Arizona republican., 1904-03-15
 By Jack B. Norman.

of the three functionarieS employed by the little boys mother to thwart the natural desires of healthy, noisy child hood, thought one of the other two was performing the dry duty of pre- , siding over Reggie's evening meal wherefore his disappearance was not made known until he was five long blocks from home and hurrying still farther away as fast as his rebellious little legs would propel him.
 Il He kept straight down the sid. street, fearlessly crossing the wide avenues where fashionable traffic was temporarily suspended during the din- ner hour until he ran into a glare of lights where a great many children buzzed about two youngsters who fought fiercely over half an apple. He stopped 10 watch the fray until the | combatants swerved apart, hot but fearless. to join the more peaceful play which included several little girls with round. rosy, smudgy faces and disheveled attire. All the children had loud and merry voices such as Reggie had heard only from the remote emi- hence of his mothers liveried carriage when, on rare occasions, she allowed the groom to drive through crowded thoroughfares.
 At first he was inclined to stand off, but the democratic exuberance of of mirth and good fellowship soon en- ticed him into the game. Such sport as that was! Never in his dull, gilded, restricted life had he known an hour Of such delicious freedom and fun. He was heartily sorry when. group by group, the merry makers broke away reluctantly in obedience to parental commands. At last only a noisy laughing quartette remained, and fin- ally even their play was interrupted by a large, bareheaded woman who boro down upon them with motherly how erings.
 Didn't ye hear me callin' ye?' she cried, with make-believe impatience. Sure, I've been scrachin' at ye this half hour. Come along wid ye, now. Who's this little tyke?" she demanded. as her eyes fell upon Reggie in his velvet pants and wide lace collar.
 He played along wid we," ex- plained little Pat O'Rouke. who held Reggie's hand in warm, fraternal grasp.
 Sure, he don't belong here. Whats yer name, me dear?"
 It ended by Reggie following the gang up five flights of oil-clothed lO lIe lOp story tenement where Dennis O'Rouke sat smoking his even ing pipe in rare peace of mind.
 "Dinny." said his wife here's a lit tie lost kid what don't know nuthin' 'cept that he lives beyant tn park, Sure. it's too late to be quirin' round fer his daddy now. It's meself that don't know what to do wid i'm"
 Please let me stay with Pat an Katie" pleaded Reggie ardently.
 Let i'm stay wid Pat an Katie! D ye hear that. Dinny? We can't turn tn darlint out this time O night
 Course not" Dennis agreed em- phatically. let i'm stay wid tn kids till he's inquired fer"
 Reggie watched the vigorous but rather inadequate ablutions of the quartette in awed surprise at the ab- sence of the usual accessories of polite bathing. A tin tub placed in the middle of the floor did duty for the four, who knelt by turns. to have their wry faces scrubbed. after which their panting mother stripped off their crumpled lit tie garments and bundled them to bed with many soft pats and kisses that sounded very different from his own nurses tart admonitions to "go to sleep at once" Reggie did not remember ever having been put to bed by the beautiful. elegant young woman whom he called mamm9, who had no corela- ton in his mind with the beneficent anectionate person whom the quar- tette addressed as nanny" She tucked him in last of all but did not neglect to cuddle him to her ample bosom as his arms went round Her neck with sigh of sweet contentment. Pat, already fast asleep rolled oyer and embraced him with a fat, moist arm to which he yielded himself with last gasp of happiness.
 "Dinny," said Mrs. O'Rouke, in q damp voice, its my opinion that bye's a poor little offin, or else he's got crool stepmother that mistrates i'm shameful. He's that starved fer a bit Of love it's pitiful so 'tis. He says he ain't got no nanny, jest a mommer that takes him drivin' in tn park, an a pepper that lives in the same house. wid i'm sometimes. I've a great mind to kape i'm out-an'- -out, so ] have. th' poor little darlinti"
 Mabbe is dad is some big bloke thatd git us pinched fer kidnappin. ," objected cautious Dennis I'd better spake to Policeman Flynn tomorry It'd be the safest way If nobody don't claim i'm we'll kape i'm to rum wid t'other little tykes."
 Hardly had Dennis addressed him self to Policeman Flynn on the follow Ing morning when that officers atten- t1on was engrossed by a runaway which proved so exciting that when all was over he found himself laid up wisb many bruises which kept him within the strict seclusion of his own home Tor two days during which his careful wife banished the papers along with all other mediums of distraction. which accounted for his forgetfulness in the matter of Dennis information. And in the meantime Reggie stayed with the fascinating quartette and played and tumbled and screeched around the streets in the glorious free dom of the east side. A pair of Pats shapeless overalls substituted for his tight little velvet suit. for purposes of economy as we'll as physical comfort, and what with his mask of grime and dust and the voluminous denim his disguise was so complete that not one