Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

| ing like c1stencts ] dipped tower il
cold water and rubbed II over the
! baby's face. IT was like coming into
the sunshine after O taste ot "a dun
geon when ! saw the white lips open
| and the long 'ashe5 llft. In ,hs dusk
Of the gloomy room AN he could see
| / suppose, vas "a vomau's face and
hair as 1 bent over him. That's what
made his arms go up in such happy
way ms he cried, Mother"
suppose It was silly Of me- but
felt the tears come as ! let his htt's
arms close around my neck and his
| mo.s. hps cling to m!ne-the first baby
that ever kissed Meg Marner'
That's what settled e, then ana there
the man or woman who offered to harm
hair Of that baby's head would have
me to deal with and from that minute
one thought possessed me-to find the
woman who owned those kisses, the
woman who had darnel and patched
and loved oh he Dreatned love, that
baby
And he was such a pretty thing wide
brown eyes chat trusted everything ana
everybody, q diminutiye nose that
somehow spoke OF birth and breeding
(Oh, know II, even II was raised on
the East slIeD, sweet full lips and
mop Of yellow curls-the curls that had
caused his undoing, poor kid
Every once In while Naggs' dark,
evil face would come between me and
the boys and give me the shudders.
Father JOINS or the river, he had said
land he knew as well as l that The
river was less to be dreaded
"Naggs shan't touch you." swore,
and made the sign Of the gang, and
Meg Mariner has never yet been known
to break that oath, How / was to pre-
vent II wasn't so easy as the saying so.
but | would, somehow, ! would!
But here was and here was the
baby. To hand him over 10 the police
was to land myself behind the bars
and life tastes good at 20 even II one
has to MI ones stomach by emptylng
other peoples pockets. To answer any
'ad that might appear was just as dan
gerous-I was as helpless as the baby.
But | wouldn't lose hope: all night
lay ana thought and planned and every
time came near dcspairins the pres
sure OF that little head would make me
set my teeth again. His yellow curls
We're pillowed on my arm; he lay there
until Il achel but loved the ache, FOR
he slept calm as II he'd been on
his own mothers breast. and trusted
me CmeD.
1t was nearly morning when thought
/ OF Sergeant Bob OF the Salvation
/ Army, Yes, a queer friend FOR Meg
! Mariner TO have-but the best
friend a poor .forlornlty ever owned.
We went to school together-for / did
/ 20 to school once II you don't be-
lleve me can show you a picture OF
George Washington presented to Mar
garct Mariner by her teacher for being
q good girl a good girl-oh, Bob
Wen oddlcate her, Naggs," my ia
Their had said FOR the more ye eddl-
cato EN- the smarter rogucs they be-
why II 80 n me was edicatcd. Naggs
we wouldn't be crackn' safes at our
time o. llfe--wed be runnIn' life in
surance company"
And so 7 went to school Just long
al
ter than Nth. 10 love sunshine better
than gloom to use my wits to get the
better Of stupidity and TO know Bob
and despse him for his stupid belief
In goodness Why, he even believed
ne good at heart "a battered that be.
llcf pretty hard, heaven knows, and
laughed in hla face when he asked me
TO be his wIfe-G had a picture OF my
self I'm hidcous poke-bonnet collecting
pennies IN a tambourine ! know a
quicker quietcr way Of collecting PEN
NEST
1 hadn't seen Bob for months; only
once or twice ia heard his big, funn,
voice ringing out above the others on
the street corner. It would mean a
fight With my pride to appeal to hin
now; I'd boosted so Of my "casIei
way" But pride hadn't the ghost Of
show when morning came and the
baby saw that ! wasn't his mother
His grief made a limp rag Of me-
hated myself worse than Bob hates sin
How I coaxed for a smile, harder thar
] ever coaXed Dad to let me out OF q
troulcng when l came home empty
handed. But It wasn't until after ,
bath and breakfast that a laugh rip
pied over his pretty lips again,
came across something wonderful
az I undressod him had let hin
sleep IN his clothes. FOR covers aren't
! plentiful I'm Megs apartment" Tha,
was nothing more nor less than a golJ
locket underneath his little shirt at
tached TO "a slender thread Of a chain
NaEgs shrcwd guess-that "Yelvet'
people had seen better daya'-came {,
me then. AS I pressed the clasp O
the lockct ! dreaded to see the usua
locks OF hair-useless as clue
even to female Holmes. Blu
uo-two faces looked out, on
= n woman's with the some wild
trusting eyes as the baby's; the othei
a mans young and fine, the nostri
, proud the lips as sensitive as a girls
Il knew IT," l cried, u could hay,
, drawn % picture OF them BOTH
The baby peered down into my hand
, Mother he cried and then the hap
, py laugh came,
D A line to headquarters brought Ser
, reaut Bob In doubic-gu.ck time, Dots
p blue coat matching his eyes iu a wal
L.. LII