Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-05-20
BREAD ON THE WATERS.
A shivcring negro returns for thu
Kindness of a Ward Detective.

A s~hivcring neErO returns for the
Kindness of a Ward Detective.
Late in the night of the biggest snow
storm in March last, a young negro
| entered a down town station house and
with chattering teeth approached the
desk and asked the sergeant for a
nights lodging, says the New York
Sun. The young mar wore no over
coat and his thin sack coat was sizes
too small for him and was unbuttoned.
On his feet were a pair of white canvas
shoes such as lawn tennis players
wear. A blue flannel yachting cap
completed his outfit which was more
suggestive of the seashore in summer
than of New York City in a snow
storm.
The man behind the desk glared at
the negro and then in a gruff tone
said:
go to the city lodging house.
We've no room here for buns
The negro turned from the desk
and started for the door, but in pass
ing the big stove stretched out his be-
numbed hands and stood warming
them a moment. This caused the SER
geant to yell:
Come; set a move on; you can't
lounge in here"
The negro again started for the door
but paused with his hand on the knob
and asked where the city lodging house
was, saying he was a stranger in the
town.
20, it's a little way up town. 81
guess you'll find it," snarled the SER
geant The young man was about to
pass out into the storm when one OF
the men of the precinct who is assign
ed to special duty and is known as a
ward detective stepped forward and
said:
Here, young fellow, is your a
fare. You'll find the city lodging
house at Twenty-third street and
First
The sergeant again asserted his au-
thority by shouting:
why don't you let him go on about
his business? Shut that door.
The ward detective pulled the negro
away from the door and said:
Gust one minute, Sarge, 1 want to
direct him how to get there"
The sergeant grumbled something
about some men being pretty soft and
went on writing. The young man held
a bright-shining quarter of a dollar in
his hand and thanked the ward detec-
tive again and again until the latter
said:
well I guess you're all right, now,
80 go ahead"
The negro finally started for the
door, but turned back and a smile
appeared on the face of the ward de-
tective as he asked:
What is it, now?"
"Say, boss, would you tell me your
name?"
The name was given and the negro
repeated it over and over to himself
as if committing it to memory. When
asked why he wanted the name he
said:
You'll hear from me soon and I'll
pay back that loan, too"
Before leaving he told the ward de-
tective that his name was Pete
Lewis and he worked on race tracks
in the south and west, but had never
been in New York before. The incl
dent had been forgotten by the ward
detective until n day last week
among the letters that came to the
station house was one addressed TO
the detective in a scrawling hand bear
ing a Washington postmark. Wonder
ing who it could be from he opened it
and read:
Get down for an X at least on
Thermos and remember the snowstorm
and Pete Lewis"
There was no signature, but inclosed
wrapped in tissue paper was a twenty
five cent piece. Even then the receiver
OF the queerly worded epistle was at a
loss to know from whom 1t was until in
handing the letter around among the men
in the station house one of them who
often unblushingiy admitted that he had
often read the newspaper accounts of rae
ing said hat Thermos was the name of a
horse running at the Benning track near
Washington. This much of the strange
letter made clear, the ward detective put
on his thinking cap and gradually the
snow storm, the twenty-five cent piece.
Pete" Lewis looking for a lodging and
all the rest began TO dawn upon him. AL
his friends to whom he showed the letter
advised him to watch the papers until the
horse was entered in a race, n then
back him for so as Pete Lewis haI
ceEaA Thf- - a-1lIx. S>.tS~l =. 90