The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-18

That's pretty slashy for an elderly man, isn't
", but as | toll you, | had II very bad indeed. What
. fool | was, roo, because low did | know what
kind ot a woman TIE finger belonged to- You
can't tell much about n woman when you We got
all Of her H. Judge by, and when you've only got
a little lngrr, your chances are simmer Than a
boarding house lunch,
After | had been worShiping the finger about
a month, | told a doctor friend 0f mine IN Chicago
about II, and he SAID ! ough, 10 lind the owner
ind give II back 10 her Nhen he told me that,
,he cold chills ran down my back aud J felt my
heart drop down on my diaphragm with a dull
and slckrnlng thud. told INN | wouldn't give
that hnger up Tor u fortune.
Maybe you Il get a fortune and the res, Of the
woman, too, said he, and he wen, on talking I'LL
] bryan To- wonder what kind Of q chump | was
not H. have thought Of II before, guess / was
more OF a poet Than ! thought ! was, Be that az
itmay,l hustled around night away, and got copies
Of the papers that told about the accident with lists
Of the injured, ami though ] found where every.
body lived anu how thsy were hun In a general
way, there was no mention 81 any woman losing
O little finger The doctor gave me some free
hdvice n 10 what course 10 pursue in my search
for lhr lady, but It wasn't practical. lie wanted
me To put an advertisement In the papers, but |
knew II ai that, that life would b. a burden 10
me-, trying 10 staye otf reporters who wanted 10
wnle yellow articles about the lady and he lost
Finger AM a lot II rot like that and | could even
Pee my picture taking up hall a page, and the bottle
with the fqgerin II holding down The other hall,
1t was too much ana | determined " make
my search ike a slruth, by calling. On each Of the
victims ana hn,Ing out WhatI could without Civ.
Ing myself away. -Four If The ten women VINO
had been hurt enough 10 get their names IN the
list Of M injured lived In Chicago ami | determined
10 hunt them UP ir,l ana n unsuccessful, 20 after
the Others lR,rr. leaving thUSe fartheSt away
for the last. II wa, a deliCA" operation this Of
going about calling on strange LADIES' asking
how many iingoT, they hal on hand aud II they
didn't have enough dill they want another, and
50 forth, and a. rang the doorDeli NJ the INST
lous' | hal -.l.ctrI | was obliged " hold myself
together with al my will Ia keep rom going To
pieces and absolutely running away The house
was a very good one IN thr suburbs, aud In response
70 my knock a tat lady app'ared. asked Tor tho
LAZY Whose name had down and the fat 10 ~
said she was th' one, made up my mind then
and there that my romance was ruined, and that
either one way ~ the other The finger was no more
70 b. vOrSlIp'd, for II II wAs hers | didn want ~
keep it,and II she took II ! certainly dilnt want
the rest ~ hyr. began Ia ask hr about th- aC.
tident, but h"iur" | had gone far She showed
her hands, 50 g. speak, ana saw plainly that she
had all tbs finger she had room for, and with
some kind OF n sp'Cpua lie promised 'nCall again,
and got out
THE next place was a clearinghouse and tho
lhndlady had been In M" accident She was about
DO years old and mighty good 10 luUk at, md |
began tn have hopes and dream dreams riyht
away. When | began 10 talk about the accident.
saving WAS n lawyer booking for persons who
might he enutlri tu damages, she said she hoped
would hp successful for She was a poor widow
with six children 70 support and She n'eded every
cent she cnuli get The hand In her lap had IFS
full complement NJ fingers, and AZ she put the
other Mp To her eyes. quite patheucally, noticed
that that no, had ms many ~ could be accom-
nodated with the Spnce AZ command. Then
told another lie and got out US gracefully anC