Evening star., 1921-08-21

who, by her single -handed prowess,
held Q gap between two tall buildings
against the strongest army of real
estate spectators ever assembled in
the city of San Bruno. state of Cali
fornia. No name In the directory was
more hated of land brokers than was
hera. no ground more coveted than
the 100x1s0-foot plot on which her
tiny. shabby cottage crouched stub
bornly between those lofty CONNER
cial towers which, like tabled giants,
had suddenly risen out of nothing to
overcome her. On the right 1t was the
new Insoluble Trust building, on the
left the sky-aspiring department
store Of Nathan Rosewasser.
These buildings were the CONNER
cial pride of booming San Bruno; and
that Mrs. Casey's lot was wanted as
the site of q still more imposing
structure was secret SO open that 1t
was shouted daily over every other
telephone in town. Yet Mrs. Casey
continued to raise chickens on her
priceless holdings-two dozen scrawny
Plymouth Rocks, whose daily egg
songs We'd with the click Of type
Every little while some undiscouraged
agent would enter her domain pre-
pared to offer her az high as a quarter
of million dollars for her place:
ANU AlAC SiiO hCAo At ehS O1AAUNb ~es-A
agent would always walk right in,
and turn right round, and walk right
out again" If he did not walk, he
ran; for Mrs. Casey was taller and
broader than most men, and at short
range her dishpan was deadly
! c. w. Ketchum. from his window
on the tenth floor. cast an evil eye
upon the widows roof. He knew
how to clear half a million by buy
ing that lot within thirty days. and
, he could have murdered the big
woman for her mulishness. Like
many another great sinner. he was
an eager stone-thrower- He hated
Mrs. Casey'S stubborn resistance; yet
his own dog-in- -the-manger attitude
concerning the sale of certain prop
erty to the City Park was common
talk among the honest boosters But
yearned for Mrs. Casey's lot with a
great passion, he resolved to make
life so miserable for her that she
would have to move. So Brian Boru
Blaney happened upon her persecu-
tions.
Anybody would have noticed Brian
crossing Central Square that morning.
because he wore a suit that rivaled
the bluejay in it's vivid coloring: In
his pocket he caressed his last hum
ON the Healthy View sale having
faded into Utopia Addition. He was
thinking hard. Being In love. in
stinct urged him to ask an uncertain
question of certain girl. Then he
fingered the sparse currency between
'dered the fallacy of matrimony with
out patrimOny.
"Somp'n burnin'." said Brian. sniff |
ing the odor of hot rags. Looking
smudge Of smoke rising from the
street and pouring through the gut
between the Insoluble and the Rose
wasser buildings. A woman's voice
hurled invective in the tone of out
door suffrage oratory.
said Policeman Jones of the park
squad.
'I don't hear any riot call. Are y
blind on that sider' asked Brian.
TITS or me beat" replied Jones. re-
treating with that air of virtue
peculiar to policemen in New York.
Sodom and other centers Of graft and
culture.
Brian pulled his green velvet hat
over his eyes and raced across the
The gap between the two vast build
ings formed a natural flue which
drew the smoke straight across Mrs.
Casey's house. A vicious circle of
spectators had formed about the small
but exciting drama, framing a pic
ture which Brian saw from an elbow
space in the front row.
A seedy workman. going about it
with all the dignity of a high priest
performing a sacred rite. stood show
other workman. smoking pipe. stood |
amusingly receiving the volleying
abuse that famed from the lips Of a
huge Irish woman who carried a
bucket in either hand. setting one
down occasionally to add a telling
gesture to some lofty flight of bill |
Look at him, wud ye, tn dirthy
I. w. W.-too lazy to raise tn hand |
sv him to honest worruR, SO he must
step av a lone woman. Take that |
grin OF yer mug"
A the offending grin. and came /
sufficiently near the mark to knock |
the workman's pipe several feet |
across the cleared space. daughter |
and applause.)
Who stint ye here on this divirs
Orders from the board Of health, |
tady.a said the workman mending
'h' board O. pesthouses. We mean!
know who's back o. this job
KetShum an J., Sellers. bad cess to ther
Her red forehnger pointed to a gilt
sign on the tenth floor Of the In
MAY the mold rot ther dirthy
an tn itch come to thin that |
counts it," she shrieked-
And as a sort of emotional climax
to her curse she seized a bucket of
water and turned it over the head of
the nearest workman. Taking ad-
vantage of the confusion. she made
for the fire with the other bucket,
and was about to empty 1t when the
second workman jumped forward
and defended the sacred flame with a
shovel held bayonet fashion. Mrs.
workman raped her knuckles with
the handle Of the shovel, and the
crowd laughed.
Brian Boru Blaney, a bright-hued
streak Of wrath, shot forth from the
crowd and wrenched the shovel from
men stood aghast at this unexpected
appearance Of the Blue knight.
Look here, Neroo." said he, his
Celtic eyes showing gun-metal blue
as he held the spade like a base ball
bat convenient distance from the
nose, II .su,s guess this IS. bur 9ao
far: Chuck the douse on Little
Vesuvius, Mrs. Casey!"
God bless ye for man" sobbed
the fat woman, as the water struck
the smudge with a great hiss.
TITS the bosss ORDERS" whined the
Garry 'em outw suggested Brian.
shaving the mans chin with the cut
ting edge Of the tool.
The workman looked around for
his companion. He was gone. SO