Evening star., 1914-11-15

Barstow. | got ten, and was supposed to
pay him back a dollar and a half a week for
twenty weeks. But after about ten weeks
| fell behind and couldn't catch up SO he
lent me twenty-five to pay the other notes
off, and I've been giving him two and a
half week on the twcntv-tvc-tha was
in the hole again after ten or eleven weeks.
and he let me have fifty to take up those
notes.
FIFTY dollars" She exclaimed "PAcllry,
What on earth were YOU thinking Of? How
did you expect to pay llim'
Il don't know-hc said he'd 60 to Larri-
mer's and put in a clam against my salary.
the boy moancd "IIc had me pretty near
dippv letters and telephone messages every
time turned around. y wcel, :; % he began
.nagging me for money right away he had
to have it. he said | WAS away behind and
giving him a couple of dollars now and then
when | could spare il And then he came
down on me for thirty-iive this week or
he'd 90 to Larrimcr'S casllicr-and | knew
that would be the finish for me. 500
| held out enough to pay him and leave
me a ten-spot in my pocket. | know was
a fool"
WE'LL admit that part OF it. Paclley. to
w save time" she sid brisklv "Thcrcs
only one more thing | want to know. You
said YOU expected to put this fort y-tivc back
before the end of the week What sort of
magic were YOU going to work to pull off a
stunt like tfato"
Pacllcy looked at her shccpishly. Now
that the worst Of his revelations were over,
he was recovering something Of his usual
poisc After all. the heavens had not Vet
fallen, and there seemed to be a chance that
they would be proppcd up for him
We'll, if nothing else turned up, | was
going to get another fifty from Barstow," he
explained. I've got promise Of another
raise the first of the month-Danicls is
going to boost me to fifteen, and YOU see
could slip Barstow five a week out o
that"
"Yes, for about two weeks Miss Nc
Mullen interrupted. Then Your tangoing
lady friends and Your athletic club would
be jimmying more coin out of YOU every
week and the big bump would come a month
or SO later on. You got a bad start, Son.
What you needed Was somebody to throw
a switch in front of You and keep YOU on
the main track away back there when YOU
borrowed that first ten from Friend Bar
stow-or maybe before that. If YOU had
owned up to Mama when YOU got Your swell
little two-dollar raise, there wouldn't have
been any temptation to put over all these
rinktum tinktums that you've been going
through.
Il know it, he muttered: "but that 5 all
too late now took the money, and they've
found il out. The only thing for me is to
beat it. I've got my plans all laid to get
away tonight.
But YOU won't do any such fool thing,
she said. Wed have grand chance to
keep this from Your mother if YOU tried that
trick, wouldn't We You're going to stay
right here in town and lie low for day or
two until YOU hear from me-.
You mean-you mean you're going to
the front for me-" he quavered. "Oh,
Birdie, would YOU?
1--WE tagged the copper with the warrant
in his pocket, she returned. Il guess can
squandcr enough time on YOU to see if this
can be squared. But I'm doing il for your
mother, Packcy-don't forget that. And
if YOU get out of this and still have the tango
fever, pick out ten-cent dances for awhile.
Goodnight, Packey.
SHE swung away from him with the
jaunty step that was so we'll known 10
IIalsted street, and at the first corner Andy
Larkin was standing unobtrusively in a
doorway ac che r,acSej