The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-06-09
THANK YOU'S GIFT
BY ELIZABETH CHERRY WALTZ

the morning. The excitement thrilled him and
made him nervous.
Get away! There's dime for you. I'm in
a hurry"
To his amazement, the dime lay in the
dust, and the small figure burst into q
passion of tears.
"Lawd knows tried to tell yer!" was her
principal plant. Blakemore Ross realized
something. He climbed down from his seat
Il didn't treat you right, did I? Now. go
ahead. You seem to know me-
'Yo'se Mistah Ross"
The man laughed. Any one might know his
name to-day, better by night than ever.
II am Mr.. Ross How did you know"
"Yo'se gwine to marry the lubly lady, amt
yo'?''
II hope so. Do you know her? But Of
course you do She told me about you.
Isn't your name Thank You?" ...s-.
"Foah de Lawd. she done remember mel"
cried Thank You, wonderingly. but, oh,
Mistah Ross, yo' mustn 't-'deed yo' mustn't
bet on yo' own boss none dis hyar day, an
don't yo' say nothin- I can't tell yo' why
no, can't. I git killed. But yo' kin trus'
me. Don't yo' do it, Mistah Ross
He chltched the child by the arm, his heart
beating horribly. 1t meant thousands, indeed.
almost total ruin. to him To-day was the
great Charter Oaks stake on which he had
counted for months, It was not fifteen min
utes since he had left his peerless Princess
Maud. He could have sworn that she was At,
fit and ready to win this moment.
Just tell me plainly what you mean." he
demanded thickly. you black demons know
thousand things. The horse is all right.
have just seen her..
Thank You looked up in an agony Of con.
Germ.
"Dont yo' bet none on thet boss, sab. She
won't win 10 race foah yo'' this day. No,
sab, she won't
"Ill not pay any attention to your abonat-
nable lies,' he said angrily, pushing her
away.
There were angry tears in the child's eyes,
but she rose to the occasion Dravely.
eft yo' dat ugly an stubborn, go long
den'' she said sullenly, IAN lose 70 money
an shame yo'self too. L tole 70 de truf dat
will be- I did
Ross went back to the stables and looked
over his mare again.
s"Right as trivet,'' he pronounced her, and
went back to the betting sheds treasured.
Suddenly the convincing look in the child's
ewes smote upon his conscience. Truth had
dwelt there. The mysterious innpinging OF the
to-happen Jared on his assurance. A blind
intuition imoelled him to hedge his bets, to
place his money elsewhere. to accept the in
evitable as a fnality, to believe in the brown
child's warning.
81 think it would mean great deal to the
lovely laQy, ne SdlQ IuuSlHkiS. IL Nooio
Just about mean my ruin. I didn't know ]
| was in SO deep. could not have asked her
to marry me this year
| Pale and frightened, the lovely lady leaned
over the box ratings of the grand stand and
beckoned to Blakemore Ross. He was quite
as pale when he came, but very self-contained
and cool.
| what does it mean?'' she whispered. i've
lost no end of gloves and some money. Is
| there anything wrong with the horse?"
"She seems ILL., He tried to speak
| lightly. , -
.Ill? Have you lost much moneys"
.sNot a great deal was not in very deep.
| A friend of the lovely lady warned me OF II
| this morning. She doubtless knew great
deal, as she lives in one Of those huts among
the track deviltry. She warned me for love
of you, her lovely lady"
"It was Thank YOU" exclaimed the pale
one in amaze
| Eyes, it was Thank You. She wanted you
! to be happy L would have been ruined had
| she not warned me in time. You must take
her gift, dear, with less recklessness ana
folly, I hope. 1t has been a lesson. y - =
The lovely lady's eyes were full OF tears.
They may have been for the Princess Maud,
| for Thank You or her disappointment, but
her lover seemed to think of them all for the
| future and that they were happy ones