The Falls City tribune., 1906-03-16

things, that's what Hoddy Milbrey
would be-"
And you said yourself you played
poker most of the time when you went
TO Aiken on the car last month"
ITO be honest with you, ma, we did
play poker. Say. they took 1t of of
me so fast could feel myself catch
ing cold"
There, you see-and you really
ought TO wear one OF those chamois-
skin chest protectors in this damp
climate
We'll, well see. If | can find one
that an ace-full won't go through I'll
snatch 1t so quick the manll think
he's being robbed. Now I'll join you
ladies to the extent of some coffee,
and then want to know what you two
would rather do this summer than"
"Of course" said Psyche, mo one
stays in town in summer"
Exactly And I've chartered a
steam yacht as big as this hotel-ali
but. But what | want to know is
whether you two care to bunk on 1t
or whether you'd rather stay quietly
at some place, Newport perhaps, and
maybe take cruise with me now and
then"
"Oh, that would be good fun. But
here's ma getting so | can't do thing
with her, on account of all those beg
gars and horrd people down in the
slums"
Mrs. Bines looked guilty and feebly
.eprecating. 1t was quite true that in
aer own way she had achieved a repu-
tation for prodigality not inferior TO
that acquired by her children in ways
of their own.
You know it's so, ma" the daughter
went on, accusingly. "One night last
winter when you were away we dned
ut the Balldridge's, in Eighty-siXth
street. and the pavements were so
sleety the horses couldn't stand, so
Col. Balldridge brought us home in the
Elevated. about II o'clock Well. at
one of the stations a big policeman
got on with little baby all wrapped
up in red flannel. He'd found it in an
areaway. nearly covered with snow
where some one had left it, and he was
taking ii down to police headquarters
he said. Well, ma went crazy right
away. She made him undo it, and then
she insisted on holding it all the way
down to Thirty-third street. One man
3lid it mignt be president of the
United States, some day; and Col
Balldridge said: Yes. it has unknown
ossibilties-it may evens be a presi-
cents wife-just like that. But
hought ma would be demented. 1t
was all fat and so warm and sleepy it
could hardly hold its eyes open, and
| believe she'd have kept it then and
here if the policeman would have let
her. She made him promise to get it
A bottle of warm milk the first thing,
and borrowed $40 of the colonel to give
o the policeman to get it things with,
and then all the way down she talked
against the authorities for allowing
such things-as if they could help it
and when we got home she cried-you
know you did. ma-and you pretended
il was toothache-and ever since then
Why. whenever she sees woman CO.
ing along with one she thinks the poor
thing is going to leave it some place;
and now she's in with those charity
workers and says she won't leave New
York at all this summer"
Il don't care" protested the guilty
mother, 'it would have frozen to death
in just a little while, and it's done so
often. Why, up at the Catholic Pro-
tectory they put out basket a. the
side door. so a body can leave their
baby in it and ring the bell. and run
away; and they get one twice a week
sometimes and this was such a sweet,
fat little baby with big blue eyes, and
it's forehead wrinkled, and 1t was all
puckered up around its little nose--"
And that isn't the worst of It," the
relentless daughter broke in. "She
gets begging letters by the score and
gives money to all sorts of people, and
a man from the Charities Organiza-
tion. who had heard about 1t, came
and warned her that they were i'm
postors-only she doesn't care Do you
know, there was poor old blind wom-
an with dismal, wheezy organ down
at Broadway and Twenty-third street
the organ would hardly play at all,
and just one wretched tune-only the
woman wasn't lind at all. we found
out-and ma bought her a nice rev
organ that cost SIS and had 1t taken
up to her. Well she found out through
this man from the Organization that
the woman had pawned the new organ
for $40 and was still playing on the
old one. She didn't want a new one
because it was too cheerful; 1t didn't
make people sad when they heard it
like her old one did. And yesterday
| ma bought an Indian"
"A what?" asked her brother. in
| amaZement.
AN Indiana tobacco sign"
You don't mean it? One OF those
| lads that stand out in front and peer
under their hands to see what pale
faces are moving into the house across
4 H-