The San Francisco call., 1910-10-30
81 THE BOBBN= MERRILL COMPANY.

She slipped into his hand the little SILK
needle case from her bosom He held IL
for a. moment and then saw the cages
of the bills projecting. Opening the
fap a bank note for ST 900 lay before
him "It's yours-and mine she added.
sylvia you sold the land!
Part of it," She laughed with eN-
quisfte pleasure and sat back luxu-
riantly My, We're rich. It's $4,000.
The lumber company paid it TO me
Just before l sailed. and wouldn't take
a draft. I wanted it in money-real
money-for you to look at I wasn't
afraid She laughed again at his
wonderment Gracious. what do l
know about money? I want you to
have it. John, and make everything
nice for us"
Suppose we live in Berkeley or Pied
mont or somewhere on the hills and
have place with roses just as you
said? Sylvia, you'll never like the
town; it's fast and fierce and grinds
the soul out OF us. and no one cares
not a bit. I'd like to keep you just as
YOU are. sweetheart. always. Aren't
your stockings very wet?" he added
anxiously.
She was untangling the veil from her
hat: with her head turned. she gave a
little cry of alarm. There's some one
in the bed"
lIC 4OpNCu liiAOueSll tliC uO0NAC w.
way to the rear apartment: the dim
light showed the tumbled coverlets.
Its the Polacchi kids said he rue
fully "Granny's house must be filled
tonight
She went with him to stare down at
the black tousled heads of two chill
dren. Why, Jack" she cried lin your
room"
That's all right You see lot of
people sort of hang out with me here:
some lad gets sick or drunk and come
home and find him roosting with me
until he gets over it. You see, never
can turn away lad who's been square
with me. And these children-wel. we
all kind of lo0k after 'em. Mel Free and
Granny and Ferreri and l. Their dad
was drowned off North Point last June.
He was a fisherman. The boy. Angelo,
sells flowers down on Kearny; and you
ought to hear him with a viOlin Fer
reri and 1 are going to send him to
Paris, when he gets bigger, to study.
But in your bed--and yon never
knew it," she laughed, watching the
rosy cheek of Angelo Polacchi. You're
funny people here!"
Granny understands. The lodgings
are filled tonight. I'd hang around
downtown most of the night. anyway.
But you--Sylvia. you'll have to sleep
on the couch. It's big and warm, and
y I've extra covers"
She watched him moving softly about
the room, removing the serape from
the couch. finding sheets and blankets.
making her bed, through 1T all whis-
pered comment of humor. She placed
the violets he had given her in bowl
of Japanese lacquer on the table. I'm
der the gas she unlocked the lace of
her collar and faced him with sober
little laugh.
Good night, Sylvia" Then ne hesi-
tated in some confusion and from his
pocket took the case of money.
You'd Better keep this-you-I-"
Why. it's yours. You'll have TO
care for it now. We can put it in a
bank tomorrow"
Yes" he answered absently, his
eyes on the white, firm flesh of her
shoulder through the opened waist.
where a glow was mounting rosily to
melt into the pink Of her cheek, as she
worked at stubborn pin. Then he held
out his hand and did not offer TO kiss her.
though the sweetness of her breath.
inimitably different from that of town
women, was on him as she smiled
Good night"
She closed the door behind him, dis
covering when he had gone down the
steps past the Family liquor store, that
the rusty lock was useless.
The young man went up the hill and
over Powell street, where all the mid
night radiance OF the city. 400 feet be-
low him. spread like field of firefiieS
caught in a net east and south and
west to the bay and to the mountains
Where Powell intersected Market the
wet asphalt was reflector. in and out
of which the cable cars crawled like
busy insects about a lamp. Arnold
stopped on the Mob hill slope and
looked down in the pit studded with
OII l. -
his hand and shook IL over the city.
Damn you.' he cried. you'll never
make of her what you have Of me,'
He turned into the Maplewood saloon
on Grant avenue half an hour later. 1t
was a place of costly woods and mas
sive mirrors. yet treated with mission
simplicity and of flawless harmony of
color and design. lighted by lights in
recesses, save for one bronze nude fig
ure on the back bar holding forth a
grape cluster that showed the Won
drous tints of the flaming tokay in the
ripening. 1t was known. though not
admitted, that Police Commissioner
Stillman was interested in the Maple
wood, and that he had paid 500 900 TO
a decorator brought from Milan to
think over the mural scheme of his
saloon.
Arnold met Louis Ferreri at the bar.
idly listening to a discourse from a
sharp faced youth who wore leather
automobile cap and g sweater of amaz-
ingly broad pink. green and yellow
stripes. The high throat of this
sweater was gathered by a ribbon of
baby blue and in the knot was an i'm
mense yellow diamond. Mamie Mu-
rasky had purchased this at the Port
land loan Office the day after the Burns
handicap two years ago III was a real
and startling stone IT gathered up all
the iridescence of his sweater and
smashed 1t at you so menacingly that
Mamie was known as the Headlight
Kid" Young Murasky was of many
talents; poolroom clerk at times, an
outside man" for an Emeryville book
maker, cigar store clerk. second for
amateur prize fights, forever noisily
vociferating about the clubs the claims
of some coming lightweight he had dis
covered at the Union iron works, or
Butchertown or North beach Mamie
would tout his Conner indefatigably,
get some promoter TO give him tryout
at the fortnightly bouts, and then,
when his wonder was beaten to the
mat the Headlight Kid would disap
pear from Market street to turn up
later with another slim shanked as
pirant of the ringside.
Tonight Mamie had talked himself
out over the fight. The slot machine