The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-10-09
According to
Their Lights

d,cdtc. Inc.
Somewhere In the depths of the
big city. where the unauiet Drugs
are forever being shaken together.
young Murray and the captain had
met and become friends. Both were
at the lowest ebb possible 90 their
fortunes: both had fallen from at
least IN intermediate heaven Of ~
spectability and Importance and
both werc typical products OF the
monstrous aud peculiar social cur.
bumptious civic alma mater.
The captain was no longer . cap.
rain- Ono OF those sudden moral
cataciyuns that sometimes sweep
the city had hurled him from a high
and profitable position In tho. police
department ripping off his badge
and buttons and washing into the
hands OF his lawyers the solid pieces
Of real estate that his frugaiity had
enabled him to accumulate The
passing OF tho flood left him low
and dry. One month after his dis
habilltation a saloonke~pcr piuck-d
him by the neck from his fro lunch
counter A. tahby piucils . strange
kitten from her nest. and cast him
asphaitwSryi This srcms low enough.
But after that he acquired . pair Of
cloth top button congress CATERS and
wrote complaining letters to the
| newspapers And then he fought
the attendant at the municipal iodg.
ing house who tried 10 give him n
hath When Murray first saw him
he WAS holding the hand Of an ltai
Ian woman who sold apples and gar
lie on Essex st.. and quoting the
words OF = song book ballad.
Murray's fall had keen more Lue1-
ferian. II less spectacular. All the
pretty. Tiny little kickshaws Of
Gotham had once been hiA The
megsphone man roars out At you to
| observe the house Of his uncle on 4
grand and revered avenuA But there
had been an awful row about some
thing and the prince had bccn o.
corted to the door by the butler.
which. In said avenue. II equivalent
to the impact Of the avuncular shoc.
A weak Prince Hal without inherit.
ance or sword. he drtsted downward
10 meet his humoriess Tais;aff. and
70 pick tho erusts Of the streets with
him.
One evening ny ~ On . bench
In . nttis downtown park The
great bulk Of tho captain. which
starvation seemed TO fncrease-drnw-
ing irony instead Of pity TO his
petitions for ai&-was heape d
againss the arm Of the bench In q
shApeien maas. His red face, spos.
trd by tufts Of verrniliou. week old
vhiskers and topped by a sagsing
white straw hat. looked. In the
gloom. like one Of those structures
that you may observe In q dark
Third ava window. challenging your
imagination TO say whether II be
something recent In the way Of
ladies' hats or . strawberry short.
cakA A ught-drawn beit--last relic
Of his official sprucenese-made .
deep furrow In his circumfer-nce.
Tho captains shoes were buttnniesa.
In . srnothcred baas he Cursed his
star Of fl-iuck.
Murray. as his dde, wss ahrunk
into his dingy and ragyed suit Of
blue serya His hat was pulled
low: no sat quiet and . little indls.
tinct. iike soma ghost that had bcen
dispossessed
I'm hungry" gYowied Chs 0p-
tain--''by the top s;rioin Of the Bun
OF Bashan. I'm starving 20 death.
Right nov could eat . Bowcry
restaurant clear thru 70 the stove
pipe IN the alley. Can't you think
Of nothing. Murray You sit there
with your shoulders scrinched up.
giving an imitation Of Reginald
Vanderbilt driving his coarh-whas
good are them airs doing you now'
Think OF some place We can get
something TO chew"
You forget. my dear captain.
said Murray. without moving. -that
our last attempt at dining was II
my suggestion
You bet II waa.e groaned Gss eap-
tain. you bet your life u vaa- Have
you got any more like that to make
--hey7"
Il admit we fafled.- sighed Muir.
ray. II was SURE Malone would be
good for one more fire. lunch after
the way he talked baseball with me
the last time spent . nickel in his
establishment
IL had this hand" mid The cap
tain. extending the unfortunate
ms:nbcr--"I had this hand on the
drumstick OF turkey and two
sardlne sandwiches when them wait
ers grabbed u.s."
Il was within two inches q me
oiives.- said Murray. STUFFED olives
haven't tasted ono in a year"
'whatT We dor grumbled the
captain. I'VE can't gtarve."
Can't wei" said Murray quietly.
we could"
You wait here. said No captain.
rising heavily and puffily to his feet
I'm going to try 10 mako one more
turn. You stay here till 10 come
back. Murray. won't be over half
an hour. II turn tho trick III
come back flush"
He made some eicphantins 1t
/ tempts at nnartening his appear.
ance. He gave his fiery mustache
a heavenward twist: he dragged into
sight a pair Of black edged cuffs,
deepened tho crease IN his middle
by tightening his belt another hole,
I a nd sot r,ff faunfflv A n ZOO rhtnoc-
eros, across the south end Of the
park.
When he was out Of sight Murray
also left the park. hurrying swiftly
eastward. He stopped at a building
whose steps were thanked by two
green lights.
"A police captain named Mar.
oney," he said TO tho desk sergeant
was dismisscd from the force after
s-t~<g ..~Inr che .. rno 80