The Press., 1902-10-02
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BY CECILY ALLEN


The landlady was fair after a mega
tive fashion, fat in positive way and
forty, decidedly so. She presided over
the culinary department of ia Otis
street in manner SO capable that her
boarders regarded her in the light of
genius and spoke with scorn of bach
elor apartments and furnished flats.
Her name is irrelevant and inmate
rial
Her daughter was fair positively, fat
negatively and at least twenty years
on the right side of forty. She pre-
sided with admirable tact over the long
table in the dining room, dispensing
the culinary triumphs of her mother.
Her name was Kathleen.
Dangler, who held post in the M. R.
and A. freight offices and went in for
athletics, was in love with Kathleen
and invested in tandem on the in
stallment plan. Seward, floorwalker
in the silk department of 1.-THE Fair"
had similar cardiac aff1iction and
showered the object of his affection
with the latest editions from the book
department, purchased at the custom
airy discount allowed clerks at '"The
Fair"
The situation was rapidly becoming
tense, and betting on the outcome
among the remainder and less inter-
ested quota of boarders was about
even when Jim appeared on the scene.
ixyo1 IN ho fro
night, doing in DANGERS arms.
miss Kathleen" remarked the atm
letic young man in his most confident
tone, Il know you won't turn this poor
doggie out to Craze on concrete and
asphalt. l came up with him wander
ing disconsolately in the freightyards.
I'll wager he's somebody's pet. He's
so slick and well fed. His owner will
probably turn up in the Lost and
Found column tomorrow"
Miss Kathleen promptly relieved Dam
gler of his burden and petted the i'm
passive animal as only woman can.
This plainly annoyed Seward, and as
DANGER rushed off to prepare for din
ner his rival glared unreasonably at
his unoffending soup plate. ..
But it was the little woman who
taught a sewing class at the settle
ment, read Thomas a Kempis and alb
horred Sunday newspapers who dis
covered the ad. in the Evening Herald:
LOsT.-A pug dog, answering to the
name of Jim; fat and slightly asthmatic;
finder treat HIM kindly, as he is an old
family pet; liberal reward. Marsden. 1101
Green street. Telephone 7S6-A.
AS she finished reading seventeen
and the pug, now comfortably en-
sconced on the ruffle of Kathleen's
gown, uncurled himself, licked his
chops SUCCESSFULLY and wheezed asth-
matically. ..
Dangler shot a triumphant look at
Seward and remarked: ..
Il tell you what. Miss Kathleen-I'll
telephone old Marsden right after din
ner, and when he comes after the pup
you claim the reward Marsden's rich.
and it ought to be worth a couple
pounds of candy anyhow"
Half an hour later Dangler retur1
from the telephone booth in triq
Most of the boarders were either
parlor or chatting in the dim entryN
Say, folks. maybe you think the olq
gentleman wasn't tickled! Said he
couldn't come down tonight and
wouldn't trust one of the servants, so
would we keep Jim till tomorrow morn
ing. He'll surely be here by 10. And,
by the way, Miss Kathleen, he says
the pups getting old, and if he doesn't
have a pillow to sleep on he'll-he'l
snore. And he can't eat meat unless
it's cut very fine"
Kathleen, with visions of candy
dancing before her pretty eyes. car
ried Jim off to the kitchen and person
ally prepared a delectable supper for
the weary canine, after which the an
tidote for snoring was speedily pro-
duced.
That was Saturday night 1t was
remarkable how prompt the boarders
all were for Sunday morning break
fast. Seward, who seldom appeared
until noon, was first at the table. calm,
cool and pale, in a satin quilted smok-
ing jacket. Miss Ainsley, the lady re-
porter. who worked until heathenfsh
hour each Saturday night, was next.
In fact, every one seemed on tiptoe
with curiosity though Jim and the
reward were. never mentioned during
the breakfast hour.
1t was singular. too. how the board
ers. who usually spent Sunday morn
ing in their rooms, fingered in the par
lor. Seward. holding the morning pa
per at most peculiar angle. held the
point of vantage in the bay window.
The little woman who went in for set
Element work clasped her prayer book
nervously and wondered if ''he" would
come before time for her to start for
church Dangler got no further in his
preparations for his usual morning
spin awheel than to don his snowy
white sweater with glowing crimson
bands. Conversation languished
Suddenly Seward dropped the paper
and exclaimed:
Here he comesr'
The moment was tense with excite
ment. The bell pealed shrilly, and
Kathleen cried nervously:
"Oh. dear! Who's going to talk to
him? | can'tv'
Dangler looked uncomfortable. Then
he caught the eye of the lady reporter.
He smiled in relief.
You'll do it, won't you, Miss Aims
ley? You reporters have all kinds of
nerve. You'll know just how to tackle
the old gentleman" ii
Before the lady reporter could pro
test Marsden entered. He la1d MS care
fully polished hat on the table, crossed
his cane on his gloves and gazed in
quiringly about the room. He recog-
nized Miss Ainsley and his dog stimuli
taneously.
"Oh, Miss Ainsley, this is an unex-
pected pleasure! And there's jim! You
old rogue, what do you mean by run
ming off like this, sir? A young man!
Very kind of him, I'm sure. Perhaps
you'll be kind enough to give him this,
and this to the landlady who fed him.
I trust he had the pillow, Thanksl