The San Francisco call., 1904-07-10

hands dripping, and not lie in her
smart mouth!
He picked up the bills ] had dropped,
counted them and put them in his
pocket Then he unlocked a telephone
and lifted the stand from his desk.
Hello! Spring 3100-please. Hello!
Chiefs office? This is Obermuller,
Standard Theater. I want an officer
to take charge of a thief I've caught
in my apartments here at the Bron-
sonia. Yes, right on the corner. Hold
him till you come? well-rather!"
He put down the phone. 1 pulled
the pearl studs out of my pocket.
You might as well take these, toe"
l said.
so thoughtful of you, seeing that
you'd be searched! But I'll take EN-,
anyway. You intended them for
him? You didn't get anything else?"
I shook my head as lay there.
"Huml" 1t was half a laugh and
half a sneer. hated him for it, as he
sat leaning back on the back legs Of
his chair, his thumbs in his arm-holes.
1 felt his eyes-those smart, keen eyes,
burning into my miserable head. L
thought of the lawyer and the deal
he'd give poor Tom, and all at once
You'd have sniffled yourself, Mag
Monahan. There 1 was-caught. The
cop'd be after me in five minutes.
With Tom jugged and me in stripes
it wasn't very jolly, and 1 lost my
nerve.
"Ashamed-huh?" he said lightly.
I nodded. 1 was ashamed.
PITY you didn't get ashamed before
you broke in here"
What the devil was there to be
ashamed Off"
The sting in his voice had cured me.
I never was a weeper 1 sat up, my
face blazing, and stared at him. He'd
got me to hand over to the cop, but he
hadn't got me to sneer at.
saw by the look he gave me that he
hadn't really seen me till then.
We'll" he answered. what the
devil is there to be ashamed of now? p"
"Of being caught-that's what"
"Oh!"
He tilted back again On his chair and
laughed softly.
Then you are not ashamed of your
profession?"
Are you of yours?"
'Well-there's a slight difference
mot much, whatever it may be. It's
your graft-it's everybody take
all he can get, and keep out of Jail.
That's mine, too"
But you see 1 keep out of Jail"
Il see you are not there-yet."
"Oh, think you needn't worry about
that. I'll keep out, thank you; i'm
prisonment for debt don't go nova
days"
Debt"
Pm theatrical manager, my girl,
and I'm not on the inside; which is an
other way of saying that man who
can't swim has fallen overheard"
''And when you so down"
"A little less exultation, my dear, or
1 might suppose yot'd be glad when I
do"
well, when you know yourself going
down for the last time, do you mean
to tell me you won't'grasp at straw
like-like this?' 1 nodded toward the
open window, and the desk with all it's
papers tumbling OUT
Not much" He shook his head, and
bit the end of a cigar with sharp, white
teeth IT'S fool grart. I'm self-re-
specting. And I don't admire fools" !"
He lit his cigar and puffed a minute,
taking out his watch to look at it, as
cold bloodedly as though we were
waiting, he and I, to go to supper to-
gether. Oh. how 1 hated him!
Honesty isn't the best policy" he
went on Its the only one. The vain
fool that gets it into his head-or shall
10 nff
I assure youths head then, that he's
smarter than a world full of expert
ence, ought to be put in jail-for his
own protection; he's too big a jay to
be left out Of doors. For five thousand
years, more or less. the world has been
putting people like him behind bars,
where they can't make asses of them
selves. Yet every year, and every day
and every hour, new ninny Is born
who fancies he's cleyerer than all his
predecessors put together. Talk about
suckersl Why they're giants of intel
lect compared to the mentally lopsided
that five thousand years of experience
can't teach. When the criminal
clowns turn comes, he hops, skips and
Jumps into the ring with the old, old
gag He thinks it's new, because he
himself is so fresh and green. Here /
am again. he yells, the fellow that'll
do you up. Others have tried it..
They're dead in Jail or under jail
yards. But me-just watch mel We
do, and after little we put him with
his mates and keeper in a barred
kindergarten where fools that can't
learn, little moral cripples of both
sexes, my dear, belong. BAH" He
puffed out the smoke, throwing his
head back, in a cloud toward the cell
ing.
sprang from my seat and faced
him. 1 was tingling all through.
didn't care rap what became Of me
for just that minute. 1 forgot about
Tom. I prayed that the cop wouldn't
come for a minute yet-but only that 1
might answer him.
You're mighty smart amt you?
You can sit back here and sneer at me,
can't you? And feel so big and smart
and triumphant! What've you done
hut catch a girl at her first bungling