Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-11

| II.
Yes, empty-handed. Tom Dorgan. And
| can't honestly say didn't have the chance
| buff my hands are empty my head is
! full.
Listen.
There's girl / know with short brown
hair. turned-up nose and gray eyes, rath-
er far apart. You know her, too? Well.
she can't help that.
But this girl-oh. she makes such a pretty
boy. And the ladies at the hotel over In
| Brooklyn they just dote on her when she's
| not only boy but bell-boy. Her name
| may he Nancy when she's in petticoats. but
in trousers she's .Nathaniei--in short, Nat
| Now Nat, in blue and buttons. with his
| nails kept better than most boys, with his
| curly hair parted in the middle. and with
| gentle tang to his voice that makes him
| almost girlish-who would suspect Nat OF
| having stolen pass-key in his pocket and
| pretty fair knowledge of the contents of
almost every top bureau drawer in the
| hotel?
| Not Mrs. Sarah Kingdom, widow just
| arrived from Philadelphia. and desperately
| gone on young Mr.. George, NORWAY. also
| fresh from Philadelphia, and despera tely
! gone Mrs. Kingdons-money.
The tips that lady gave the bad boy Nat.
l knew | couldn't make you believe it any
| other way; that's why l passed 'em on to
| you. Tommy-boy.
The hotel woman, you know girls, is a
hotel woman because she isn't fit to be
anything else. She's lazy and selfish and
little and she's shifted all her legitimate
cares on to the prOprietor'S shoulders She
actually-you can understand and share my
indignation, can't you, Tom. as you've
shared other things?-She even gives over
her black tin box full of valuableS fa the
hotel clerk to put in the safe; the coward
there's " hpr
her, such spectators as you and myself.
She's got to outshine the woman who sits
| at the next table, and SO she bOrrows her
diamonds from the clerk. wears 'em like
the peacock she is, and trembles till they're
back in the safe again.
In the meantime she locks them up in the
tin box which she puts in her top bureau
drawer. hides the key, forgets where she
hid 1t, and-oh. Tom, after searching for it
for hours and making herself sick with
anxiety, she ties UP her head in a wet
handkerchief with vinegar on 1t and
rings the bell for the bell boy
. He comes.
AS l said. he's a prompt. gentle little bell
BOY, slight looks rather young for his job
but that very youth and innocence of his
makes him such fellow4tes trust!
Nat. says Mrs Kingdom. tearfuIly
pressing half dollar into the nice lad 8
hand live lost something, and 1 want
you toto help find it,
=, Yes m. says Nat. He's the soul of po-
likeness.
1T must be here-it must be in this
room. says the lady, getting wild with the
went straight to the shoe-bag and slip
ped 1t there. And now I can't find it.
and must have 1t before 1 go out this
Nc uei noon IorIior very special reason.
MY daughter Evelyn will be home tomor-
row and-why don't you look for ite"
What Is it, ma'am?'
told you once. My key-a little fat
distrustfully.
ma'am?" Doe'
Why. of course have. you little stupid.
l want you to hunt other places where T
can't easily get. There are other places
might have put it, but I'm positive it was
In the shoe bag"
well Wen. l looked for that key Where
where not? l looked under the rubbish in
the waste paper basket: Mrs Kingdom often
fooled thieves by dropping it there. l pulled
up the corner of the carpet and looked
s s was loose; 1t had often been used
for hiding place l looked in Miss Eve
lyn g boot and In her ribbon box l emptied
Mrs. Kingdoms full powder box 1 climbed
ladders and felt along cornices. 1 looked
through the pockets of Mrs Kingdom S
gowns-a clever bell boy 1t takes to find
a woman's pocket. but even the real mas
cuiine ones among EN- are half feminine
they've had so much to do with women.
l rummased through her writing desk
and, In searching goid-cornered pad,
found note from Norway hidden under
| the corner. / hid 1t again carefully-in INV
| coat pocket A love letter from NORWAY
| TO woman twenty years older than him
| self-'tain't a bad lay, Tom Dorgan but
you needn't try it.
At first she watched every move / made
| Out later. as her headache grew worse
she got desperate So then I put my hand
| down into the shoe bag and found the kew
| where 1t had slipped under a fold of cloth
| DO you suppose that woman was CRATE
/ full? She snatched 1t from me-
| I tnl1
| there If you'd had any sense you'd
| have looked there first. The boys in this
| hotel are 50 stupid"
| That's all. ma'am?"
She nodded. She was fitting the key into
! the black box she'd taken from the tor
drawer. Nat had got to the outside dool
when he heard her come shrieking afte,
| him.
Nat-Nat-come back. My diamonds
| they're not here. I know 1 put them ba ck
| last night-I'm positive. 1 could swear te
1t. can see myself putting them in the
chamois bag. and-O. my God. where car
| they be, This time they're gone"
Nat could have told her-but what's the
use? He felt she'd only lose 'em again II
she had EN- So he let them lie snug II
his trousers pocket-where he had pu
| the chamois bag, when his eyes
lit on it. under the corner of the carpet
He might have passed it over to her then
but. you see. Tom she hadn't told him t.
look for bag: 1t was a key she wanted
| Bell boys are so stupid.
This time she followed his every step
| He could not put his hand on the smallest
thing without rousing her suspicion If ht
hesitated she scolded. If he hurried sh,
| fumed. Most unjust. call it, because ht
had no thought of stealing-just then
| Come, she said at last, we'll go dowr
| and report 1t at the desk.
Hadn't l better wait here. ma am, ant
look AGAIN."
She looked sharply at him.
No; you'd better do just as tell you"
So down We went. And we met Mr. Nor
iway there. Shed telephoned him. TIL,
chambermaid was called. the housekeeper
the electrical engineer. who'd been fixin,
bells that morning. and. 1 said. a bel
boy named Nat, who told how he'd Jus
come on duty when Mrs. Kingdoms bel
rang, found her key and returned it to her
| and was out of the room when she unlock
ed the box That was all he knew
rs he telling the TRUTH" NORWAY asked
Mrs Kingdom
"Ye-es, / guess he is; but where are tn,
diamonds? We must have them-yo,
know-today, George" she whispered An,
then she turned and went upstairs, leavinl
| Norway to do the rest.
There's only one thing to do, major" h,
said to the proprietor. Search EN- all ant
| them
Search me? It's an outrage!" cried tn,
housekeeper.
Search me IL We loike." growled McCar
thy reaantfully sOf wasn't there h,,f ,