Evening star., 1920-11-28

Poor little thing. right pretty
| mouth"
Pretty. but girl. I've seen lots of
'em in my time: been hirin' 'em for
| eighteen years. but never ciapped eyes
| ON one like you! Where'd you get
! that hair. girl-dip 1t in FIRE? hired
| q girl for the laces once Just because
she had hair that shade. but nothing
up to yours! Cad. where'd you get it p
steve used to call it his-his-"
Jaw. nothing"
go on. what'd he call it. See II it's
Same as I'd call it,"
you'd call itT'
Go on. tell me. Spitfire."
Nothing. tell you. Nothing I want
you to know. Honest. for a man whose
whose mustache ought to be gray.
you-you're the freshest"
She bent down again into the crib.
| the color mounting up behind her ears
and into the roots Of her hair.
-! know name for you" said Mr.
Foddie. leaning In his patent rocker
toward her. Want to hear it?"
IT'S Big Doll, sweetness" he said.
rising suddenly. his light blue eyes
loo 100 frank and advancing toward Ee.-
Ns Big Doll" and put out his hama
to place II upon hers. You great big
Ugh" she cried. standing back
nom him. and a flare Of hot temper
rushing up into her face. and regard
"1sh% nj n'm through a blur of 'e0rn,
Touchy." he said. but desistinE.
You bet your life I'm touchy" And
with her face still awry with distaste.
she slid past him, around an archi-
pelago of furniture, and out. slam
ming the door.
A T II o'clock foggy quiet had set
tied over Lucy Beasley's furnished
rooms-light housekeeping. In the
strip OF lower hall tip of gas burned
yellowly. mitigating the gloom drear-
lily enough. At each stair-landing
another blob fiickered. crocheting shad-
ows into dimness.
Within her room, dark as a pocket
except where slit OF the weak light
showed beneath the door. Annie XII
neady lay on her cot, her feet to the
King Quality Shoe Factory. and her
head to the wall, one arm flung up
across her eyes. courting sleep and
counting sheep. whole slaughter
houses OF them: as they slanted bleat-
inf down the chutes at Spartan juno
tion into miles of side-tracked box
cars. :.
Dozed finally. and awoke falling
through space. the heart of her beat
ing up through the coverlet Bur
rowed her arm beneath her pillow and
snuggled down into it. After a while
an edge of sleep grew around her,
and this time she came out of it to
an immediate upright position. trem-
bling.
Through the wall. deep as the
wheezfngs Of rusty springs and with
q gasp between that lasted far too
long. like the uneasy period when
q child holds its breath in temper.
came to Annie Kineady as she sat in
the dark. half emerged from the COW
erlets and quiveftng. the sound of
Group.
Then the drag Of soft shoes across
carpet and indications Of an object or
two placed down. Finally quiet SO
lasting that after a time she crept
down to her pillow once more, but not
relaxed to it, and her eyes open to the
dark.
Lying there taut for sound. when it
did come. and in spite Of herself. she
sprang trembling to her feet. drag
when an abysmal gasp seemed to
have no end. thrust her feet into knit
ted slippers and. wrapped in kimono
Of larse-figured cotton crepe.
sloughed. shivering. through the
gloom of tho hall; raped in three
staccatos at the door adjoining. her
whisper breaking out into voice.
"ME: Foddie-open-pl please - Mr..
The door swung back to reveal him
In the flannel dressing gown. peering
and quaverfng, and the hot medicinal
II was just coming for you. Miss
Annie. He-little fellows bad"
Mr. Foddie. Mr.. Foddie. he oughtn't
to cough like that with the lamp
burning. Did You fix the tent ar
Come in. Miss Annie. For Gods
sake. do something. I never seen the
poor little fellow 30 hard up for
breath" He dragged the door wide.
his face standing out Whitley.
small crib. an open umbrella hung fan
tastically above it and q sheet depend
ing. tent-fashion. Beside It . dull lamp
burned into the gloom. it's hot antisep-
tic fumes rising.
The lamp. Mr.. Foddie! It can be
held inside for q WHILE"
And graspins it like torch. she
parted the tent curtains and plunged
in to her waist.
Outside in the gloom Of one twitch-
ing gas-jet Mr.. Foddie paced . short
stretch Of door. hands behind him and
1bSS OS0&4li8 lubO PoAAAA
Miss Annie, II you think it's doc
tor he needs. the poor little"
Hand mo . spoon there"
He inserted IT. trembling.
s'IB he"
:aIs Hand !. no another blanket
'The hot water kettle"
Here. Miss Annie"
"Shh-h-h-hw
Tho small strangiings receded and
finally ceased. and hef voice came
'h.cssn the 'h;st sass aitsS a,ss, and r:s:ss
Sleep. Go to sleep. my ba-bee-oa-
bse. Go to sleep. nV ba-bse Tta-la-
In Ia IA! M-nl-m-m-nl'
When she emerged frum the siis IN
the tepee. lamp upheld. the facc Of her
was In high luEter. like Tspoao's Cieo-
patra. Light slid down over her mfIAy
arms. with The sleeves falling back frsjin
them, and upon her hair. 4 rlAtt OF IL
flowing over each shoulder.
Hes all right. n. Foddie. YOu jaAt
didn't have his littIc head low enough
and didn't know how to work tre ian?."
.N9JsB Annie ] was afraid he'd choke.
Poor little fellow Just looked nko he'c
never get his nsxt breath. Poor little
fellow"
'Now. now. Mr.. Foddie. you sit right
down there. You're as white as ghost
yourself. They don't amount to moth
with kids. IL you know hox to handle
them. Honest. you men arc the great.
est ones for losing your heads right
away and going all to pieces. Why
why, with my little boy his daddy just
used to 60 all to pieces II no only
stubbed his toe. Honest you men"
But poor little"
'Why, you ought to see him now.
Go take . peck at him for your0elf.
sIeepinE thore. quiet as q top. with
his little wool bear huggcd up TO
him. Easy now. shh-h-h-hr'
He entered and emerged with lis