The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1913-05-09
SHY Side OF IT
How an Aspiring Society Girl
Was Taught a Lesson in
Summing.
BY cLAuDlNE LIssoN.

BY cLAUDlNE LISSoN.
It was strange that Jack Ashton
should be bored, He was a young
man Of wealth and social privileges,
college educated, a member OF four
or five clubs, rather a favorite with
the fair sex, always invited every
where-baseball, football. regattas and
the races, with trip here or there
every few months. 1t seemed like a
crime to be bored.
And what does a young man do
when he is bored?
There is Africa with its big game
and mosquitoes.
There is Mt. Mckinley to be
climbed.
There are theatrical companies to
be "angeled"
There is the chorus girl to be won
and divorced again.
Young Mr.. Ashton thought Of all
these things and rejected them. He
went to Sunday newspaper editor
and had talk with him, and the re-
suit was that he did just what no
friend Of his would have looked for
him to do. On the next Sunday, and
on every succeeding Sunday for many
weeks, there was an article signed
'Toff." 1t was descriptive of life in
the underworld. The underworld said
Of them:
Believe me, dat guy is surely one
OF us!"
There was no remarks made about
the sudden appearance of strange
guy" in the hang outs of the under
world. He might be a yeggman, pick
pocket, burglar or what, so long as he
was not detective. He didn't talk
too much. He didn't listen too closely
He made few inquiries He played
poker with murderers and pool with
burglars He spent his money just as
the others did-not too freely He
limited at a prison term or two, but
did not go into particulars. After be-
ing watched for a spell to make sure
that he was not stool-pigeon for the
police, he was in way admitted to
the underworld That is, he was not
blackjacked or robbed as summer,
and now and then he was offered a
partnership in lob" to he done.
The articles of "Toff" made a SEN
sation. They were we're read and COM
Tented on by the under as well as the
upper world To get the local color
they said the writer must speak from
personal observation and experience.
Was he Raffles taking a vacation
from crime? Was he some young
man not yet so hardened in crime that
he could not be saved if he could only
be identified and wrestIed with?
Among those who hoped so was
Miss Clara Converse. She had long
been interested in and had taken some
part in mission work Indeed, she
had, as she fondly supposed, been the
direct means of reforming several
hard cases. She had furnished them
money to go west and make new
start and grow up with the country,
and the police, not wishing to hurt
her feelings, had concealed the fact
that they had gone to Sing Sing in
stead.
1t was on account of her mission in
terest, and in the hope of interesting
others that Miss Converse made one
of Summing party one evening.
itta MI In
tended to see and no more. The I'M
derworld doesn't do any safe-cracking
or blackjacking before the eyes of
summers. Miss Converse had
mental photograph of "Toff,' and she
looked for him.
At length, in den frequented alto
gether by men who had shed human
blood, as the guide solemnly assured
the party, the man was discovered.
He looked intelligent and almost re-
spectacle. Met in walk along Fifth
avenue, he might have been taken
for rising young lawyer, hoping that
some workman might be killed and
his widow bring suit for damages.
The only crime "Toff" was commit
ting just then was that of beer drink
ing. This greatly astonished the
summers. They looked for blood on
his hands, but they were cleaner than
a trolley car conductors. Miss Con-
verse spoke to him, and he talked In a
gentlemanly way. In fact, she boosted
afterward that he almost used as
good grammar as floor-walker in
department store" She did not want
to preach to him before his wicked
companions, and so she quietly left
him her card. In return she received
look which she interpreted to mean:
For heavens sake, don't betray my
identity here!" and she needed the
request. After she had passed out,
"Slippy," the pickpocket lifted up the
card with a laugh and showed 1t
around and said:
Another of the sex gone bug-house
over saving US from ruin Why didn't
some of you pinch her diamond breast
pin?"
A week later, one rainy afternoon,
Miss Converse received a caller. The
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