The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-06-15
V,ANiIIY $50 E1.
5xAlF|B Is ! ESg
BY o. HENRY,

c0iy1eilS blhnucfin' tongue and stub
borlftrne lC-irtcdGess. II you are a
mhn who read tliIs.' may srcIl- u1 In.
fiuencr lie sent you before . O'Clock
tomorrow: II you ure woman. mas
your i'oncranlan greet you this morn.
Ing with cold iiose-a sign OF dog
health ami your happiness.
The StoveiIipe gan: borrowed It's
name from u sulIistrlct Of the city
called tho Stovcplpc. which is n mar.
row and mttiraI extension OF the famll.
far district known rs IIcll's Kitchen
The StoSepipr strip Of town runs along
Eleventh and Twelfth avenues nsthc
river aud bends q hard and sOoty 81
bow around little. lost. homeless De
Witt Clinton lmrk. Consider that n
stoveplpe Is an Important factor In
any Kitchen and the situation is an.
alyzed. Tile chefs In Tlclrs Kitchen
are many. and the StovcpIIc gan.
wears the Gordon bIcu.
The members Of this uncIlarlered hut
widely known brotherhood alpcarr,, tc
pass their time on street corners ar
rayed like the lilies OF the conserva
tory aud busy with nall files anl pr,
knives. Thus displayed us guaraa
Tee OF good faith. they carried Oh ali
innocuous conversation In ECO wor,
vocabulary. to the casual observer II.
Innocent and lmnatcrial rs that hear,
In, the clubs seven blocks TO the east.
But on esliibItion the stovrpIpcs
were not mere Street corner ornaments
addicted to posing aud manIchr!ns.
Their serious occupation was the gcp
,arating!of citizens from their cofi, and
yaluables: Preferably this was done
by weird and singular tricks witliou,
noise or bloodshed, but Whenever, tic
citizen honOrcd by thclr attentions re
fused to inpoverlsh himself GRACEFUL,
his objections came to he spread finally
upon some police station blotter or hos.
pltal register.
The police held the Stovenipc gan:
In perpetual suspicion and respect. As
the nlghtingale,s liquid note il heard
IN the deepest shadows. 40 along tile
Stovepipc's dark and narrow confines
the whistle for reserves punctu>es the
dull ear of night. Whenever there was
smokeNin the Stoveplpc the tasselell
men IN blue knew there was fire In
Helrs Kitchen.
Kid Brady promised Molly to be
good. Kid was the vaincst, the strong.
est, the wariest and the most she.
cessful Dlotter in the gang. Therefore
the boys were sorry 10 give him up.
But they witnessed his. fail ito a vir.
tuous life without protest, for In the
Kitchen 1t Is considered neither un.
manly nor improper for a guy to do
as his girl advises.
Black her eye for loves sake. IL you
will, but 1t Is all.to.tlic.good business
to do thing when she wants you, TO
do It.
Turn of the hydrant." said The
Kid one night when Molly. fearful,
besought him 10 amend lis ways.
I'm going 10 cut out the gang. You
for mine, and the simple life on the
side. I'll tell you, Moll-l'll get work,
and in Year well get married. IN
do 1t for you. Wen get II fiat ana n
flute and n sewing machine and rub.
Der plant and live as honest as we
eau"
"Oii. Kid" sighed Molly, wiping the
powder Off his shoulder with her hand.
kerchief, I'D rather hear you say that
than TO own all Of New York. And
we can be happy on so Hitler
Tile Kid looked down ut his speck.
less cuffs and shining patent feathers
with n suspicion OF melancholy.
eth hurt hardest In the rags depart.
ment." said he. i've kind of always
liked to rig out swell when |. could.
You know how I hate cheap things.
Mol. This suit set me back sixty.five.
Anything in the wearing apparel line
has got 10 he just SO or It's to the mis-.
ut pdrlors for 1t for mine. n I work
won'tNhave SO much coin to hand over
to the. little man with the big shears"
"Never mind. Kid. I'll like you Just
as much In blue jumper us would
in red automobile"
Before the Kid had grown large
enough TO knock out his fatter:he had
been compelled to learn the plumbers
art So. now, back TO this honorable
and useful profession he returned. But
1t was as an assistant that he en-
gagged himself, aud It IS the master
plumber and not the assistant who
wears diamonds as large us hailstoncs
and looks contcmptuously upon the
marble colonades of Senator Clark's
mansion.
Eight months went by as smoothly
and surely as though they had ''elaps.
ed" on theater programme. The Kid
worked away ut his pipes and solder
with no symptoms of backsIiding. The
Stovepipe gang continued Its piracy on
the high avenues. cracked pollccmen's
heads. held up late travellers. invented
new methods Of peaceful plundering,
copied Fifth avenues cut of clothes
and neckwear fancics and comportcd
itself according to Its lawlcss bylaws.
But the Kid stood firm and faithful to
bis Molly, even though the polish was
gone from bis finger nails and It took
him fifteen minutes TO tie his purple
silk ascot so that the worn eplnccs
would not show.
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