Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1903-11-07
OLD JIM 49,

II tened, STICK concealed cne mana
behind his back No step the
riekety tenement a.a s stairs. NO fys derislss
it? He s peer sie into the semi-twilight
from under his shaggy gray eyebrows,
eorner of sh the i erS leis st tem
bundle of ragsi He. stopped to, pics it
up two little hands flew up. and baby
Old Jim. derisively known as the '-Old
good LOOKING KIM n but IAN an aeeidenf in the
foundry had settled all that, and the
to grow hard and suspicious and often
irascible from an aching spine Hence
t hl long hight Of st e
den from which he emerged to grow.
merous children who swarsned the stairs.
In fact, he had more than once been
kept arY1 more children were drowned
the world would pc better off; whereby
the tenement. 1t was the very irony of
fate that brought the helpless baby to
The innocent babe, delighted to be held.
smiled and cCoed and waved it's aimless
see if a note t of expiana ton was at
tached-for he had heard of such things
grasped firmly in the tiny wandering
baby fingers. So little, soft, and yet
arm and settled around his heart The
baby gurgled softly That was enough
hall to be sure that no was grinning
at hirl, stepped back into his room, and
Mrs Flaherty on the floor below had
five small children and a large motherly
went that night, after the children were
all out playing on the sidewalk, to ask
s sas' @oG Gd seil HIM hi@ some Clothes anu
Sell ye some clothes2 Faith I'd give
out of work again. But you aon't mean
to kape the poor little thing, do We? You
How can i tell about that Mrs Fla
herty? All L want to know now is
Sdw he p1 a9 gve ed it Dt milk
..Ah, ye helpless man. I'll come up
ana a the n as o day She connded to her
neignbor, Mrs Schultz: I've ought to of
TO be sure. there was nothing much in
it. The ould crusty creetur bent double
over the little baby ehangin its clothes 3tils
white baby cooin away up into his
baek wrinhled FACE a he b If ne was e1 ts
creetur. a smIlin, yes. actually smilin'-
kape it next day with me little Dan. Id
Just as soon have two babies rolIin'
der me feet as one.
herJy,' said Mrs. Schlitz- Il dink you
forget he promised TO preak your little
again
the time. said Mrs. Flaherty. Tom
my's a tormint and trile even to me.
Me heart ; broke wild him. And the poor
in to a home. L d nate to have one of
me own GO to home, can tell you that,
Strange to say. the child lived and fat
Dassmes he roied on the h rty oor Of
Mrs Flaherty's kitchen with little Dan
Children ha an y night he to the
one spotless room, where he cudd1ed and
eooed in the old mans arms and brought
his infantile graces to cheer hitherto
barren life Flies in bottle amused
hlm Trying to fdsaen them the ae
the worn foorfng by Shaping them down
and ali the world was his friend His
sunshine filed the life of the old man and
in'9 an aee hoe bi IN a dhe
was nearly. ruined by surreptitious sticks
While a lovely disposition caused him to
be surfeited by caresses from all the ma
or less harmony under the same roof.
Old Jim worshipped him. His keen eyes
Voice took on a new tone. and Mrs.
Schlitz said: He vas quite agreeable
But one night as Jim neared home, re-
turning from the foundry, he saw an en-
steam A vague fear filled him He hur-
ried on fast as his withered old legs
along the street, water ran in big
streams through the gutter, a hook and
through the crowd 1t was the tenement
Keep back. you old fool you've got to
get out of the fire lines. roared a fire
The stairs were filled with firemen. pipes
and running water Smoke was driving
them back Jim pushed on do you
know if they got my baby out2" he
croaked-
It dunno. L guess So Which floor do
you live on2- answered the half-choked
fireman. But Jim was gone Just then
there came crash The roof fell in And
Mrs Flaherty walled from the opposite
pavement: .Ah. what-H 1 do within ould
Jim comes home and 1 have to tell him
the dremen brought out the baby smoth-
cred intirely2
But old Jim had gone home-New York