The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-05-21
Muggsy and Mary Ann.
BY w. II. Auburn.

The exuherance of spirit that had a
tended his liberation and his subs,
quent return to the city had subsidet
He stmped along the dirty bac
street In drizzly autumn rain hi
hands deep in his empty pockets an
his eyes fixed biankly on the pave
nlent before him, shining in the glim
mer OF the struggling gas lamps
He had left the Pen" with yer.
presentable suit of clothes, and even
with little money that had been
held Ia trust for him Since that dis
nfai day two years before. when Nc
Clusky. No 247 on the Force" haC
found him In house that was not E.s
home, and a heartless judge had sent
him over the road for housebreaklne
| and larceny Hut when he returned
10 his old haunts and found some OF
the gang playing poker in cozy
| corner beside the bar in the Wan
lerers Home, All his money had gone
TO express his JOY at the reunion.
| soon aflerward his good clothes had
gwen llace 10 historic outfit in the
last stages of dissolution.
Ii made no difference To Muggsy
Nothing did Only, just now he was
blue. and unwashed, and hungry, and
d weeks growth of black be9rd bris
tied On his stolid face almost as the
bristles OF The brushes at THE
Works" And he knew 1t. for he had
made many brushes. And that, too
made NO difference: except that, as he
paused beside amp post and strokea
his rasping chin, ne thought:
"Wots de use o fren's, anyhow,
Ven yer hungry. an can't even borfy
q chew o terbacca? Mebbe | kin git
a free lunch in Billy Donovan's."
The burglarious philosopher turned
into a back door sidled up along the |
bar. and reached grimy hand toward |
Il basket OF pretZels, with watchful |
eye on Billy. who was drawing beer.
His courage grew with the first salty t
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'a capacious pocket.
git out NV 1t. ye bum!" roared
voice, and the cheese dropped. Now
git out The full-stomached bar
tender advanced angrily. while his
patrons wiped the foam from their
Ups and grinned
Wy, Billy, don't yez reco nize an
I'D fren'? I'm Muggsy," faltered the
,ulprit
Yes knows yez all right, an |
'nows>yez owes me seven dollars fer
thinks that III never git. an two dol
airs that | lent yez oneet. an yez amt
pent u nickel aeresl this we're bar
er more II two years an yez amt ,
-ot a red in yer jeans now. Git out.
Y III call the cop"
All tbis and more Billy said. and
!uggsy realized that 1t was all true.
o he got out. saying sadly as he ]
eered back through the folding
oors:
I'm disappointed In yez, Billy. Yez i
int got no heart. I'd never go back
Q a fen that way"
And that also was true. !,
A long time Muggsy sat on the front !,
ep of the saloon. He was not think
IL. Persons In such circumstances =
on't think. And It never occurred 10 !,
I'M to jump into the river. Suicide y
'quires stage OF intellectual devel- :,
'ment that Muggsy had not attained b
[ last he summed up the whole sit ;,
'tion In one apt phrase.
Damn the luck" he calculated. !,
IL was a happy thought. He re- 3
ated the remark with ineffable rel
b. Then he felt better, and spat Wig :,
ously. and arose and stretched his %
smped limbs and sauntered down the =,
reet. s-. y
with good humor comes good for ;,
ne. Thus il happened that AS !,
iggsy's eye scanned the pavement :,
front OF his toes he saw something =,
lght He picked IL up; II was
excl 1t gave him more pleasure :,
an II he had pocketed the contents :.
safe. With hungry grin he bur - -
d through an alley and brought up 4.
the door of three-cent res. =,
lrant vi
There were many people there some ~
rched on stools in front OF the .
zen counter. and others more aris- ~
seated at bare tab,es ~
'und the room. Muggsy modest,v ="
eeted table in one corner. ano =.
'koned TO a waitress lowering on tho Wy
skirts OF the feeding flock. 81
Wots the most kin cit fer q. 81,
ntsY he asked He had often solvsd =
problem before. but Just how he pl
10 neea ot assistance. dh
The little waitress looked down ., ~ %
lggsy sympathetically. She was Al. -
st good-lookIng-beslde Muggsv :,
ne. her hair was carroty. her face -,
ckied' her nose turned-up and ruddv -,
q she had little greenisb- vallo,y -
5 set close together under Invisible =,
'orows. and her features were very
eiessly jumbled together. Bnt sba ~,
ked good-natured and kindly and -
voice was soft and low-not harsh -.
inhexible Hike that Of many yait.
ses gifted with features Ana the -.
% that rested on the table beside 'S'
sgsys was small and shapely and =,