Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-14
dow, and the desk with all Its papers tum-

dow. and the desk with all Its papers tum-
bling out.
mot much" He shook his head and bit
the end Of cigar with sharp, white teeth;
1 don't admire FOOLS He lit his cigar and
puffed a minute, taking out his watch to
look at it, as cold-bloodedly as though we
were waiting, he and l. to go to supper
together. oh. how hated him!
Honesty isn't the best policy he went
on; its the only one. The vain fool that
head? No? Well no offense, assure you
his head then, that he's smarter than
world full of experience. ought to be put
in jail-for his own protection; he's too
big jay to be left out of doors. For five
thousand years, more or less, the world has
been putting people like him behind bars,
where they can't make asses of themselves.
Yet each year, and every day and every
cleverer than all his predecessors put to-
gether. Talk about suckers! Why. they re
giants of intellect compared to the mentally
lop-sded that five thousand years of ex-
perience can't teach When the criminal
clowns turn comes he hops, skips and
jumps into the ring with the old, old gag.
He thinks It's new, because he himself is so
fresh and green. Here I am again, he
yellS, the fellow thatll do you up. Others
have tried it. They're dead in Jail or under
jail yards. But me-just watch met! We DO.
and after little we put him with his mates
and keeper in barrel kindergarten where
of both sexes my dear. belong Bah"' He
puffed out the smoke, throwing his head
back. In cloud toward the ceiling.
l sprang from my seat and faced him I
was tingling all through. l didn't care
rap what became of me for Just that
minute. l forgot about Tom. l prayed that
the cop wouldn't come for a minute yet
but only that 1 might answer him.
"You're' mighty smart, amt you? You
can sit back here and sheer at me. can't
you? And feel SO big and smart and tri-
umphant! Whatve you done but catch a
girl at her first bungling job! 1t makes you
man am I" Bah!' / blew the smoke up
toward the ceiling from my mouth, with
just that satisfied gall that he had had; or,
rather. I pretended to. He let down the
front legs of his chair and began to stare
at me.
And you don't know it all. Mr.. Manager.
not you. Your clown-criminal don't jump
into the ring because he's so full of fun he
can't stay out. He goes in for the same
reason the real clown does-because he gets
hungry and thirsty and sleepy and tired like
other men. and he's got to fill his stomach
and cover his back and get place to sleep
And it's because your kind gets too much
that my kind gets SO little it has to piece 1t
out with this sort of thing. No. you don't
know it quite all.
There's a girl named Nance Olden that
could tell you lot. smart you are. She
could show you the inside of the Cruelty
where she was put so young she never knew
that children had mothers and fathers. till
red-haired girl named Mag Monahan told
her; and then she was mighty glad she
hadn't any. She thought that all little girls
were bloodless and dirty and all little bows
were filthy and had black purple marks
where their fathers had tried to gouee ont
their eyes. She thought all women were
like the matron who came with a visitor
up to the bare room, where played with
out toys-the new. dirty, newly bruised
ones of u.s. and the old clean healing ones
of us-and said. Here, chicks, is a lady
who's come to see you. Tell her how happy
you are here Then Mays freckled little
face. her finger in her mouth. looked up
like this. She was always afraid it might
be her mother come for her And the Grip
pied boy jerked himself in this way-I used
to mimic him, and he'd laugh with the
rest of them-over the bare floor. He al
ways hoped for a penny. Sometimes he
even got it, - - --.'7-.s
and the boy with the gouged eve-he
would hold up his pants like this. He had
just come in. and there was nothing to fit
him: And he'd put his other hand over
his bad eye and blink up at her like this.
And the littlest boy-oh. ha, ha! ha-you
ought to have seen that littlest boy He
w was IN SKIRTS, an old dress they'd given me
to wear the first day I came; there were
no pants small enough for him. He'd back
up into the corner and hide his face-like
this-and peep over his shoulder: he had a
squlnt that way. that made his face so
funny. See: it makes you laugh yourself.
But his body-my God!-it was blue with
welts! And me-Td put the baby down
thatd been left on the doorsteps of the
cruelty, and I'd waltz up to the lady. the
nice, patronizing rich lady, with her hand
kerchief to her nose and her lorgnette to
her eyes-see, like this. 1 knew lust what
graft would work her. 1 knew what She
her curtsy like this and in the niousast
sing-song I'd
There was heavy step out in the hall-it
t was the policeman! I'd forgot while I was
oo1y hp1
garret. at the top of the Cruelty I conId
smell the smell of the poor, the dirty. weak
SIC. SICK poor; | could taste the porridge in
the bear sto orls M SSMs tal like those in
l could hear the stifled sobs that wise, poor
chlidren g1ve-quiet ones, so they'll NOT he
beaten again. l could feel the night, when
strange. deserted. tortured babies liz for
the first time, each in his small white cot
the new ones waking the old with their
cries IN nightmare of what had happened
before they got to the Cruelty / could
see the world barred over as / saw it first
through the Cruelty's barred windows and
as must see 1t again, now that
You see. you don't know it quite all
yet; mr.. Manager! 1 spat 1t out at him.
ard then walked to the cop, my hands
ready for the bracelets
But there's one thing do known He's
big fellow, but quick on his feet and In
minute he was up and between me and
the cop. And there isn't a theatrical man
in all America that knows 1t quicker thar
Fred Obermuller. that can detect it sooner
and develop 1t better. And you've got it,
girl you've got IL! Officer take
this for your trouble. I couldn't hold the
fellow after all. Never mind which way
he went; I'll call up the Office and explain
He Shut the door after the cop and came
back to me. 1 had fallen into a chair NV
krees were weak. and 1 was trembling all
over.
Have you seen the play Charity at the
Vaudeville?" he roared at me-
/ shook my head.
We'll. it's a scene in the founding asy-
lum. Here's a pass. Go up now and see
1t. If you hurry you'll get there just in
time for that act. Then If you come to me
at the Office in the morning at TO- I'll give
you chance as one of the Charity girls
Dc you want it?"