Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-11-23

Milwaukee Red had just rolled out
of a box car, having arrived on a
night freight from Seattle, and was
humping back doors for breakfast.
With one foot very conspicuously
bound up in rags, an arm in q sling
and an expression of countenapce to
correspond. he had applied at several
doors without success when at the
door of poor little shack in a side
street woman with a foreign accent
babe him enter.
'Holy smoker thought Milwaukee
Red. SIS me power house workin
right? A warm set down already!
OATS sure goin' some. Dat beats de
cold handouts mile. Now, jes' watch
little Willie punish de grub And
he hesitated not the fraction of sec
ond; but, with cheerful willingness
born of a two days fast, he followed
the woman into the house.
. a-81t Reds bright vision of table
loaded wftl1.savory dishes only lasted
Until he got inside the. door. The table
was there all right, but in place of the
smoking breakfast that Reds hungry
imagination. had conjured up there
were only some fragments of loaves OF
black bread aid "a pitcher of water.
while seatedabeGt the table were four
half starved chiIaren
The woman explained to Red that
they were themselves nearly starving,
that she was a widow aud that q
grown son, her sole support, had wan
dered off months since in search of
employnent, but that she never turn
ed hungry man away unfed at least
with such as she had and ended by
b:dding him sit up to their frugal
board
But Red did not move. He stood in
the middle of the floor and stared as
though hypnotized. He stared at the
partly eaten pieces of dry bread, at
the furnished looking children, at the
pale faced woman and at the room in
general, wherein want was written ev-
erywhere. He stared for fun min
ute, and then, without a word, he turn
ed and strobe out of the room. And
the woman noticed that he did not
when he came In.
Outside, Red made for the nearest
alley, Invested himself of his .slnalze-
up" stored the bandages in bundle
for future use and started uptown.
An inspiration had come to Mr.. Red
of Milwaukee.
He had been in Frisco many times
before, and he knew the ropes ut
certain cheap eating place south Of
Market street. Once in a moment OF
weakness he had accepted a position
in the place for a few days washing
dishes.
Red went boldly into a meat mar
ket and said: "I'm after de meat for
Johnnie's hash factory. johnnie sent
me. Dey wants ten pounds"
The butcher looked at Red. 'Just
some tramp dishwasher at Johnnie's,"
he thought to himself. ''He acquires
new one every other day. I'll chance
It's being all right
Red hilSed with the meat, but not to
Johnnie's. He next lay for a bakers
wagon. Pretty soon one ratified past
and stopped in front of a house. Red
watched his chance, and as the driver
ran around the house with two loaves
Of bread he helped himself to four
nice, fresh warm ones from a box up
on top.
Butter and milk were next on bis
shopping list, and these he stole from
back doors where the articles had been
left, it being yet early in the morning
and Red being an artist In this kind
Of foraging.
A half hour later the kind hearted
though poverty stricken woman who
had offered Red q share of what she
had was surprised to find on her back
porch the food he had collected, to-
Ssther with the following crudely writ
ten note:
Deer Madan-Dese tings are for you.
Don / say nothin' about it to nobody Jes'
turn de kids. Ioos on it. A FRIEND.