Evening star., 1938-10-16

and stunted from undernourishment. He'd be
runt all his life An orphaned runt with
game leg
Mechanically the nurse arranged her para
phernalia on the bedside table and put her
practiced fingers on the child's wrist. When
you were on general duty in hospital in the
worst slum section of the city you didn't waste
much time specializing about the value of
individual human life. But why on earth was
Mickey Shipelsky, child of the tenement,
lucky to be alive rather than dead?
Mickey stirred. struggling up through the
layers of consciousness. His eyes were closed.
Surprisingly, in deep, firm voice, he called
out, Here, Wolf! Here, Wolf! There goes
rabbit into the bushes! Chase him out, Wolf!
Now, hold on - hold on till shoot him.
There was pause Then, "Plunk!' He was
pulling the trigger. Then high, shrill,
"Ptine" that sounded like pitchfork set to
vibrating That was bullet singing through
the air. Bring it here, Wolf! That's good
dog. PUNK! Pting!" Then, excitedly, Get
that one, Wolf! Pting! Pting! Boy, look at
those rabbits jump"
The nurse smiled in spite of herself The
kid had certainly never seen anything but
tenement filth and city streets in all his
eleven years. How did he know about rabbit
hunting? From the movies, probably. She
shrugged her shoulders. People could find
money for the movies even when they didn't
have anything to eat, even when their
wretched tenements were rotting to pieces
under their feet. Did Mickey really have a
dog, she wondered, or was Wolf conjured out
ofimagination, too?
She asked, distinctly, to pierce the ether
fog, Mickey, have you got dog?"
you bet have" Mickeys voice became
coaxing, affectionate Come here, Wolf"
- What kind of dog is he?"
Hes big dog! A huntin' dog! Here,
Wolff
Quiet" the nurse warned, easing his thin
little shoulders under the covers. As she did
it she saw Officer Hennessey's familiar figure
coming down the ward. He was the regular
cop on the beat. He was off duty now and had
stopped in at the hospital to get deep cash
on one side of his face fixed up.
He grinned. Sounded like Mickey and
Wolf were doing spot of rabbit huntin'.'
Has he really got dog?"
''Oh, sure. At least he did have. VOLTS dead
like all the rest tonight. saw him, poor
mutt
What kind of dog was he?"
'Oh - anybody guess. Might of had bit
of police dog way up at the top of his family
tree Mickey thought the world of him. They
were always going hunting and trapping to-
gether Or mushing through the frozen North
west to save people caught in Billiards, or
tracking desperate criminals through the
swamp country. Mickey told me just while
ago could have Wolf any time we needed a
smart dog to help out on the police force. Told
me in dead earnest - imagine it?"
The cop chuckled, looking down at the un-
conscious boy. "Mickey's great kid. One of
, your pint-sized youngsters with man-sized
gift of CAB. How's his leg - bad?"
VERY bad"
II was afraid of it. Well-he's alive.
That's something" Hennessey touched his
cap and sloshed off. thinking of hot coffee
and doughnuts after a wet nights work.
Mickey was muttering again. The nurse
leaned over him. His eyes flew open. Large
brown eyes with visions in them that trans
formed his dark, homely little face. As the