The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-22

she began. because there Is no ons I know that would be interested in know ing my trouble. I came to Birmingham a few years ago and entered business school. About two years ago I started working as private secretary to a well known business man and was setting along fine. It didn't last.
 Ever since being a small. bitsy girl l craved the attentions of men and always felt proud at having three or four men chasing after me. And my position brought me in contact with many men. therefore, I was in my glory for awhile. I guess l was just natural born fooli
 Well, l was lucky for a long time that is I went around with the right kind of men until last summer when I met one whom l thought to be the best of them all. He told me he'd get me, and I guess he did.
 You see I played with him, and he, knowing my love for excitement. and that would take a dare taunted me into taking a dose of cocaine one night-that was the beginning of the end"
 And that night interrupted Batson, what night was that? Do you remem- ber?"
 Yes. I do, very distinctly she re- piled, it was last August. We had been In the habit of going to the band con eerts every night and that night I missed the concerto never went pack"
 Then you are-you are the gir,' ex- claimed Batson. You are the face in the crowd Oh, God"
 haT Ip rhnIo astonished at the outburst of Batson. could question: the ambulance arrived and the attenuated form of--the girl was carried out amid the coarse jests of the night hawks about the city jail
 Two hours later the girl died.
 The ideal in Batson's heart had died two hours before.
 PART II
 Though a name was found on an en- Yelope and the authorities investigated iully. no relatives or anyone who ,.new anything of the antecedents of the girl We're ever located. There seemed noth- Ing else to do, and the county authorities sent the body to potters' field.
 Potter's field Does anyone fully realize what that means7 It Is the place where unknowns and the poor and lowly are buried. Here in Birmingham Il is located a few miles out of the city near swamp and not only bodies of
  casses or animals are left on the field to rot; the bones to bleach in the sun It Is dismal and horrible place--the stamping grounds of buzzards, who feed on what they dig up from the ground. And these birds of prey can easily dig up parts of a body as the person in whose charge 1t Is to dig graves are quite careless about 1t and merely dig small hole and throw a few shovel fuls of earth into 1t and the job is dono. Who cares?
 And 1t was to this carrion infested place that Batson followed a pine box few days later at dust. In it were the bones and shriveled flesh of the being hia soul had rhapsodized in song a few months before He shud- dered at the pity of it all.
 And amidst the jokes of the impro- vised grave diGgers, Batson stood by and watched them throw the box in a hole which happened to be near the swamp and had about two feet of water in 1t. There was a splash. and the box had sunk to the bottom. One of the men splitting tobacco juice in the hole started shoveling earth. What an end" thought Batson.
 wrote on card and picking up a scant- l'ng affixed the card on the end of it. When the men gave up the job of filing the grave and started off Batson plant ed the stick in the soft earth The card read:
 Here lies the remains of a face--a face in the crowd. It smiled. It laughed too easily and then cried. And then 1t flickered out. It is the same old story"
 And Batson. thinking of the card as he walked out of the gruesome field. smiled grinly at the absurdity of things Tn general and decided that henceforth tal care of himself. The thought of what would happen to him if it was left to the world to care for him caused the dreamy youth to shudder It must be truth that Gains: Am l. my brothers keeper" is taken literally in this twentieth century of ours.
 The men cursed as the automobila would not spark quickly. They finally cranked her, and getting aboard started song-Patson alone was silent. Thew sped away from the field just as darR ness came on. They were disappearing down the road when a screech owl emit ted his weird cry-and Batson heard. Tt was the cry of lost soul he ru- minated and the car rumbled on.
 It shortly arrived in the city and the first man Batson met was Jim Wilson of the Sentinel
 Great news old topr' hollered Jim. There's two beauties at the theatre that I've eopped for joy ride tonight. Are you on?
 The enthusiasm and light of tho hunter in the eyes of Jim Wilson prove1 just ,he right intoxicant for the taut nerves of Batson and he eagerly Jumped forward with:
 "Snrest thing y'u know. I know a chauffeur that can't hear and is as blind .ls a bat
 And that's when Batson started see- ing crowd of faces instead of the tacs in the crowd
 Human nature is inconsistent If any thing.