Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-07

She's gone. She can't be Barney Muller's
sister eff she is Jim Slattery's wife" He
stalked out to the side door. The boldest
of the gang never dared to mention the
name of Maggie after that in a tone above
a whisper.
Only vague rumors of Maggie's new life
fioated back to Butterick place during the
year following. Jim had become a book
makers clerk. He Travelled from one race
track to another. He said to be max
ing money His wife, according to report,
always with him. She was said to be
basking in the sunshine of Jim's good luck
and living on de sunny side Of Easy
street.
One Sunday afternoon late in the fall of
that year, just after the Thanksgiving snow
had begun to swirl around the doorsteps
and fill up the sag holes in the pavement OF
Ryan street. the Salvation Army paraded
through that thoroughfare.
Ryan street was so short and crooked and
insignificant that even the army had over
looked 1t until now. For that reason the
show possessed for the inhabitants a charm
Of novelty that 1t would have had in very
Red and the gang all turned out in force
to hear de drums.
DE drum and the noise were by far the
two most interesting entries on the pro-
gram, but even above their din there was
waited to Red message that ode captain"
read out of a much-worn Testament.
But l say unto you, forgive your enc
mics"
The idea of forgiving anybody was very
strange to Red McGann. but the Idea of
IoTSlNlIlS ali elltlIiy was poSiliNClS
Gus.
Listen to de crank" he said to one of
his followers who laughed heartily.
But the man said it over again several
, times He wound kind of a sermon around
the words, and as Red walked away that
night to the music hall, where he was to
| take tickets for the sacred concert some
thing seemed to keep ringing in his ears
something that seemed to be accentuated by
a drum and a tambourine. But ! say unto
| you, forgive your enemies
q nd ono nf fExa
| coolest nights of the year. 1t had been
| showing all day, and great drifts were piled
across Ryan street. At o'clock in the
morning Red was wadIng through them up
| to waist, on his way home" Home at
| that time consisted of corner of a sa-
| loon two blocks away. where Red made the
/ by way OF remuneration was allowed sleep
ing room.
IBIS is a fierce night" said Red to him
| self, he looked at the deserted street
1T must be pretty bad when everybody
stays inside on Ryan street"
| No living thing Notwithstanding but
| the black sky, the cutting, swirllng snow
| and tenement house walls.
As he passed a doorstep where the snow
had not drifted quite so high on some
of the other houses on the block he heard
some call his name
Red! say. Red Mccain"
| Red foundered a moment in the snow.
! At first he could see no one. Then, as the
wind made the corner lamppost flare lit
I
woman holding baby In her arms on the
| doorstep. The ragged shawl that she had
| thrown over her head was well pulled
down over her face. In the momentary
| flare Red saw. her eyes. and he knew her
| Only one girl who lived in the Bend had
| ever possessed eyes as big and blue as
| those. She was Maggie Muller Barneys
| sister, the exiled queen Of the gang,
! against which Red felt fifteen years Of ac-
! cumulated hate.
But something in the whiteness of her
| face and the child's, the utter complete
| hopelessness of it ALL made Red stop in his
walk. and founder over to the doorstep
He looked down at the two figures for a
| while before he quite got his breath.
| Whats de trouble?" he said slowly, as he
glanced furtively ut the tenement house
| across the street.
Everything" said Maggie when we
| right for awhile; plenty Of good clothes
and good times. Then Jim plunged at Gut
tenberg. He lost everything he had He
| was gone one day when I came home. but
| he left me beautiful letter. he did, stat
Ing that he couldn't support wife any
| longer. Perhaps he couldn't. I don't think
he would have given me up II he could have
helped it. His boss. the bookmaker. paid
my fare and the baby's to New York Do
| you understand, Redr'
Red nodded. OF course he understood His
| training in adversely made the tragedy in
all its details fash before his mind in q
| moment.
Pretty tough" he said, as he Kicked his
| foot in the snow. An awful struggle was
raging inside of Red at that moment
'Dere's no place for her to go but Bar
ney's." said the first voice In his con-
science: land she mustn't go dere. because.
wild Barney's feelings, he might btf her
when he first set eyes on her. before he
had time to think about It. She wouldn't
go nowhere slse-shs's too despairing like.