The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-11
THE DERELICT

| TA4ihOob QOuDlcS. STdHI you | Was
 taken in before. But now see the diff ference"
 THE DERELICT That night Jim Dalton. restless, walked along the Thames embankment. In the whole of London there was no
 more perplexed, annoyed young man l than he.
 | He felt he hated every one Life was
 rotten. And he hadn't got friend in the world who would stand by him. The extraordinary defection of the girl who l had promised to become his wife--it hit | him very hard.
 This trumped-up tale of David 1 Burke's-ridiculous. impossiblei It was all plot to get Miss Shirley Marsh away from him.
 And it had worked! He wasn't going to attempt to see the girl again. Pride had killed love, he told himself triumphantly. But there wasn't any happiness in the triumph.
 A little wind was blowing over the inlIy water. Barges at anchor loomed up eerily. How cold it was down on the Thames embankment, Shabby, dejected forms were hunched !, up on the benches, slumb berling uneasi- 1 ly. Life's might t-have- -beens-thats what they were-flotSam and JetSam that the tide had left. From out an empty archway crept | the solitary figure of man, stalking Jim Dalton furtively. At midnight danger turks down by the murky water. But Dalton was completely preoc- cupied by his own unhappy thoughts. Nearer and nearer came the stalk | ing footsteps, silent and stealthy "A blow-a gasping cry-and Jim Dal- | ton had wheeled around and caught his assailant in grip of iron. So that's the little game, my friend No-don't struggle, or I'll break your arm, I've got you fixed"
 l A whining cry for mercy; the sand I bag dropped from the assailants help ! less hand.
 | So you carried dream tablet with | you, did you? We'll, I learned to be
 I careful of them out In Africa" Jim Dalton swung his woundbe attacked 1 under the light of street lamp. Here, let's have look at you!' As the light streamed on the face oi the other Jim Dalton gave a cry of sheer astonishment. For-granted the differences of clothes and cleanliness he was staring at replica of himself, veritable double" that might have been his own twin brother! 'Say--what's your name? The real truth, now, or I'll get policeman and give you in charge" My names James Dalton" muttered the assailant sullenly. A BLACK SHEEP The turns of fate are sometimes ex- traordinary.
 But this beats eyerythingi" Jim Dal- ton told himself, as he walked along the Thames embankment, gripping his would-be assailant by the arm, and wondering how on earth this down and outer came to bear his name and such a remarkable resemblance to himself! "A compliment to the Dalton family!" he muttered, casting comprehensive eye on the dishevelled. disreputable l looking gentleman who walked so sul- ] lenly beside him. "A black sheep from the backwoods, without doubt" 1 But aloud he merely said. with a comica1 little air of politeness: I'd particularly like to have a chat with you, if you haven't any objec- tion.'
 The object of his attention whined-- much as a mongrel dog will whine when it's afraid of something immi : nent
 "Lemme go, guv-nor. Gimme another chancer There was sly look in the sullen dark eyes-a brooding look which boded no particular good to his captor.
 Ignoring it, Jim said: There's hot coffee stall across the road Come over and I'll buy you a good square meal. You can eat it in the shelter of the embankment--in that alcove, out pf the wind--and tell me something about yourself at the same time"
 Inwardly the young man was ob- sessed with excitement. This curious meeting with his own namesake-at nidnight--there must be something in destiny, after all. Say, were you ever out in Africa?" He couldn't keep the question back. The down -and-outer made an evasive answer.
 At the coffee stall Jim ordered steak and chops and sandwiches--the good square meal" that he had promised And when both of them were seated in the deserted little alcove-the dere- lict eating hungrily-Jim returned to the hoped-for elucidation of this mys- -esry.
 'Whadda-ye- wanna -knowr' remark ed his strange companion cautiously. He thought this good Samaritan a little mad. Moreover, he was quite con- vinced that some ulterior motive lay behind this apparent kindliness. Your history said Jim succinctly, land what brought you downhill to this kind of life?"
 "Whadda-ye-wanna for?" Sus- picion still urged in the sunken eyes Because you interest me-" said Jim. The derelict looked relieved. This 1 must be one of those queer chaps who "studied human nature" just for the simple love of the thing. What was
 the word to call him by? A big word psychologist-that was it, This was the kind of thing Jack London did Tn the days gone by he had read his books. Some of Jack London's charac- ters were mighty like himself-derelicts and -and-outers. Maybe there wouldn't be any real harm in confiding in this quixotic stranger.
 He would carefully edit the tale, too, censoring out the shady parts--and they were many.
 .Yes. I've been out in Africa" The | tCockney accent seemed somehow less pronounced. and the whine had faded
 from "a cpeo = 1j j~