Life — February 13, 1902 — page 8: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

128 pocket = n—he care- fully locked the door and threw the key out of the window. “Now, you miserable low-down cur,” he said, with the sarcasm for which Pretty Steal was noted, “how dared you steal my tene- ments out from under the mortgages of the widow and orphan? How do you suppose sister will lik rude things?” Mercy! Mei at Cholly's fe I'll go away back: fight the Boers.” “ Fight the Boers!" exclaimed Cholly; “yes, Boce women and children; that’s about your size. G Willie took adva ec of this pause in the conversation to leave the room by way of the fire-escape. Cholly paced up and down the room a oment and then, unlocking the safe, took from a secret drawer three large pieces of co- coanut pie. Having quickly eaten them his glass eye resumed its usual cold glitter and his hand its accustomed firmness. Seat- ing himself at his desk he drafted this doc- um ways a sign of emo a brother who docs such cy!" cried Willie, falling “Don't tell sister and away off, I mean—and 4 t out of here.” Vor one dollar to me in hand paid, I hereby assign to my beloved wife Kathleen, alias Bridget, all my debts, of whatsoever kind, both real and per- sonal, Ciarces Stean, “And now,” he exclaimed, “for Suzon Burgundy’s and pie galore!” Cuarter 1V. As Cholly drove swiftly through the disrep- utable quarters of the town, he felt swelling within his veins the mad inspiration of the pie he had already eaten. The hectic flush on his cheek, and which was partly respon- sible for his being known as Pretty Steal, was heeticer than ever before. He had escaped for the time, perhaps fo from Kathleen's arctic zone and littleWillie’s kleptomaniacal tendencies. Ie was about to revel in Suzon's warm, but intellectual society, and pic unlimited. As usual weed with river-men and habitants, all id impassioned Methodists and Bap 3 well as expert cut-throats, As he at the counter and took his first piece of pie from Suzon's freckled but shapely hands, the Suzon's was 1 recklessness seized him an vin a deep h » Voiee th Mari he beg prof Vs Ave ented muttering wasad ong ither at the subject of the song ur vlly's | hit Cholly el singing. Suzon furtively the back of the neck with a Cholly was eating Huson's hint. It gradually VALENTINE DAY IN THE Woops. changed his tune to the exquisite tones of Mozart's Six-O'clock Mass in A flat. This roused the angerof Rouge Gosling, a brawny woodsman of the Methodist faction. “Scein’ you can’t sing,” he sneered, “ per- haps you wouldn't mind gi “TI haven't the honor of your aequaint- replicd Cholly in similar tones, ‘but care if [ do.” Ie carefully wiped his glass eye, which seemed to infuriate the men still more. In the meantime Suzon, always friendly to so good a customer as Cholly, prudently armed herself with a pie- knife, a revolver and an axe. “ Men,” said Cholly, in his cool, critical voice, ‘why is it we are always tired? We go to bed tired, and most of us get up tired, Many of us are born tired, and many of us are too tired to work. Bicycles, automo- biles, even baby carriages are tired This last was too much for these simple- minded Christians. Some one turned the electric light switch, and the room was in darkness, There was a scuffle, a sound of blows, and when the police came fu the men had disappeared and Suzon's body lay on the floor, stabbed to death with a piece of her own pie. Cholly Steal was nowhere to "usa sermon.” be seen, Cuarten V.—Tie Traxsrormation. About this time Portugee Joe was steer- ing his dug-out down the swirling waters of the river, Habitant-like he was singing : Maryanne, vile Susananne, : ased his othe dark waters. His in it was a fle g and peered tinct had not f. Mauting ived hin oi ate th put, he nd expertly went through ite In each » found a pleee of wrapped in eiled paper, and fount that the floater was alive tCholly #teal — for it was he—sat up and carefully wiped his glass eye with his silk handkerchief. A flood of recollection passed through the mind of Portugee Joe, and he threw himself at Cholly’s feet and licked the pie-crumbs from his patent-leathers. But Cholly gave no sign and gazed at Joe with the empty look of a little chee-ild. Joe took Cholly home with him, It was a bumble hut in the woods, but here for weeks Joe tended him, and nursed him, and fed him on such rude delicacies as truftted paté,canvassed-back duck, terrapin and oys- ter-crabs en Lrockette, without Cholly'’s giv- ing a sign of consciousness or a tip to the waiter. It happened that one day the Rabbi of the nearby village, out on a hunting trip with his brother, a famous surgeon from Paris (Kentucky), stopped at Portugee’s hut to bor- row his new gun. The surgeon at once be- came interested in Cholly’s case. He had no instruments with him, but skillfully util- ized Joe's auger, adze and whip-saw in tre- phining the patient. He removed several pounds of coagulated pie which was press- ing on Chol brain, and then neatly dressed the wound with the stripes from a flannel blanket. As he went away he assured Joe that the patient would soon be himself again, and left with him a small packet addressed To the Sick Man at Portugee Joe's, Joe could not restrain his curi opening the packet found paper, on which was written: “Heware of piel Y y hand my brother one thon- sand dollars for my professional serv ity, and nly a piece of He will remit it to me.” Cuseten VIN tan Four, Rabbi Cohen wa f id When Cholly recovered cured him a pl man-of-all-work in hie Unele Levi's hand clothing store, Levi Cohen was aged comichooks,