The Washington herald., 1913-12-07


of emery paper. "Only last week l
had ore in here that was so rank an
imitation you'd think he'd sit up nights
to make fun of himself; anyway, you'd
begin to understand how Cassie Chad
wick took up collections. He was old
enough to have fed Methuselah his
fennel tea, but the help an old man
can get from ugliness doctors and
tailors that ought to have been taxi
dermists, makes anything they show at
the Hippodrome look easy. The min
ute l caught sight of that saucy little
freshman hat and the college-cut
clothes, knew the whole play before
the curtain went up, and l wouldn't
look in Billy's direction. He was al
ready joshing more than was good for
him. You know Billy. He's the boss
barber and wants to buy me plain
gold ring and a piano-player, but poor
Billy isn't a man of his word. He
promised he'd do anything in the
world for me, and reneged on the only
request l made. He wouldn't change
his face.
"Of course, the first thing Mr.. New
erdie did when he kittened down into
nv chair was to squeeze my hand.
That was 4 terrible shock to me,
guess, since it only happens from nine
to twenty times a day, and l hardly
knew what to do-only just how to
stop it. l shifted his hands into and
out of the ninety-eight-cent near-cut
glass bowl so often he fell to it that
the program had been changed with
out notice, and then he took the num-
Der. Billy snickered out loud, and l
shot a glare at him that ought to have
shrunk him to the size of a one
lunsed peanut; but it didn't. He only
swelled up and watched for more. He's
regular cut-up, Billy is, and of
course he knew there was more COM
ing. These past-due firty boys get
so callous to turndowns that nothing
short of brick makes dent in them,
and petty soon l saw him watching
my hair and my eyes, and l got ready.
DO you know said he, you look
exactly like Maxine Elliott?'
"'Of course l know it, l handed
him back. Maxine comes in here
nearly every day and asks me to quit
it, but l won't
That made him pause for the cross
ing, anyhow, and l got three minutes
farther on the way.
"'What lonesome city this isl he
put in next, and l knew it was no use
trying to save him a chill He wouldn't
be satisfied till he got froze stiff.
Why did you slip away from him
then?' l asked.
From he began, and then he
stopped. He wasn't so slow after all.
He'd been going to ask from whom
but he had flash of second sight and
knew I'd hint that it was either his
guardian or his keeper.
"'What cross little dear you areP
he said, and patted my hand.
Just see what l have to put up
with, though 1 explained, and then 1
jabbed him one under the thumb nail
that set him jumping all over. That
;ab was for the little dear
Wouldn't you think he'd guess his
line had been disconnected after that?
He didn't. He was puncture proof,
and when he got up to go he leaned
over the table to me and said:
What do you think of nice even
ing at the theater tonight, and maybe
a bird and a bottle afterS
FineP 1 chirruped. Z like to read
about it; but if you're hunting some
poor but honest working girl of fatal
beauty to share it you'd better hurry,
for the hour is growing late. For me,
not! I'm going to spend this evening
with my own grandfather !
q hadn't supposed it could be done,
but the red began to creep under his
makeup, and then l felt a little bit
sorry. It's wrong to hit a cripple,
anyhow, and as he went out l SUM-
shined at him just so l wouldn't feel |
like so much of crouch myself. 1
thought I could take a chance or1 that ]