Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-06

watch one another They knew. too
that il was Ahadie who was the cause
of her increase in fortune.
In that under pavement life in Paris
where these presumably human beings
live like overgrown rats, and OTTER
look like them, the moral code, OF
course. finds little place. There was
heggar couple. known as Pegfoot anf
The Onion--the former because ne
capitalized his crushed foot in beg
cling. his woman because as beggai
she could weep So copiouSiy. IheA
decided that Ahadie would be proht
able addition To the family.
One night when all Paris was in
doors to escape torrents Of November
rain, Pegfoot and The Onion stole into
Pink Eyes cellar and told her they
would bring up Abadie. When she
protested Pegfoot used his crutch or
her. He did not mean more than to
quiet her protests. But Pink-Eye' =
heart was not very strong and the
blow he struck her snapped her nut
terinG hold on life.
Pegfoot and his wife spent an hour
rummaeing among her piles of rags
to see IL they could find her hidden
savings. But falling this they picked
up Abadie and his cradle and made
their way through the downpour te
their own hurrOw.
Thereafter Abadie worked for them
AS to Pink Eye, she was found several
days later in her cellar hole, and a
blase city coroner put her death down
while intoxicated" and let 1t 60 at
that. She, the picker of rags, was dis
posed of somewhat as people dispose
Of what they wish to throw out as
refuse.
In the course OF the next half.
dozen years Abadie changed owners
several times. Pegfoot and The Onion
got quite some profit out of him until
he was three, when they sold him to q
blind beggar, whom Abadie had ia
lead. One day when the blind ma
gave Abadie too little of their meal
Uncommon the youngster quietly
wandered away in search of food.
A there was no urgent reason why
he should wander back to the
blind beggar, like a stray kitten he
stayed with another beggar coupls
who recognized him and gave him
some supper. This couple added petty
thieving to their means OF Rettina
something for nothing, and In this
Ahadie proved useful.
he was an apt pupil, was tiny
enough to wiggle through even q small
hole In a cellar window, and appar
entity could see In the dark and smell
loot a. rat smells cheese.
AT he was keen-eyed little gnome
with spindly legs and arms, "a hump
on his Mack and pasty complexioned
In his face shrewdness and greed
mingled with a strange senaitiveness
and at the same time impudence. He
had dirty gray eyes, small and bril-
liant, and a high forehead. which in
his case meant something.
For he had such an avid intelligence
that without soul showing him any
thing he was learning to read from
street signs, had already learned ia
count up to 20 from watching his beg
gar owners go over their days aims
and could read faces amazingly for a
child. He knew just when he could
be insolent with impunity and when
1t was dangerous.
The play instinct in animal young
in not merely luxury. Watch Kit
ten hat ball Of paper about, pounce
on 1t, hit It, worry It, stalk 1t, and
pounce on 1T again. To the senti
mental 1t may look merely charming
play. But what that kitten Ia really
doing Is initiating its parents when
these are earnestly getting their food.
That kitten is exercising its mus
cles, training its eyes and swift nerves
for the time when 1t. too, will have to
get its own mice. though, OF course
the kitten 10 conscious of no such pur,
pose in its play. 1t simply obeys In
stinct. Abadie's childhood had a. lit
tie human care devoted to 1t as IL he
were a stray alley kitten.
But nature does not depend upon
human care for its operations. Aha
die played. He, too, played by initial