Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-29
Mothers and Daughters Must Work for Cvic HonestyT
PATSY KILDARE
THE OUTLAW
By JUDD MORTIMER LEWIS
The Great Scheme

ILTHEN Rowdy and 1 rambled this morn
w ing II was not yet full daylight, and
there were lights in some of the houses.
We Travelled so fast that II was not much
after sunrise when we got 10 Jim's. we
were going to sit on his porch until jim
and Maggie came, for today was the day
they were coming home.
As we we're sitting there the door behind
us opened and Jim said, There she Is
now 20 The next minute we were being
hugged by Maggie and Jim was grinning
at us. Then Rowdy barked and Maggie
turned us loose, but called us In to break
fast Jim said, well, Patsy, what do you
think of Mrs. Cardwell?" l said, For cats
sake who is she?" Maggie said, That is
|, and l am so happy!" l said, How about
Jim? My father said he was marrying
doctors bill" They both laughed as IL
that was a joke, and Maggie said, THE
doctors have told me that ! am all right
and that I was just run down." Then she
put her arm around Jm's neck and he
pulled her onto his lap. l said, This Is
getting too slushy for me-" So Rowdy and
l rambed
We went to Bells house and Lunny was
still there, and l asked Bell for the balloon
She said. What do you want il for, child?'
Lunny said, For a tent. of course. All Kids
like tents Let her have it," So they did
and took 1t out to the bathhouse for me
in their auto. / said to Lunny For cats
sake, how do people go up in that thingT
He said, They usually have n basket on
balloons where this one has a trapeze
They get into the basket and build fire
under the hole in the balloon, and when II
gets full Of hot air il takes them up" When
we got to the bathhouse Lunny dumped us
out and went away.
had to go back home for basket, and
l kissed my sleeping father good-by and
ri to cat s1Nsf l. htY,, httf
wouldn't on account of his needing a shave
For If my scheme worked we would never
see him again. Then we went back and
tied on the basket where the stick was and
hung the balloon over a limb with the hole
side down, and the rope and the basket
were down toward the river from it. Then
l built a fire under the open hole in the
balloon and got into the basket, which was
so small had TO take Rowdy into my lap.
We sat there looking at the river and wait
ing for the balloon to get full of hot air and
go sailing with us. Rowdy and l thought
of all the kids we knew who would not play
with us and we felt sorry for them because
they had to stay where they were while we
were going where we were going.
was just starting to say little prayer
asking my mother TO be on the job to see
that Mr. Carpenter did not land on the bal
loon because it might tip over, but just
then l got to feeling warm then hot and
then the basket and my dress were on fire
and the balloon was all blazing. So l
hoped into the river. That is the last
time l will ever go up in balloon, l don't
care what anybody says.
Tonight we lIneeled down side by side,
kind of pleased and very much disappointed
at being where we are instead of where we
| hoped to be. l prayed, Dear mother,
which art in heaven, you and God can
stop being on the lookout for me like l
told you to, for the great scheme failed
and l can't come. l was thinking that II
would be fun to surprise you and God and
Mr.. Carpenter by coming sailing into heav-
en- in basket and jumping into your arms
as l used to do when the world was so
happy and all the kids played with me and
you had not gone to heaven. That would
be so much better than to go by dying like
you did, or by having something drop on
me like Mr. Carpenter did. But you must
not feel mad, for 1 don't 1 am laughing
| about it now while 1 am praying. That S
what makes these tears on my cheeks,
| laughing so hard. OF course, my father
| needs me to flop his cakes for him and
| Rowdy, too, and you have got God and all
| we have got is each other You see that,
| don't you? 1t must be fun to be an angel,
80 you have got lot to be thankful for
| without me. Amen"
Coming Glory" another Patsy Kildare ad-
venture. will appear In Mondays Evening Led.
ger.