The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1919-08-17

powdered Win uhH' i''It HNN
Il stepped into iuc dHpl.i'd look
iug house yufl Tho house iurIf
was q cIupuupfdod structure on many
uurIrs. Hp hopeless 300 ifa spurud
ugluCHH that II uuiu mg smile hI
the though0 ihBt VUau mad told me
chat w,D going uu Iulu Already g.,
week ! stepped up tu iu, door NJ
the house and knocked uu thr ildrh
and greasy frame stood there fpI
reE,rl uumrnA hr,ufr % alit'ruN
women appeared with "a baby held
uNUi hrT ulp
"Nrr SOU NIn Gowohr" ASKED
with 100 sunny smile uH could
manage.
'l,a. mlam." she acknowledged.
aH Bur begin FOO lILglr 'Hr infant uu
her hIu I had taken Thr trouble,
uf course. tO rud uuf every uuuo /
could along nay line ~ advance
u WAS told thal you might pos
ably htyc some old walnut fur sale.
] buthcy explained. I'm luukiug
Tor old furniture ~ forest grown
black walnut Ana Ina prepared lo
pay you quito Handsomely fur any
Old pieces ypu plirhr Uau ip HrIi
WIS. boo rr q y. looking fur some.
thing much moro important than ola
walnut / WuH looking FOR thu tran
Of ono Spider HcrHlnn. the gem
theif who'd stolen somo 10000
worth OF luwclry from a private car
on the Now YORK Central ut Ithaca
Spider had turned up AT Hamilton.
whore he purchaRod tyehr
Sheldon cur explaining that he was
an oil man interested In tho western
Ontario fields. Spider and his car
had boon traced aa far westward ~
the city OF IT. Thomas, but some
whore between THAI city and the Do
Uol river the trail had vanished.
And that was why ! was prospect
Ing NO carefully along tho Talbot
Road for specimens OF antique fur
niture In which 1 wpa In no way In
terested and for which I had no pos
sible use.
No 1 explained stlll further to the
alattornly woman In the doorway
that didn't care how old the pieces
might be. II was "A chance. I point
ed out. OF making some good money
for something that was OF no further
service TO her,
"Whard you give for a highboy7"
she demanded.
~ couldn't tell until ! looked a.
over" | explained, as I pushed nay
way In through tho door. For tho
basic motive Of that antiquarian, ruac
OF mine was To bring me lntrT of
handed and unEuardcd conversation
with the different householdcrs on
tho dusty highway along which
spider BeeBton had presumably pre-
cedod mo.
where IL tho highboy7" I asked,
with forced politeness
"lta down e the granary,- eN-
plRined the thin-lipped woman.
81 could 40 there and look at ~"
half inquired and half suggested,
l..N
as she resumed her juggling Of the
crying infant.
was glad to get out into the open
air again. I made out number of
dulRpidatod wooden buildings clus-
tered about a straw stack, ana APP
preached thom absiractedly, still op-
pressed by tho - hir OF hopeless
Squalor into which | had wandered
Then | stopped short For from
the building before witch ! stood I
could distinctly hear the sound Of
sobs
stepped 90 the weathcr -stnlncd
door which was partly open. and
pceNd inside There. on pile NJ
grain beside an oranEc-red tanning
mill, crouohed girl Of about ~ or
la Her matted hair. hlcaChcd al
most straw co'oEod by tho sun. hung
over her face. but what glued me
90 the spot was tho discovery that
the child's clothing had been torn
apart at tho back. from the neck
down. This left exposed the white
skin OF tho bony young shoulders
and tho slender torso, almost a. low
ns the walstllne Across this white
eAln | could plainly see q row ot
welts I knew ~ n moment what n
meant Tho child had been beaten,
cruelty. afrurtouslv beaten
"1ltllc glrl" | said ~ I stepped de-
tcrminedly into that EranarY.
She looked up at me with dull and
swollen cSes lIor face. I could soe
was a Unable one llut tho body
shook with convulslvc Tohs and the
dishevcled head sank between tho
bare and boNy knees
! knck down beside her.
you're not afraid OF me, are
your" ! pleaded, trying to control
myself as studied that cut and
weltcrcd back al closer range. !
pinned tho torn waist gently back
over the bare shoulders and slipped
a hand under tho avertcd chin and
lifted up tho tcnr-Hiuincd face that
seemed bowed with all the tragedy
OF all the nFcs
The child stll sobbcd as wiped
her eyes
wow ton me all about a." 7
crooncd as pushed back the matted
hair
'lIo licked me-" shc finally and
tragicallv whispered Uncle Eph
licked me"
why"
Sho didn't answer ntv question
GLOW old Orc Nuu'" ! asked
"Fourfopu. was tho answer from
tho rptheUgpNv sNnfrd li't1r body
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