The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-11-30

Big Bailey saved him-not l."
And then they all moved round un-
easily and got in each others way
while the chief scrub woman made
strong coffee.
And the next day more Impossible
gifts Of fruit and flowers came from
the other inhabitants of the big
building than the boy could have
used i'm a month.
That was how it began--Big Bail
ey's adoption of the boy. After the
worst the little chap. who said his
name was Bill-~just Bill--would lie
and watch Big Bailey putter round
the studio and follow him, follow him
everywhere with his big round eyes
in which shone a light like the light
YOU have seen In your dogs eyes
when he stretched before the fire and
contemplated your god-like qualities.
Then one day-that was when he
was able to be dressed-he said,
well Mr. Bailey. | s'pose | must be
going now"
Going where to?" said Bailey.
20. Just going Pm all right now,
and ] can't stay here now, / amt
sick, ye see"
Gee" said Bailey. "What do you
think you are talking about? Is that
the way to treat your side partner
after he's learned how to be trained
nurse-you being the lay figure in
the case Say. now, is that kind
put It to you straight--is that the
wav to quit a pal
Then as he saw the quick pain of
misunderstanding come over the boys
face. "Bill come here" he said. And
he stood the little fellow, so thin and
gawky between his big knees.
"Bill." he said. "how would IL hit
you to stay right here with me-?
/ Going? Why. cid man. you're not
/ going you're never going any more.
/ You're Just going to be my pal, and
we're going to keep house together
mp here. Bill, don't you know |
/ couldn't stand 1t to have YOU go away
-Td-Id sue you for breach OF pro-
mise indeed ! would. Bill, and you
needn't think YOU are going to have
soft snap Of It. You won't. You'll
have to worl-sort of butler and
valet and housemaid you'll be, Bill.
/ What do you say?"
And Bill, looking deep into the
/ kindly eyes and seeing there sencerity
and no Joke. did most foolish thing.
/ lie rushed at Big Bailey, seized him
around the neck and cried like the
! child he really was.
An amazing handy little chap he
was. He really did come TO be sort
of valet-butler to Big Bailey and was
his right hand man. He seemed to
have an instructive understanding
and grasp of the finer things.
over and over he startled Big
/ Bailey by some accurate. invariably
correct way of doing thing, or sug-
/ gesting exactly the place where q
newly acquired treasure would best
At At such times the artist would
| look at him queerly and mutter to
himself, Good stuff back of him"
And to listen to the conversations
across the CRATE of an evening. Big
Bailey with his pipe and Bill with his
| Turkish cigarette-Big Bailey said II
! he couldn't break the habit of the
I street he should have good ones
would have edited you greatly.
II was very one-sided, Big Bailey
| talking for long stretches of his life
in the Quarter and later in that city
! Bill dropping in a question now and
/ then.
Under his very eyes he was seeing
the gradual development OF soul, II
seemed to him. Often he wondered
how 1t would have been II the poor
little bundle of wretchedness had
never been picked up by Saunders Oh
that stormy night. How would the
little chap have Jared?
If he had come safely through the
sickness in some hospital and gone
on to the street again, how would
IL have been? And how would IL
have been with him himself? But II
wasn't so pleasant a subject that II
was profitable to dwell on.
There were few men, The Elect
who dropped in occasionally, and Bill
with them was a good fellow, just as
he was with Big Bailey. Only wher
they were there Bill faded into the
background usually He was busy
anyway, for the boy was genius al
cook and his creamed oysters wer,
famous with The Elect.
Usually the chums ate in the stu