The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-20
me. and he asked me for the price Of q

-
BEAT IT, I says, muffin doin'.'"
SYou o this was the foist time tn all
me life I'd ever had q bunch Of ksle IKE
that. and ! wus flgurin' on maxim the
most Of Ii. Maybe II I'd only had Q qaas-
ter and he'd asked me for o drink. ia
bought II for him.
Il was Just passin' n Of the stores.
jinsiin' me coin. and tryin' to decide
whether to eat or get drunk first. when i
sees a lot Of Christmas junk In the window,
''Eobody's got anything on me now,
/ says to meself. L couldb NY out the
whole works In there and never miss 1t.
stopped and looked In the window.
There's q tin wagon, just like one
my kid brought home from q social settle
ment blowout once, and 1t makes me think
Of the kid and his mother. Maggie, that's
his mother, went to work In o cigarette
factory after ! lost me job. Sure l Fad
a good job. but / wus In wrong Wit the
boes. and he tried to put It over me, and
1 had q little argument with him one
evening and got rode down the street
on the end Of a night stick. Hi". We
Il didn't see much Of Maggie after
that. Once in a while she was good for
q hot touch and she and the kid seemed
to get along all right. I always thought
I'd go to work again, but / got mixed
up with that bunch around Ike's, andyou
know what IL is when YOU get In with a
bunch like that. Al
We'll, goin' back. Il was that tin wagon
that did 1t. ! got to fgurin' how old the
kid would be and whether Maggie still
had her Job at the factory and whether
that dago family still lived In the base
ment and whether McGrath still was on
the beat. o.. -""t '
'And say. pal, for the foist time in my
life I fell TO meself. Here / was, goin'
to spend all that money on eats and lap
ups. and there's Maggie and the kid tryin'
to keep warm, and I figured 1t would be
cold back there. too.
II got hep to myself all at once. I took
the fstful Of twenties out Of me pocket
and I says, Maggie I says. you and the
kid are goin' to have a Christmas blow
out that'll make that settlement affair
look like a hangover
1T was about half past four o'clock and !
knew I'd have just about time enough
to 60 out and ship of tho ooin before the
post ofioe closed. I started down the
street.
did you ever go two days without a
feed and then get your nits on q big bundle
Of money! I looked through the window
Of the Palm Restaurant and watched a
fat guy spreadin' out MS napkin and
holding q cocktail UP to tho light. He
drank It. and then the waiter brought his
soup. / passed the Exchange Grill and
tho bean clerk was slappin' out the ham
and and the beans and the coffee. and I
could smell 1t clear out In the street.
Il says, He'll Wot's the uset' and started
in. I knew what would happen II / broke
one Of them twenties, and then I thought
Of Maggie and the kid. ] knew I would
have to send them all OF It or nothin'.
And then I ducks me head and heats II
down tho street. toward the post office.
This burg looks like. she was belched
up from the bottom of hell any way. and
I didn't care to look at II, but just then
didn't dare to look one way or the other.
I was cold, but there was sweat OF my
forehead and my head was buszin' like
a cage full Of squirrels. But you see. pal.
I saw that this was my n chance to make
good.
Il had all that yellow stuff in my fst
and I slaps her down and says to the
gink at the window. i van to ship all
this OF to New York
Fiji out ono Of these blanks he says.
passin' over Q pad.
Il started to all one out on a shelf on
the wall, but me battin' average wit the
quill amt what 1t ought to be and this
pen was q ripple and sphuttered ink all
over. 30 I spoiled five blanks before /
got one right. But 1 got her all fixed
all right. with Maggie's full name and
address. / was afraid all the time I
wasn't goin' to be able to get 1t doped
out before 8 O'Clock. There was still
drops Of sweat on me face and me legs
was weak. The clerk counted the money.
1t will cost a dollar and a half to send
IT, he says.
''G'wan. slip 1t to me easy; I'm ner-
vous.' l says. You don't want all that2'
HE sure did, though. and there was a
fellow pushin' me from behind, 70 / picked
up the money and stepped out Of the
line to think it over. ! had made up my
mind to send them the full five hundred,
and there was only one thing to do. 1t
was TO 60 back and win the extra dollar
and q half.
1T was getting nea closing time. and
/ knew I had to get the money of that
night or not at all. 90 I ran all the way
back to the Hermitage and threw q twenty
the line.
Two bucks goes I eays.
The bones rolled for ever and ever,
md then che come craps. l kept on
doubling up, and you know what happened
They were just getting the last Of it when
you came. / didn't even get q drink out
Of that money
He rose. turning up his coat collar.
Il come In here with q fellow from
and we're goin' to sleep down
here at . livery stable.
But say. on the level. pal. amt this
one hell Of q burgf"