The Washington times., 1920-06-24

and engaging little creature Of eleven.
whose only experience with life had been
..ysss cruelty yro', , nss'sss ss sn,a.sas1 a ss9
took her into hi own too numerous fam
ily. and his wife cared for her as though
but they have nve children OF their
own, and the wife 10 soon to have another
baby. Low wages. Irregular employment
sss %e: 7. Ss.s os them a to y% issd
and ciothe an extra child.
They are fond OF the little girl they
ar. willing to Keep and l,h.S eshs iSr ,ns,a nsp ~
her support. But II this sum be not
Forthcoming, little stephsnie will have
.The child is now physically healthy.
She Is Of a winning personality but
somewhat impul-ive, unruly. and wiiful
At times; ana y would n,,n De rer oe,,er ,vs Ss
with these sober, kindly. honest people
who love her. than to be sent to an or
Case No. I23. A very old man. des-
persteiy poor and III and entirely-"
John Cleland dropped the paper
suddenly across his knees. n herce
di6laste 10 suffering, an aoi az. dis
taclinptior ar such d;tai.s checked
further perusal. =.
"Damnation! he muttered. FUN
bling for another cigar.
His charities already had been at
tended to for the year. That por-
tion of his income devoted to such
things was now entirely used up.
But he remained uneasily aware
that the portion reserved for fur
ther acquisition of Americans
books, prints. pictures. early Ameri-
can silver. porcelains. furniture.
was still intact for the new year
now beginning.
That was his only refuge from
loneliness and the everything grief
the plodding hunt for such things
and the study connected with this
pursuit. Except for his son-his
ruling passion-he had no other in
terest, now that his wife was dead
nothing that particularly mattered
to him in life except this collecting
of Americana.
And now his son had gone away
again. The day had to be filled
filled rather quickly. too: for the
parting still hurt cruelty. and with
a dull persistence that he had not
yet shaken of. He must busy him
self with something. He'd go out
again presently, and mouse about
among musty stacks Of furniture
"in the dough-" Then he'd prowl
through auction rooms and screw a
and pore over mezzotints.
He allowed himself just SO much
to spend on Americana; just SO
much to spend on his establishment,
so much to invest, SO much to give
to charity
"Damnation!" he repeated aloud.
1t was the last morning of the ex-
hibition at the Christensen Galleries
of early American furniture. That
afternoon the sale was to begin.
He had not had time for prelimi-
nary investigation. He realized the
importance of the collection; knew
that his friends would be there in
force; and hated the thoGght of los
ing such a chance.
Turning the leaves of his news
paper for the advertisement, he
found himself again confronted by
the columns containing the dreary
Hundred Neediest Cases" And
against every inclination he re-read
the details of Case 119.
Odd, he thought to himself an
grily, that there was nobody In the
city to contribute the few dollars
necessary to this little girl. The
case in question requird only fifty
dollars. Fifty dollars meant a home,
possibly moral salvation. to this
child with her winning disposition
and unruly ways.
He read the details again. more
irritated than ever, yet grimly in
terested to note that, as ususl 1t II
the very poor with many burdens
who help the poor. This carpenter,
living probably in a tenement, With
a wife, an unborn baby, and a herd
of squalling children to support,
had still found room for another
little waif. whose drug-sodden par
ents had been kind to her only by
dying.