Evening star., 1922-11-12

ssVX1ELL. little poison ivy" says I,
w whats your tale OF woe?"
I'm up against it. lady," says he,
land all l asks off'n you is the price
of sidearm meal. Honest, lady.
ai'nt-'
Yes. 1 don't doubt that" says l.
You look every bit of it. But witt,
the papers full of ads. for male help
why do you stick to panhandling!
That's what gets me curious about
you and your kind. Eh?"
Il got run out of the union, that
why" says he. "They called a strike
on our job last August and 1 went out
with the rest, but when the boss
contractor offered we double time to
finish up 1 took chance the pickets
wouldn't spot me. They did, though,
Beat me up for it. too. Then they got
me chucked from my 'boardin' house
and put me on the blacklist SO I can't
get no kind of work anywhere. Near
ly three months I've been on the bum
and"
what kind Of work is your spe-
cialty?" I asks.
Me-" says he. "I'm a tin roofer
and zinc cornice man."
"Really?" says 1. Just that. eh!
How did you happen to pick out that
particular line. or were you born that
way?"
why" says he. Il went into roof1n'
when the plumbin' work got slack,
and it looked like there was better
money i'll
stop" says l., You were a real
plumber once, were you?'
Sure" says he.
"And plumbing isn't mething that
you forget once you've mastered the
art, is it," ! asked. You could still
plumb little, couldn't you?"
He admitted that he could.
"Any other line that you've gradu
ated from?" went on.
II started as a carpenter" says he,
"but-'
Wait" says I. What's your
name?"
"Millish," says he. Andrew
Millish'
That's good" says I. Especially
the Andrew part. 1t sounds hopeful
But suppose. Andrew, that you have
a wife and three starving children
somewhere in the background"
NO" says he. II amt never been
married. Once when I was workin'
in Bridgeport I kept company with
a girl, but She"
Lets skip the sad romance part,
Andrew" says I. what I'm anxious
to know is this; if should stake you
to half a dollars worth of food in
that restaurant across there would
you come out feeling too strong to
work, or could you promise faithful
to come around and practice some OF
your various accomplishmentsT'
IT amt no welsher. lady," says he.
If I says I'll do thing. I allus-''
But do you promise?" I insisted.
"Yes, lady," says he. 'Tl tackle
any job you've got the tools for"
TITS a bargain. then." says I.
Here's the half, and while you are
getting filed up TIL find a hardware
store and buy q screw driver and a
can of inside white and q paint
brush. Wait for me here"
< * X X
COMEHOW always did want to buy
~ tools. They look so nice and shiny
and capable in the show windows
the saws and chisels, and things you
bore holes with. It almost seems as
though they would do the work
whether you knew about handling
them or not. And then, in this par
ticular store, happened to find such
helpful. sympathetic clerk, young
ish man with quite a bald spot, sad
eyes and soft voice. I'm sure he
commuted from way out in New Jer-
sey and sang in the church choir
Sundays.
Anyway. he knew a lot about
tools. He showed mo dozen
different kinds of wrenches and
explained just how they worked.
and a patent screwdriver that you
wind mp just as you do a coffee
grinder, and a drill affair that I
simply couldn't live without any
longer. Then when I'd pick out four
or hvS articles he suggested that
m vha ia he Interested IN fuO