, 1919-10-30
735e
Dead-Broke
Girl
o0
By W. EDISON SMITH
(copyright.)

call City Park" remarked Welsh idly,
as he leaned a corpulent figure against
he gas-pipe railing in front of Simon's
place.
Delano, letting the screen door slap
behind him, stood on the top step.
Tall, well-groomed and charming of
manner, his handsome young face just
now expressed great contentment
He looked like a prosperous broker
The fact that he happened to be an
other sort of gambler worried him not
at all as he sent out a cloud of fra
grant blue smoke into the quiet air.
Delano imported his cigars.
What now?" he inquired. "Who
are o degrading by making her the
subject of our vulgar remarks?"
Welsh refused to be insulted.
Before I answer" he murmured, 'I
must be sure that Miss Lenore Stacy
would not object to your having the
information. Far be it from me to be
the start Of a foolish Irritation"
I've told you forty times" cried his
friend ferociously, that IGNORES up
in Deadwood for a month. 1 told you
that she said she'd scream, and die, and
everything else, If she didn't get away
from here for a while.
81 told her that 1 didn't blame her,
as anybody would hike for higher
ground n away from this painful
prairie that could. You know as well
as anything that Nv been up the line
myself for two weeks. Are you going
to tell me about"
THE dead-broke girl?"
Welsh used the slightly bored tone of
one who handles a somewhat thread
bare theme.
"oh, I forgot. You say you've been
away for a week. Why-that's A
young lady named Martelle-Helene
Martelle.
Shes a right pretty little thing-a
bit too mountaineering to suit me,
but. under the circumstances, you
couldn't blame her for that. She halls
from your good old sunny South-Ala-
bama. Seems she was a simple be
lever and got roped in by an en-
ployment agency that was a bad actor.
They took a large, robust whack at
what money she had. then let her use
the balance journeyin' clear out here
beyond the sand hills and the setting
sun, where there was no jobi And
so. we've been calling her the dead
broke girl.
See, she's heading off Main street
every day she goes over to our state
ly park. 1 can make put why"
Delano turned his dark blue eyes
in the direction indicated, and watched
the slowly receding figure at the far
Their end of the raw ~thoroughfare.
stopping at the hotel, ehf" he re-
marked.
Yep. Guess she's about to the end
Of her welcome, though you know
Pop Grier. He wouldn't let the angel
Mike sit On the veranda of that old
c~lapboarded ruin unless he bought
some of those Brown Beauty cigars.
Say, 1t must have beer a nasty,
cheap bunch of grafters. 1 feel a lot
like n philanthropist, with my high
stool and my crap-game. when I think
about the raw plays they make back
in those burgs.
Cheap Think of sending the poor
kid this far out of the way just to cop
out her few dollars"
Nothing wrong with the world" re-
Joined the croupier coldly. "The low
down population is what raises the
deuce all the time"
"Heari Hear" applauded Welsh.
But to resume our narrative.
1.-The little girl has acquired a per-
manent habit, all In three days. of 60
ing down yonder and sittin' under the
n sizable tree.
"We couldn't both get in the cool at
the same time. II she wants to be
really, truly miserable, that beauty
spot is certainly the place to go. She'll
never commit suicide by drowning. my
how.
"Pshawl Here comes John Weick-
er. I reckon as to how he'll be want
ing to roll the bones. I must go in
and get behind the table. Ho-humi
Such a work-a-day-"
what did the girl expect to do
when she Gamer" interrupted Delano
i~ncuriously.
"Huh7 OH Why. old Grier said
that he understood she came out with
the idea in her head that she was to
act as companion to a rich lady"
"Oh. Simon Delano turned and
spoke through the screen toward the
cool, darkened interior.
His employer was half DOING over
a newspaper at the desk In the rallied
of corner. but Delano got an irritated
grunt by way of response.
az want to go down the street an
hour or So" he announced.
And / suppose you expect me to run
the COMPOUNDED Wheel" came Simon's
placid growI. "well, give me n of
them four-bit smokers. Otherwise you
can't 60"
Delano went l%eIsurely %strolling along
the board sidewalk.
n A. Lar u Aho nnd ~ thn .Irnnnu