The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-01-16
A Policeman S Life
IsNot a HappyOne
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1916. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

my son." began the officer as we
walked his beat together, "when you
see patrolman sauntering along the
street and swinging his club you think
to yourself how easy he earns his mon
ey. 1t is not so easy when you come
to understand everything. / may not
make an arrest once In two weeks of
an offender against the law, but am
busy all the time, and you shall hear
| about 1t.
TN the first place II seems to me tina.
four out of five families have a row
three or four times week. In winter
l do not hear so much, but In summer,
when the windows are open, hear
much more than / want to. The dwell
ing houses on my beat are mostly three
stories and of brick. The first story Is
occupied, as rule, by bookkeepers,
statesmen and the like, who can afford
TO pay about $50 month. There are
two families above them which belong
TO the laboring class.
Il am saunterlng along my beat snd
the first floor family are at supper
when / hear the husband call out:
Maggie, what in the devil do you
get such meat forT
ait was all / could get with the
money you left me-
x.,br I.,f@ T. 1T
little?'
Because we owe now more than we
can ever pay
Don't you concern yourself about
what | can pay or cannot. This meat
isn't fit for dog to eat 1t is all bone
and fat and gristle.'
Well, you must eat it the best way
you can. | am always pinched for
money and always have to buy the
cheapest things. We have got to keep
you well dressed, you know. and the
rest of us must wear our old clothes
'Darned If / don't wish / had never
married
And SO do I. for that matter
"And then hear the husband shove
back from the table. and In a minute
more he is on the street and walking
away. Half block below / hear an
other row.
You may say, my son, that these
family skeletons do not concern the pa
trolman on the beat, but they do just
the same. About three out of five of |
them end in a row In which furniture !
is smashed and blows are given and |
taken. Then it is his duty to make his |
appearance and take hand in. We !
try to be peacemakers, but it often hap /
pens that we have to take the whole
family to the station. Wives drink as /
well as husbands, and when it happens
that both have been drinking they are
very hard to handle. When they APP |
pear in court next morning one or the
other has a black eye to be ashamed of, /
and they are so repentant that his hon.
Or generally lets them go on suspended
sentence. There is another thing. my
son. that may surprise you. Take them
rs they run on any patrolman's beat in
MS city ana NOT one out Oh HNe GILL;
iren up to six years old has learned
he number and street of his home.
As sure as they get three or four blocks
tway they ay lost. They can tell the
irst name Of the father or mother, but
hat is the best they can do. 1t would
AXE father or mother about fifteen
minutes to teach child the street and
lumber, but they don't do it. 1t would
axe about ten minutes to write the
ddress down on a card and sew this
ard to their clothing, but they never
AXE thfs precaution. When a child Is
ost the first step of the mother is to
md me. She seems to think | ought :
o know every child on my beat.
II can't leave my beat to go hunting
D lost children. and so I send her to
ne station. Nine times out of ten
ave got to go looking around after
ly regular hours of duty. Sometimes
find the child not more than TWO
locks away, and sometimes | have 10