Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1906-05-31
Muggsy and Mary Ann.
BY W. II. ALBURN.

The txuberance OF spirit thht nhu ut-
tended his liberation and his subse-
quent return TO the city had subsidized.
He stumped along the dirty back
street In drizzly autumn rain. his
hands deep In his empty pockets and
his eyes fixed blankly on the pave
nient before him. shining In the glim-
mer OF the struggling gas lamps.
He had left the Pen" with very
presentable suit OF clothes. and even
with a little money that had been
held In trust for him since that dis
nal day, two years before. when Nc
Clusky. No. 247 on the Force" had
found him In house that was not his
home. and a heartless Judge had sent
him over the road for housebreaking
and larceny. But when he returned
to his old haunts and found some OF
the gang" playing poker In a coy
corner beside the bar In the WAN
derers' Home" all his money had gone
to express his Joy at the reunion.
Soon afterward his good clothes had
given Elace TO historic outfit In the
last stages OF dissolution.
1t made no difference to Muggsy.
Nothing did. Only, just now he was
blue. and unwashed. and hungry. and
q weeks growth Of black beard bris-
tied on his stolid face almost as the
bristles OF the brushes at THE
Works" And he knew It, for he had
made many brushes. And that, too.
made no difference; except that, as he
paused beside a lamp post and stroked
his rasping chin, he thought:
"Wot's de use O. frens, anyhow,
wen yer hungry, an can't even borry
q chew o. terbacca? Mebbe I kin git
q free lunch in Billy Donovan's."
The burglarious philosopher turned
into a back door, sidled up along the
bar, and reached a grimy hand toward
basket OF pretzels. with a watchful
eye on Billy. who was drawing beer.
His courage grew with the first salty
munich, and out went the other hand
toward plate Of cheese. The fingers
closed hungrily, and half the contents
of the plate moved cautiously toward
Muggsy's capacious pocket.
Cit out NV It. we bum!" roared
voice, and the cheese dropped. Nov,
git Quit" The full-stomached bar
tender advanced angrily. while his
patrons wiped the foam from their
lips and grinned.
wy, Billy, don't yez reco'nize an
old fren'? I'm Muggsy." faltered the
culprit.
Yes, l knows yez all right, an
knows yez owes me seven dollars fer
drinks that I'll never git, an two dol
lars that l lent yez Oncet, an yez amt
spent nickel acrost this yere bar
fer more n two years. an yez amt
got red in yer jeans now. Git out.
or III call the cop!"
All this and more Billy said. and
Muggsy realized that It was all true.
So he got out, saying sadly as he
peered back through the folding
doors:
I'm disappointed in yez, Billy. Yez
amt got no heart. I'd never go back
on fren' that way"
And that also was true.
A long time Muggsy sat on the front
step OF the saloon. He was not think
Ing. Persons In such circumstances
don't think. And It never occurred to
him to jump into the river. Suicide
requires stage Of intellectual devel-
opment that Muggsy had not attained.
At last he summed up the whole sit
uation In one apt phrase.
Damn the luck!" he calculated.
1t was happy thought. He re-
peated the remark with ineffable rel
lsh. Then he felt better, and spat Wig
orously. and arose and stretched his
cramped limbs and sauntered down the
street.
With good humor comes good for
tune. Thus It happened that as
Muggsy's eye scanned the pavement
in front OF his toes he saw something
bright. He picked 1t up; 1t was a
nickel. 1t gave him more pleasure
than IL he had pocketed the contents
OF safe. With hungry grin he hur-
ried through an alley and brought up
at the door OF three-cent res
taurant.
There were many people there, some
perched on stools in front of the
lunch counter. and Others more aris-
tocratically seated at bare tables
around the room. Muggsy modestly
selected a table In one corner, ana
beckoned to waitress lowering on the
outskirts OF the feeding flock.
"Wot's the most I kin git fer A.
cents?" he asked. He had often solved
the problem before, but just how he
felt In need of assistance.
The little waitress looked down at
Muggsy alphabetically. She was al
most good-looking-beside Muggsy
True, her hair was carroty, her face
freckled, her nose turned.up and rudy.
And she had little greenish-yellow
eyes set close together under invisible
eyebrows, and her features we're very
carelessly jumbled together. But she.
looked good-natured and kindly, and
her voice was soft and low-not harsh
and infiexible like that Of many wait.
ressaa Offfad with foafuraa Aud tha