Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-12-17

store has sent a little boy TO tell MIN,
the landlady explains. breathless
from running up three flights OF
stairs.
As Mr.. Hibbs dashes hurriedly in
to his clothes, he wonders who on
earth it can be who has called him
up in such a fashion. Is it the red
haired flapper he met the other
evening, who asked him TO join a
hiking club. and who inquired so
insist emily as to how she could reach
him ON the phone? No; it couldn't
be. He is sure that he didn't tell
her about the drug store. Too bad
he hadn't. All, now he knows who
it is-it is Brown, of course, who has
come to town. found out where he
Is, and called him up. Only Brown
would think of calling him from the
nearest drug store. It will be great
to see Brown again-always was an
interesting chap.
Rushing enthusiastically down the
stairs, he is about to clear the front
step with one leap when he Is
stopped by a small boy with a cher
ubic face, who says in a small but
determined voice:
II brought the message, Mister"
"Oh, you did" laughs Mr.. Hibbs,
"and you want a nickel. l suppose
well, here it is"
Mr. Hibbs continues to dash down
the street and in the drug store,
where he PUSHES to the telephone
booth, explaining that a call is wait
ing for him.
"A CALL" repeats the druggist
pityingly. There is no call for you.
Hasn't been a call from outside here
this morning. Who odd YOU there
was--a little boy? see. Gave him
a nickel, of course, didn't you. Well,
that's just their game. You aren't
the first one that's been stung. It's
a regular business bringing people
to the phone and getting a nickel
from them when there isn't any call.
Perhaps the most notable of all
child prodigies in affairs of this kind
is Elliott Kitchener, the fourteen
year-old Office boy, who recently
walked out of the Baldwin Locomo-
tive Works, in Philadelphia, with
$4,000 belonging to the company in
his pocket, and who was arrested
here in New York only after a long
search.
Elliott is also blessed with a cher
ubic countenance, which attracted
every motherly woman to him on his
travels and helped him to remain
above suspicion for a long period.
Elliott decided to take the money as
soon as it was handed to him. AS
he told the police later. Sure I took
it. Who wouldn't? 1 a getting IS
a week as an office boy and they
handed me $4,3O0-I had to count
1t, you know-and told me to take it
to the paymaster. 1t was more mon
ey than 1 had eve laid eyes on be-
fore. 1t looked awful big, and it felt
awful hig- Sol blpwo
With cool determination, Elliott
started for the Camden ferry as soon
as he left the Baldwin plant. He
remained in Camden just long
enough to buy an o%vercoat and three
suits of clothes. each with long
trousers-his first-and then took a
train to New York. From New York
he went to Chicago. from which city
he expected to go to San Francisco.
But here he read an account of his
theft in the newspapers, which said
that he would probably go to Spo-
kane, where his father was. So FL
lott decided not 20 to West at all,
but to take the first train back to
New York. From here he returned
to Philadelphia and stayed at the
Bellevue-Stratford for several days,
after which he moved to the Hotel
Lorraine, which is only a short dis
lance from the Baldwin works.
Finally, he became restless. and
again went to New York, where he
at last bought a ticket for a Fran
cisco. 1t was this act that betrayed
him. The ticket Office agent became
suspicious at a small boy paying
$134.50 for a ticket, and called in
one of the railroad detectives. Pho
tographs of missing boys were pro-
duced, n Elliott was recognized as
the most conspicuously missing of
them all.
That's who I am" said Elliott
when confronted with the photo
graph. Il don't care. I'm tired OF
spending money anyhow"