The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1907-01-17
4 BUNDLE
OF TRACTS
BY DR.. KNOX CALDWELL
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lCopyright, BY Daily Story Pub. CO..

Look here, Wells" rasped the man
aging editor, wheeling about III his
easy chair and surveying me sternly,
"your work is getting rotten, absolute
| ly rotten. What you need is vaca-
ton. Take it. Get out and don't show
your face around here for two weeks"
Thus it came about that the next
day found me lolling comfortably on a
| settee, in a shady part of the park
| My five years work on the newspaper
| had given me wide acquaintanceship
within the city. Consequently, among
the passers-by, there were many
| whose faces were familiar.
Presently two familiar figures came
within my field of vision. They were
pair of girls whom l had encoun-
tered many times in my search for
news, named respectively Mag and
"Liz."
Being a trife familiar with their
| especial brand of graft" l decided to
watch and see with what success they
should operate it. SO lit my pipe
and waited expectantly, nor did have
long to wait,
Suddenly there came wild Shrek
and, in moment, people were rushing
| pell nell toward the spot where mo-
ment ago l had sighted this gifted
pair.
l smiled sardonically and sat still,
for l had seen the little play and its
| inevitable denouement enacted many
times. Mag" the smaller one, had
just keeled over in fair imitation of
an epileptic fit while her sister Liz
lent her aid by wringing her hands
and proclaiming in heartrending &C.
cents, 20, me sister. She's dyin'.
She's dyin'."
OF course the whole exhibition
would not take over five minutes and,
as finale, some sympathetic bystand-
err would pass around the hat for the
afflicted one. l yawned as the little
circle disintegrated, and wondered
whether l ought to report Liz" and
her confrere to the police or give her
dime and ask for story. Fate de
cided the question for me.
l
peared, having evidently forgotten
Mag" and her troubles, while the
precious pair wandered slowly along
in my direction, keeping shifty eye
out meanwhile for a possible police
man.
l pulled my hat down over my eyes
and pretended to sleep. Presently
was rewarded by a whining voice
Please, mister, help poor girl that's
got fits"
l sat up and pushed back my hat
Why, hello, Liz" | said casually, "at
the old game | see. Why don't you
try something new?'
The girl, in whose hard and care
worn face there was not trace OF
fear, stared at me de6antly.
"Wot if we is?" she said sulenly
folks like us has got to live some
way and the old gags is the best any
how. | tried a new one las week, and
It was all to the bum" Here she
stopped and looked at me suspiciously,
60 on Liz" said | good naturedly,
I'm not working this week and III
give my word of honor not to peach on
you. Sit down and tell me about it."
The hunted look left the girls face
and she glanced at me gratefully as
she sat down.
thanks, Mr.. Wells" she said, 81
taut you want no piker. Well, it was
| like dis. Some O. de fly cops got wise
to our game an dey told us to quit it
or get pinched, so we quit an KEEP in
| de house fer while Things to eat
got kinder scarce aroun' tn joint so,
one night, | says to Mag I'm goin' to
| duck out an see what's doin'' an
| took hike down to the Bowry.
Il wuz sneakin' along when, all of a
| sudden, runs into Marble Mary just
out from tree months trip to tn
islam. Mary she hooks into me an,
| wen tells her me bad luck, she puts
| me wise to new lay that she says is
| a peach an winner. On de way home
Now dis is kind of particular job
| so calls on all me frien's fer help.
| "One lends me a swell lid she's
| swiped somewhere, another hands me
| a dress fer Mag an finally, we're bet
| fixed up like duchesses and ready fer
| parade.
| "Den / gets out a new shiny hand
| bag, dat l copied from somebody or
| other, and packs it full O paper until
it looked like tn property of Mrs. Van
| Astor.
wild dat in me mitt, me and Mag
hits de pike fer down town. We
wuznt amin fer no cheap joint
| neither. but fer Wanacooper's, tn
SWEETEST place in town. Course, we
| didn't know w'ether we could get in
or not but faint heart amt produc
tive OF anything to eat an anyhow We
couldn't do no more than get trowed
out
well, luck was wild us, fer dey was
a big sale .goin on an tn bubbles an
1 carriages was lined up fer half a mile
an swells goin' In an out like bees in