The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-06-19
VAGABOND LANE
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.

| Copyright. 1912, by the Associated
| Literary Press.)
| Jane was poor as to purse; her
! bounty lay IN a richness of spirit, an
all-abiding love for her fellow mon
When she drew near the tenement
! that was her home. her heart con-
I tracted painfully. A child, not more
than ten, was huddled against the
chilling pillar of the doorway, seek
| ing shelter from the biting November
wind. The child had taken off her
own rag of a coat and IL lay cuddled
over a still smaller form in her arms.
| The eyes of haunted animal
cleaned forth from the small, pinch
/ ed face when Jane stopped III front
of her,
| What Is 1t child? No, don't be
afraid" the child had made an
Involuntary movement as If to flee
| give me the baby and come with me:
| you are cold through and through"
| Il Gasn't go home till / get two
| dollars the child said mechanically
/ as she followed Jane into the tene-
ment building and up the stone stairs.
! Through her apathy. brought on by
numbness and hunger, the child re-
| sponded to James sympathy, I'D get
| beat If / went home without them
two dollars. and / amt got nothin'
| but coppers--twenty- of them"
Poor little dear said Jane and
| pondered the situation while she put
/ the infant TO sleep on her own couch.
She could not afford TO make up the
| difference In money to the child, as
I her own resources were limited, yet
the money must be found, and that
/ before dusk set in.
| She went about preparing Yood for
| the children. Her knowledge as to
correct feeding for an infant In arms
was more or less vague.
Children OF the poor can eat any
I thing and thrive thought Jane, and
! a grim little smile played about her
1 lips. The milk she warmed seemed
perfectly satisfactory. and when the
infant was again asleep Jane spoke
to the older child.
/ II am going out to find some more
pennies for you. You must stay here
until / return James order was
not repeated--the girl was only CRATE
| full to have a shelter from the cold
| Out in the street James brow puck
cred. How could she get the neces-
sary money?
/ A street singers voice caught her
attention. There was an ideal Pen
MES were being showered down upon
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Jane believed her own small voice
equal in monetary value to that OF
the street singer.
| She walked several blocks In order
| to gain courage to lift up her voice
| in song. The neighborhood In which
she found herself was rich; Jane
knew that from the wonderful lace
curtains in those hundreds of win
dows. She found her way timidly to
7 IL ~ T.
her strange mission.
| An unusual emotion took hold Of
Jane when little bundles Of pennies,
or nickles. or dimes. dropped down
from surreptitiously opened windows.
Before long Jane had enough and to
spare for the small children waiting
for her return.
Dusk was coming on slowly. but
Jane made her way to one more build
ing. She had read the word Studios"
between the massive portals and her
reason told her that here was domi-
ellie of great souls.
The unusua! strain had begun to tell
in James voice. and she was not a
little weary when a man came to
the doorway and stopped deliberately
watching her. James tones trembled
and the hot color crept into her
cheeks.
When her song was finished she
turned to go. The mans voice stop
ped her; 1t was a gentle voice and
full OF persuasion.
II will give you $25 II you will
pose for me for an hour" the man
said
The money consideration did not
startle Jane. but the strangenass Of
her experience brought the slow,
whimsical smile TO her eyes While
she was still studying the mans face
he spoke AGaan. sss
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