The San Francisco call., 1903-12-20

eyes of it seemed to follow ones every
movement.
THAT is cats head" said Mr.. Hart,
and he came over to show me how the
head opened, locket fashion, to show a
baby niece's portrait and that of his
wife, a piquant little face, wide-eyed
and laughing under its tangle of curls.
"She gave it to me. These are cats
eyes. My birthstone, you know"
Are you"
well. I'm not superstitious about
most things, but" Mr.. Hart's head
shook ~solemnly to indicate that birth
stones really counted. It's my mas
cot, in fact"
He put up his finger then to show
me heavy gold ring, Foxy Grandpa
cleverly carved on one wing of it, the
boys on the other, and Foxy Grand
pa engraved in the center. "She had
that made for me, too" he said hap
PLY.
Don't forget my story, please"
remind then
I'm out of snow" he began, teasing
ly. Roses will do"
Talking of roses, did have a funny
sort of Christmas night here once.
Ought to be ashamed of it, too. 1 had
been out with a friend making Christ
mas calls-after the show-and we
We're walking down Geary street and
tossing up whether to make for the
HamnRm baths or home. The baths
won fhe toss-luckily. But we were
happy. Lord, how happy we were! We
just owned that block. Presently an
other fellow came along. He wasn't
striped our way. He had the look of
man when the chips hadn't been COM
ing his way, utterly forlorn," and
Hart thrust UP a pair. of desolate
shoulders to illustrate. Poor chap!
But it struck the other owls on the
funny bone. We commenced to laugh,
and laughed, and couldn't stop. The
man just looked at us and said:
D-n! I'd give a thousand dollars if
1 had laugh coming to me like
that!' We wished him a merry Christ
mas, then, and 1 guess he wasn't any
the worse for il"
More, please" I laughed.
I'll tell you a little story, with all
the snow you want-though it hadn't
anything to do with the case. 1 was
in Philadelphia one Christmas night,
showing to beat the band, too" he be-
gan, ''and they told me when 1 got
down to the theater that there had
been a man waiting at the stage door
for me for an hour before 1 came. I'd
gone in at the front of the house, so
he'd missed me. 1 didn't pay any at
tention at first. We've so many people
come to see us about any old thing.
They come because they have sat in
front at Oshkosh-any reasons good
enough. They're something like those
London gamins, you know. The lit
tie chaps seem to spring out of the
gutter to open your cab doors, and
they don't say anything but Thank
you, sir and hold out their poor little
claws. I remember one little beggar
who was too late to open the door,
but the imp put out his hand just the
same, and said, I saw you get out
sir!' l put my hand in my pocket and
said: Here, it's worth it.
But the other fellows still out in
the snow, isn't he? He kept bothering
the people to see me until l sent my
boy out to him. He asked his name
and what he wanted, but all the fell
low would say was. oh. Joe % doesn't
know me, but tell him it's very i'm
portant. Fetch him in 1 told my boy
at last, and what do you think he
wanted? He explained between shiv-
ers that he had seen me in front and
so was sure I'd help him out of
hole that his friend Billy had one of
his lamps damaged and was due to
go to a Christmas party with his best
girl and that if 1 didn't let him have
some of the right kind OF paint to hide
the damage explanations would be in
order and Billy short on best girls
He got the paint"
We left the comedian then, again re-
GREETING that we had not seen Mrs.
Hart
But you will say something about
her?" he pleaded. land 1t can't be too
much or too good -