The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-07-21
BY M. QUAD.

needed but one glance at him to real
ize that IL was Lent all the year round
ut his boarding house.
The hair of tie old man was as
white as snow, and he had whiskers
that colonel OF cavalry would have
been proud of. His clothing was in
rags. You could have bet your bottom
dollar against banana that he hadn't
had n chummy talk with Fifth ave-
nue. tailor in n thousand years. Yes,
ne was In rags. and you didn't have 10
look three times TO see his fourteen
toes sticking out TO the weather.
There was time when this old
mans hand organ played such lively
tunes as Buffalo Gals" ana "a Hot
Time" but now the best It could do
was to give out a few cholly bars of
''rhe Girl Left Behind Me"
Not a Penny In His Clothes.
Not one red cent did that poor old
man have in his clothes. A boy came
along and offered to sell him the Wal.
dorf-Astor tavern for II cents; but.
alas. he could not even ask one of the
chautfeurs who hang out on the Thir'
ty-fourth street side to have n pony Of
beer with him
IL was just awful TO see that old
man grinding away aud getting older
every minute and know that he hadn't
any stock I'm n water power company
and not one chance In thousand 10
marry an heiress. There were motor
men on the passing ears who glanced
at him and probably wiped away their
tears They realized that If their con.
ductors didn't divide fairly on the
knOckdowns they would be grinding q
hand organ some day themselves.
Poor man. Poor old chapW ex'
claimed many people who passed.
None of them followed It up by
dropping a penny in the ragged old
cap. but that is not necessary in a
great city If you sympathize with n
poor man that pays his rent and board.
A passing telephone girl did stop and
take out her purse. but. finding that II
contained only nickel and remember
ing that she was to contest in gum
chewing match that afternoon, she
passed on.
Stuck TO His Corner.
Four long hours passed away. Dur
ing this time there were three thuD-
der showers and hailstorm. and Com.
missioner Flynn raided three more
gambling houses. The old man had
not moved from his corner He wasn't
spiked down. but 1t was as good aa
any other street corner TO him. When
you get above ninety years old you
don't care darn which corner you ats
on
Then n policeman came saunterinr
that way. He had just been fined
three days. pay for seeing his captain
drink a glass Of beer in n saloon. and
the thing rank ed that Is. II ranked
because the "a plain hadn't asked hiI
TO pour some of the same down his
own neck. No. the valiant officer wa'
not IN mood 10 stand any back talk
lie was. indeed. looking for some on'
10 give him bit of sass when h'
caught sight Of the old man IN rags
His face frightened. ana that beer h
6Alnt get was momentarily forgotten
Only momentarly. however. He mean
60 write letter TO tie papers tina
evening and tell how the police fore
was dlsorganlzed and the lid was Off.
''Now. then. You --. what in -
are you doing here?' he demanded a
he approached the old man.
Was Easily Understood.
His English was plain and perfect
Even one OF the gas house gang coul'
have understood that he was making
an inquiry about something
"Alas, sir. l am an old man. wa
the reply and the pathos of the ton
apa words went right to the heart o
( peanut man on the corner
-