The Washington herald., 1914-09-13

Three weeks ago. when Mr.. Skidmore
moved into room 10 he called me up to
kis once and began:
'sammis. 1 wanted to make your ac-
quaintance and find out what sort of
boy you were. There are boys, and boys,
you know"
Yes. sir. but am a good boy" I
replied.
u hope you are, sammis. Yesterday.
when I saw you smoking a cigarette and
chinning with a typewriter on the fourth
| hoor, ! was inclined TO regard you as
fresh and impudent boy, but now that
come to look at you more closely / OBJ
serve that you have a guiltless counte-
nance and an innocent eye. Yes; think
you are a good boy. sAmmis, and I am
pleased
And my mother is a widow" l said.
"Ah. she is! Well, there must be wild
ows as well as wives
And I am trying to pay off the mort
gage on our little home"
That's right, Sammis. I like to see
a boy have some aim in life. II you are
saving and ambitious, you will succeed
in paying off the mortgage in time. l
almost wish that were a boy with
something OF that sort 10 encourage me"
! had expected that Mr.. SkidmOre
a
help lift that mortgage. but he made no
motion He chewed at the end OF a PEN
holder for awhile and then said:
"Sammis an elevator boy and a
tenant should work in harmony !
want to work in harmony with you. You
need some one TO give you fatherly
counsel and to keep you out OF the pit
falls OF life. Almost any day when you
come up here 1 will advise you to the
2 L.
help me. As you go up and down you
will hear people asking for a lawyer.
You can direct them TO me-"
Yes, STR
Il make collections, secure divorces.
smooth over family quarreIs and hunt
up the next OF kin. l shall advertise
in the papers TO some extent. Sammis.
but in q general way my work is on the
quiet
so as 10 avoid a rush. sir?'
That's II. Sammis. l don't like rushes.
A quiet, steady business is one that pays.
You can help me to build it up. People
will be looking about the building for
some one 10 collect a debt. start a law
suit. secure a divorce or whatnot. and
you can steer them tn me"
For a Whack?'' / asked.
'I know nothing about whacks, Sam
mis-" he replied. That sounds like a
slang word to me. In return for what
you do for me ! shall. as I said a mo-
ment ago. be delighted to give you faith
erly advice and counsel. I may be the
means Of saving you from the gallows.
Heed my advice. boy. and you can't go
wrong
I got up to go. wondering II he thought
he had found a soft mark, when he pat
ted me on the back and continued:
Remember the name. SAmmis-Skid-
more. II any inquirer should be so over
particular as 10 inquire what sort Of q
looking man am. you need not go into
particulars. should not care for the
patronage Of such people. And it would
he well to intimate that have been here
for years and years, instead OF two or
three weeks"
Mr. Skidmore smiled and patted me
some more and said my mother should
be proud OF me, but I wasn't taking his
soft soap. didn't believe he was sailing
under his tight name, and I made up
my mind THAT he was a slick, sleek old
dodger, and that I would have an eye or
him. After that day. whenever he rode
up or down, he patted me on the head
or pulled my ear and put on a fatherly
smile. One afternoon l sent a man to
him who wanted a bill OF sale made out,
and an hour later called at his Office
to see II he wouldn't offer me 10 cents
He wasn't on the oIer. He simply LAID
his hands on my head and said:
"Sammis. you sent me client. and in
return I'll give you some fatherly ad-
vice How much is that mortgage?
Seven hundred dollars. sir. I replied.
as innocently as possible
Well. my fatherly advice to you IS 10
stop buying peanuts and popcorn and pay
it up"'
II was only a day or two later when
a woman came in and asked II there was
a tenant in the building named Hlg-
gins. She was followed hy man who
..La5 ,ba sar,o Question and during the