The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-07-15
The Stars Ten
Minute Story

as he was doing now-well,
if this were charity the virtue GER
tainly reserved its place at the head
Of the list.
The boy, however, still pointed up
ward, and Audley kept on mounting,
until he had reached the
top, where he was directed to turn in
at an open doorway.
The place was in an awful disorder
and stihingly hot. The boy had begun
quietly to cry again and to clutch at
his leg. The man was fain to drop
him on the ruckle Of rags, by courtesy
termed a bed, and proceeded to make
an examination for damages. He was
III the middle of the process when
women's voices from across the hall
reached his ear. Two women who had
been hanging half clad out of the win
dow were discussing the situation.
"Yis, Mrs Rafferty," one of them was
saying, only this day wake was tell
ing Tim it would come to this. Took
away by the patrol! Lord save us:
who's to look out for the boy? The
Societys have to take him. There's
too many childer under me fate al
ready-the Lord forgive me for savin'
it. And Earl's a purity boy. the very
ricter of his pa, God rest his sowl!"
The name struck Audley with a
strange familiarity. Wetting the cor
ner of a cloth-whether towel. naDl,in
or dishrag, Audley rocked not--he pro-
ceeded to polish the CRIME from the
Youngsters countenance, then stood
off and gazed at the result.
For the moment he was transported
in memory five years back to his room
at Old Orange. His room chum was
showing him the picture of a chubby
little four-year-old
Yes, Dick" he heard Drayton's
voice say, that's your cbum as
baby. That's the stuff out of which
this particular center rush was evolv.
cd. Great mystery this growth. eb.
old man? l mean to save this photo
Graph for my son, if ever l have one."
Audley gazed at the atom of Gods
handiwork, clean now and smiling. 1t
seemed quite natural to him that out
OF the heat and the rush and the evil
smelling slum should have come this
replica of his boyhood's friend. He
never for moment doubted the truth
Of his suspicion, but looked around
the greasy walls for the proof he knew
was there. q
Above the bed, in a little rosewood
frame, hung a faded photograph, the
photograph that Earl Drayton had
showed him in their college room ten
years before, He learned forward and
took it down, the boys great blue eyes
following his every movement. On the
back of the picture, in the shaky hand
Of dying man, was scrawled: God
teach my son better life than l have
knOWn.-Earl DraytOn."
Audley slipped the photograph into
, his bocket and raised Earl Jr., laugh.
= ing and growing, to his shoulder. In
the narrow, dirty hallway the pair
We're crushed into the corner by four
= men carrying a stretcher The gong
| had been the alarm of the ambulance,
not Of the patrol wagon, and little Earl
was a real orphan now.
l No one needed the two as they pass,
2 ed out into the street. Such dramatic
interest as there was for the people
2 Of the Greenwich precinct centered
in the cold stiff thing upon the stretch
= or upstairs.
| For Audley there was no longer any
p regret for the play he had missed
The principal actor of a more wonder
) full drama lay Struggled close to his
2 breast in the sunshine.