Evening star., 1922-03-19

Forest Park section.
Doh Dorgan might have been a SER
geant, or even q captain. but 1t had
early been seen at headquarters that
he was a crank about Forest Park.
For hither he had brought his bonny
lass of q wife. and here he had built
their shack; here his wife had died.
and here she was buried. II was so
great a relief in the whirl OF depart
ment politics to have a man who was
contented with his job that the Big
Fellows were glad OF Dorgan. and
kept him there where he wanted to
be, year after year. patrolling Forest
Park.
For Don Pat Dorgan had the i'm
mense gift of loving people, all people.
In a day before any one In Northern
apolis had heard of scientific pencil
osy Dorgan believed that the duty OF
a policeman with clean gloves and
clean heart was to keep people from
needing to be arrested. He argued
with drunken meh and persuaded
them to hide out in an alley and sleep
on the drunk. When he did arrest
them it was because they were Sc
dately staggering home intent on
beating up the wives OF their bosoms.
Any homeless man could get nickel
from Dorgan and a roadmap of the
doss-houses. To big bruisers he spoke
slowly, and he beat them with his
nightstick where it'would hurt the
most but injure the least. Along his
beat small boys might play base ball
provided they did not break windows
or get themselves in front of motor
cars. The pocket in his coat-tail was
a mine; here were secreted not only
his midnight sandwiches, his revolver
and handouts and a comic supple
ment. but also a bag Of striped candy
and a red rubber ball.
4 y
JH7HEN the Widow Maelester's son
w took to the booze 1t was Don
Dorgan who made him enlist in the
navy. Such things were Don't work
his art. Joy of his art he had when
Kitty Silva repented and became
clean-living; when Mieky Connors.
whom Dorsan had known ever since
Micky was q squawking orphan. be-
Il
lettered J. J. Cennors. NJ. D., D. S.. and
a nurse. to let a poor man in to see
the great DR.. Connors!
Dorgan did have for one boy and
girl a sneaking fondness that tran
scended the kindness he felt toward
the others. They were Polo Magenta.
son of the Italian-English-D Danish
jockey who had died of the coke, and
Ef1e Kugler. daughter of that Jewish
delieatessen man who knew more Of
the Talmud than any man in the
Ghetto-Efie the pretty and plump,
black-haired and quick-eyed, q per-
feet armful for any one.
Polo Magenta had the stun of a man
in him. The boy worshiped motors as
his father had worshiped horses. At
fourteen, when his father died, he was
washer at McManus' Garage; at eight
cen he was one of the smoothest
taxi-drivers in the city. At nineteen,
dropping into Kugler's Delicatessen
for sausages and crackers for his mid
night lunch, he was waited upon by
Efie.
Thereafter he hung about the little
shop nightly, till old Kugler frowned
upon them-upon Polo. the gallantest
lad in Little He'll. supple in his chauf-
feur's uniform, straight-baeke as the
English sergeant who had been his
grandfather, pale-haired like Dane,
altogether a soldierly figure, whisper
ing across the counter to blushing
EfIie.
Kugler lurked at the door and pre-
vented Polo from driving past and
picking her up. So Effie became pale
with longing to see her boy; Polo took
to straight bourbon, which is not good
for q taxi-driver racing to catch
trains. He had an accident, once; he
smashed the tenders of an
other car; but one more OF the like,
and the taxi company would let him
out.
Then Patrolman Don Dorgan sat in
on the game He decided that Polo
Magenta should marry Effie. He told
Polo that he would bear message
from him to the girl, and while he
was meticulously selecting cut of
sausage for a sandwich he whispered to
her that Polo was waiting, with his
car in the alley Off Minnis place.
Aloud he bawled: Come walk the
block with me, Effie. you little divvle.
II your father will let you. Mr.. kugler,
it isn't often that Don Dorgan invites
the ladies to go a-walking with him.
but it's spring, and you know how 1t
is with US wicked cops. The girl looks
as IL she needed breath Of fresh air."
"That's r-r-r-right," said Kugler.
p -.
sAn, Ehie. and mind you come r-r-r-
right back"
X + + y
DORGAN stood like a lion at the
~ mouth of the alley where, beside
his taxi, Polo Magenta was waiting.
AZ he caught the cry with which Ef1e
came to her lover he remembered the
evenings long gone when he and his
own sweetheart had met in the maple
lane that was now the scrofulous Min
mis- place.
"Oh, Polo. the days have been like
dad things, never seeing you no.
where"
Z "Gee, it hurts, kid. to get up in the
morning and have everything empty,
knowing won't see you any time.
could run the machine on the Boule-
ward and end everything. my hearts
50 cold without you"
"Oh, Is 1t, Polo. Is It really?"
"say, look, we only got couple
minutes. I've got a look in on q
partnsrship in q repair-shop In Thorn
wood Addition. II 1 can swing 1t we
can beat it and get hitched. and when