The Washington herald., 1920-07-30
THE RANSOM OF MACK
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By o. HENRY

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in the doDr: and If angels ever
wept, / saw no reason why they
should be smiling then.
That man was a spectacle. Yes:
he was worse; he was a spy
glass: he was the great telescope
in the Lick Observatory. He had
on a coat and shiny shoes and a
white vest and a high silk hat;
and a geranium as big as an or
der of spinach was spiked onto
his front And he was smirkinE
and warping his face like an in e
fernal storekeeper or a kid with
collie.
Hello. Andy" says Mack, out
OF his face. Glad to see you
back. Things have appened
since you went away"
L know it," says /. "and a sac
rilegious sight it is. God never
made you that way. Mack Ions
bury. why do you scarify His
works with this presumptous
kind Of ribaldry?"
why. Andy" syas he. they've
elected me justice of the peace
slHCe you Ielt.
looed at Mack close. He was
restless and inspired. 4 justice of
the peace ought to be disconsolate
and assuaged.
Just then a young woman passed
on the sidewalk; and | saw Mack
kind of half snicker and blush, and
then he raised up his hat and
smiled and bowed, and she smiled
and bowed. and went on by.
NO hope for you" says ]. ''if
you've got the Mary-Jane infirmity
at your age. l thought it wasn't
going to take on you. And patent
leather shoes! All this in two lit
tie short months"
I'm going to marry the young
lady who just passed tonight" says
Mack. in a kind of a fiUtter.
Il forgot something at the post
Office" says I, and walked away
quick.
l overlook that young woman a
hundred yards away. ! raised my
hat and told her my name. She
was about 10; and young for her
age. She blushed, and then looked
at me cool like / was the snow
scene from the Two Orphans"
Il understand you are to be mar
ried tonight" I said.
Correct" says she. You got
any objections?"
Listen, sissy" I begins.
MY name is Miss Rebosa Redd,"
says she in a panied way.
Il know it," says l. Now. Re-
bosa, I'm old enough to have owed
money to your father. And that
old, specious, Gressed-up, garbled.
sea sick ptomaIne prancing around
avidiously like an irremediable
turkey gobbler with patent leather
shoes on is my best friend. why
did you go ana get him invested In
this marriage business?"
why. he was the only chance
there was" answered Miss Rebosa.
Nay" says I. giving a sickening
look of admiration at her COM
pleKion and style of features:
with your beauty you might pick
any kind of a man. Listen, Re-
bosa. Old Mack amt the man you
want He was % when you was
nee Reed, as the papers say. This
bursting into bloom won't last with
him. He's all ventilated with old
ness and rectitude and decay. Old
Maok's down with a case of Indian
summer. He overlooked his bet
when he was young; and now he's
suing nature for the interest on
the promissory note he took from
Cupid instead Of the cash. Rebosa.
are you bent on having this mar
riage occur?"
why. sure am" says she, os-
cillating the pansies on her hat,
land so is somebody else, 1
reckon"
What time is it to take place p?
l asks.
AT 6 O'clock" says she
I made up my mind right away
what to do. I'd save old Mack il
I could. To have good, sea-
soned, ineligible man like that
turn chicken for a girl that hadn't
quit eating slate pencil and but
toning in the back was more than
/ could look on with easiness,
"Rebosa," says ], earnest, draw
ing upon my display of knowledge
concerning the feminine intui-
tions of reason-"ain't there a
young man in Pina-a nice young
map that you think heap off,
Yep" says Rebosa. nodding
her pansies-"Sure there is,
What do you think! Graciousp'
Does he like your Asks