QBE WASHINGTON POST TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 25 1900 7

BERINTHIA-A London Episode

By Rtbtri Buchanan

11E

jr1 S-

I

T WAS ofcMr to f the Tkrethat D rtathU wa out rfSit MUM It dlflleelt if wH

tfft 4 Iwr f t M l w d h r-

u th In A grin itat M not At res mwe-

h r UMMl mil w v r tint that sft-

rcKMHMtraMd with r r-

unprtly i kwt no t control her

aif any kwwerth tato or platform 4 or d toward

tho tcrtnt WhiCh WM drawn r 8 one

UM of moaonIts no IMO ho orltd Tm off

And cart tk Shawl from her in themaiuMr of 0110 prop rtii to take a headerinto a wl mla seth she disappearedbeuind tto Krn-

Whu dv matter withjrrwl d Btiford a boarded man of nearlyforty with a patch over hfc orea woodon Hl botwww Ida teeth and aTurkish f z stuck rakiahly on his baldflWKi

vr mind answered Borintbia nowhi l n from tcht

Come confound you wont keepyou another ion minutes cried Belfordbrdlnc clo to a largo block on whichn was drawing a black and white sketchfor in wood encraver and Inspecting itcritically with hte one available eye

This tinw there was no answer so Bel-ford who manners leaked the reposefaracteritlc of the caste of yore dpY r glaMMl navagety round at his corn

nlon and uttered an imprecationHe wee oldest of the Three the old

st and the cleverest His two compani-on In An and Imn cuntasity who sat at

ork with him In tho studio were CharlesSomerset a hamltome falrhairdd youngfiow of nveandtwenty and GeorgeConstable Leroy man of about thirtywith a mild goodhumored face fair hairthinning already at the top muttonthofi whiskers and a shaven chin Be-

ing very shortsighted Leroy wore spec-

tacles which might have been literallyros colored so pleasant and so amiablewas the view which he took through thornof ill Creation

B Iford was at work as we have saidon a wood block which he was executingfor an Illustrated magazineS and whichwas pot before him on a small tableSomerset and Leroy sat before theirme the lormar drawing In crayon thelatter sketching In oils Belford was notonv the oldest and the cleverest but thechibblest wearing In addition to the fezairady described an dressing gownrapped torn and liberally splashed withpInt Leroy wore very seedy tweedtroui rs and paintingjacket of velveteenh1 collar and shirt front were frayed anddirty and marked with coffee stainsF irer5 t the swell of the trio had alin n blouse thrown over his walking suitar wus smoklnc a cigar

Whats the matter with her BIH-

lriVd Somerset laughing and looking atBlord

How the deuce do 1 know wn thereply Infernal little cat You fellowsh ve spoiled her by humoring her whimsand fancies

Poor little Bern murmured LeroylMnklnK compaMonatelv throueh hiprr tacles I suppose theres trouble at

homeThen why doesnt she chuck

FruntM Belford glancIng contemptuousIv with his bloodshot eye at LeroyFathers a drunkard mothers worsn-

I lied had sense ehpd hnv leftth ra lon ao the Idiot He artdd as-T tired of the subject and addressingSomerset H Te youngster cut out andgot some hear

The young man nodded pprans up-

llhtlv and ran out of th studiofVnrcely had he disappeared when B r-

tth n apncared In walking cotume froml hind the screen In her thin cottoniress very shabby cloth Jacket roundlist wltn faded feathers and nn old pMv-of iHortliip hoots she looVod Very tIll

from th shapely lissome cn ture-hu h 1 recency hen posing on the dais

hut even her unbecoming attire could notOiMte obscure her looks of elflnllke gracantI beamy Her face brown ns n ripepear wth sun mid wnd wns fnmed

h lr cut short at the neok likeof a boy her eyes were bright aiid-

k n under eyebrows her teethwhte as the milk of the cocoanut hermo th foft HIM full Hiro thnt of a ch13-

l Indeed was litle more than aohM in years hncr only just sevontssnyears of ace althoueh as old nrd knowpr in th wvs and wiles of Bohemia asBMord himself

I dont know whits the miHor withme todny she observed amIi pMc IlvIve pot the lidjats I couldnt keep

RtlllYou never can keep still growlel

Belford Youre like a monkey up atree

Sh looked up and her face broke Intoa rMe

Theta rrht Mr Belford scold awlvi Ik it moro I d wrvThee drMvfvPShtirself erect str thli out toward a shaft of sun

rht whl h broke In through the windowf Hie stndo added O lor I wlVi

J ws n monkey or u bird or somthnnf t ut Im sick and tired of beingnv a Kirl-Fh rronouncod something somMhlnk-in rl gel but these are d t IU on

we do not think it necessary to-

Uv should have explained perhaps thatIt w a quiet the early sixtie Christmas clOse at hand with allIN meirv sights and sounds Outside In-

Mt on street and square but In thdi at dUmal studio a cavernous apartTT situated close to the mews and ad

ii a dreary square there was a sensef fflne and warmth The place was

r ned by the three men in common a 11f of the studio Itself end of twol cupboards or closets which Belforlar Leroy hud converted Into sleeping

apartments Somerset sept out In a bedtn over a lIvery stable

AH ihree were very poor and were earMsmljr oeeuplftd In what M flmiraHvey

nwn M with Duke Humphryit w as we have said the eary six

a they have been called Bohemfi-xhtert and neither art nor

h rt yet attained it present commercialinnTtHrce a a faafelonabt prof lon

Although all the three were nominallyrMs William Belford alone in-

anit bornnot a great and neglectr niun tain Job work Just then for-

e hm ll dealers ami wood enrraversrint n pictures which wore deotln

death t be regarded as masterM At fOrty years of age he was mill

ritlWjr ce ntrie and indifferent to-rMy file sMporfldally an l

rvi u but in reality klnlt ami-vl un irt h of mortals Somerset wat-

ti niort than an ambitious n ma tourcombined the profftMioti of

that of writing skotchoa for mas-MM and piece for minor theater

neifurd ana unlike Somerset ha-

throuth BobcmlBMthink BrrinUrta said Leroy G ntly

ou want a holiday TOMVO worktoo hard and ehouta b anjoyin-

vrur if WAt working tHIa Chrtstman-Mrne

h ln erupted Bdlfaril srinnias-M iy a w jna a hWlim Her-

B rtBt u who ar i rod by this time to

every etIPIMP

MIL ta k s ik I4 for MUY

m1nut toeIhf ske tt 5h0white

at

I I1aI from

coraer of the ItUO fOtMaid ert 4f-

druani or Uda f the eeea5IoIuIl

the tbs you

black left

J

backs

the

a

old

ItT

any

fet

I a-

rk th C-

hairblack

she

I

ittsad

her arms

she

ort

rr ky flIms the snow was lyin

ttp4

dining

literati

wasmade

tv

Srift his

I

savagethe

tAr tam I-u

Itkttp

1

boOnne

stir long 1101147 sad she loafs ni

ai t11 are workie4 rit to ha lip to sow

ofh 1ma with a cowileI1 I its

<

>

¬

+

¬

¬

<

>

>

>

>

fcve recovered all her natural good ternper looked at him with laughing eyesTheres a swell in Hanover

Squara she replied Im going to see1 1

And I suppose you wish you were thebride said the painter sarcastically

Dont I ju t cried Berlnthla winkingat him with the utmost effrontery andnodding her roguish head

At that moment Somerset reentered thet dlo laden with n large pewter measure

of halfandhalf procured at the neighborIng publichouse

Bravo Ganymede cried Belfordsmacking his llpg white Somerset setdown the measure on a palntbcdaubeJtable and going to a cupboard close bybrought out and filled a couple of turn

Tumbers for you fellows con-tinued Belford Ill take mine au naturtlin the pewter

Here there was a sudden Interruptionfrom Berlnthla who began In n clear softvoice albeit with nn unmistakable

aocant to troll the following linesr boy take this handful of brau

jUr K to tbs Goofs and tM Gridiron patsP r tire coin on the counter outAwS brisg nw a pint of foamlnc

It In bottle por JugCannlkls mannlktc aagro or ranfoto nethlns at all In ihfrt-Kxccpt the natural Pewter Quart

So staring the had tripped toward thedoor when Somerset called her back

Stop Berry he cried Ive got something for and as she turned hepulled from the pocket of his Jacket abrown stone bottle of ginger beer Iknow your tipple he added smiling

and have brought you some of the rightsort

Bcrinthia thanked him with a smile andran to the cupboard to fetch anotherwhile he cut the string of the bottle andpulcd out the cork

Your health Monkey cried Belfordwaving the pewter measure preparatoryto taking a deep draught

Yours Mr Belfordl said Berlnthlalifting her glasa of ginger beer and seat-ing herself unceremoniously on the edgeof the raised while Somerset andLeroy each with a glass in his hand nodded to her gayjy

Youll be too late for the weddingcontinued Belford

Never mind said the girl sippingfrom her glasij with rapture and rollingher back eyes Oh aint It lovely

I say Berry asked Belford after apause who taught you that song

What songThe one you were singing a moment

agoBertnthla smiled and glanced at Leroy

who blinked comicallyI did he said blushingOh you did did you observed Bet

ford I was wondering where thehad picked It up Do you know who

wrote It Of course you dont Old Maand Itaia burlesque of the Leather

Bottel-I was awarjs of the fact replied Leroy

I found it in an old number of Blackwoods Magadne

Nice sort of song to teach a kid likethat grunted the cynic

I aint a kid Mr Belford cried Berlnthia Indignantly Im a young woman

Of course your are Berry said Som-erset laughing and a clinking fineyoung woman too qs I nm ready toswear witness my slcn and sear

I know youre chaffing sh said butas long as I can earn a bit of money formother and keep myself respectable I

mnd Im not like some of thogirls who sit to gentlemen and It ainteverybody Id sit to at all for that mat

She finished her glass of ginger beersprang to her feet ard humming the tunaof Webers Last Waltz then very popular as an organ tune began trlpnlngquietly toward the door then turnitvjsuddenly and dropping a profound crtsey she saluted the three with mock dignity laughed lightly and disappeared

nBerinthla Lambert was the only dauntter Of a poor and unworthy couple who

had suffered her to grow up like aseed on their dingy hearth until suchtime as she was able to shift In somemeasure for herself Both her fatherand mother had been and were models

j by profession and rogues by natural in-stinct and dlsposlMonthe father a loafIng drunken scoundrel with the head ofa handsome Italian brigand the mothera darkeyed semlsavasre Italian girl whohad first come to London in company

nn orsrangrlnder and had after-ward drifted Into the studios where herswarthy tenuty was greatly in requestamong artlss who affected foreign subjects generally and Scriptural ones particularly Late in life when her goodlooks were fast disappearing the womnnhad cast in her lot with the Idle scampwho was now her husband and Berlnthiawas the result of the union

Berlnthias first Introduction to Art wasmade when she was a baby in her moth-ers arms and before she was eighteenmonths od she had gained the glory ofbeing hung on the line at the Academyas the blackeyed Infant in a study byJohn Philip called Spanish Mother andChild Later on she figured again andagain on canvas as a swarthy childsaintly or unsalntly English or Easternand by the time she was fifteen years ofage she was as familiar with the studiosns If she had been born dad bred thereas indeed was almost the case

At sixteen years old she had so devel-oped Into budding womanhood and beautythat she might easily have passed foreighteen or nineteen Rather u der thanover the middle height exoulJfely kntperfect In shape slender without thinnesswith admirable feet and hands she combined the lithe supple vigor of a you hwith the softness and delicacy of a girlHair black as the ravens wing eyes brlllant yet black as a sloes a jnf rry mob lemouth suntanned cheeks completed hrresemblance to the old Greek typo of athletic maidenhood She was as aert andbright as a young faun and as gamesomeas an elf In a word she was an En li hgamine with all the heal h and all ha

audacity of her class plus a desree ofphysical beauty not Often to be found Inour sualeee streets

Accustomed from earliest girlhood to thIfe of the studio she pursued her nor

as a model without the sllghfe-arri re pensee and in a thorothlv

careless and buslnetslike spin Wn rthere was no feeling of Indel cacy th reeeud be no shame and io sotk franklyBerinthla wa c as pureminded and hocc t-

a girl as could be found within the souidof Hen Bells Her purity was the moreimpregnable In so far as It was not found-ed on Ignorance or Inexperience Sheknow the seamy side of life thoroughly

had ben familiar both at home andabroad with all that is evil and ugly Inour modern civilization she had heardthe argot of vice even In her cradle

lion father was a drunken satyr whohail struck her when a child and whotiraod her when she was too old to be

beaten Her mother had Intoa scolding hag ready at any moment totell her child to the highest bidder butotherwise quite Indifferent to her comnsraand goings In spite of all this Berlnthiaremained unoontaminated frank frarleaiKlaciouB and fully capable of beta herown protector even In the most questionaM society

than once as she Increased In perbeauty temptation came to but

it off her shoulders as water rlpoff a ducks back She could defend her-self against all corners if need be withteeth and nails Those who Imagined that

b

ne

k

d

4

ers

cock-y

stoutPit neither

your

mon-ey

Inn

ont

ter

WIT 0

with

C

ion

she

developed

Mores nal her

slip

i

¬

¬

¬

¬

>

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

<

¬

¬

was an easy conquest had occasionto remember that a tigercat might haveWen a played with Tet she wasno prude and her conversation was nowanti then appallingly free and easy Upto a certain point she was bonne camarade even to he extent of a or aplayful embrace beyond that point shewas a virgin

We are all of u he greatest and theleastlost and saved by our Ideals andBerjnthia was no exception to tho ruleUnder her wild and reckless manner hergamesome audacity her free and aay

she cherished a dreamwhich had come to her very early is lifeand had b en awakened at first no doubtby her childish admiration for the gui

ways and manners of certain ar-tists Ths dream was to express It inher own language that she should marry If ever she married at all a gentle-man

Now what Berinthla meant by the wordgentleman was not perhaps what we

mean though it was very much what 13

meant by a large portion of humanityA gentleman In Berinthias eyes wasone who was well educated who dressednicely who wore clean linen good bootsand gloves and was polite to the fairsex For above all thlnes in the worldBerthinla disliked what she described as

common people people like her etherand mother and the thousands srsecreatures who surrounded her London streets Elegant pcrsoai t MrSomerset persons who wore refined tothe lInger tips were her afimlMtlon Yesher mind was made up aa nothingwould change it she would many a gdn-tleman no matter how poor and sheh relf would become that paragon ofparagons a lady

Of course It was only a dream and insome respects a very foolish one yet Ithad this good result it saved poor Berththla from Ideals even more ignoble antiit kept her pure and dean in her hardfight for bread Wherever she went shesaw before her the pcturo of the un-known cavalier who was to lift her fig-

uratively speaking on the crupper of hissteed and gallop away with her IntoFairyland where the welldress d peoplecame from It never occurred to tier thathe would despise her for earning her liv-ing as she did as an artists model Herheart was pure and he would know ItThe greatest lady in the land had nota keener sense of purity than Berinthla

Sometimes in the innocence of herheart she talked about her fancy toher friends at the studio Of coursethey chaffed her but all the same shesaw that tfcey thought none the worseof her particularly was verykind He Would talk to her quite seriously lend her nice books recite poetryto her and laboriously try to improveher mind

Unfortunately Leroy had one greatfailing a too great liking for the cupwhich cheers and Inebriates He got tippy twice or thrice a week and becameutterly Irresponsible Even In his cupshowever he was the most amiable creat-ure In the world and as his acquaintancesexpressed it nobodys enemy but hisown

A few months after the scene in thestudio with which our story opened cameEaster Monday the spring bank holidayand among these who drifted out of townwith the crowd were Somerset and LeroyBelford who hated holidays stayed athomo hard at work as usual

The two artists took the train to Teddlngton and walked thence to BusheyPark where the colonnades of horsechestnuts were in full bloom and whichwas thronged with holiday makers fromthe great city It was a bright and sunnyday the grass was green as emerald theair clear and sparkling like champagnethe whole scene frankly pagan like aglimpse of old Arcady Men and girlsdanced and romped babies sprawled onthe grass while the crowded omnibusesrolled along the dusty road between thechestnuts followed by the city clerk Inhis hired dog cart antI the coster on hitdonkey tray

Pan was there and Faunas tooAU the romping eyhan crewNatures Mocnadi tucking madFrom the city dark and sadFinding once again the treeSunshine arid Its Jollltlo-Gayly twangeA the Dddle stringMen and girls played kltsinrlngFountains leapt against the sun

Roses blooded and children playedAll the world was full of fun

Lotere cutdled In the tiradeOut at the Hampton Court end of the

park they strolled and elbowing theirway through the throng In front of thoKings Arms halted at the bar for

what Mr Richard Swlveller called amodest quencher

tThen sallying forth

they entered the court gardens and watched the throng which was swarming thickas bees in and out of the maze

Suddenly Somerset gripped Leroy by thearm and uttered an exclamation

By Jove look thereLeroy blinked round and saw appearing

out of the maze the face and form of-Berlnthla She wore a pretty cottongown a hat with feathers and In herhand she carried a bunch of blooming 11

lao Her look was radiant and she was

absorbed was she In the contemplation ofher companion and In her own abundanthappiness that she did not notice her twofriends of the studio who drew asidequietly as she approached

The young man was stylishly dressed inthe fashion of the period a white hatwhite waistcoat peptop trousers andfrock coat with a rose In the buttonholeHis hair was fair his mustache still fairer and his face somewhat sickly nd In-

sipid He wore lilaccolored gloves andswung a malacca cane

Who tire deuce has she picked upasked Somerset smiling

Possibly the longexpected One mild-ly suggested Leroy

j Looks like a counter Jumper muttered Somerset

Curious to ascertain what had broughtBerlnthla there they followed the pair ata respectful distance

Look how she hangs on his arm saidSomerset How admiringly she looks

his face He must be Prince Charmjag after nfl

Presently they lost the pair in the crowd

sight of them again though they lookedeverywhere for them Late that evenlnsthe artists returned to Bloomsbury Lcroymildly tipsy as usual Somerset full of lifeand spirits

A whole week passed and Berinthla didnot appear at the studio This was so un-

usual that the three wore not a little as-

tonished At last one morning some tendays after the rencontre at HamptonCourt Berinthla walked in and greetedthem with a smiling nod

The prodigal returned cried SomersetWhere on earth have you been hiding

I havent been hiding anywhere re-

plied the maiden Ive been at homeQuite sure Oh Berry rye had

dreadful dreams about you We d lamedI dreamed Billie dreamed Leroy

dreamed that youd been and gone anddone It

Done what asked BerinthlaGot married replied the young man

Berinthla blushed crimsonYoure only chaffing she cried look-

Ing nervously toward LeroyNo Berry Im qute serious said

Somerset still In the same banteringtone In our dreams about you mydear we saw the resplendent one a large I

as life Shell I describe hln to you Gol-den hair rauataehe white tint II ucgloves a malacca cane Oh Berryr

Ber-

Berintba turned from red to pale whllaher opened wide in amazementThen meeting touching eyes oflormwtor recovered

v HMV

cried I don t care Youd havehad to know some day or other Ipose Yes Mr she continued

the individual whom she knew

and most sympathetic rm engaged andthatit why come to say that I caatsit for you more

Why not growled Belford the

Thenpaused blushed and simpered

I interrupted Somerset PrinceCharming

That his ssatne returned

she

easily

kinvestal

tee

I

Mr Leroy

a S S S I C S

hanging on the arm of a young man S0

i

u p-

into

ithrngirg thu gardens nor did they cuteI

C

I

I

I

iiitI

I

her

Somebody been telling me

su

into be the least sarecist

IC

looking UP ned glaring ather iis Cyclopean

liea

seeI

rlIt

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

Inthla slyly But he thinks it aintproper for an engaged young lady to sitto arthu Praps It aint At any ratehes very particular

There was a silence during whichBerinthla went over to Leroy and standlag close to him watched him is heworked at a nearly finished picture Pr-ently he glanced round to her and saidquietly

Who Is he BerryOh ilr Leroy hes a gentleman a real

gentleman Youd know that If you onlysaw him

Has he any profession Does he doany work Inquired Leroy gently

Xo 3Ir Leroy repliedHes got property and he dresses beau-

tiful And mothers mad with me forwanting to have him Sire says hes nogood but Tm going to marry him for allthat

SoonI dont know As soon as he likes

The sooner the betterI wish said Leroy thoughtfully

youd bring him along and introducehim I I should like to see your choiceYou know Berry Ive always been Inter-ested In you and

I know that Sir Leroy cried Berln-thla placing her hand softly on his shoul-der but I cant brIng him I darentbring him Mr Somerset would chaff mebefore him and hes dreadfully prou i

Besides Im sure he wouldnt come Hodont like artists

Somerset overhearing the remark burstinto a peal of laughter

He dont like artists he repeatedscornfully What a swell he must ba

No mistake cried Berinthla with atoss of the head

Several waefcrtJSssed and Berinthla didnot reappear The three often thought ofher and spoke of her for they missed hersunny presence and elflike ways At lastone day Leroy received the following let-ter written in a round uneducated handnnd bearing the Manchester postmark

Dear Mr Leroy This tones hoping you an will

W hire gone with rcj husband Into the countryjust what I told you a gentleman every

inch of him and Im that proud and happy I coulderjr for Joy Give xny love to Mr Somerset andMr Belford not forjettlng yourself and believe

your grateful and affectionateBEB1NTHIA TOMKINS-

P S He a real gentUmin sad iris mannersan lovely

Leroy read the letter aloudnot withouta certain tion-

Tomk shouted Somerset O-

Phoebus t a name Berinthla Tomkins

Poor Berry said Leroy with aI only lions that her marriage w n

out all rightIII

More than a year had passed fway theChristmas season was come agfin hndthe three had neither seen nor h atfi ofher who had been the very life and soulof the studio Not a sincle line hfti comto tell them of her domes and whethershe was happy or unhappy prosperousor the reverse

In the meantime all the three hadthriven more or less Somerset had inherited a little money from a wealthyrelation Leroy had written a successfulhistorical play for an eminent tragedianand had received for the same the princely sum of five hundred pounds while Bel-ford taken up by an enthusiastic cliqueof art critics was radually being recog-nized as a masterly painter Nothingwas changed however In their habitsof life which were still thoroughly andfearlessly Bohemian

Winter had come with its bleak windsand snowdrifts ushering In the time ofpeace on earth and goodwill to men Lateon Christmas eve the three sat before thefire which was blazing brightly Theyhad been to the theater to see the production of Leroys play which had beercelebrating the occasion A kettle boiledupon glasses stood ready andSomerset had Just drawn a bottle ofScotch

Suddenly they heard a soft knock atstudio door which on thebystreet adjoining the mewsbut no one entered Then the sound was repeated and

Silence followed and they were Just fill

and success to thoplay when Leroy started and held up anngersome one there after all hesaid Ill go and see

He walked somewhat unsteadily acrossthe room and opened door Thewind swept In with great flakes of snowbut around was darkness Then suddenly as he peered out Into the night hesaw black on the groundJust beyond the threshold He stoopeddown to inspect it more closely and sawto his amazement that was the figureof a woman

Good Lord he exclaimed Here youa light and lend a handBelford took the lamp from the ta

Dlft A

and to assist him to raise the womanwho appeared to have fainted They lifted her up and carried her into studioa limp lump of rags soaked to the skinmelted snow covered with athin shawl beneath which her handsclutched something In desperation Belford held the lamn and flashed thehpht upon face Then all three uttered an exclamation for they recognizedHerintnia-

Berlnthia but how changed Worn andthm and as If she had just risenfrom a sick bed her dress poor and ragged her eyes closed her mouthand open and In her arms clutched tightto bosom a little thodark and elfin miniature of herselfand it wassome little tithe could bring

but placed m Qn armchair before the fire they chafed her cold

water down throat till at last consciousness returned When she came toherself and recognized where she wasshe began to sob hysterically clutchingagainst his coat sleeve while with horother hand she held her child

Yes the child was hers but her gentleman her Prince Charming wherewas he Before the was out andwhen they had soothed away her excitement and made her comfortable by thefire she told them the whole sad story

She had gone into the country with herhusband and for a they hailbeen happy together though was always to find out where he gothis money He the days at homeIn her company and seldom went out except at nisht When she questioned himas to his doings he aiwavn ncr

and bade her mind her own busiROSS As the months passed on his man-ner to her grew more more IndiCterent and at lust In a lit of hstruck her From that time forward theirlife was a miserable one and all hadto look for at the mans hands wascoarse words and bows

She could have borne all that she saidfor the sake of the little one that weecoming but worse was to follow One

her husband Informed her coollyand delboratey that be was toleave her and had no intention of re

to her aealn he was in factabout to leave England and try his fortune In America He told hr at the sametme that the e were after him antithat his real profession orwflB that bf a fnahonnbe thief or swellmobsman Before recovergone taking with him every farthing they

Before the nlcht was out the police appeered In mirsult of bt woretoo late From that time forward she hudhoard nothing of him sad sh had nodobr that he left both her and hisnpMve country forever

We should weary HIP reader If we J-

scr bed in detail the snff r trs and rMvalions of the d r ite l woman stH littlemorit than n child Her i hr laid benbrn In a t rflvnial wor boiwe anti af-terward in l n r ehe made her way toT omJon only o b drivenInto the streets by her drunken fatherFinally In erat on thi hadmade htr way to rh s old studio on thatsnowy Christmas Fv

Thanks to the kindness and cympatliv-of the three poor Berinthla wastram utter shame and misery but her oMbrIght were gone end she hdchanged into a wo-man became of hr afterward and-o he little one s another star not to-b told row Fnoueh o hit she recovered from her flrst liftf t fon and wetreferred for a of toenWIn epit Of her bitter experience neverfailed to think with a certain tenderneaiof her Prince Charming of whom ahenever anan heard when ihcthree Inveighed afcalnst him OB a rjniau

a she would say very piti-fully

but you didnt know him He wassuch a perfect pentleman

Copyright itO by Robert Bvcktua

ar

lie

sit

r

te

sh

l

f

h

t

tong

d to tell you that I was married last Monday

s

eceived and were

Come in they

ome one seemed to be to turn thc 3

andle of dooriTho the devil is it cried BelfordThe cat I suppose

ag their gttsses and prepdrln to drinkA Merry ChrIstmas

Theres

ellows

while Somerset ran join Leroy

an

her

pale

She had outrighter to herhin nands and they forced spirits andher

Leroy the arm and face

spent

she couldfrom her horror and amazement had

him

bed

cheer

rescue

looks

say

liCeshe

and

end

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

>

¬

¬

¬

HALF DEVIL HALF CHILDBy OCTAVE THATT

The street car was armored against themissiles of the lighter and cltunsier brandby heavily woven strips of wire Thisplatform had two policemen the car onlythree passengers all en whose eyeswere alt over the street and whoso headswagged portentously when after a slowlurch around a corner the huge yellowcar body gave a sentient quiver settledback and stopped

In for It now from one of the pas-sengers expressed the universal feelingTho commercial traveler a large manvrho perspired freely took a precautionsreconnolssancd and announced that thetrack was blocked

Damn strikes groaned stouterof the two policemen Itll take half unhour to pet that truck oft the track

Taint our business to move it any-how replied his companion Let thescabs wrestle with their own Job

Meanwhile the conductor and motornan were consulting They did not mus-

ter an entire uniform between them oneshowing only a blue coat and the other ablue cap but their bronzed faces and theair of habit in their motions revealed thatthey were not novices in their work Theconductor was a tall man with a big mus-tache the motorman was a little nim-ble undersized fellow of sandy hair andreddish freckles They stood together onthe platform and studied the phe of Irongirders boards shutters and rubbishblocking the rails The sidewalks of themean street through which they weregassing had not a foot of plank to

for the swarm of men women andchildren that was wriggling upon themMost of the crowd were women and boysThere was only a sprinkling of sullenfcced men The crowd jeered and hootedand screamed scab thslr voices swell-Ing with each second of delay Out ofthe narrow windows of the thin brickhcusos with their peaked roofs headsand menacing fists emerged The crowdsurged up closer to the passive car

They killed a man heresaid the stout commercial traveler In thecorner of the car mopping his hot faceand they nearly killed a woman tore hex

clothes to bits I wonder why the devilI couldnt have waited for a wagon If Idid lose my train

Look at those women the thin marIn the black alpaca coat with a bookbqjglnpr his pocket muttered to his neigh-bor Doit they make you think of Car

furies of the French revolutionUrrL Ha that

The yc the crowd was venomousIt was sl ll with womens voices and thelilgh pipe of children Scab Kill thescabs Stone em Stone em Tear emoff the Oars They aint no right therethe dirty murdering scabs screamed thocrowd

Guess well have to get off and tacklethat pile of truck said the motorman

You fellers got to stand by us saltthe conductor wheeling on the police-

menThe legal defenders of order exchanged

glances there was no relish for the Jabin either face Say you got to reiter-ated the conductor

Well git off and tackle It then grum-bled the older t f the policemen stand-off men we got to keep order here Youkid up there drop your rock I see youStand back lady cant allow no swip-

ingThe lady was A robust news dealer In a

battered bonnet and ragged gown shehad gathered a handful of mud and threwit straight in the conductors faceother women shrieked with laughterchildren piped In the chorus and a manbellowed Thats what you git you

traitorThe two policemen lifted gentle hands

of remonstrance We dont want to useyou rough but youll make us expos-tulated tho older man And the crowdbellowed defiance and abuse and surgedloser to the track

Nowl come the rocks said the youngman of tie passengers He was a brighteyed cleanshaven youngster in white

I

se

iy

tbs

be-

en

I

rlost

ThIS

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

BY M QUAD

I had been knocked down by a cab onthe streets of Paris and taken to a hoipltal I was hurt about the head andshoulders and though I had no brokenbones to mend I was so badly bruisedthat the surgeon told me I wouldnt getout for a month Hard up though1 I wasin a financial sense I had enough moneyin my pocket to get me Into a pay wardand they gave me one of the fourteencots on the third floor front It was summer arid I was close to the seventh window counting from the left

The routine of a hospital for an Injuredman is a monotonous one After the firstthree or four days they put me on fulldiet and gave me books to read but Icould not leave my bed and it was againstthe rules to converse with the other patients It was read sleep think and

eon I could not see the street from mywindow AS I sat propped up on my cot

sight to greet my vision was aquaint old house opposite The structurewas two stories high and I could see theupper halves of four windows The houelooked to have been built 100 years agoand was In a sad state of neglect and un-

tenanted I dont know why I should havebeen interested in that house except trata sick man will turn to the veriest trifleto make a diversion I saw by the stateof the windows that the house wasantless and yet I had the curiosity toquestion the nurse about it

That house has been empty for manyyears she replied and as it Is In lawIt will probably fall down before the heirscome Into possession You cannot eee thatfar down but the lower doors and win-

dows are hoarded up to keep tramps outI have often wondered if the place hasnot a ghos-

tI fell into the habit of watching thosefour windows as closely as If I had beenemployed ns a watchman It seemed thatif I waited long enough I should see aface at one of them When evening camethere was an electric light somewherewhich struck the front of the old houseand I would watch those windows untilthe nurse enjoined me to turn away andgo to sleep It got EO at last that I feltcertain of making a discovery and onoevening when I had been in the hospitalnine or ten days the face I had lookerfor appeared at one of the middle windews It was that of a man

The window was 1M feet from m butby the assistance of the electric light Imade out the face very clearly It cameInto view gradually as If the man slcttlyadvanced across the room and it remained at the sash for a full minuteIt was the face of un evil man It wasdark anti bearded and ths eyes traveledup and do rn and across the street ea itlooking frr danger Whoever the manwas he wi o tramp nor had he a lawful right In that house As be left thewindow I called to the nurse and told herof bis presence but she laughed and replied

Ah but we ara not to concern ourselves about what goes on over thereIf it is sonic prjwler who has brokenIn the police must take care of hm

I now had something to occupy my fullattention and I gave up everything owatch the windows opposite Nothing appeared next day but at about half past S

oclock In the evening I the amface again There was more boldness Inthe way the man approached the windowand be teemed to feel himself more

a he surveyed the street If he werenot a furiUv in hiding why should he-b taking petjw at the neighborhood Avagabond having entered to obtainter for the night would keep clear of tewindows On this second night the marseemed to be looking intently at the side-walk running in front of the hospital andby and by he started and turned away asIf he bad received sonic signal When

plan with on visit a day from the stir

The only

ten

panders

saw

se-

cure

abel

tin I

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

duck trousers who looked like a college I

lad Say wholl help this trainmen toclear I

big conductor had wiped iris facehe turned It absurdly streaked on thepolicemen and Informed them that If theylet much of that stuff go on be was goingto shoot he was Ho added his personalopinion in regard to the courage of theforce It was not of a nature to please j

hence may have excused the Irritation of j

the younger policeman who bade him goto a place that Is to bo inferred ratherthan mentioned

The little motorman Jumped onwound instantly followed by tho colbgeman and in a secondonly to give him j

I time io stow away his book by the reador of Carlyle The crowd balledwith a furious yell and a shower of mudstones and vegetables from a neighbor-ing stall Nearest the car were the ladsin their teens and disheveled women Oneof these stood in the roadway In thefore front of the mob shaking a blackmat of cabbage stalk in the motormansface Her frowsy gray hair her savagered face her waving bare arms her unkempt figure In Its scanty householdgarb were blazoned by the sun againstthe black wreckage on the road She hadburst the hooks of her thin bodice and

ferocious abandonment of her rage hadunsexed her She was no longer a wo-man she was a sexless fury Kill thescab she bellowed kill cm Kem before we starve

Cit up you bloody idiot commanftfilthe older policeman between his twigrabbing at the motormans collar TV4

cant fight all them people tgi xsytoo Git back and well back a d gitsome help

A bark of a revolver stopped his wordsand set the crowd wild It might ave comefrom the crowd or from a window andit hit no one nut It was like a bigna fora horrible deepening of the mar Thenas a dog draws back before he sprIngs a

Jcind of lull came and the rear of thewrithing mass pushed forward this frontA brick struck the college lad on theshoulder and as he staggered a policeman lifted him bodily up the steps Halfstunned he struggled with them

All at once the crowd which waslag in on them menacing howling likewolves with the taste of blood on theirtongues all at once this crowd turnedits myriad heads anti was split into Utilefleeing groups as if by a charge of dyntmite it plunged into shop doors and downthe side streets and cowered back ontothe sidewalks before a new cry In a womans shriek Mad dog mad dog Another cry and another a wall of purehorror and fright The baby the babyhell get her and into the street downthe corner tlje huge mastiff that hailaroused terror dovo like an arrowheadInto the vacant space after a flying childThe dogs huge frame had the tenseshrunken look of his awful state hisgreat head was lower than his shoulderspainted with its owu blood front a futileshot the eyes glared the dreadful jawsspattered flecks of loans from a wrinkledblack grin of hate and four He WAS

driven by a wilder and crueler impulsethan ruled the crowd and they shrankbefore It Paralyzed for a second not onelifted a hand The policemen fumbledfor their revolvers Then there was agroan the dog was on the child

The woman leader uttered a Cry sheflung herself barehanded on the beastShe was a woman again a woman with ababy grandchild at home and her witswere quicker to escape their trance thanthose of the boys or the men But oneman was before her A gasp of excitemeat went like a low moan through thepale faces at windows and doors the mo-torman had pulled the childs skirts outof the dogs teeth and was clutching hiscollar with a death grip Get off hecalled to the woman who had seized thecreatures tall get off lot em shootShoot you d fools cant you dontmind me Put your pops at his head

The college lad caught a revolver outof the speakers own pocket and fired

trackThe

theI

them

her white flesh showed unheeded The

all

they

doe

¬

¬

¬

>

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

nurse came I told her of the incident Shewas as much amused as before

You certainly have d mind for mys-teries she laughed but if you becometoo interested you will develop a fever antIhave a pullback When you are ableleave us you can tell the police about theman who will probably turn out to be ashadow

I gave the windows but little attentionin the daytime after that This face ap-peared on the third evening at the samehour and I felt so sure that a confederatemade signals from the sidewalk that Itook a convalescent Into my confidenceHe was an old soldier who was beingtreated for an old wound and was allpwedthe run of the place I told him of theface and the confederate and he was interested at once It was arranged that heshould be In front of the hospital at haltpast 8 and watch for this confederate andluck attended him He saw a welldres C3but evillooking man make signals to theman at the window The signals weremade with a folded newspaper and wouldnot have been noticed by any one not onthe watch for them

Now then said the old soldier as hereturned and reported we have a mys-tery on hand Luck has thrown it in ourway that we may make a few gold piecesLet us work it out together and share thereward

None of us in the ward had seen a newspaper for a week They were not interdicted but none of the patients seemed tocare for outside Next morning thesoldier went out and purchased the Journals for the previous five or six daysand as we looked them over wo struck asensation A boy ten years old the stnof a rich Iron founder had been kdnappedand spirited away and It was stated thatthe whole police force of Paris was on thegui vive The kidnapping had taken placethree days before I saw the face at thewindow and I was arguing that our mystery could have nothing to do with Itwhen the soldier said

It is as least twelve miles from herewhere the lad was picked up He wasprobably hidden somewhere else for a dayor two hut the scent got so hot that hewas moved Dont you fear that he isnot In the old house opposite at this verymoment

Then we should inform the policePooh We must wait for a reward to

be announced Never luck In theface

On the fourth night and fifth night theface appeared at the window at the usualhour and the same man made the usualsignals As the police were yet at faultthose signals must havameant that thingswere all right for the kidnappers It wasnow eight since the boy was takenand as no trace could be had of him Itwas bellavod that he had beon killed ortaken out of the country The papers raveIt to the police pretty and it was intimated that the father was ready to payalmost any sum to have hx child restored

Now we are coming nearer to it saidthe old veteran What the kidnappershave been waiting for it the reward butwe must be ahead of them You havesome money but I have none You mustglveme enough to take me across Paristo the father

It had come to be understood io ourcorridor that we had some scheme butwe refused to answer any questions Thesoldier started off one morning and bo j

fore noon ha holding an Interviewwith the father of lh abducted boy Thdistracted man was willing to give histot franc but the soldier stopped at SStOO

franca lit got a promise In writing thathe should bt paid that sum when the boywas delivered up and then he went to thepolice to find if there was a reward for

particularly desperate characterThere was It was bVleved In police cir-cles that the kidnappers two escapedcoavicts and there wax a reward of 19tC9

to

news

slap

days

hot

was

any

were

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

beforo the conductor and two po-licemen who volleyed In chorus Thelads elsa was true whatever the otherand with a sob the huge head sank andthe woman released her hold She hadbeen tugging at the dogs tail

Dont waste your shots Billy said j-tho motorman quietly hes dgno ttrjrSay is the kid Imrtedr f

He dropped the head and stood up be-side the dead terror and looked over thecrowd which with amazing celerity hartclosed again Shes all right a no-nnns voice called back good for you1

And how are you grandma saidmotorman cheerfully

The woman was rubbing her hands ontho sides of her fflps She looked at himand a kind of smile broke over fan1 didnt know if I could hold him

she Youre a mighty bravo foilerI got a baby like her to homo taU

heI had one said sheI lost a baby once he said nodding

his head my goodness aint It to sfI-n her turn acquiesced 9bd leakednt him and for the first time bocame aware of the disorder of her tolledSeeing his Jorn clothing and the smearsof dust nfl over him with a rapid mvtSo-nsli ndjustid the gap in her bodice andhastily pinned It Directly sheher gray head I got mussed upmust git home said she Look hereaba half turned the crowd was watching

they were curiously quiet how didu a decent man as you ever come toa scab

fhs street was so still now that mostat them heard his answer given with nocltement but In a steady rather mel

un holy voice I was where thoseers arepolntlng his thumb at the aidetvalk hollering scab as loud as theyure in the Cleveland strike but the stvk-fa d I held out longs anybody but itwas oft and then there was no motestrike benefits or nothing and I grot awife and two children and I got tired ofseeing my wife feed us all by washingThe unions left me hgh and dry and Imtaking the best Job I can gU without anyback talk Id rather be a scab thanstarve and thats the size of it

The woman looked at the boys listsnlnjno longer furious her eyes passed themto the little silent group of tannedfacedmen God knows she muttered Icant make out the rights of It maybeitll come our turn next Say you boyswhat you standing hero for blocking upthe street Go home and help your mothers if you aint got no better to do andId like to know why that there aintmoved with two cops already Im geing home

The boys laughed goodnaturedly enoughSome of them Joihed the policeman ardoffered their help to carry away the deaddog eventually hoisted on to the streetcar The others imperceptibly disappeared as did the women and at lust thefew men The motorman followedwoman a few steps His face was worklag under a Jaunty air hli hand stoleback to his pocket He sidled up to heras he muttered Say grandma If yougot kids at home whats the harm youtaking a

Ho was stopped by her quick No youdont I dont need it I got plenty iafdby You git back and git your truckclear while you got the chance

He went back to a placid street almostdeserted and the passengers helped withthe conductor until assstance came Noone could have believed that such a stormhad raged over so tame a scene Thesaloonkeeper after a while came out andproffered beer and talked about mad dogsand a small group of children drank Inwith delighted shivers divers ghastly talesWhen the car moved on two boys wavedtheir hands and the saloonkeeper andthe green grocer and an Italian fruit wo-man all nodded cordially

Well the thin man withthe book how a mob can change Haltdevil and half child

It we only knew how to get hold oftbo child the college ladCoMtfght 1900 Dally Story Publishing Company

the

fl

the

hersad

sheshe

smoothedall

tel

a

dog

the

¬

¬

¬

¬

THE WINDOWS OPPOSITEfrancs oh the head of either When It hadbeen agreed to give him half the rewardthe veteran gave our mystery away Thepolice waited until evening and thencaught the confederate on the street afterhe had signaled his All right Half anhour later they surrounded the old house-broke way In and not only foundthe other convict but found the kidnappedboy a prisoner in one of the roomslad had been fairly well treated but hadbeen closely guarded hour since hohad come into the mans hands Ho hadseen only that one man and had beentold that he would be set at liberty whenhis father had paid 230000 as a reward

The old soldier divided fairly with meand we were not only enriched by thedouble reward but were the means returning to custody two as desperatecriminals as ever broke bars It was considered an Incomprehensible thing aroundthe and fri

were never tired of sayingHow strange You He In your

look at the windows of an old housnacross the way and Io there come 16000

francs rolling In to you

BOLT HOLES IN SHIPS ARMOR

Metal So hard that Drill Will Not Pene-

trnte Electric AnnenllnaFrom the New York Tribune

The invention of the Harvey Krtlppand other modern processes for hardening the surface of armor plate has beengo successful as to give rise to new

for naval constructors By ren-

dering a plate impervious to an enemysthe manufacturer has also

made It Impossible to bore the necessaryholes for armor to asides At It proposed to avoidthis embarrassment by the solebefore hardening the plate and It has

process might be so controlled ascertain designated areas but when attempts were made to carry out UHBOIdeas were found to Impractlca-

it was then suggested that the plate bohardened a before that a PIJ itbe annealed afterward so ax to enable adrill to penetrate Thename was this purpose butfailed to satisfactionare was next employed This too proved-a disappointment for some reasonever in a somewhatdifferent manner uccew real-ized At a meeting of the EngineerClub in Philadelphia C J Dougherty

the method It will be mororeadily understood if one will remember

the voltage or potential of a current1s entirely dltiinn from the volume

The former i the at which thecurrent be sent whether the quan-tity transmitted be large orfact it is by suitable mexni totransform a current of small volume andhigh voltage into one of volume andlow voltage It is in thl tatter form thatelectrical energy la used to intense heat for or annealing Thevoltage of an ordinary trolley ear current

about 600 and of ancircuit JUX The full output of a

forty horse dynamo Is thisarmor annealing operation out itI applied at a

of the current though s J5-

WO ampereswhich transforms the current

for U A withtwo movable terminals each consisting ofan immense copper block The amhollow water be circulatedinside of thorn sad they down to

half an inch wherecome In contact with the armor plate

flat points brought down againstthe steel one side of the particu-lar spot with which U la d to

current flows into the from oncopper terminal arid out again through

The region between Isto a red it in four or five min-

utes If the terminals were orthe current abut Instantly when the

heat IH obtained tie wouldcool too quickly JrH terminals therefor so i t move along theurfa at an

minutes In this way a narrow strip ofconelderable can beono end of the plate eventually cutU fuck a to

lann

Copyright 1555 by C B Lewis

diff-

iculties

first was

also been hardenIngto spare

ri

was

possible

large

volts

they

The err

removedoCt

desiredare

the r f e

otthin

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬

¬