliff aglow
with tleir golden JOY. felt an indignant
pang as the boy took them in his clawlike
fingers. What was there in his life or sur
roundings through which he might have
| any appreciation of the wonderful thing
he had acquired? His plucklng the flower
was bit of vandalism l would have gwen
much to prevent. The pain OF it fell heavy
upon my heart. already aching with a
sense of my own inability to bring any
help or beauty into the lives of my fellows.
resolved to demonstrate with the young
vandal. Who knew whether might not
be able to give him some greater thought
than had ever before been his
He came slowly in my direction. bear
| ing the plant i'll both hands. For the first
! time saw his face plainly and at rest-a
hard, unsympathetic face. pale beneath its
tan. stained and beerimed, m arked across
one cheek with vicious scar. He had
| light-colored. shifty eyes, shaded by a tan
| gle OF straight, thin, sunburned hair, and
q wide, inexpensive mouth. The peoples
in his dirty fingers seemed more human
and SO inexpressively lovelier than he.
| He was passing me, unnoticing. as stood
| beside the pathway. SO intent was his re-
gard Of the treasure he carried. l won
dered thereat, thinking to myself that he
really seemed to care. More than hall ex.
| pecting snub, asked: e.
What will you do with the fowers?"
He stopped, looking at me deiantly for
an instant, and then, as his gaze fell again
upon the pop pies, he said: "Hu. them?
I'm goin' to give em to Mopsie." He had
not yet recovered from his surprise at
being accosted, so pressed my advantage