Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-13

clock told him that his newborn sense
of duty had not betrayed him
He CHANGED to draw near the desk and
there his nose encountered an odor Of sub
tie, delightful perfume which Snubby an
mediately, and rightfully, attributed to
the letter which his employer was bend
ing over with pain-lined features and
drawn lips.
Intuition told him that in that locality
he was not welcome. So. sternly still
ing his desire to stay and smell, he with
drew across the room and fell to study
ing the haggard face of the man at the
letter.
up against it hard,' he commented to
himself. Poor guy. Must be some'n'
pretty bad. He looks all in
LIS employer was writing now, and
that had come into the usually handsome
and cheerful face; watched the dull droop
of the shoulders usually squared so
strongly: watched the forward sag of the
head usually so firmly set: watched in
vain for the lightness that in the eyes had
now been replaced by dullness and pain.
AS Snubby gazed he began to feel sorry
and yet more sorry; and then something
went wrong with his inside and his throat
felt funny and his eyes leaked.
Now wha' dyer t'ink o dat?' he asked
OF nlnSeu, ana again, NOW VIVA Yer
t'ink O. dat?' But he could give himself
no answer.
A. length he heard his employer calling.
but in voice so different from the usual
light. ringing tones that he hardly rec
ognized it.
"Snubby." he said. deliver this note
for me. please. The address is on the en-
veope. The bookkeeper will give you
car fare" and he fell to studying the
darkness of the wall opposite.
Snubby studied 1t for moment, too.
But he could see nothing. So he fell to
studying his employer. And then his in
side began to feel strange again. So he
went out to the bookkeeper, whom he
didn't like. and after getting from him
the money necessary for transportation
called him "big. four-eyed stiff and
hastily made his way to the elevator.
On his way down to the ground floor
he managed to decipher the address on
the envelope.
Eff Avnoo.'' he said. and he succeeded
in making out the number. But the name
was hopelessly beyond him.
On his way up town he achieved much
qualification by beating the company out
of nickel and getting a transfer that
didn't belong to him. And in the interim
he found time to think of his employer.
With Snubby the consideration of the
sorrows of any one for whom he cared
naturally led to a desire to obviate those
sorrows. If he but knew what was so
troubling his employer! But stay! There
was the letter-evidently an answer to the
one that smelt SO good-that had caused
all the woe.
He took it from his pocket. examining
1t. 1t was unSealed. Instantly, with no
consideration of the ethics of the matter,
with no thought other than a desire to
help where assistance seemed so much to
be needed, Snubby removed the folded
sheet from it's imprisoning envelope and
opening it, bent small gray eyes upon the
handwriting before him.
1t took him twenty blocks to learn the
gist of what the letter held and even then
many words had to be ignored and many
others remained mysteries unsolvable.
At length he folded the letter and re-
placed ii in the envelope, unconsciously
sealing it as he did so.
Now VIVA dyer tink o dat?" he asked
of the brake handle before him 'She
trun him downturn him down cold. An
him de best guy in de woild. Dere amt
no better buy n him. Dene couldn't be
no better guy n him. he aiflplified, con-
clusively.
Dat dame don't know nut'n," he COM
planned to the brake handle, in tones of
infinite and abiding disgust. She don't
know nut'n. He's good Iy an she
oughter to be glad ter get him. Women
don't know nutn nohow,'' he added; and
then, a large woman with many bum
dies alighted from the car backward and
proceeded to perform a few evolutions
that greatly delighted the other passen-
gers, greatly incensed herself and caused
the conductor much trouble in securing
the names of witnesses, ''See?" he added
II told yer so. Dey don't know nut n
Not none of EN-,