Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-18

girl. Her heredity confiicting with hsr
environment had given her here and
there. q trick Of gesture or carriage
that lent Z touch Of physieal mystery.
Nell, one must imagine, had challenged
the Bon Marchs to do its worst. and
the. Bon Marche had triumphed.
4 skirt Of rust red tahetA, paper
stih, and q magenta Jumper claehed
for pre-. .eminence In Nelrs toilet. Un.
der their shrek Of disharmony her
glorious curves lost their freedom and
combs, rows Of beads and high heeled
velvet shoes added both to the tawdry
effect and her supreme satisfaction.
Her contemplation q herself was
broken BY a peremptory knock on. the
the noor and opened It.
"Bcn - she exclaimed. Thought I
knew yer moniker; Why amt yer down
ut the gas works?"
There was q touch Of excitement In
her voice and the color mounted to her
Of the unskilled labor class-pushed
past her into the cottage and cat down.
"Took the 'arf day. Couldn't stick
1t no longer" he said. -.
Nell knew there was trouble ID the
wind and had more than . shrewdo Idea
as to its cause.
| Been soakin'?''
Amt touched z drop"
"What's up thenT'
The heavy lidded eyes, limited Of
vision but far removed from stupidity,
slowed with the resolution to nave 1t
III met oardls. the man from The
day night. He said you'd paid up. -
''Pity you 'adn't nothin' better to
talk about"
Noll's Sweetheart
You was in ARE arrears a. last !, weekI,Su ss;3 p.
was in the New Out Sunday night,
along O Polly Cumber-dressed up bit
of goods-and you was wearing yer
last week. 20 took EN- out,"
IT. ~ n, none ct your business.
eyer will," countered Ben. raising q
"You strike me before we're spliesd
and see what the boys'll do to YER"
II don't care for the boys. Tell me
where you got that money"
"Your 'ead'll never carry yer no
further than thirty bob a week at the
gas works." she said with q biting
scorn that assured him OF her afec.
ton. But the money that bought
these ere duds may set you up In q
bushes b,sau 20 o your own af0re you're much
"What dyer mean?' he demanded.
"Afore I ave anythink to do with It
I gotter know where it come from"
II come BY 1t straight. Ben. III
tell yer 'ow." Their lips met in q
smackins kiss. "But you amt got the
brains to understand, 90 It won't be
much use," she added as he let her come
out Of her corner. !.
Cant say I rightly understand II
meself, 50 what 'opes for your" she
went on. Its like this ere. A tort
came down ere last Wednesday. Bill
and ALI see i'm come-you con ask
them. Well, e tole me as e knew my
father-what 'ad just come out O. doing
twenty stretch and 'ad got bags O.
money. Said me dad was comm to see
me soon and in the meantime give
me eight quid to 80 on with. That's
the furniture and got me feathers out O
pawn"
Ben looked at her doubtfully.
Its Gawd's truth that I'm telling
YER" protested Nell. II knew you
wouldn't ave the brains ter believe it. "
"l'm not disbelievin'," said Ben.
II always thort you was different. Was
the bloke your father them"
"'E cawn't be--yet some-ow It
seems as II e must be-" answered Nell.
Il said e was a pal O. my dads.
And can't rightly make it out meself.
'Ere-look ere"
With an air of conspiracy she drew
tho window curtain more closely so
that her action might not be observed
by n passerby. Then she opened the
drawer of the table and took therefrom
sheet torn from an illustrated paper.
The paper had obviously served the
purpose of protecting substantial pOr.
ton of fish and chips from the public
gaze, but between the patches Of grease
the date was visible, and photograph
Of n wedding group, taken at the church
door, with the bride leaning on the
arm of her groom. Nell pointed to II
with a rough but not unshapely fore
finger;
No.o, not that. stoopid. Inset: Mr..
Emery Jarromnn, father O. the bride.
Inset, see? That means up in the cor.
ner--up ere. Well. that's the bloke
that came ter see me ere and give me
the, the eight Kht y. Pahnd' "ot dyer make OF
"Seems ter me as the bloke must be
yer father. Your names Jarman, ain t
it. Nell?"
Near enough" he said with cOnvic-
tion.
That's what thort," said Nell,
aud then iunoriny the self ont m die Z.
ton: "Golly, don 'tcher know no bet.
ter than that? II he's me father, stands
to reason that this ere gal must be
me sister, don't it?"
"Well, why shouldn't she be? You're
good enough to be anybody's sister,
"Chu-uck i! Think she's prettier
than me?" Nell snatched the paper
and frowned at the slender bride.
'Er! Why, she amt nOthink.
You'd make two of 'er. But what 8
the good of chewing the rag over It?
If this blOke don't turn up In day
or two go an tell the tale to old Soapy
Sam-get i'm to take 1t up for yer.
What do they call 'im-Theed. amt
..,, nThat's That; bit o sense I'll own up"
tin meself."
She fell into thought. nodding slowly
as II in agreement with herself.
"Dear me, there's that poor lady
caught in the rain and not taxi In
sight Her dress will be rulned--pOsi.
lively ruined"
Theed might have passed to the
| wr;puipU NJ his honds In his dist re a.