The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1918-03-02
Confessions
4SWi&e/s
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS
MERCY

Annie spent the day with me re-
Gently. Naturally she talked q
great deal about Tim, and she
could not talk about Tim without
talking about Harry Symone as
they are so bound up together in
city affairs.
do you know, Miss Margaret"
she said, that TimNand his Honor
almost came to clash the other
night over an ordinance that Tim
wants the city council to pass?"
I'm veto it, said Mr.. Symone.
Then everyone will ring in
that old story of yours, your
Honor, said Tim.
Mr.. Symone looked as tho he
would strike me for a minute, An
ME- said Tim, but you see l had
to tell him for l knew just what
that damnable dirty sheet that Is
always going for his you see.'
But his Honor cooled down as
he looked me in the eye and held
out his hand
TOGSlNe IHe, COullulSSlOuCtp
he said, Il know you are perfectly
right and are warning me in a
friendly spirit but surely you have
known me long enough and we'll
enough to realize that | am simply
going to do what think is right,
no matter how it affects my de-
spicable past. It is because l have
past and because it follows me
Just as a scandal does the name
of a woman; that understand as
do few men Just what these poor
women whose regulations are
smirched have to bear.
What l have to suffer Is de-
served and l intend If l can to
even things up for the women
who walk the streets!
For heavens sake, what do
you mean, your HONOR / asked
breathlessly.
Well, Tim,' he said, 1t is
about this new ordinance which
provides that every woman caught
soliciting on the street shall be
arrested and committed to Jail to
await trial in the morning
What are you going to do
with them, SIR" l asked, bluntly.
''It is up to you, Mr.. Commits
sioner, to keep them off the
Streets
Tell me how to do it, your
Honor
"'I don't know, commissioner
That is not my job. I have trou-
bles of my own said his Honor
with laugh. Then came out the
real reason why he was going to
veto the ordinance. You see, An
ME, we have succeeded in keeping
that Martha Marlin case out of the
papers SO far. but if it ever comes
to trial, good night nurse!"
What is the Martha Marlin
case, Tm," | asked.
1T is pretty bad affair he
answered with sigh. Last week
one of our fly cops in citizen s
clothes brought in a woman who
he said had solicited him on the
street. The woman was of rather
refined type, and as | happened to
be at the central office they called
me over to hear the story, think
ing it would be good dope to in
fluence the aldermen when l pre-.
scented the ordinance.
But Great Scott! I heartily
wished l had not gone.
THE woman owned up that
she had accosted the man. But
l did not do 1t until he had smiled
and nodded to me- she said.
odd you do this, Horton?'
asked.
''He hesitated and then said
Well, Commissioner, l wa sper.
ihaps grinning a little at the joke
had heard few minutes be.
FORE"
you see, Miss Margaret, the
dirty spalpeen encouraged her as
far as possible without actually
speaking"
"Just as Tim was talking to her
Mr.. Symone happened in. He had
been over to the central office to
see Tim and they told him where
Tim was.
1--WE walked up to Tim and lis
tened to the whole story, and a
pretty hard luck story II was. 1t
made me almost wonder II there
was any mercy for a woman in
this world"
mo, Annie" Interrupted, soft
| y, there is no mercy for anyone;
mercy is a chimera that some one
invented once upon a time when
he did not want his subjects to
realize that everyone in this world,
man, woman or child, has to pay
in strict justice, not only for his
sins but for his Mistakes
Ito Be Continued