The Washington times., 1931-02-12

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mother. He told her my name
was on his list. He told her the
Federal officers knew me to be
a dope fiend. He said that he
wanted to befriend me on &C.
count of my father.
He told my mother he had
erased my name from his list.
and from the list at Federal
headquarters. My mother was
terrified.
She couldn't believe her ears,
but she began to think, and
then remembered that I had not
seemed like myself for a long
time.
She remembered how irritable
and cross and unreasonable I
had became and then how I
would suddenly change and
laugh, and sing, like a creature
wild with the joy of living. She
told me afterwards that she
could not bear to believe what
the man said about me, but by
the way her heart said in her
breast, she knew he was telling
her the hideous truth.
Hope for Her
The man put his hand on her
arm and spoke kindly to her.
Don't be worried" he said.
"It will all come out all right.
You can't do a thing for her,
not a thing. You don't under
stand these cases as 1 do.
know how to deal with them.
I've dealt with them by the
hundreds, the poor, pitiful
things. You must not blame
them, they can't help it.
when they're hooked by
dope they've got a disease, and
they have to be cured by some
body that knows how 70 cure
them, just as if they had small
pox or typhoid fever or pneu-
monia, or something like that.
You leave it to me, I'll get your
little girl on her feet again, see
if I don't"
And my mother was glad.
She thanked him with tears
running down her dear, tired,
worried face. I think she
prayed for him every night and
morning.
She, too, felt that my dear
father had reached out from
the grave to save me through
this man who knew him when
I was little bit of girl in my
little home in San Francisco.
And then the man began
bringing me dope. He charged
me plenty for it. I spent over
$500 a week, paying him for the
dope, and all the time there
was a threat in back Of the sale
that meant buy this off me or
I'll report you and get you ar
rested as a user.
He used to come out to my
house and ask for me, and my
mother was always glad to see
him. She thought it was so
kind of him to take such an in
tereSt.
Very Much Upset
One day she looked out into
the garden and saw him sitting
on a bench by my side, and
something in the way he looked
at me made her turn cold all
over. What kind Of a man is
this, anyhow, she thought. He
tells me a fine story, but some
how, he comes so often, and he
acts so strangely three or four
times lately when he has been
here. He has made an excuse
to go upstairs to the bathroom.
and right after he had gone
mama hurried upstairs, too.
Could it be possible that he is
hiding something for her up
there.
The next time when the Fed
eral narcotic agent came to
see me, my mother slipped
down the stairs in her stocking
feet and stood behind the por-
there of the living room and lis
tened.
You'll have to give me that
$500, and give it to me today"
she heard the Federal agent
say. Il need it to make a pay
ment on my new car"
II can't give it to YOU" said.
IT haven't got it. I'll give it to
you next week" 'No," said the
Federal agent, you won't give
it to me next week; you'll give
it to me now"
And you'll give it to me
quick, I'll tell the world"
But I gave you 5000 last
week to send your mother to
Texas on a trip" I said.
Never you mind about Texas
or about my mother, I'll take
care of that. You hand me
over that $500, and hand it
over in real money. Thank you.
No phoney. mind you that" He
held up the three fingers of
his right hand and stared me
in the eyes. Three hundred
dollars" he said; mo more no
less. Do you get me?"
Before I could answer him
there was a sound at the door,
and when I loked up my mother
stood in front of me. She had
drawn the portiereS. She had
come into the room. I'll never
forget how she looked that min
ute. I've dreamed of it a hundred
times since. Her face was as
white as chalk. She was shak-