Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1941-01-16
Cutie
By DENIS o'BRIEN
Mcclure syndicate-wNU service.)

THE young reporter, hoping to
4 win promotion and fame with a
series Of articles to be entitled 1.-THE
Better Type Of Criminal" sat on the
edge Of the shelf in cell 1909 and
listened while Thomas Aloysis
Brown growled out his story.
"I'll tell yer how it was" Browns
voice was pregnant with self-dis-
gust: but II yer'd "a tole me that
a kid O. seventeen, an an honest ter
God innercent babe at that. could "a
fooled me I'd "a said yer was bug
house." He shook his head dismally
as he accepted cigarette from the
reporter. what with all the pri-
vate watchmen an the p'lice on the
alert on account o. the latest raid
by them gangsters. jobs in. my line
wasn't so easy an I was practical
ly facin' starvation when one night
late. / see the boy-friend an his
sweetie standin' outside the bronze
an glass doors of the Amos J.
Murtha palatial dwellin'. Yea
that's him all right, Amos J. the
Lollypop King.
We'll, the cutie was his daughter
sure enough, an she an the boy
friend was so taken up in sayin'
goodnight again and again, an each
time a little more tender-like that
even the night Waterman gets kinda
bashful an walks off. Me, havin'
slipped inside the front-door, decid-
ed it was wise ter conceal myself
until little cutie should climb them
marble stairs of her fathers grand
hall.
KNOWN that the caretaker had
been called out o. town ter the
death-bed of a relative which was
actually picnic, I felt kinda re-
sponsible an didn't wish ter scare
that inherent girl, so I waits a
short time before followin' her up
the stairs. Say" Brown looked re-
fiectively into space-"she was sure
nice little kid an that well brought
up.
well, when thought she oughter
be in bed an sleepin' l climbs those
stairs. She'd left her door wide
open but instead o. bein' in bed, she
was in her bathroom. Pretty soon
| heard water runnin' like mad in
the bathtub; there was never moth
in quiet about Amos j., not even
his plumbin'.
II never did know anyone ter take
so long in a bath before, not even
allowin' fer hot weather, an l was
just gettin' worried, thinkin' per-
haps she had fallen alseep in the
tub and was gettin' drowned, when
out she comes. Well, thinks /, as
sees her lookin' that cute in her
pink crepe de chine an lace, Amos
]. don't deserve the luck he's got
leavin' anything as nifty as that ter
wander around loose an unprotect-
ed like.
II remember that telephone con-
versation all right, all right" he
went on bitterly. " Hello, she says,
oh, hello darlin', of course it's me.
Who did you think it wasp an she
gives coy kinda laugh, of course
love you-how much? Oh, lots O.
much, old pie-face.' That" he in
terrupted himself fiercely, sis the
only thing that gives me any COM
fort. Don't be silly she goes on,
what on earth could happen at dear.
old number nine West Central ave-
nue. with private detective walkin'
up and down outside and tele-
phone by my bed?' Then she has
ter keep quiet long enough ter let
the strong, silent man at the other
end Of the wire get in some apple
sauce. But pretty soon she gets
busy again. Well, she goes on all
sweet an yieldin' like, well you
can come up an wig-wag me from
across the street, if it'll make yer
feel happier, only do please make
1t snappy as ! can't stand this strain
on my nerves much longer Here
her voice was all broke up from
emotion. Au revoir darlin' ole pie
face An she hangs up the receiver.
Then she goes paddlin' around her
room putin this away an that till
I'm about ready ter go off me nut.
Just when I was about ter take
hand from sheer nervousness an
put her gently but firmly ter sleep,
blowed If the only man in the world
didn't whistle under her window an
that innercent eyed babe goes an
waves ter 'im-then back she comes
an flops on her knees beside her
bed an starts sayin' her prayers.
An from the way she shivered yer
might a. thought she was at q re-
vival meetin'. An me, the big stiff.
standin' by patiently with me manly
courage all broken down an tears
stealin' down me cheeks at the sight
o. that there trustin' child. when
feels somethin' cold and hard in
sertin' itself between me ribs"
Brown stopped too digusted to go
on.
What happened?" gasped the
young reporter.
you should askl" Browns Bit
terness seemed to fill the cell. IAN
the time ]. was respectin' her NODES