Evening star., 1927-10-29

OTUFFY RAYMOND hunchet
himself closer against his news
stand in an effort to secure al
~ the shelter its scant width af
forded. Rain beat down with
cold persistence upon his thinly clat
shoulders seeping through his worr
slicker and sending cold rivulets
trickling down his spine. Stuffy's duty
was to keep dry his supply Of evening
newspapers and magazines, and in
consequence his own frail body suf
fered unduly.
Yet Stuffy did not complain. Great
er misfortunes than a cool drenching
We're frequent happenings during his
15 years on this earth, and he accept
ed this mild rebuff of Mother Nature
with stoical fortitude.
Perhaps had Stuffy's mind been un-
occupied the misery of the present mo-
ment might have caused him to vince,
but as it was a weighty reflection and
an enticing flight of imagination rem
dered him oblvious to his discom-
forts. A headline in one of his news
papers had set him to thinking.
MILLIONAIRE ADOPTS POOR
ORPHAN GIRL"
"a millionairev' he soliloquiZed. "A
million dollars.-and l haven't n cent!
Not a single dollar that l don't have
10 BUY newspapers or food or some
thin with" He sighed philosophi-
cally.
SUPPOSE I was that kid he adopt
ed" he fancied. I'm an orphan. Gee.
All the automobiles and base balls I'd
have!'
He paused, signing deeply.
'Suppose'n," he thought, sup
T 10
who'd adopt me an everything
He turned so that he could watch
the hurrying pedestrians and automo.
bilists who were rushing homeward
through the Fall rain. They were well
dressed people, most of them, who
lived in the immediate vicinity Of
Stuffy's stand, which stood on busy
corner in a well-to-do neighborhood.
A great car swirled up the misty
street splashing high geysers of dirty
water. Stuffy eyed the car longingly.
"Suppose'n," he went on. the guy
in that big car wanted boy ike me
and would give me-"
His reflection was broken off short
by a sudden swerving of the automo-
bile. He glanced up quickly and saw
q little girl in the middle of the street.
AS the driver attempted to stop. the
car Skidded. Despite his efforts the
heavy machine swayed straight toward
the girl and toward StufyS stand.
in another instant she would have
been crushed between the car and
the newsstand.
Stuffy acted quickly. Flinging his
little body into the street, with one
arm he swept up the girl and swung
her upon the sidewalk. AS he did so.
the car skidded closer. the fender.
struck his retreating form and sent
him sprawling in a heap upon the
sidewalk.
With laugh, Stuffy arose. Except
for a painful bruise across the small
of his hack, he was unhurt. The girl
was on her feet also, crying hysteri-
cally. but unharmed.
The sedan paused for an instant,
and the driver. seeing the two on
their feet, sped away. Two onlookers
rushed toward the pair, but already
Stuffy was consoling the child.
Don't cry he said, tits all over
now. You didn't get hurt" He placed
his arm about her and patted her head.
Here, I've got the number of the
car" said one of the onlookers, hand |
ing Stufy a slip of paper.
"Huh?'' he grunted. "Oh, / don't |
want it, But wait, maybe the tyke
wants it. ! dom think she was hurt, |
but she might be-"
He thanked the men and led the |
child into a nearby store. Her tears |
had ceased to flow by this time. and
in a plaintive little wall, she told her
story.
'My names Annie Rushovic an my
mothers name Povlona cause she
got married to my stepfather. He