Evening star., 1924-09-14

after I took it, Oh, 7 wish J would
die. I'm only standin' in her way.
Maybe with me gone she could marry
some one who'd take care Of her
i. . her and the baby. She could get
married again. Besides. the baby
my little baby-mustn't have q father
IN Jail. 1t was the only way out
end of my rope-the very, very end!
Oh, God. ff I'd only had . chance"
PotiphAr sat staring bI2nkly At the
opposite wall On the cot the boy
groaned with the fire in his blood
the greater burn In his heart-the
father who WAS too young to be en-
titled to q baby-the little son he had
never seen.
Did 1t come to the old mans father
heart in that moment-the heart
stunted and disappointed by his alb
normal bachelor existence during 7ong
years of loneliness-the agony and
worry and tragedy in the heart Of the
boy? What could IT have been that
made Mr.. Potfphar Buss sit 50 silently
by the strange bed Of illness. with :he
stark sorrow in his hazy old eyes?
1t must have been toward 4 O'Clock
in the morning that the boy came
back to consciousness.
Sonny" said the old printer, his
voice uneven, you can't stay here; ii
amt your home and some one might
come. You got t spruce up and try
t walk a piece. You got to femme
help you back to town.
The boy was a bit more sane.
II stole money" he said in a hollow
voice. I'm a thief an they're after
me. It's better l die"
mo, no sonny-no. it amt" de-
clared Mr.. Potiphar Buss. I'll make
it all right. You trust old Podphar.
See if you can stand, sonny. Old
Potiphar will help you back t. town.
F'r you've got Z go back. You'll per-
ish here. And you mustn't perish.
No, you mustn't perish, Old Potinhar r
won't have it. Besides. there's the
wife-and the baby"
"Oh. well. I'll go back and give my
self up. l guess / s'pose it's right
should"
"Old Potiphar will fix it, sonny
Trust old Potiphar to fix it,
You really mean it? You amt
kiddin' me. are you?"
"Potiphar Buss never kids, bub-
Potiphar Buss never kids"
They came up Main street in the ST.
boy almost succumbed to the eIer-
ton. But for that matter, SO did
Potiphar.
He took the lad into the boarding
house just as the widow was arising
to prepare early breakfast.
II hardly know which O. the two of
us is the sickest, him or me-" he said
with a wry humor. as motherly Mrs.
Mathcrs. with exclamationS of amaze
ment and compassion helped him to
get the nearly unconscious boy to
bed
You call DR.. Johnson. Mis- Math-
ers,' ordered the printer. "Me-Tm
goin' up right away to see Sam Hod."
+ = +
LIE reused Sam out of bed and
made him come down. The ed
itor flung on a bathrobe and faced his
moth-eaten empioye across the table
| of the chilly dining room.
Potiphar took a fat little wallet
| fat. yet battered with life like him.
self-from his coat pocket. He count
| ed out nine $40 bills and showed them
across to Sam.
ITS your payroll. Hod. I made
the boy give it back" lied Mr. BuSs
| stoically. Hes restored your money
now you can't hold him any longer or
prosecute him." and Poltiphar told
| where and how the boy was found.
"Yes, i cam" declared Sam. Even
| il he gave it back the fact remains
| he committed felony"
ecute him."
why won't I, Potiphar Buss?"
| Prosecute him Samuel Hod, and !
II quit you cold!'
Sam smiled weakly. Finally he
| said:
"of course. if you feel that way
! about it, Pott-"