The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-12-17
TIM RAFFERIY'S ROMANCE

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same on straight. an tn badge on Nv ry
helrnut as broight as ilitrick loights
Well. thut was Ranerty-six fate av i'm
an built { correspond. Av Saturday
wild all tn shoppers hiccuppin' acrost an
back over tn ashfelt, r all the wor-
rlld loike lot av intoxsicathed poulthry
an thut's whut wimmin shoppers remin'
me av iv'ry toime-he was an Appo.lyin
in brass buttins. Mary's tn lass I've
seen teeter out in front av a hungry
cabul car. only { be snatched Fl m bleed
in death be Rafferty,. An many the
swate smcile I've invited him fr, whin he
hefted her COP onto TIL curb whole she
got back her breath an put her hat on
straight. But uts over now"
Carney, the olu Police Headquarters
doorman,- with nve service stripes upon
his blue sleeve, was Speaking. 1t was
eight o'clock of June evening. The
Block" was empty, and Carney had
been drawn along the lonesome corridor
toward the steps. One green ribbon of
glow stretched over the stoop from the
lamps outside-the police hue that tints
New oYrk thoroughfares here and there
with protecting warmth of color. 1t
when the. last inspectors office was shut
and nothing remained alive in the dirty
white building save the telephone bells
in ne basement. Suicides and fires do
nQ< stop work at six as does the most
OF Mulberry streets machinery So the
wires must need stay open in the Tele-
graph Bureau.
l was Carney's privileged confidant.
And many the story ne had told me,
there in the doorway of Headquarters.
with the murmur from the Mott Street
tenements coming to US, faint and whis-
pered like, and the echo from the Bow
cry, a stones throw beyond, only the
ghost of an echo. ] never hurried the
old doorman. | simply waited for his
words. And in time they came.
Il was on tn door ut tn Tenderloin
stashun thin days" said Carney. An
they said Rafferty, was t be made a
rounds fr savin a kid firm the car
wheels on post An he swud have bin
rounds shure enough. but thur WASH
III tonne FIR ut. TITS part stashun house
Eossup-which amt III gospul be long
odds an part whut l know FIR me own
thut I'm givln' We. An let ut go FIR thut
=
put { poundin' pavements in Tn Swim
teenth. An storys manhandled shame
ful whin ut travels "A mile er so.
Rafferty, was L be married. / knowed
tn gurrul She used { come { tn sta
shun house / go home wild i'm whin his
day off was afther six o'clock roll call.
a purity bit av thing she was, wild a
lot chestnut hair thut stud around
her head loike tn win was in ut all tn
tonne. She was a good girrul. An thut
names a dale whin We think whuf Raj
ferty'S girrul was in tn habut av livin'.
FIR TIL tiniment wasn't tn edge av ut be-
soide An thin days Hell's Kitchin didn't
have t be shamed ay ut's name. She
was good girrul, Heaven bless her,
Name he used t. call her. An 'Sulli-
van was tn last name, an tn sham
rocks in tn oil country thimsilvss wud
ave bin proud t. feel her fate a treadin'
av thin down.
She lived on tn fifth sthory av one
av thin coorsid tinimints. whur tn land
lord has KEEP awake o noights afore ut
was built. plannin' how littul av Gods
sunloight he en- let each family have
along wild tn rint. An she KEEP house f'r
her mother, teary oil soul wild no
shpunk in her body. an her brother, Tom,
q longshorernan. mostly out av worruk
an mostly dhrunk. Thut was tn Sulli
van family. An small wonder was ut
thut Rafftery was crazy [ marry Name
an TAX her away firm ut all, t. fiat
fr two In Harlum. Name was a Helrs
Kitchen posey, an tn flowers is scarce
In thin parts.
"Rafferty's post touched tn ind III
sthreet whur tn Sullivins lived. an ut d
bin in TIL midst av a dhrunkin' maulin
that he'd first met Name. He towld me
av ut himself one noight. whin IN re-
serves was aslape, an he culn't shut eye
Or thinkin' av things.
- 'Whin l got thur, Carney. he says.
thur was one man down be the coorb wild
another above i'm, thryin' L shove a
case knife int his gullet. TIL blood was
thur [ show ut. An he wud ave fin !
ished III under one wild another slashin
afore l cud ave soe betune thin, had it
not bin fr lass that sprung firm some
whur an hung ont his arrum-th' one
wild III case-knife toight in ut-an' wud
not let go. He coorsed her fearful, but
she hung on wild her littul teeth set an
shown plain hetune lips thut was as
whoite as tn teeth thimsilves. Thin one
ev tn gang saw me uniform an yelled |
Cheese ut an tn man wild tn knife
Jumps up an seem me- Civ tn girrul a
swingin' blow fun in IN face. An she
fell. not KNOWN nothin' afther. Whin l
lifted her-she WAS only a TONY doll an /
sS loight as feather-she held ont me (
arrum an half whispur'd. half sobbed, /
'Don't do Ut, Tom. Don't be ut Thut \
was how ] met Name. Carney he says, |
breathin' hard loike.
"Afther ut Tom an rafferty, was ini- /
niles. Rafferty, wud ave bin friends fast /
loved III bye. bad as ne was But Tom 1
wud ave nothin' az ut. So Rafftery tried /
hard Z kape away Fl m him. An many's |
I'll mixed ale row in tn Kitchin' thut /
come Oft wild no artist FIR Tom was ut
tn bottom av thin all. an Rafferty, was
feared { artist him fr chanst av losin' f.
Names love. An Tom called i'm out av .
rs name in front az tn gang. an thin /
IN gang stoned i'm wild bricks an tore his I
uniform. But Rafferty, swallad Ut all
He was in love. An fr love min do .
things
only onct whin he come int tn sta
shun house wild a cut over his eye an is I
helmut smashed. he asks tn captain fr
anuther post. Az We are feared I covur
III one ye have. l will.' said th captain
/ asks [ be left on thut post says Raj
ferty. salutn' Wild is face as whoi;e as
Names was whin he'd picked he- up thut
first tonne. He'd niver hin called a COW
ard afore save he IN kitchin gang. an