The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-07-11

"the lady's gived me a present and l
 can't help myself, can F" | And Sam wiped his hand on his | brooches leg, and, clearing his throat | hard, asked, If I'd mind shakin' | hands?"
 And I didn't mind a bit. Then, with
 clumsy care, he wrapped the child in her thin bit of cape and led her back 1 to that home which gave Judgment to both poverty and pride. | While the play was new in the very l first engagement outside of New York l had very little child for that scene. She was flaxen blonde and her mother had dressed her in a bright sky blue which was in itself an odd color for a little boy to wear. Then the small brooches were so evidently mother made the tiny bits of legs surmounted with such an enormous breadth of seat, the wee Dutch-looking blue jacket and the queer blue cap on top of the flaXen curls, gave the little creature the ap- pearance of a Dutch doll. The first sight of her, or, perhaps, I should say ''him'-the first sight of him provoked a ripple of merriment, but when he turned full about on his bits of legs and toddled up the stage, giving full, per- feet view of those trousers to keenly observant public people laughed the tears into their eyes. And this baby noted the laughter and resented it with a thrust-out lip and froWning knit of his level brows that was funnier than even his blue clothing-and after that one Parthian glance at the audience he invariably toddled to me and hid his face in my dress. From the very first night the child was called Little Breeches,' and to this day l know her by no other name.
 Time passed by fast-so fast; years came, years went. Miss Mutton" had been lying by for a number of seasons. "Renee de Moray" "Odette,' Ray monde" etc, had been in use-then some one asked for Miss Mutton" and sherose obediently from her trunk, took her MSS. from the shelf and presented herself at command. One evening in Southern Californian city as left my room ready for the first act of this play the doorman told me young woman had coaxed so hard to see me for just one moment that, ignoring orders he had come to ask me if he might bring her in; she was not begging for any thing. just a moments interview Rather wearily I gave permission and in few moments I saw him directing her toward me A very slender, very young bit of woman-a mere girl, in fact, though she held in her arms q small white bundle. As she came smil- ing up to me I perceived that she was very blonde I bowed and said Good evening" to her, but she kept looking in smiling silence at me for a moment or two. then said, eagerly: Don't you know me, Miss Morris?'
 I looked hard at her. No" I said, "and if I have met you before, it's strange, for while I cannot remember names, my memory for faces is re- markable."
 "Oh," she said in deep disappoint- ment. Cant you remember me at all not at all?" Her face fell, she pushed out her enther lip, she knit her level. flaxen brows.
 leaned forward suddenly and touched her hand. saying: You are not-you can't be-my little-?'
 "Yes, I ann" she answered, delight edly. I'm Little Breeches!"
 And this?' I asked, touching the white bundle.
 "Oh," she cried, "this is my Little Brooches, but I shan't dress him in bright blue!"
 Good heavens!" I exclaimed, "how old are yoll-and how old am I?"
 "eWll," she replied, "T'n almost eighteen and as you look just exactly as you did when I saw you last, 1t doesn't matter as I can see, how many years have passed" (Oh, clever Little Breeches0
 Then having had Little Brooches sec ond kissed and honestly admired, she trotted away satisfied, and only as l made my entrance on the stage did it occur to me that I had not asked her name so she ends as she began-sim- ply Little Brooches.