The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-27

care to bunk on il or whether you'd rather
stay quietly at some place, Newport per-
haps, and maybe take cruise with me now
and them
"Oh, that would be good fun. But here's
ma getting so L can't do thing with her.
on account of all those beggars and horrid
people down in the slums."
Mrs. Bines looked guilty and feebly dep
recating 1t was quite true that in her own
way she had achieved a reputation for prod
igality not inferior to that acquired by her
children in ways of their own.
You know it's SO, ma, the daughter
went on. accusingIy. lone night last winter
when you were away we dined at Ball
ridges, in Eighty-sixth street, and the
pavements were so sleety the horses couldn't
stand, so Colonel Balldridge brought US
home in the elevated, about IL o'clock. Well.
at one of the stations a big policeman got
on with a little baby all wrapped up in red
flannel He'd found it in an area-way, near
ly covered with snow-where some one had
left it, and he was taking it down TO police
headquarters, he said. Well, ma went crazy
right away. She made him undo it, and
then she insisted on holding it all the way
down to Thirty-third street. One man said it
might be President of the United States,
some day; and Colonel Balldridge said. Yes,
it has unknown possibilities-it may even
be a Presidents wife-just like that. But
l thought ma would be demented. 1t was all
fat and so warm and sleepy it could hardly
hold its eyes open. and believe she'd have
kept it then and there il the policeman
would have let her. She made him promise
to get Ii a bottle of warm milk the first
thing, and borrowed twenty dollars OF the
colonel to give to the policeman 10 get 1t
things with, and then all the way down she
talked against the authorities for allowing
such things-as If they could help it-and
when We got home she cried-you know you
did, ma-and you pretended it was tooth
ache-and ever since then she's been per-
fcctly daft about babies. Why, whenever
she sees a woman going along with one she
thinks the poor thing is going to leave it
some place; and now she's in with those
charity workers and says she won't leave
New York at all this summer"
II don't care" protested the guilty moth
er, lit would have frozen to death in just
little while. and it's done so often. Why,
up at the Catholic Protectory they put out
basket at the side door, so a body can
leave their baby in 1t and ring the bell and
run away; and they get one twice week
sometimes; and this was such a sweet, fat
little baby with big blue eyes, and its fore
head wrinkled, and it was all puckered up
around its little nose
And that isn't the worst of it," the re-
lentless daughter broke in. 'She gets beg
ging letters by the score and gives money
to all sorts of people, and a man from the
Charities Organization, who had heard
about it, came and warned her that they
were impOstors-only she doesn't care. Do
you know, there was a poor old blind wom-
an with a dismal, wheezy organ down at
Broadway and Twenty-third street.-The or
gan would hardly play at all, and just one
wretched tune-only the woman wasn't blind
at all We found out-and ma bought her q
nice new organ that cost seventy-five dol
lars and had it taken up to her. Well, she
found out through this man from the or
ganization that the woman had pawned the
new organ for twenty dollars and was still
playing on the old one. She didn't want a
new one because it was too cheerful; it
didn't make people sad when they heard
it, like her old one did. And yesterday ma
bought an Indian"
"A what?' asked her brother, in amaze
ment.
IAN Indiana tobacco sign"
You don't mean it? One of those lads
that stand out In front and peer under their
hands to what palefaces are moving
into the house across the street? Say, ma
what you going to do with him? There isn't
much room here, you know
az didn't buy him for myself" replied
such an object"
''She bought it, explained his sister, "for
Italian woman who keeps little tobac-
CO shop down in Rivington street. A man
goes around to repaint them, you know, but
hers was battered that this man told her
1t wasn't worth painting again, and she'd
better get another. and the woman said she
didn't know what to do because they cost
twenty-five dollars and one doesn't last very
long. The bad boys whittle him and throw
him down, and the people going along the
street put their shoes up TO tie them and
step on his feet, and they scratch matches
on his face, and when she goes out and
says that isn't right they tell her she's too
fresh. And so ma gave her twenty-five dol
lars for new one
But she has to support five children, and
her husband hasn't been able to work for
three years, since he fell through a fire es-
cape where he was sleeping one hot night"
pleaded Mrs. Bines, land think I'd rather
stay here this summer. Just think of all
those poor babies when the weather gets
hot. never thought there were so many
babies in the world"
well, have your own way" said her son.
IF you've started out to look after all the
time left to play the races. I'll promise you
that"
why, my son, never"
"But sis here would probably rather do
other things"
II think" said Psyche, I'D like Newport
Mrs. Drelmer says I shouldn't think of
going any place else. Only, of course, can't
go there alone. She says she would be glad
to chaperon me, but her husband hasn't had
a very good year in Wall street, and she's
afraid she won't be able to go herself"
Maybe" began Mrs. Bines, 'if you'd Of
fer"
'oh. she'd be offended" exclaimed
Psyche.
I'm not so sure OF that" said her broth
er. mot il you suggest 1t in the right way
put 1t on the ground that you'll be quite
helpless without her, and that she'd oblige
you world without end and all that. The
more see of people here the more / thinh,
they're quite reasonable in little matters
like that. They look at them in the right