The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1916-08-12

ing marks
Smiling sam Earau'" brofe OF la
mar, "Im not likely TO forget him
/ We got hi-4 whom We got Circle '.1,.
hut he was too slick Tor as O. give
4 him all be deserved. Ne was lvr...
/ loose about a year ago, wasn't b.
! That Was the first time / eyer heard
| Of Miss JUN" Travis the Young lady
We met I'm the park. you know, when
We warc looking for the Nr..od Won
an heard a. the prison how she met
Smiling sam when he got out. and
/ how she was fooled by his maudln
/ pledges Of reform. He'd learned cob
/ bppg during his term. And she spent
! good money to set him up in a shoe
maker shop OF his own"
She's the salt Of the earth, that
! girl commented the chief.
Suppose / drop around to see Smil-
ing sam" said Lamar.
sam Eagan"' returned the chief,
! looking once more through a hand
I ful Of photos. Here you are: Cob
bier shop at 1913 Bright way. I've
had him watched once or twice. Eut
there's nothing on him."
sam Eagans shop faced on a cor
ner. and behind it was disrcputable
/ looking back yard separated by a
I rickcty gate and a tumbledOwn board
! fence from the alley at the rear.
The corner was uninviting, even for
/ corner lOafers. Yet one such loaiar
| infested it at all hours of the day.
/ This consistent idler was a thiCkset
| youth. clad in shabby gray. His name
was Tom Dunn. His mission in life
| seemed to be TO lean halfaslccp
! against the Intel OF Sam Eagan door
way, putting cigarettes.
! 1t was an uninspiring life that Mr..
/ Thomas Dunn led. Long since. the
/ neighbors had ceased to interest them
selves in him.
Had the neighbors looked closer,
they might perhaps have noted that
/ his half-shut eyes were as bright as a
/ rats, and that those same apparently
| drowsy eyes were forever shifting
| their gaze up and down the street.
! Also, that Mr. Dunn at intervals would
step back into Smiling Sans shop.
Tom Dunn, this morning, lOunged as
usual in front OF Smiling Sans shop;
/ smoking an ill-made cigarette; and
/ loaGng away the early hours when
most of the world was at work
Inside the dingy little shop. Sam
! himself was up to his eyes in toll
| The shops dirty walls re-echoed to
/ the quick taps Of his hammer as he
drove tiny bright nails into tough sole
| leather.
AS Eagan cross-egged on his low
bench, sat hammering gayly away
Tom Dunn duckcd his unshaven visage
into the room.
"Jake's comm" announced Dunn {;
and returned TO the front steps once
more.
Smiling Sam looked up with a
friendly nod. a moment later. as a
Cadaverous man of middle age sham.
BLEED into the shop The newcomer
bore under his arm a crude little news
paper parcel. lie handed it to Sam
without a word
Eagan unrolled the newspaper wrap.
! pings. Out fell a dusty shoe. whose
sole was all but gone and whose heel
was run" at the left side Smiling
Sam picked up a cobblers knife and
| proceeded to pry off the battered
shoes still more battered heel, Jake
standing in nervous expectancy be-
hind him and looking avidly over the
! CObblcrs fat shoulder
Presently. the heel came away from
the shoe 1t was hollow, and it was
wadded with tissue paper Sam care
fully undid the tissue folds Out of
them dropped a round brooch. set with
alternate pearls and diamonds of a
fair size.
How much" demanded Jake
Twenty" was Sans terse verdict.
Twenty" snOrted the indignant
Jake. Twenty what? Twenty nothinr
| Twenty dollars for that bit OF Easy
Street Pavement? Why, the gold set
tin is worth more n that. you measly
old gouger?"
Twenty" snapped Eagan. Take
it or leave il"
III leave it. then" stormed Jake
I'm not going to be robbed Give it
back TO me"
Sure" smiled Eagan, blandly. re-
! turning the brooch to him; and at the
same time atsentminGedly pulling
from his trousers pocket a roll Of bills
which he fingered Carelessly.
To Jake the sight of money was a
bone to a starving dog He wavered
Then
oh. take it, you swine" he
grOwled, tossing the brooch down upon
kagans leather-aproned lap. Take
it. hope it lands you in the PEN"
Sam peeled two greasy ten-dollar
bills from the roJ, handed them to
Jake and put the rest OF the money
back in his pocket He picked up the
brooch. As he did so, Tom Dunn
slipped hurriedly into the shop.
Max Lamar-ily cop" he report
ed. Comm down the block: lookin'
at the numbers on the houses"
Gee" habbled Jake. Hell spot
me, dead sure Hes"
out the back way" ordered Sam.