The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-07-07

he had held the traffic at the moment
when the girls car stopped just above
the crossing. The girl was making for
the rear platform; bevy of children
were being herded across the street
by Dan. From behind the ruck Of
halted cars came charging an AFRO
CANT blue automobile, whose fat, red
faced driver was recklessly and Ce-
family seeking to gain time through
the narrow space next to- the car
track. Boring and crowding trucu-
lently, II came on--and from the i'm
pact OF Its mudgunrd the girl was
flung against the standing car.
Casting half an eye, so to speak. to-
ward the girl--whom he would see no
more till tomorrow-Dan was just In
time to glimpse the thing In Its hap
pening. In the twinkling of an eye
all his policemanhood fell from him.
He was no longer an exponent OF dis
cipline a figure OF the law. He was
mere man-and wild with anger. In
roadster. In three seconds more he
had hauled the driver out upon the
pavement and smashed him twice In
the face with his fist
The man In the blue car was Big
Bill Burtis, district leader of "the
party" Three-quarters of an hour
later Patrolman Travers was out of
his uniform, under suspension, and
quite sure of being dismissed from
the force. And the girl, unhurt after
all. had boarded the car and gone
about her business.
"Ofiicer," said the commissioner to
Dan, II have sent for you to substi-
tute reprlmand for dismissal. You
conducted yourself In that Qffair with
Assemblyman Burtis in an extraor-
dinary and violent manner; do you
realize it2"
"Yes, sir" replied Dan, rs he stood
ct attention.
"And you are hereby reprimanded
do you realize that?"
"Yes, SIR"
"Very well; that's done with. And
now, by jove, want to thank you
from the bottom of my heart for what
you did In behalf OF my danghter"
"Your daugh-V The dismay In
Dams face was as comic to the com
missioner as the cause of 1t was tragic
to the young policeman. II meant
that his dream had gone to smash
He even quite forgot to thank the
commissioner for his coat OF white
wash.
Exactly. II was Miss Higginson
that Burtis ran into. Edna goes down
to her settlement house as regularly
as stenographer to her job--and al
( ways on a street car. She's terrible
little nut--her mother can't get hei
to dress right even. Edna says she has
no business to wear better clothes
than the girls she's working among
full of all sorts of notions about equal
ity and that kind Of thing. But she's
the best little sport in the world
and privately, am damned glad yo'
smashed Burtls. Shake hands-ant
report back In the morning"
"Yes, SIR" said Dan, mechanically
But he was listening to the fall o.
the ruins of his castle. He buy coat!
for the daughter of Commissioner
Hlgginson. indeedl Why, the girl wai
rich-a swell
"By the way, Travers"-the com
missioner seemed TO have almost for
gotten it-"AIlss Higglnson told me t.
ask you to call on her this evening
She wants to thank you-and / thinl
maybe she'll tell you, like she did me
what a perfectly splendid soak in tn
eye that second one was-the one tina
gave Burtis the sinner"
Eyes, sir" was all Dan Traver
could articulate. But all the way VI
town his head was ringing with on
wonderful, hopeful word, Equality"