Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-27

I laughed. mot 1. I-myself-'
| was going to say-well, you can imagine
| what was going to say, and that didn't
| say 1t or anything like it.
| Well-there she Is, Kitty Wilson, over
| yonder." he said.
l gasped, it was so unexpected. And
turned to look. There on one of the benches
sat Kitty Wilson. II I hadn't been blind
| as bat and full Of trouble-oh, 1t thickens
your wits. does trouble, and blinds your
| eyes and muffles your ears!-rd have sus-
kected something at the mere sight Of her.
| For there sat Kitty Wilson enthroned, a
hatless. lank little creature about twelve.
! and near her. clustered thick as ants
around lump OF sugar. was a crowd Of
| children. black and white. boys and girls
For Kitty-that deplorable Kitty-had
money to burn; or what was even more eff
| fective at her age. she had goodies to give
away. Her lap was full Of spoils. She
stand offered. Her cheeks and lips were
smeary with candy Her dress was stained
| with fruit. The crumbs Of cake fingered
still On her chin and apron. And KittyI
| love generous thief-was treating the
gang.
1t helped itself from her abundant lap;
1t munched and gobbled and asked for
| more. 1t was a riot of high old time.
Even the birds were hopping about as near
| as they dared. picking up the crumbs. and
| the squirrels had peanuts to throw to the
birds.
And all on Nancy Olden's money.
laughed till I shook. 1t was good to
laugh Nancy Olden isn't accustomed to a
| long dose of the doleful and it doesn't
agree with her. 1 strolled over to where
! my guests were banqueting
You see, Mag. that's where I shouldn't
rank with the A. D. I'm too inquisitive. /
| want to know how the other fellow in the
case feels and thinks. 1t isn't enough for
| me to see him act.
Kitty" said-somehow q tue1veye.r
OLD makes you feel more of a grOwn-up
IMAM tWeive-months-old does-"I hope
you're having good time. Kitty Wilson
| Dut-haVen't you lost something's
She was chewing at the end of a long
| string OF black candy-shoestrings all
| right the stuff looks like-and she was eat
Ing just because she didn't want to STOP
| Goodness knows, she was full enough. Her
| Jaws stopped. though, suddenly, as she
| looked from the empty purse in my out
stretched hand to me. and took me in.
Oh. l know that pause intimately. It
| says: wait a minute. till get my breath,
and I'll know how much you know and Just
! what lie to tell you"
But she changed her mind when she saw
my face. You know. Mag. il there's
thing that's fixed in your memory It's the
| face OF the body you've done up The
| respectables have their rogues' gallery, but
we. that Is. the light fingered brigade, have
got fools gallery to correspond to it.
In which Of EN- is my picture? Now,
| Margaret. that's mean. You know my por-
| trait hangs in both.
| 1 looked down on the little beggar that
IteAu pdiHteU me LOT the second salon, and
10. in a flash she was on her feet, the la pful
| of good things tumbled to the ground, and
Kitty was off.
| 1 was bitterly disappointed in that girl,
Mag! was altogether mistaken in my
| diagnosis of her. Hers is only a physical
| cleverness, talented dexterity She had
| no resource in time of danger but her legs
And legs will not carry a CRATER half 50
| far a good, quick tongue and q steady
| head.
She halted at a safe distance and glared
| back at me- Her hostility excited the
| crowd of children-her push-against me
ana the Drawer ones jeered the things Kitty
| only looked, while the thrifty ones STONED
and gathered up the spoil.
Tell her wouldn't harm her, said to
| one of her lieutenants
| child screamed.
She dassent." yelled back Kitty, the
about the kid io-
KID ", What lat kid" I cried. all a-fre
told the cop what brought her back how
ye took her Jest as Il
Kitty" I cried. You treasurer And
with all my might ran after her.
Silly? OF course it was l might have
known what the short skirts above those
thin legs meant. 1 couldn't come within
nifty feet of her. halted. painting and she
block away.
what to do? 1 wished had another purse
10 pestow on that sad Kitty. but / had
nothing, absolutely nothing. except-all at
gave me for Christmas, Mag I took IT Off
and turned to appeal to the nearest one of
the nylng bodyguard that had accompanied
US.
shell show me the house where that haby
lives III give her this pin
He sped on ahead and parleyed with Kit:
and while they talked l held aloft the little
Caa hn T,r{no
She hesitated so long that I feared she'd
slip through my hands. but a sudden rival
voice piping out I'm show we the house.
m1ssus,' was too much for her.
so. with Kit at a safe distance in advance
to guard against treachery. and a large
and enthusiastic following, crossed the
block and half up another. and halted be-
fore a three-story brownstone.
l flew up the stairs. leaving my escort be-
hind. and rang the bell. 1t wasn't so terri
bly, swagger place, which relieved me
some.
L want to see the lady whose baby was
lost this morning" l said to the maid that
opened the door.
"Yes'm Who'll 1 tell herr"
Who? That stumped me. Not Nance
Olden. late of the Vaudeville, later of the
Van Twiller. and latest of the police sta
ton. No-not Nance Olden
Tell her please" said firmly. that I'm
Miss Murieson of the X-Ray and that the
city editor has sent me here to her.
That did it. Hooray for the power Of the
press! She showed me into a long parlor,
and l sat down and waited.
1t was cool and quiet and softly pretty In
that long parlor. The shades were down,
the piano open. the chairs were low
and softly cushioned. 1 leaned back and
closed my eyes, exhausted
And suddenly-Mag!-I felt something
that was cross between rose-leaf and a
snowflake touch my hand
If 1t wasn't that delectable baby!
l caught her and lifted her to my lap and |
Rugged the chuckling thing as though that |
was what came for. Then. in a moment.
l remembered the paper and lifted her little |
white slip.
1t was gone. Mag. The underpetticoat !
hadn't sign of the paper I'd pinned to it. |
My head whirled In that minute. I sup
pose was faint with the heat with hunger |
and fatigue and worry but 1 felt myself |
slipping out of things when 1 heard the !
rustling of skirts and there before me |
stood the mother of my baby.
The little wretch She deserted me and |
flew to that pretty mother of hers in her |
long. cool white trailing things, and sat in |
her arms and Knocked at me.
1t was easy enough to begin talking I |
told her tale about being a newspaper |
woman out on story: how I'd run across |
the bahV and all the nj