The Washington times., 1911-01-24

r. ANll, nad suggested SCnoOl 10
Toni but the boy would none of
J it. "Wot, set in one O. dem
agony seats, biffn' your brain
id books, a skinny lady punchin' holes
trough you wild her eyes? Not for
mine, pard"'
y jot was what he wanted, and Da-
vid at last concluded that after he had
been tanned a few months by the disci-
pline of regular work he would perhaps
be more amenable to education.
There were but two men of whom Da-
vid could ask aid in finding a place for
the boy, Mr.. Rogers and the mayor of
Avenue A. Mr.. Rogers was beginning
to be something of a puzzle to David.
One thing that made David wonder was
the smallness Of Mr.. Rogers business
compared with his ability. They had
few short talks; and David had dis
covered that there lurked behind the re-
| served exterior a sharp intelligence
which now and then flashed out poni-
ards of bitter wit. David contrasted
| him with another rental agent he had
met and the second man, though he
| did several times as much business as
Rogers, seemed a nonentity. Yet Rog-
ers was the agent of but half dozen
| tenements. and made no effort to eX-
tend his clientage.
David also wondered at what he could
| regard only as idiOsyncrasies. The
dinGy brown of Rogers hair looked
| hardly a natural color; he guessed hair
dye. But hair dye he associated with
vanity, and Rogers, apparently, had no
vanity. And one day, while sweeping
out Rogers office. David had tried on
Rogers spectaCles, which he had left
I'on the desk, and had discovered that he
could see through them as well as with
his naked eyes. The lenses were
blanks. Why should the man wear
| blank Spect2Cles and dye his hair?
Mere idiosyncracies, Of course, yet rath-
| er queer ones.
Rogers was always kind and cour-
| teous to David, and the tenants told
| many stories of the agents warm
| agents own pocket when tenant was
| out of work, of food that came Covertly
| to fatherless families, of mysterious
| money and delicacies that found roads
| cold and distant to David, and cold and
| distant to all others; so distant that to
1 try to thank him was an embarrasS-
\ ment. Sometimes, when musing about
| dress, his reserve, his stealthy gener-
osity, it seemed to David that Rogers
1 sought obscurity and anonymity as
| Zeaiously as other men seek fame and
brass tablets.
| II was the reserve of Rogers and the
constraint which David felt In his pres.
| ence, and even more the knowledge OF
| the greater influence of the mayor OF
/ ask the latter'S aid In seeking work
| for Tom. So, about O'Clock OF the
\ afternoon following Helen's visit ne
| walked into the Pen-American Cafe. AT
a large table in a front corner sat the
| mayor, two other men, and half dozen
| women, all drinking coffee and eating
cake, and all speaking with ful-volced
laughter that rose straignn m NJ IRON bTrrv 'se ee
he sat down in the opposite corner OF
the almost empty cafe to await the de-
parture of the mayors friends
The ladies' about the mayor were were
| years acquaintance with Womanhooo;
and among them there was an aoun6ant
| show of furs and diamonds' ina.
most of them were were thn miSSes @svor Raado adl
dressed them. The mayor Davlo soon
! nerceived was the center of their IN,
terest. Their pleasantries, their wen
seasoned smiles, their playlIdl 1t pGsnTs; q y,d
then one of his sallies was. reproVeo py
fbe soft blow of a fur muff upon his
mouth. o5 +o nlea ca
.he Inavor. he bent to this one and to
tbo+ one made sweeping hourishes,
threw out retorts that drew upon MIN
more of the same pleasant nlsSies' .Set bis -
| began to dawn upon David that ME
co t5inIIr was very much of gallant.
Presently the maySr, yg,vd rising Hs to exesed gTeed5
binoself TO his companions, came across
ln'nfid To- Davids table and lowered himself
heavily into a chair: A silk silk walstesoa' 1stsoa
that was condenssa mower noIIs Saruen
There was a new respect in the
4
81 see you're f1yin' in high society
those days. he began in a whisper.
"You refer to Miss Chambers? She
is merely Interested in me as you are
| in NV reform" David flushed, but he
said a this quietly. as though the subject
Wi His dignity was not lost on the
mavor. aSay, you're taken an all-fired
brace to yourself in the last ten days
amt you? As for your lazy friend
say. If the way she was taikin, to you