The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-09


corkscrew lyin In the llnlt6 ~
sWiped Il an opened ell the oegf ptll
ind downstairs. Then topped 9. viii
q bfaceF from the cider b1Ft ~
carried a Load Pride Btfoggiel viii
pehitence. II OverchaFged you,
Eyes, Devine, know al tho bui
I'm glad you told me"
.'An' you leIn'me work here ain
KNOWN played you that trick
A'WhY, yeB-yQu'Ve got % pay foi
your beer" she answered, looking ~
at him with 4 smile.
Suddenly she laid down her Wol Shi
leaned forward and looked athlm earn,
estly 'Devine," she said. "Vt c9ul8e
can't understand your tefnptat ton li1t
| you wouldn't understand mine. Btu
when want TO do something wrong q
badly az you wanted drink Saturday
Pm afraid / do Il without half EouI
excuse. So you see. I'm not the 0ne
to Judge you. But want % tel you
something have 20 much m0n1y q
month for help. You oVerchafEl me
2 dollar and a half, and ] cquldl't DO
One can't argue with q drunken man,
you know. Devine." He nodded Re-
Quiescence "Well, needed an extra
woman to-day to help with the e'eatl-
INK but I'd paid you what hsr wages
would come TO. and every Other cent was
needed elsewhere. Now, DeVlne, q II
fair that I should work hard ~ day 80
that you could have more money to
Bpend-you know how" Shl lted.
The tramp said nothing, &c tfle9i to
raise his eyes 70 hers, but they Got no
further than her tightly 0la1ped
hands. rs your money all gone, De-
vlDe?"
''Yep-ain't got a cent on earth he
mumblcd He shifted unea1lly. HIS
voice was husky when he spoke. SPY
thunder, you're square. Mis- yPPethoGby.
You're squares man. An Bquaftr'n
most o. them. You alnt' said a'sNord
o. this here Sunday school rot for ladies'
md chIldrtn TO me. But tell you when
want drink I'm crazy, ia do any
thing to get It."
Would you Steal?"
II aIn't sAyln' what I'd dosif was
broke an the thirs; came on me. he
said. snllenly. Gee! there's that puppy
and Mrs. Wetherby did not zee him
again.
The next day Anna. the bousemOid,
was to start on her summer vacation. A
little while before train time she came
running upstairs. "oh. a'am. oh, Mrs,
Wethe Fbyl My tickets gone; the ticket
Mr.. Wctherby got for me. Somebody
took 1t out from under the knife box
Are you sure you put It there, An-
rle?''
"oh, yes, mum; night before last,
wNca Mr. Wetharby brought II homN
Fo's I'D be sure 10 know just where 1t
wes."
They looked in every nook and cor.
ner for the mileage book No one had
hon in the Kitchen but themselves, the
grocer's boy Gnd-DeYine.
you must go Just the same, Annie,
the loss is through me-" inalsted Mrs.
| Wetherby.
"of what use could the book be 10
| him?" argued Mrs. Wetherby that night
10 her husband, ut had the girrg name
on H."
"oh. he might raise a few dollars on
1t at some ticket Ecalper's, They'd gam
| bic that much on the chance Of using It.
You say he had worked on the railroad
so he knows the ropes"
II ought to have paid him somethinE
| for his work yesterday. knew he
didn't have q cent"
Better let such customers alone. my
dear" said Mr.. Wetherby sententious
lly "Thls democracy Of yours will end
| in the burglary of our Valuables and
the kidnapping Of the children u you
go on at this rate! He was Just work
ing you"
"Well. he did It cleverly. anyhow,
It's tough. Tom, that one can't be de-
Gently human without suffering for y
in some way. l really thought had
touched him. He certainly did me"
conventional standards are nearer
right than yOu think, rejoined Tom
why. that degenerate rascal and YOU
cannot talk the same language, literally
and mentally and morally. any more
than do n savage from Central Africa
and Boston school-mn' am
We'll Tom. I hate to fence in my
sympathy and love and understanding
Ito tell the truth. I've grown u little
tired OF polite charities and worthy
poor"
/ The wetherbys closed their house IL
July and went across the lake for two
weeks. which they spent mostly in APP
preciatinE how consciously comfortable
they would be when they returned.
Devlne. the tramp. thief. degenerate
but wlthal. man, came back once more
This time he crept stealthily in tht
shadows Of the white lilacs and tip
toed on the grass. around to the bRcl
door. With skillful, practlced finger
he picked the lock He turned the dOol
knob softly and stole into the Kitchen
Nm sound nor light In the house. and 4
was only 9 O'Clock, He was safe
There was evidently no one at home
He sat down on q chair 70 rest HI
was very tired. He was BROKE" ant
had walked the ten miles from town
The gang he had lately fallen IN Will
were expecting him back at y. III
started toward the sink to yet drink
The moonlight streamed through tn
windows Instinctlvely he avoided tn
light places. I'm n bloOmin' fool Il
run the risk o. bein' caught here" h
half said half thought. "rll shake tn
place" He turned and his eyes fell oil
what looked In the MOONLIGHT 10 be tn
ghost Of a little white sunbonnet Sud
denly he seemed to see her, rs she hat
suit leaning over the kitchen table. He
earnest eyes her glowing cheeks ant
the ugly scratch on her bare whit
nrm.
"she treated me square" He WFestlet
apologetlcally with himself "ShO treat
, ed mo square" He pulled out from tn
bosom OF his old flannel shirt the mile
age book he had stolen month before
He lifted n corner Of the tnife-boT an
} slipped the now greasy little book unde
; II. Shame-faced. he crept n0lOeleBsl,
back toward the door, touching the 1T
tie white sunbOnnet furtIvely and guilt
lly as he passed. As softly a. he h1i
opened II, he closed the door, and NOR
df the old brnvado came back 10 hi
r,nlt and depper lines Of oVil 70 hll face