The Cairo bulletin., 1905-08-12

princess. instead of her catching him
mapping
He wasn't beauty. either-a big.
stout fellow with black mustache
His hand on my shoulder held me
tight but the look in his eyes behind
his glasses held me tighter. | threw
out my arms over the desk and hid
nv face
Caught, Nancy olden. with her
hands dripping. and not lie in her
smart mouth!
He picked mp the bills had dropped.
counted thom and put them In his
pocket. Then he unlocked a tele
phone and lifted the stand from his
desk
Hello! Spring sl0o--please. Hello.
Chiefs Office? This is oberMuller,
Standard theater. want an officer to
take charge of thie1 I've caught in
my apartments here at the Bronsonia.
Yes, right on the corner. Hold aim
till you come? Well-rather!"
He put down the phone. | pulled
the pearl studs out of my pocket.
You might as we'll take these, too"
l said.
So thoughtful of you, seeing that
you'd be searched But I'll take EN-,
anyway Yon intended them for
him? You didn't get anything else?"
| shook my head as | lay there
Hunt 1t was half laugh. and
half sneer | hated him for 1t, as
he sat leaning back on the back legs
OF his chair. his thumb in his arm
holes. | felt his eyes-those smart,
keen eyes, burning into my miserable
head. | thought Of the lawyer and
the deal he'd give poor Tom, and all
at once
You'd have SMILED yourself Mag
Monaban There ! was-caught. The
cop'd De after me in five minutes.
With Tom iugged. and me In stripes
lit wasn't very jolly, and lost my
mere.
ASHAMED -hnh?' he said, lightly.
| nodded. was ashamed.
PITY You didn't get ashamed before
YOU broke In here"
What the devil was there to be
ashamed off,
The sting iii his voice had cured me
] never was a weeper. sat up my
face blazing. and stared at him. He'd
got me to hand over to the cop, but
he hadn't got me to sneer at
i saw by the look he gave me that
he hadn't really seen me till then.
We'll" he answered, what the
devil is there to no ashamed of now"
'Of beng caught---thats what"
"Oh."
HE tilted back again on his chair
ard laughed softly
Then you're not ashamed of your
prsfession9"
Are you of yours2"
''Well--theres a slight difference
mot much, whatever It may be. It's
your graft--it's everybody 's-to take
oil he can get, and keep out Of Jail
That's mine too"
But you see | keep out Of jail"
FL see you're not there-yet''
"Oh. think you needn't worry
about that. I'll keep ont, thank you,
Imprisonment for debt don't go nova
days"
.Debt?"
''I'm theatrical manager, my girl
and I'm not on the inside which is
another way Of saying that man who
can't swim has fallen overheard"
And when you do go down"
"A little less exultation, my dear, or
might suppose you'd be glad when
do"
We'll, when you know yourself
going down for the last time, do yor
mean to tell me you won't grasp at q
straw like-Iike this?' | nodded
toward the open window, and the desk
with All its papers tnmbIing out.
Not much" He shook his head
and bit the end of cigar with sharp
white teeth. cts a fool graft I'm
self-respecting And don't admire
FOOLS He lit his cigar and puffed a
minute, taking out his watch to lool
at 1t, as cold -bloodedly as though We
were waiting, he and !, to go to sup
per together. Oh. how hated him
Honesty isn't the best policy he
went on; ITS the only one The vair
fool that gets II into his head or shall
say her head? No? Well. no Of
Tense, assure youths head. then
that he's smarter than world full
of experience, ought to be put in jail
for his own protection; he's toe
big jay to be left out Of doors. Fol
5000 years, more or less, the world
has been Putting people like him be
hind bars. where they can't make asses
of themselves. Yet each year, an6
every day and every hour, e new ninnS
Is horn who fsncies he's cleverer thar
ell his predecessors put together
Talk about suckers! Why. they're
giants Of intellect compared to the
mentally lopsided that 5000 years o.
experience can't teach. When thu
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES turn comes. he hops
skips and jumps into the ring with
the old old gag. He thinks It's new
because he himself Is 30 fresh anc
green. sHere | am again, he yeils
the fellow that'll do you up Others
have tried 1t. They're dead, in jail
or under jail-yards But me---jusI