Evening star., 1925-02-08

| tain the respect of those that were
| learning fast, he showed up at the
! school and made his plea to Miss
Sadie Smith.
I'm ashamed to go to a night
| school," he confessed, "but IL you
could spare me 20 minutes at your
convenience Miss Smith, 'twould be
a great favor and III be glad to make
| 1t worth your while"
So Miss Smith gained another pupil.
The maiden mother and the bachelor
daddy of 500 children confronted each
| other in a private classroom every
afternoon. officer Jim struggled man.
fully with the problems of algebra:
Sadie got chalk all over her nose;
and the winged god of love sat in a
! far corner, heels on a desk, chuckling
as he watched them.
OMalley's romance deepened in two
directions. In the evenings he now
went out with Miss Smith. In the
| daytime Margie claimed him for her
| own. He learned why little Mss Sun
| shine was so glad she could run and
why she was so anxious to save all
| her report cards that had excellent"
| written upon them.
Its for my real daddy" she ex-
planned. when he comes back from
| the North Pole, I'm going to run to
meet him, and show him all my
cards"
That's a fine idea" he told her.
but you mustn't be too disappointed
! if your daddy doesn't come home
right away, darlin. The North Poles
| a long way off, you know"
Il know" she nodded soberly. But
| auntie says Santa Claus is going
! surely to bring him when I'm seven
! years old, and I'm almost six now"
| She screwed up her face and looked
at him with an expression that
| seemed oddly familiar, but just why
he could not tell
We'll" he sighed, Tets hope Santa
| remember that Jim loves you. and If
| there's anything your little heart
| wants, just come to me"
tT ATER it occurred to him that her
IL father might be alive after all, for
Margie insisted that he was coming
| back, and that her mother wouldn't
| then have to work any more, We're
going TO have our own home. Jimmy,
and I'm going to invite you to dinner
the first thing. You see if ! don't
| Then one afternoon she hurried up
| to him, her cheeks aglow with eager
ness. See, JIM" she cried, here's
daddy's picture. 1 took it off auntie's
| dresser just to show you
! He was sitting down at the time,
which was just as well, since the pic
| ture that was thrust so eagerly into
his hands proved to be a cheap post
| card portrait of young Danny the
| Dude. The blood drained from
was Greenbow. And he himself was
responsible for little Margie's long
wait. He wondered what the little
one would say if she knew. His
| mind reverted to the Christmas SER
mon, folded in the byleaf of his
police manual, and to one line in par
ticular:
ITO make on the whole a family
happier for my presence"
| You did the right thing, darlin', in
showing me daddy's picture. The
| thought, and who knows but what
the police department might have a
little influence with Santa Claus"
| That night Officer O'Malley called
on various public officials, including
Superior Judge Humphrey, District
Attorney Taylor and Capt. Collins.
| 'Jim,' said his superior, I'm not
much in favor of paroling man
that's sent up for gun play. The
| the little girl you speak of, and l
think you're right in sayin' she'll do
Danny as much good as Greenbow
Anyway, they're pretty crowded up
there. When are you goin' to get
married?"
"Me?" said Jim, turning a dull
crimson. 'Me?"
| Capt. Collins laughed. do you
| think L got all these stripes on my
arm for bein' blind? 1 held Sadie on
my knee, and I knew her 20 years
ago, and I'll do it again If you don't
look out. Go on with you now, and
conduct yourself as becomes a cour-
ageous man.
! TUNE came. Margie scampered up
- with the unbelievable news that
her father was coming home the next
morning. Her radiancy well repaid
| Officer Jim for all his efforts.
| well, well, WELL" he commented,
| that's fine. You want to be extra
cautious now, crossing the street.
I've taken care of you this long
you mustn't let anything happen to
you at the last minute. Take my
hand, darlin', and we'll cross together y
| Margie was excused a half-hour
earlier the next morning that she
could hurry home to meet her father.
| Fate, which operates in ways that
are beyond all human understanding, &,
saw to 1t that q coal oil stove ex-
ploded in house on upper Hillside.
Far down the boulevard a shrill
| siren began its wall, and officer
O'Malley, strolling toward his noon
day post, quickened his pace. When
he reached the cross-street, he saw
Margie starting toward him from the
opposite corner. He held up a warn
ing hand, but she mistook 1t for a
friendly greeting, and ignoring the
siren, sprang forward to meet him.
At the same instant Battalion Chief
Powelrs car swept into sight, travel
ing SO miles an hour. Powell had
ievery reason to expect clear street
at that time of day Instead a little
| girl fluttered in his path, saw her
danger and instead of standing still,
turned first one way and then the
| other.
| Brakes shrieked on a. swerving car.
There was wild yell from the driver,
| and Officer O'Malley left the curb in
a headlong leap. Streak of red, flash
| of blue-bump-and on!
| Careening on two wheels, the fire.
| car missed a telegraph pole by inches,
| mounted the sidewalk, regained the
| street and came jerkily to q stop.
/ fyh}Af po~ae1 locke back. A bare.