The Washington herald., 1920-01-25

\ gray shadows- Little Con. now a
genuine companion. q very honest
young person. became more and
more dear 70 him. though never
drawing a 1.-THE of the other love.
They shipped 10 the Philippines,
and Con forgot all that had gone De-
fore, except the mountain. and he
thought or that only when the waves
ran high. The steamer was a gray
tramp, wet inside and full OF smells.
There were sails, too. and Malays
in the crew. These dusky humans
fascinated the child. He watched
their corded limbs. gray-brown. as
they worked at the canvas. their
red kerchiefs bound tightly across
sloping brows. The cook was a Chi
nese named Bill. and hSscreamed at
Con- mad laughter which only
himself and the small boy seemed
TO comprehend The Chinese could
DO things with his hands, all sorts
OF things. and his eyes were like
those ofIa cat.
One still night in the harbor OF
Elopura- when a dozen lights shone
inshore through the gloom, and the
ship made gentle creaking souuus
above the faint shore noises, a
brown Celebean returned to the
decks very drunk He was in his
hcvhe waters; he would show that
Chiney Con was with the cook.
listening to fairy-stories told in
their original tongue. when TIE
drunk ripped the Chinese across
with a broad knife. Thus some old
4 racial grudge was settled. John
Lexington found his son waiting pa
tiently beside the dead man. Con
discovered that stories are not al
ways finished. Solemnly he went to
bed
In Frisco again. with the boy
nearly four years OF age. John work
in many strange places. They lived
near Dory Street John was a
marked man He did not drink Of
ten, but he chose the most fatal oc-
casions for IL. The gray shadows
beneath his eyes deepened. Can
learned 20 cut bread and light the
fres-a rather solemn young per
son, who was well aware that his
father was not always the same,
His eyes were blue. large ready to
trust. In his consciousness there
was no such thing as q stranger,
The matter Of home remained world
wide.
He ventured down to the steam
ferries and pondered the mystery OF
their endless coming and going. He
1
hauled heaping loads over the cob
bles He wondered what made the
loads so heavy. And where had
reverything come from? The hre-
engines were delightful At night,
when they had passed below the
| window and he could not get up. he
lay beside his father and wondered
what might be burning. and imGE-
ined how the smoke would come out
and blacken the stars and the fra
crackle and curl up high. as the
| nremen worked from the street Was
IL a big building burning? Who
was getting burned up? What
would they have done IL they hadn't
been burned up tonight?
Then his father would talk. but
he was asleep all the while. and how
could he know what he was saw
ing? Con listened and IL was like
Z Bill the Chink. He could not un-
derstand the words Of either or
them. but ii was wonderful to hear.
Johns voice. like that Of the cook.
was a strained, melancholy whisper.
and its pleading was love. and a
yearning for beauty. There was a
rhythmic pulse to these night words
1 OF John Lvtngton. and upon Il Con
, was frequently carried away into
magic dreams.
I'm going"
/ The father usually said this TO the -
I boy in the morning. and II did MT
mean he was going to work. Con
understood so much. but no more.
John Lexington said it more and
more often.
/ Con himself became marked for
different" At the age of six hs
felt Il. He did nearly everything the
boys did in the Dory Street neiEh-
, borhood, even the soiled little yellow
boys whose play was weird with
forty centuries OF AsiGtic wicked
ness; but Con was not always ad-
mitted. He could fight and climb,
was generous and bold. But thu
clear light in his eyes betrayed himt
! he was different
At length he realized that things
were said concerning his father
which he could not quite fathom.
John seemed tired and always very
gentle, drowsy but never ready for
: bed. Their little kitchen was clean.
I The bedroom smelled like Father
himself. a friendly personal scent.
rather like cinnamon and whisky.
This went with the gray-shsdowed
eyes, and grew more perceptibie
when John began to stay at home
every day, being out of work. Of
ten, now. John Lexington would
take the child between his knees
and look for a long time steadily
\ into the blue eyes. Con found that
this was better than talking. h-
received his father into an open
heart, giving him utter devotion.
John slept q great deal when out ~
work. His eyes were shadowcd and
sunken.
They returned 20 DowaCiac Tho
house was rented by strangers but
the slovenly woman next door was
there as always. her spars, black
hair standing out at angles from
her head. II seemed she wore the
same snagGed apron, stiG with
grease. She moved out to the side
walk to shake hands.
You amt looking well-and -
this the baby"
She nonchalantIy pinched CONS
cheek. and he coldly suffered her
touch.
John Lexington did not reach iH"
cemetery. As he was leading LIS
son to that hill the blaze OF an Au-
gust sun mastered him His vital
ity was gone. had left him long
since. Con crossed the street 20 ask
at a house for water. because h's
father was down and could not 1t
up. Dowagiac's new ambulance thus
| found its premier case. The boy
was handed over to the matron Of
] the city rest room. After supper
they took him to his father in the
hospital.
I'm going he said.
/ Con 70 the