Evening star., 1928-05-17
Wonderful Gift of Nine. Stare.

OutteTEG N 'front.' on MS
~ broom, He had raked 1t out
from underneath the doctor s
desk. cIumpled. tightly folded. torn at
one end. He spread it out clunlsily.
df there were words on it he would save
1t. He knew enough for that. at least.
1t seemed to be puzzle of some kind;
not a prescription. nor 9 bill. nor a
receipt-nothing of importance--just
child'S Scribhling. He regarded It duly.
1t might be puzzle. In his youth he
had been fond of puzzles and sums and
so on, but this was beyond him.
dot one-half. Pug 10000; Carrie
one-eighth of remainder, which equals
IS 900. Balance to Knight. Grand
Rapids, Michigan"
Balance tonight! After all. this might
be important. He looked at the date
at the top Of the scrap of paper H
June l. And this was July II. No. this
account must have been balanced long
ago.
Afangleson put the paper into his vest
pocket Later. when he had finished
with the sweeping. he would sit out IN
the alley by the garbage cans and ilgure
1t out
The doctor arrived in a great hurry.
He did not speak to MangleSon, but
that was nothing new He was inclined
to temperS, especially In the morning.
He went straight to his desk, unlocked
and pulled out the lower drawer, drew
1t out completely and rested it on the
floor. He fumbled among the loose
papers in the drawer, then turned sus-
picious eyes upon MangleSon.
You been niunkeying in my deSk?"
he demanded.
Mangleson leaned trenb.ingly on his
broom Me? No. sir. For what should
4 be monkeying in your oeSk?"
Well get out: you make me nervous.
You should have had your work IN here
Enished long ago. Get on out"
Not until he was in the hall outside
the Office did old MangleSon connect the
doctors temper with the scrap Of paper
Sn his own pocket At Mrs. Schultz's,
where he rooTned, it came to his mind
strongly that the doctor had lost some
thing. It was even possible that the
scrap in his own pocket had squeezed
out at the back of the lower drawer. as
valuable papers have a way OF doing.
He drew it forth and stared at 1t
Dot one-half, Pug 10000, Carrie one
eighth Of remainder. which equals -"
oh, fractions! He never had been
good at fractions. He would ask Lena,
Mrs. Schultz's daughter, to figure 1t
out. Lena worked in a I0-cent store
1OW4lSSMAs 1AAS OoSAs W OS S"SA 0N
fractions.
He found Lena sitting in her mothers
kitchen with her shoes OF, resting her
overworked feet.
Here, Lena. do this sum once" he
invited. dot one-haH, Pug 10000,
carry one-eighth of remainder, which
equals $4,000. How much is the sum
OF the whole answer?''
''Wla' deyah mean-dot an pug?"
demanded Lena, and held out skinny
hand for the scrap of paper from which
Mangleson had read the formula. He
gave it to her. She studied it careleSSly
and returned ii to him.
1T amt no sum" she decided.
"a puzzle, then?" he suggested. Lena
looked at the paper again and again
handed it back.
1T amt no puzzle. It amt nothin'
just a memorandum somebody has
Bcribbled-
Mangleson was relieved. "oh," he
grunted. The doctor was mad In the
Office this morning because he had lost
something. was afraid it was this
here. But I couldn't let him see me
take It out Of my own pocket"
What made you put 1t IN your
pocket?" demanded Lena sourly. She
was tired and had no patience with
the old fool MangleSon.
Mrs. Schultz came and leaned over
aor a glance at the paper. Mangleson's
last statement had caught her atten-
ton.
He was mad, was he? Maybe 1t is
something. viii take It with me 10
night and show il to Nine. Stare. She
knows everything. For dollar she viii
tell you where 70 ind your bead bag
or the name Of the woman who is get
ting your man away from you. Maybe
she viii write your boss q letter and
say, 'You have lost paper. For o dol
lar VIII tell you where IL is'"
NO" said Mangleson, "it might lose
me my Job. III take II tomorrow
morning and put it in under the desk,
and let him find ii himself"
Don't bother" advised Lena, THAT
paper is nothing. II must have been
something else he lost"
Well. i may be the paper he lost
end was mad about" persisted Mrs
Schultz. Better let me take II to
Nine. Stare and let her ind II for him
You would let poor woman like Nine.
Stare earn an honest dollar Oh o rich
man like your boss. wouldn't your"
TO this class argument Mangleson
yielded reluctantly.
Thus Ii happened that two weeks
later Or. Rebas received an on1tno1s
EOHAIld1au 1IDLl MIlEs 6Sz1E, lt1c CAAz1~
voyant. 70 call at once At her once for
an interview, OK prepare % take the
consequences.
Old Mangleson happened 10 be in the
doctors Office when he received the
summons, but he did not connect the
doctors 1T OF frightened rage with
any Of his own. In fact, the memory
Of tha. scr1bbled memorandum had
aeft his head entirely.
SO imperfect were Mangieson's pow
ers CT education that It was not until
the doctor had begun serving his sen
aence for embezziement that the old
man sat In the alley by the garbage
cans and painfully spelled Out the
story spread upon the first page Of the
city daily: read how DR.. Rebas had
come down from Alaska on the same
boat with an Old acquaintance, David
Wemple by name; how Wemple had
died 50 suddenly that he had had no
time 10 make a regular VIII, but had
9eft his money and memorandum