The San Francisco call., 1904-07-10
I.

Yes. empty-handed. Tom Dorgan.
And I can't honestly say I didn't have
the chance. buff my hands are emp
ty my head is full.
Listen
brown hair, a turned-up nose and gray
eyes. rather far apart. You know
her, too? Well. she can't help that.
But this girl-oh, she makes such
pretty boy! And the ladies at the
hotel over in Brooklyn, they just dote
on her when she's not only boy but
bellboy. Her name may be Nancy
when she's in petticoats. but in trous-
ers she's Nathaniel-in short, Nat.
Now, Nat, in blue and buttons, with
his nails kept better than most boys,
with his curly hair parted in the mid
die. and with a gentle twang to his
voice that makes him almost girlish-
who would suspect Nat of having a
stolen pass-key in his pocket and a
pretty fair knowledge Of the contents
Of almost every top bureau-dra in
the hotel?
Not Mrs. Sarah Kingdom, a widow
just arrived from Philadelphia, and
desperately gone on young Mr.. George
Norway, also fresh from Philadelphia,
and desperately gone on Mrs. King
dom's-money.
The tips that lady gave the bad boy
Nat! I knew I couldn't make you be-
lieve it any other way; that's why
passed 'em on to you, TOmmy-boy.
The hotel woman, you know, girls. Is
a hotel woman because she isn't fit to
ish and little, and she's shifted all her
legitimate cares to the proprietor's
shoulders. She actually-you can un-
derstand 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 to the hotel
clerk to put in the safe; the cowardl
But her vanity-ah, there's where we
get 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, for
gets where she hid 1t, and-O Tom!
after searching for 1t for hours and
making herself sick with anxiety. she
ties up her head in a wet handkerchief
with vinegar on it and-rings the bell
for the bellboy!
He comes.
AS I said, he's prompt, gentle little
bellboy, slight, looks rather young for
his Job, but that very youth and inno-
cence Of his make him such a fellow
to trustl
Nat" says Mrs. Kingdom, tearfully
pressing half a dollar into the nice
lads hand, 1--we lost something and
1 want you TOTO help me find it."
"Yes'm," says Nat. He's the soul OF
politeness.
"It must be here-it must be in this
ROOM" says the lady. getting wild
with the terror of losing. I'm sure
positive-that I went straight to the
shoe bag and slipped it in there And
now 1 can't, find it, and 1 must have 1t
before 1 go out this afternoon for-for
a very special reason. My daughter
Evelyn will be home tomorrow and
why don't you look for it?"
What is it, ma'am?"
lOl0 JOO OACC. NY RcJ-d lllLlo
fiat key that locks-a box I've got"
she finished distrustfully.
Have you looked in the shoe-bag,
ma'am?"
''Why, Of course 1 have. you little
stupid. I want you to hunt other
places where I can't easily get. There
are other places I might have put it.
but I'm positive it was in the shoe
Bag
Well, looked for that key Where?
Where not? 1 looked under the rub
bish in the waste-paper basket; Mrs
Kingdom often fooled thieves by drop
ping it there. pulled up the corner Of
the carpet and looked there-it was
loose; it had often been used for a