The Washington herald., 1913-11-16
THE ELEVATOR BOY
He Is Grieping Over the End of Mr. Hokus

/ Did she sue you for breach of prom
ise?" asked.
Worse than that, Samnis. She fol-
lowed me to my office and claimed that
while helping her on the car / wtnked
AT her, and IL i did not come down with
$50 she would drag me into courtl"
You don't say! Why, have helped a
hundred different women on or on the
| trolley cars"
But it's different in your case. You
! are only a boy instead OF a prominent
citizen. To save slander 1 paid that
wretch the money. 1 have seen since
that shouldn't have done It. but at that
time L dreaded anything like notoriety.
She went away to come back within a
month and strike me for $200!''
But what for?''
she said 1 squoze her hand as L
winked at herr
why, always squeeze their hands,
That's why help themr'
But your case is different, as 1 told
you. At first 1 decided / wouldn't pay
! her a cent, but when she started to &C
out and have me arrested 1 submitted
to be blackmailed again. For fear she
/ would come again I moved my office a
mile away and shaved of my chin whis-
kers."
Were they venerable whiskers?'
They were. Sammis-they were. I shed
tears as 1 shed the whiskers. You will
never know till you have them what a
wrench il is to part from a whisker that
mas been with you twenty-five years"
But you moved and haven't seen the
woman since?"
Not so fast, Sammis She walked In
on me the third day. She saw me in
the street and piped me off,"
''Gee-whizz! But she didn't want any
more money!
Didn't she? Well she happened to
want 500 more and I had to give it to
| her."
But why. Mr.. Hokus? Why didn't you
break her neck?"
-Sammis, your experience in the world
has been very brief. When a woman is
| ready to swear that a deacon of a lead
ing church winked at her and squoze her
hand and whispered in her ear, what
chance has that deacon got! He might
deny till doomsday, and yet they would
| take her word and bounce him"
We were silent for a time. Then Mr..
Hokus brsced up and hauled out a five
! dollar bill and handed it to me with:
''Sammis, I don't want that woman to
| find me here"
"She shall not, SIR" 1 replied as I
poclIeted the spool!
"She is a little old woman with gray
off her words when she talks. She keeps
both fists doubled up. She sticks out her
chin, looks you straight in the eye, and
you find yourself quailing."
She'll find me a different bird from
a quail, Mr.. Hokus.'
You will face herr"
You betr
And lie to her
Bet some more"
nd Gh NJ nhCfa
Sammis?'
Il will have her arrested"
Good boy, Sammis"'
When 1 got back to my elevator 1
took look at that greenback- 1t did
not look good to me. I sent it over
to the bank and 1t came back TO me
with the word counterfeit" stamped
on the face. I went up to see Mr..
Hokus, and after looking at the bill
a long minute he turned to me and
exclaimed:
Alas, another of my ideals shat
teredw
What's the boobery?" 1 asked
That is not the bill 1 gave you,
but a base counterfeit that you wrung
in on me! Sammis, you saw that I
had a tender. trusting heart, and you
set out to work me. Who on earth
can I trust uow?"
q
hypocrite. I looked him in the eye a
moment and then walked away.
An elevator boy meets with bluff now
and then where words fail him.
Two weeks passed. Mr.. Hokus and I
did not speak as we rode up and down
together. 1 tried to look very stern and
he carried an injured air. Then came
the little old woman in black. l knew
her far down the corridor.
"Bub." she began as she halted at my
cage, but 1 Clipped in with:
Yes, this is the right place"
Hes a fatheriy looking man."
For sure"
And such a bland smile!"
And he talks so gentler'
Yes. he has talked to me!''
And he is here?"
'Yes-room s-go right in without
knocking. You are his wife?'
For twenty-nine years"
She went up with me. Later on Mr..
Hokus came down with her. She was
leading him by the ear. He gave me
one glance of reproach and passed out
of my sight forever.
Poor man! He died of a broken heart!
SAMMIS,