The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-04-25


Still without looking at 1t she
showed the yellow slip toward him.
1T don't make any difference who
1t is to or who It is FROM" she in
sisted. i've got my orders" And
she turned to the next customer.
He glared at her for a moment, but
she remained entirely unaware Of his
existence, and, crumbling the telegram
in his hand, he strobe out with a set
of emotions too varied and too much
commingled to classify. An attempt
at a nearby bank to draw upon his
New York house Of exchange came
more nearly resulting in his arrest
than any of the other experiments,
and it was a very much stupeied man
who trudged aimlessly up the street,
as much a pauper In this city, where
he could not think Of a soul who knew
him. as any tramp with whom he
might brush elbowsi
He turned into a dreary little park,
where a few MISUNDERSTANDING trees
fought to suck life from the stern
gravel in which they were rooted. 1t
was a most un~attracttve place, and the
only thing that drew him unconsciously
into 1t was the fact that here we're
benches upon which he might rest
without being expected to pay for any
thing. He was tired and hot, and, ap-
palling fact! hungry; moreover, he
noted with aversion that every lounger
upon every bench bore the same atti-
tude of hopeless detection as himself.
He had a bad quarter of an hour, In
which q great many of his impressions
Of the corresponding relations of hui
man beings to each other underwent
a radical change. For one thing, he
began to estimate his actual value,
considered merely as two hands and a
brain, IL thrown upon the immediate
market, for it looked as II the great
railroad king would have to hunt a
job at unskilled labor.
AS he sat dejectedly bumped over,
his elbows upon his knees and his
hands clasped idly together, he noticed
that a brown skirt-with a draggled
bit Of braid at the bottom-that twice
had slowly passed him. now stopped
| directly in front Of him. Naturally he
glanced up and found a very good
looking girl gazing fixedly down at
him. The moment she met his eyes
her face lighted with q smile OF de-
light, and she came toward him.
II Just knew 1t was Mr.. CASH" she
began vivaciously. my! this is a long
way from Broadway, isn't it,"
No sound had ever rung more
~agreeably in his ears than his own
name pronounced at this moment. For
the last couple of hours that magic
word had completely lost its power,
and he began to realize how few
people knew him after all. 1t was
with a sense of positive gratitude that
he answered this girl. whom he could
not place, but whose face seemed
pleasingly familiar.
Indeed it is" he assented, rising
and removing his hat 81 expect I am
stupid, but really I cannot seem to
place you, Miss"
Bessie Williams, but you don't
know the name" she returned. II used
to manicure you in the Hotel Bel
weigh, don't you remember? You've
had your mustache shaved off, but,
goodness! I'd know those hands with
the mole on both little fingers If I
found you down in Africa stained with
walnut Juice. I guess you'll think
I've got a nerve for wedging in this
way, but honest, anybody that was
ever nice to me in little old New York
looks like a longlost brother!"
He remembered her perfectly now,
and he smiled with amusement as he
recalled her vivid personality. She
was a girl who had struggled up from
the most squalid section Of the East
side, and was noted on Broadway, not
only for her wi incorporating rig
idity of conduct, but for the number
of other girls she had saved from
making fools of themselves" More
especially, however, she was known
for the picturesque slang which had
chung to her as the only mark of her
origin, and for the originality with
which she used it. In the present juno
ture he was surprised to find her sud
denly hesitate and show a bit of EN-
barrassment.
II feel somewhat in the cold my
SELF" he admitted, to put her at ease
What brings you out here so far?"
'T'm my own lemon" she replied
recovering her ~vivacity at once ant
rafting on with the greatest sang
froid, once she had plunged into thu
main topic. Say, Mr.. Cash, I'm go
ing to be real o%pen-faced with yot
about my troubles, because l know yol
don't make any mistakes in the darl
and you don't keep the small change
glued down. Every time I ever saw
you there was a circle of tips rolling
away from you in every direction, ant
once when a bell-hop got his leg brok'
l saw you peel of a fifty before any
body could ask II he had a mother
! It's this way with me. I'm so ston!
broke that a ten-cent piece would lool
the size Of the full moon coming u
out of the water at Rockaway beach
| and IL you will Just ship me bacl
among the tall buildings I'll manicur
a the whole Cash family for a year!"
0 Il wish I could" he said sincerely
"but / haven't a penny upon which
can lay my hands. I'm as hard up a
any loafer in this park"
81 beg your pardon" said Miss WI
n llams with more dignity than he ha
expected to find in her. 81 am yer
Q sorry that l made such a mistake.
And she turned to go.