The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-12-15


going to begin at the beginning and !
and tell you all about it, and then we |
are to go out and buy Santa Claus !
present for him"
Yes, Polly" answered the young |
woman.
You had gone to Europe. You had
just packed up and skated as If the !
police were after you. Mother said
she didn't believe you wanted to go
the least little bit, but that your moth
er made you
Don't talk nonsense, Polly
"Well, you skated anyhow"
And don't talk slang"
"Skated isn't slang. 1t means that
you Just glided off like a streak Of
lightning You had skated, and was
lonesome, and was out walking with
poor Flora, when a boy came along
with a big dog. He was tough. So
was his dog He shouted at me:
Take care Of your dog!'
"'Why?' I answered.
"'Cause my dog will chew him
up'
IT was Just going to tell him that
If his dog did there would be trouble
in the camp, when 1t sprang upon
poor Flora and ended her life. l can't
describe my feelings as l saw her
breathing her last"
We'll, don't try to-not if there's
any slang in L."
"Why, Hilda, haven't said slang
word. You know how very, very par
ticular mother is with me. No, | can't
describe my feelings, but remember
that l went for that boy, tooth and
toe-nail. l hit and scratched and
kicked and bit, and l was doing him
up when"
Polly Sewell!" exclaimed Miss
Hilda in horror.
Now what's happened?" Polly
asked. Il told it to papa just this
way, and he patted me on the Shout
der and called me good girl. AS l
was saying. I was putting In my best
ticks when along came taxi with a
fat woman in It. Maybe she was
clipping, and maybe she only wanted
to get home to lunch. Maybe the
chauffeur yelled Hi at me, and
maybe he Just wanted to kill another
girl. However it was, he ran me
down. Yes, cousin. l was knocked
out"
You mean you lost consciousness?"
Gracious. but how ignorant you
are for a girl OF twenty! Nobody can
be knocked out without losing their
consciousness. That's the whole idea
of 1t. Yes, was knocked out and
counted out, and when l came to |
was in the hospital with three broken
ribs. That fat woman must have
weighed a ton. 1t was hours and
hours before l came to, and then-oh,
then"
Then what?"
Then there was the loveliest angel
standing beside my cot in the hos
pital you ever saw. Nobody knew
/ who l was, and they had rung for the
ambulance and taken me to the hos
pital And. oh. that angel, cousin
that angel"
You mean a nurse, of course"
Il don't. l mean a mana doctor
He had hold of my hand. He was
looking down on me with his sad
sad eyes. Lsaw at once that he had
some great sorrow on his mind Yes
he had the finest eyes-and curly
hair, and handsome nose, and wheL
he spoke to- me there was pathos in
his voice. And the fun of the whole
thing was that knew him at once
while he didn't know me from a side
OF sole-leather. Oh. you are interested
are your"
Polly, was just thinking how
frightened you must have been to fine
yourself in hospital" said the blush
ing Hilda.
ooh. 1 see! Well, save your sym
patty. A hospital with an angel
doctor to fix up your broken ribs isnt
half bad place. In fact, liked it Sc
well that he'd to stay there"
Polly Sewell!"
Fl sure did. They had gone through
my outfit without finding my address
| and had concluded / was a stranger
In the town. When 1 opened my eyes
and sort O. winked at the angel"
Polly, that's surely slang!"
mo 1t isn't. l told papa about it
and he said things had come to {
pretty pass if a girl with three broker
ribs couldn't wink at the angel-doc
tor who has set them. When l hat
opened my eyes and winked the doc
/ tor said:
Little girl, what is your name"
"1t's Hanah Jones'
land where do wou liver
"'At far-off Blackberry Corner"
Polly, you ought to have been sen
to jail" was the emphatic comment
But had my little scheme to work
you see. Papa hunted for five day.