The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1906-10-05
PHILANTHROPY
FEMININE
BY CLAUDE PAMARES
Copyright, 1906, by w. r. Caldwell

1t could not be said of Miss Hattie
Shefliin, spinster, that at the age of
thirty eight she was good looking
woman. A spinster of that age cannot
be expected to be. The most that can
be expected is that she will be kind
hearted and have n desire to reform
the world and elevate the moral stand
ing Of humanity generally.
Miss Sheffiin had that desire. In visit
ing New York city she had many, many
times observed hard up looking men
who were seemingly drifting into
careers of wickedness because there
was no one at hand to encourage them
and hold out helping Hand. She had
often been tempted to address them,
but her brother Ben happened to be
along or she had seen some policeman
watching her or the hard up looking
man made Il sneak as she was about to
stop.
1t was when Brother Ben went to
Europe on business that his sister de-
termined to carry out her long cher
ished plans. She had the time and the
money, and the steamer was hardly
clear of Fire island when she was in
the city with her trunk and installed IN
a boarding house where she had been
acquainted for q number of years. In
confidence she told the landlady of the
object of her visit. 1t was all very well
to donate libraries and to endow hos
pitfalls and colleges, but when man
was walking the streets of New York
with hunger gnawing at his vtals and
hope gone out of his heart of what
use were such institutions to him?
eff you don't make fool of yourself
then / don't know how to make hash"
replied the practical and level headed
landlady, as she remembered the names
of few hard up men of the scores that
had taken her i'll for few weeks
board since she had been in the board
ing house business.
"But how can | make n fool of my
self, as you term it?' was asked. 'If
speal; kindly and encouragingly to
some hopeless and pennlless man, if 1
help him to a situations; if l give him
the opportunity to earn IN honest liv-
ing once more. where can you criti-
2 cise?'
"Never you mind You've got money,
and you've got heart, and I've moth
ing further to say"
If she had had anything further to
say II would have done no good. 1t
wasn't two hours later that Miss Shelf
fin Set out on her quest She hadn't
far TO look. Any one who is seeking
homeless. hopeless man from twenty
five to seventy years of age can find
him in upper Broadway at any hour of
the day or night. He is there and look.
ing for IL good thing.
Miss Shetflin found one leaning up
against the r:sllng in front of drug
store His face betrayed gloom and his
general attitude disconsolation. and as
he looked in the bottles in the window
he seemed to be wondering which held
laudanum and which strychnine. She
was about to address him when a plain
clothes detective came from the other
direction and said to the man:
"Now, then, out of this or. I'll run
you in"
The hopeless man sighed and moved
on YEARLY. He moved like one hurt
and Inundated. He moved down to-
ward the East river, as if he would
take header off the dock and end it
all. Miss Sheffiin followed after, and
at the corner she overlook him and
said:
"You seem to lbs in trouble, sir. and
If can assist you L shall be glad to do
So"
He was man about thirty years old.
He had tin horn gambler and free
lunch written all over him, but the old
maids eyes detected no sign. He look
ed at her for minute and wondered
what sort OF plant it was. Then
he became conscious that he had
struck one of those good things" he
had read about and heard tell OLA
female philanthroplst. Removing his
hat and deepening his hopeless look,
he replied
Miss, have been out of work for
weeks and weeks, anu, so help me
heaven, have had no food for two
days. I was thinking of throwing
myself under a street car and ending
It ALL"
"How wicked to think of taking your
own lifev'
But of what use to live and walk
the streets r-lniless and hungry
Didn't you jus see detective drive
me along like a dog"
81 did, and felt almost like shoot
ing him. Please follow me to my
boarding house and tell me your story"
He followed. He winked ut an ac-
quaintance as he followed, and his
wink was returned. He ran across the
landlady as he entered the house after
Miss Sheffiin, and he heaved sigh Of
relief as he found her face unfamiliar.
At the same time, however, he real
lied that she was not a philanthropic
landlady-not one to be taken in by
any ordinary tale of distress.
Sitting in the parlor beside the old
maid and working up all the pathos he
could, the tin horn man told his tale.
1t was one that brought tears to her
eyes. He was honest enough to plead
guilty to embeZzlng $50 from his en-
pIoyer to bet on the races and penitclt
enough 10 say that nothing on the face
rf artl, i'm oh