Milford chronicle., 1925-04-24

best with Admah's dollar; in fact he
gained newspaper notoriety by coming
in a length ahead with the odds six tC
one against him. Embarrassed by six
more unaccountable dollars AdmaE
staggered out of the betting shed and
caught the trolley home. He had kept
many secrets from his mother, but none
so romantic. so guiltily romantic as
this.
His sporting life lasted Just three
days. On the second his Inner Ray
lost its efTulgence and cost Admah all
he had won plus his speculative profits
on the ten cent peppermints. On the
third day he had just sold out and
squeezed his way past the wicket to-
ward the betting shed when somebody
hooked a heavy forefnger inside his
collar. He turned to find special
policeman confronting him with an I'M
friendly grin.
"Whuh's you license, sonny2"
81 amt got any license"
This was bluntly true. For over ten
years he had peddled candy under the
nose of city authorities and never once
had his right been questioned. A self
convicted lawbreaker, there was no
thing for it but to go to the License
Commissioner, under custody Of a pO-
| liceman. Finally Ma Holtz was sent
for. She came in, thin as straw, sal
low and sicl1ly under her queer little
hat. The Commissioner must have
taken pity on her, for he decided to dis
miss Admah with a reprimand; but be-
fore she took her son away the good
man went into the subject Of licenses.
Without a license it was unlawful to sell
anything on the streets. Did Mrs.
Holtz understand? She reckoned she
did, but she looked entirely stunned as
Admah followed her out of the big
building and helped her aboard the
street car.
1--WE a good mind to haste ye," she
said to him that night, breaking long
silence. He was glad to hear her scold-
ing again. 1t showed signs Ofreturning
spirit. Had the little skeleton of a
woman chosen to take him over her
knee and chastise him, according to old
usage, with a shoe, he would have sur
rendered without a struggle. But she
stood back and regarded him scornfully.
"Ye're too big to lick" she unused,
and then more sharply, what was We
dom at the race track?"
"Sellin'," admitted Admah and
shuf1ed from foot to foot.
AFTER 1 tole you time an agin not
to sell at them places?"
I'VE could sell wagon load there
any time we wanted to-" he said, re-
viving their old argument.
Eyes. Theirs plenty O. ways to git
money from the Devil. Mabel Sick
done that, an see what happened"
ma" broke in Admah little sullen-
ly, I'm gettin' too old to peddle candy
in a basket. The niggers can do that,
but I'm too old"
He had expected another outbreak,
but instead she sat down, folding her
gnarled hands in her meager lap.
what dye want to do, Admah?"
she asked YEARLY.
Eddie Sticks got a job with the
T. & P" he explained. I'm a year
more he'll be a regular machinist,
maxim his four dollars a day. I can
make a dollar seventy five right now,
up IN the cupOlo."
"What doin'?"
"shovelin' coke"
% V6 u lAONNA Vii " SOAAC
than sell yer Mas nice clean pep
mints?" she asked, plainly hurt.
eff could sell 'em wholesale, or in a
store, we'd get RICH" he told her, com
ing back to the argument that Ma
Holtz would never allow to be settled.
That was just q part Of Ma, to be &C
cepted. She was afraid Of store-keep-
ing. It offered unknown dangers and
che was already an old woman. She
knew her quaint candy business, and
had saved a few hundred dollars which
she guarded with a miser's timid care.
ct reckon I can peddle down to the
car barns myself" she decided.
"Shucksl' said Admah. with me
and 10 bringin' in twenty dollars
week"
st amt too good to sell pepmints,
she snapped. Indeed, peppermint had
entered her blood. Without her trade
she would have persisted.
So Ma Holtz, ignoring the Commits
sioners warning, went with pie and
doughnuts to the car barn. Nor did
she stop there. In the afternoon she
took the trolley downtown as far as the
Manual Training School where she sold
out her stock of candy and was home In
time to get supper for her two shiftless
sons.