Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-08-12
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| jSyy my head is full.
 Listen.
 There's a girl I know with short brown hair, turned-up nose and gray eyes, rather far apart. You know her, too? We'll, she cant 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 . bell-boy. Her name may be Nancy when she's in petticoats, but in trousers 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 dle, and with a 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, a wid- 0w just arrived from Philadelphia, and desperately gone on young MT. George Moriway, also fresh from Phil adelphia, and desperately gone on Mrs. Kingdom
 The tip that lady gave the bad boy Nat! I knew I couldn't make you be- lieve it any other way; that's why I passed 'em on to you, Tommy-boy. Tha hoto1 uopoon ,-o,, l,poT Is 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 propri- etor's shoulders. She actually - you can understand and share my indig shared other things ?-she even gives over her black tin box full of valuables to the hotel clerk to put in the safe; the coward! But her vanity-ah, there's where we get her, such specu- lators 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.
 Tn 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 it, and-O Tom. after searching for it for hours and making herself sick with anxiety, she ties up her head in a wet handker- chief with vinegar on it and-rings the bell for the bell-boy!
 's He comes. -''' -'' 1"
 AS 1 said, he's prompt, gentle little bell-boy slight, looks rather young for his job, but that very youth and innocence of his make him such 3 fellow to trust!
 Nat" says Mrs. Kingdom tear fully pressing half a dollar into the nice lads hand, live lost some thing. and want you toto help me find it."
 "Yes'm,' says Nat He's the soul of politeness.
 Tt must be here--it must be in this soom," says the lady. getting wild with the terror of losing. I'm sure --positive-that went straight to the shoe-bag and slipped 1t in there And now can't find it. and I must have ft before go out this afternoon for for a very special reason. My daugh- ter Evelyn win be home tomorrow. end-why don't you look for it?"
 What is il, ma'am?"
 "I told you once My key-a little fiat key that locks-a box I've got she finishes distrustfully
 Have you looked in the shoe-bsg naam?"
 Why, of course I have. you little stupid want you 10 hunt other places where can't easily get. There are other places | might have put it. but I'm positive it was in the shoe bag"
 Well. looked for that key Where? Where not? I looked under the rub Sish in the waste paper basket: Mrs. Eingdon often fooled thiev es by dron- ping f there pulled up the corner of The carpet and looked there-it vas loose; it had often been used fo-' q hiding place looked in Miss I've. iyn's boot and in her ribbon box. emptied Mrs Kingdoms 5 full powdes box climbed ladders and felt along cornices I looked through the peck cts If Mrs Kingdoms gowns-s clever bell-boy it takes t0 find a womsn'8 pocket. but even the real masculine ones among em are half feminine' they've had so much 10 do with women.
 rummaged through her writing desk. and. in searching a gOld-cOT- nered pad found a note from Mori- way hidden under the corner 1 hii it again csrefully-in my coat pocket A love-letter from Moriwav. to a wOm- an % years older than nlmseIf-taia [ a bad lay. Tom DOrgan. but yO1 needn't try it.
 Al first she watched every move I made. but later. as her headache grew worse, she got desperate So then I put my hand down into inc shoe-bsg and found the key where IL had slipped under a fold of cloth
 Do you suppose that woman was grateful? She snarched # from me
 = knev il was there told you it was there. If you'd had any sense yoHd have looked there first The boys ia this hotel are SO stupid
 That's all. maam7-
 She nodded She was fitting the key into the black box shed taken from the top drawer Nat had got