Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-08-20


one letter in particular appealed To me at
once. 1t was written neatly and with pains
ton in the underlined urgent in one corner
and Please read in another. I read it at
ing much in little
Dear Miss Fairfax:
a" 10 ne hm hs The
with another girl and he did not speak
MARY RYAN
"231 East 1S1st Street"
y problem in human psychology this. Why
should a man pass his fancee on the street
without recognition? Why should a man
who is engaged to one girl permit himself
TO be found in the company Of another in
whom he took little pride that he must
furtiyely pass the woman who to be his
wife? Why should any put himself in
such position?
gave it a moment two OF thought and
then returned to the rest of my mail with the
idea OF coming back to Mary Ryan's letter
later after had gotten a little more per
spective her trouble.
was half way through my mail when the
new reporter whose desk was next TO mine
came in. Jimmy barton brought a certain
freshness and enthusiasm to his work which
communicated itself all through the city
most base copyreader on the paper looked up
TO meet Jimmy's wide. friendly. infectious
grin.
Morning. Miss Fairfax" said he ANY
question that needs a mans broad viewpoint?
ca Th your C ,,,,Ls, James help you any,
wave had struck New York. for the police
serSeant's book was white and pure as
the snow that would fan next January. A
second later Mr.. Barnes picked up his phone
ana Jimmy extension phone sounded stimuli
tancously.
Jimmy darted out with air OF excite
ment and Barnes scrubbed order on his
yellow pad and gave il to one of the Office boys
heard few orders about an extra-and
then went on reading my mail and ponder
ing the problems offered me for solution.
AN hour later Jimmy Barton came whirl
ing INTO the Office again with the cyclonc
effect he always produced when he had a
good story.
now" he remarked as he passed my desk
after reporting. to the city editor. Bank
robbers got thirty thousand dollars in the
Bronx. And the Waterman OF the little old
bank has disappeared
He sat down at his machine and began
MIR Barnes called to him. Get out your
more than fifteen minutes"
But my mind had focused suddenly on one
and the Waterman was missing. East One
Hundred and Eighty-flrst street was in the
between Mary Ryan and that robbery?
newspaper is often clearing house for
his story put aside the letter i was prepar-
ing to answer and got out the neatly written
sheet on which Mary Ryan had registered
Jimmy got out his copy with the speed
good newspaperman must possess. He
boy and when he had finished damned
his , ha, in I prepnra,ion for departure
rose and held out Mary Ryan's letter TO
the city editor. felt ] could best help her
letter hastily. His keen face i up with
the pleasure good ncwspaperman feels when
he thinks he is on the inside OF a story.
You'd better go along with MIR Barton"
said Mr.. Barnes briefly showing the letter
to the young reporter who had moved up to
his desk.
Come on. Wen find the girl" cried Jim
my enthusiastically
But l wanted to help Mary Ryan find her
happiness.
But a. The end OF our ride ali our idle chat
a. ms fus fnrn
with real tragedy. Mary Ryan lived in one
of of long row of ordinary brick apartment,
narrow flights of stairs and came ut last to
a door in the centre of which was tackled "a
Ryan" a moment later. in answer to our
ring. motherly. plain looking of
'Is this Mrs Ryan, 1 asked
We found ourselves in Il plainly furnished
povery. Over at the window stood n slender
girl OF about twenty. Her heaving shoulders
had reached the Bronx as rapidly we had.
told her story.
There was undoubtedly n connection be-
tween Mary Ryan's troubled question Of the
day before and the bank robbery which
flashed its story in big headlines across tho
the crumpled ball and smoothed 1t out. 1t
took me just a second to read IT:
"THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLAR BANK ROB-
Berry IN BRONX. WATCHMAN MISSING
"Poiice Seeking for George McCnbe. Trusted
Employed"
hurried to the side Of the sobbing girl
and laid my hand on her arm. i've come In
answer to your letter" said. I'm Beatrice
Fairfax
The two women faced me in absolute
amaZement. Then the mother rushed for
kisses.
cryin. Mary darlint. and look who's come to
help you. It's Miss Fairfax herself, bless
her kind heart"
Jimmy stepped forward briskly. "And to
let you help us a little bit. too. 1t looks
like a pretty good story" he began.
I presented the garrulous youth and ne
told thcm that 1t was his story they had just
been reading.
"oh! IT'S aeorge's bank.--I can't think what