The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-05-13


happiest girl on the east side. Every
evening was Jiruny,s evening now, ex--
cept the stenography evenings, ana
those were partly his. for he met her
at the Union and walked home with
her. Then came an evening when
Jimmy didn't appear at the Union
and Mamie walked home alone. X 1t
seemed very strange and lonesome
Mamie was in no mood for frivolous
converse with mere girls when she
found Gertie Shane standing at the
street door of the tenement house, and
would have passed on with a perfume
tory, Hello, Cert" if Cert had per-
mitted it. But Gertie. effusive1y
friendly. put her arm around Mamie's
waist and climbed the first flight of
stairs by her side. AT the head of the
stairs she suddenly-oh, very sudden
ly-bethought herself of something.
"Oh. Name she said, come along
back to the window and see what's
doing!" And willy-nilly Mamie had to
go along.
From just that one window, out of
all the windows in the big barracks
of tenement, one could look squareiy
which was at the rear of the cigar
store downstairs. That is. one could.
if the curtain were up; and tonight the
cur tain had BEN forgotten.
There was long table, and half a
dozen of the sporty boys of the club
very middle of the picture stood Jim
my Ha1pin, with a broad grin on his
broad. face, rolling EN- and swapping
his fingers, and gathering up the
dimes and quarters as enthusiastically
as if there were no such thing as q.
girl OF a promise in the world. Ms
mic watched the spectacle for elle
space of three long sbreaths, the while
Gertie Shane watched her with an evil
joy.
going along up. Good night" And
in her own tiny coop of a room she
cried herself to sleep.
It was the very next night that
proposition having to do with the
movie theatre around the corner.
Mamie, a bit pale and quite scorn-
full, spoke plainly. I'm off you for
good, Jimmy" she said. There
amt any use talking. You been
there in the clubroom and looked on
now and then. But I seen you myself
seen you shooting and seen you
taking in the coin. You and me is all
grown even worse if she had talked
any longer. But she didn't She shut
the door in Jimmys face.
Ensued four wretched days-four
empty, dreary days for Mamie; four
gloomy, somber days for Jimmy; four
looked askance many times at the
pale, stricken face of his sister. Then
George lay for Mamie down at the
front door after supper.
'Lookit, SIS he said, you got
Jimmy wrong"
s'Shut up!" exclaimed Mamie,
whose nerves Were at the breaking
point "Ain't got eyes?"
t'Yes-and you've got ears, too,
and you're going to listen Here's
what happens. I get to rolling 'em
and Jimmy's lookin on. | lose my
couple of bucks and then well. I
begins to dig into the twenty-five that
the old gent give me to hand to
Saunders, the insurance man, to pay
for his insurance. And the first thing
I know it's all gone but a single bone.
That's where Jimmy comes in. He
grabs the dollar and he shoves me
out and he says. Lemme shoot 'em for
your And he shoots a natural. and
from that he goes on up, till he's got
the old mans twenty-five back and he
hands 1t to me and tells me he'll
break my jaw if he finds me rolling
EN- again. He saved my neck, that's
what he did-and yo4re.a bum sport
Name, if you can him for that!'
"Gosh!" exclaimed Mamie. why
didn't he tell me so2'
Jaw, can't you see anything? How
could he?"
That's So" agreed Mamie. Say.
you hustle on in there and tell him
want Ito see him. And hurry UP
about it."
Copyright, 1921. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate) Q