The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-07-14

| gagged for next week-engaged to play
| somewhere. Praps she's told her moth
er and it's all settled"
! 1t was Jim's turn to become excited.
He knew that he had spoken with the
| prodigy.
by jiminy!" exclaimed the little tat
tered waif. weaving a fresh design on
the already grotesque face. Dat
might be SO. Say. I'm in luck. Mikes
place will be full ter de ash cans next
Monday. He'll advertise it; OH de level.
he will"
Advertise it! Miss Wetherbee's black
eyes sparkled. A little later two chill
dren Of oddly different appearances
were busily engaged in pasting a white
strip on to the minstrel poster. The old
letters were obliterated and new ones
put in their place.
Jim walked proudly down the front
steps shortly afterward with curious
bundle under his arm.
Officer Leghorn was the first to see it.
He stopped short in front of the big
house and put his gloved hand up to his
eyes as IL unwilling to believe that his
vision had not been tempered with.
Tackled to the door and prominent
enough to be seen a block away was a
big colored poster. 1t represented a
small negro urchin playing on banjo.
and the white space around the figure
was covered with carelessly shaped let
tiers. After much study Officer Leghorn
deciphered the following:
Miss Catherin Mcdonald, de worlds
greatest kid pianner player, will posi-
lively appear at Mike Slarity's saloon
next Monday night. She is wunder.
Come wun, come all"
At the very bottom Of the poster this
edifying statement had been placed:
Mike SIarity gives de biggest glass
Of beer for . cents in de city,
Officer LeghOrn read it over and over
again. Then his gaze wandered to the
pretentiOuS house front, with it's elabO-
rate fixtures.
Its funny that they'd let 'em put up
the posters on their front door," he So
liloquized, scratching his head. 1.-THE
family must hev met reverses."
He was joined by two business men
coming home. There was an exchange
Of glances.
mike keeps the toughest dance hall in
town." was Officer Leghorn's comment.
The interested spectators were Joined
by others who wanted to read the
gaudy poster.
Just across the street little flushed
face was pressed against the pane, and
two very black. bright eyes were
watching developments with unstinted
excitement Miss Wetherbee's revenge
was destined to be complete.
Strange as it may seem, there had
been no interruption from the occu-
pants Of the big house. Mrs. Rankin.
straight and prim in her black dress,
walked down Haney street in the direc-
ton Of the house. She had promised to
call for her little daughter. Mrs. Ran
kin's state of mind when she discov-
| cred that her little daughter was being
entertained by saloon sketch artist, a
TERRIBLE little degenerate that made
money for her equally depraved moth
err by doing variety turns in a dance
hall, may be understood. Mrs. Rankin,
| gathering up her skirts frantically,
made dart for the steps, pushing the
| crowd aside ruthlessly. When she ap-
peared once more. she was dragging a
sobbing, damp face, tousled little girl
after her. Others followed. dozens of
them, all in their very best kits, but
all very much excited, and the melee
on stairway and sidewalk when the
| crowd was mingled with the party
guests was odd enough to make one be-
| lieve Il catastrophe had occurred.
| Then Jim came, poor, unassuming
jim. puffed up with pride over the sue
cess of his brilliant scheme fresh from
Mikes place, where his reception had
been beyond all expectations. There
Catherine stood sobbing, like dozen
others, her dress quite rumpled and her
'grownup" eyes searching the crowd.
Jim longed to yell up to her. All this
was simply the happy elimination of
his hearts greatest desire; the adver-
Using game had worked bully" Just
see what a crowd had collected. Her
debut at Mikes would crush all previ-
Gus records of vaudeville artists.
'I'll bet she's proud-well. sayw he
chirped gleefully.
Alas for the fondest of dreams. luck
less Jim's awakening came with only
too much rapidly. The little girl who
had been the inspiration of it all. the
brown haired prodigy with the droop-
ing eyes, she it was who called forth
this sad ending. A moment before he
was congratulating himself; Il moment
before his tan cheeks had burned with
pleasure She had waved her hands
She had pointed to him. He. just jim
was recognized by the prodigy Of Ha'
ney street and before this finely
rugged out assembly! Tben-then some
one grabbed him savagely by the arm.
Its We, Mr.. Leghorn!" he STAN.
mered.
Officer Leghorn nodded.