The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-07-31

XIV.
All me, Maggie, the miserable Nance
that went away from that station To
have had your future in your grasp.
like that one Of the Fates with the
string, and then to have it snatched
from you by an inlpish breeze and
blown away. goodness knows where,
I don't know just which way I turned
after 1 left that station. I didn't care
where I went. Nothing I could think
of gave me any comfort. tried to
fancy myself coming home to you.
tried to see myself going down to tell
the whole thing to ObermuIler But I
couldn't do that. There was only one
thing 1 wanted to say to Fred Ober-
muller, and that thing I couldn't say
now.
But Nance Olden's not the girl to
go around long like a molting hen.
There was only one chance in a hun
dred. and that was the one 1 took, OF
course.
Back to the square where you found
the baby, Nancel" 1 cried to myself.
There's the chance mat that admir-
able dragon has had her suspicious
aroused by your connection with the
baby, which she hadn't known before,
and has already dutifully notified the
sergeant. There's the chance that the
baby is home by now and the paper
found by her mother will be turned
over to her papa; and then It's good
by to your scheme. There's the chance
that"
But in the heart OF me I didn't be-
ltaya IN ~ Oh hut
that I'd find that blessed baby and
get my fingers once more on that
precious paper.
I blew in the A. DIS nickel on a
cross-town car and gor back to the
little square. There was another or
gan-grinder there grinding out coon
songs, to which other pickaninnies
danced. But nary a little white bundle
OF fun caught hold of my hand. 1
walked that square till my feet were
sore. 1t was hot. My throat was
parched. I was hungry. My head
ached. was hopeless. And yet 1
just couldn't give 1t up. 1 had asked
so many children and nurse-maids
whether they'd heard Of the baby lost
that morning and brought back by. an
officer that they began to look at me
as though 1 was not quite right In my
mind. The maids grabbed the chill
dren If they started to come near me,
and the children stared at me with
big round eyes, as though they'd been
told 1 was an ogre who might eat
them.
/ was hungry enough too. The little
fruitstand at the entrance had fas-
cination for me. I found myself there
time and again. till got afraid 1 might
actually try to get or with a peach
or a bunch of grapes. That thought
haunted me. Fancy Nance Olden
starved and laundering into the cheap
est and most easily detected species
of thieving!
1 suppose great generals in their hour
of defeat imagine themselves doing the
feeblest, foolishest things. AS 1 sat
there on the bench, gazing before me,
1 saw the whole thing-Nancy OIden,
after all her Dragging. her skirmish-
ing, her hairbreadth escapes and sue
cesses, arrested in broad daylight and
before witnesses for having stolen a
cool, wet bunch of grapes. worth a
nickel. for her hot, dry, hungering
throat! 1 saw the policeman that'd
do it: he looked like that Sergeant
Mulhill l met way, way back in Lati-
mer's garden, 1 saw the officer that'd
receive me; he had blue eyes like the
detective that came for me to the Man
haitian. 1 saw the woman jailer-oh.
she was the A. D., all right. who'd re-
ceive me without the slightest emotion,
show me TO a cell and lock the door,
as calm, as little triumphant or affect
ed as though 1 hadn't once outwitted
that cleverest of creatures-and out
witted myself in forestalling her. I
saw