The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-03-19

1
her. Why, 1 believed him. I thought he
was on the square It was stripes and
| the stone pile FIR me, and FIR him the
Bowery of Saturday, night wit the easy
/ come-ons ready waitin' on the pavement
He come ter see me in the Tonbs be-
fore they took me up. III look after
Name, sselp me- he SAID And wit that
l horsed the deputies in the smokin car
and give up me pedigree in the warden s
Office like the real thing. / thought
] Dutch was right The calendar amt
/ turnin' like no roulette wheel up at Sing
J Sing. But it went a heap faster wit
| the letters from 'Dutcn what give
| Names love at the end. Name didn't
write. She wasn't no scholar. And how
was 1 to know that Dutch was lyin' o.
| The Rat halted waveringly. But the pi-
ano refrain sent him plunging On. They
! took me good conduct time off and l got
me ticket Of leave. And l was FIR the
( home route wit new suit of paper
/ clothes and the stonepile cush in EN-.
/ hadn't let EN- know i was comm. I
wanted to surprise Name. 1t was dark
W en- l got ter Canno street 1 meets
Sweeeny. the janitor, on the top of the
stoop, after rushin the can Fifth fioor?'
I asks, thinkin' maybe Name had moved.
Sweeney eyes me and says, 'Wotre you
handin' me?' Name Gilligan, you mutt.
1 says, and pushin' past him made as If
ter go upstairs.
Sweeney crossed himself, and wit that
1 knowed there was somethin gone
wrong. 1t struck me cold before he spoke.
. o. Fa1+ eli hui
The Rats yellow teeth rasped against one
another like a terrier worrying q bone.
He went on thickly.
=" Didn't they put you next?' says
Sweeney. Next ter what: l asks. Name
Gnligan's dead in Bellevue these six
months he says
The Rat put one hand TO his head pain
fully. when Sweeney says that some
thin busted in here he said I've been
gone a bit in me nut ever since. but not
too much gone f'r findin' Dutch Gala
CHER. Why, a dog wouldn't have treated
Name the way he'd done it. Shed bbeen
starved The ambulance doctor what
come when Sweeney found her senseless
in the hall said she hadn't been eatin'
enought FIR weeks. Dutch had left her
She'd hooked everything she had except
the ring I'd bought her They buried her
wit that on. He'd been writin' to me
and sendin me Names love after she was
dead, and he knowed it. I'd been dom
the time f5r both of us, and he'd let
Name starve."
Calmly The Rats hand went out to
where the knife lay upon the desk by
the stained red handkerchief The chief
did ont stop him. His breath was coming
and going in little puffs, and his mouth
was trembling at the corners. as if he
were trying to be very calm and found it
hard work The Rat took up the knife as
he might have srasped a friendly old pipe.
He crooked his fingers about the handle
and weighed the blade in his grasp. 1T
was all mechanically. jerkily done
He was dealin' faro in brace game
on Fourteenth street" he said Il waited
fr him that night. And when I seen him
leave I followed him. When he got to
Chrystie street / was wit him. but he
didn't know it. I sneaked up them stairs
behind him quiet as death. and when
turned around at the top landin' ter look
by the gaslight if anyone was foTlowin' l
seen Name walkin' up after me and point
in toward Dutch on ahead. and I know
ed then l was doin what was right"
The Rats voice wavered for the mo-
ment His lips parted driy, and he licked
them with swollen tongue. 1t was as If
he were going on. Then. of sudden,
there came the hollow sound Of the street
piano stop, as the Italian at the crank
changed tunes. Thee hief started TO his
feet with smothered curse. In through
the open window crept the music. 1t was
inexorable:
Break the news to mother.
Just tell her that love her,
Just say to her i
Like one startled from an awful dream.
The Rat shivered and rolled his eyes in a
quick effort to find their true focus. His
stare fell upon the face of the eager
watcher. and then upon his own hands
with the open knife. Outside, the street
piano walled industriously. The detective
met his rush with the heavy nickel butt
OF the desk telephone receiver fair upon
the forehead.
From behind the green swinging doors
rushed two in uniform. they looked from
the unconscious man to the chief. who
was tuging at his beard with his arms
crossed. And the papers viii say we
gave him the Third Degree " he said,
smiling vaguely.
To the littleg roup in the room came
theincessant vox humane Of the street
hurdy-gurdy
Take him out" said the chief shortly.
Hell be all right in an hour. And for
Gods sake. stop that piano. y. Ramsey
Reese. in the New York Evening Post.