Marion Marlowe's Money, or, Brave Work in the Slums — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

22 ticular. iY 4 naa They walked a little farther and then turned into the next street. Sure enough, there was a sign in red ee “Family En- trance.” “Humph!” ejaculated the old gentleman, as he glanced at the words, “I calkerlate it’s curus kind o’ families that they have down here! Now, what Christian man would ever take his family into sech a rum-hole as that yender !”’ od “But we must go in!” said Marion, firmly. “Tf the chief put in on. the list we must not pass it by. She may be in’there, you know! Come on, I’m not afraid of anything!” | She almost dragged the old farmer to- wards the swinging door, for she was deter- mined to miss no ‘chance of finding his poor daughter. As they stepped Sriside “Marion attelid: ‘an exclamation of dismay, for they were in a small room without any furniture whatever. There was a sort of a slide in the wall just in front of them and a narrow shelf that looked as if it had been placed there to hold beer pails and pitchers. Suddenly a man’s face appeared at the open slide. “What d’yer want?” he asked, eruffly.* “Step up and speak out, Reuben.” _ “My name ain’t Reuben,” said Mr. Skin- ner, promptly, ‘an’ if this is all the rooms you’ve got I don’t want nothin’. A pretty sort of a place fer a man ter take his family. Why, | couldn t swing a cat by the tail in this little entry.” There was'a click somewhere in the wall, and suddenly a door flew open. “Thar, thet’s better,” said the old man, as he winked at Marion, “now we'll come in a minute ef you ain't no objections.” The room they entered was large and quite dark, but as the door closed behind them it was suddenly lighted. There half a dozen small ‘tables and a lot of chairs, but “family I reck’n it’s just around ther cor- were there was not a soul to be seen in the parlor.’ “Too early, | Vir. up and a euess,” whispered Marion Skinner’s ear just as a waiter came eked what they wanted. Without a old man turned towards the door. if word the MY QUEEN. * 66 ’ : : Hold on dere youse, ain’t youse goin’ ter treat de loidy?” asked the waiter, insolently. “Yew mind yer biz’ said Mr. Skinner, quietly. “We’re out a sight seein’, we ain’t drinkin’ this evenin’.” Marion had to laugh at the-old farmer's coolness. He was a countryman, but for all that there were no sharpers too shrewd for him, afd the sorrowful errand that he was on did not disturb his equanimity. “Suppose we go back to that first place,” said) Marion, glancing at a clock. “See, it is after eight now—perhaps they have come in —and by buying ‘some soda or something we | can sit down and rest a little.” said “| wuz so eager my- 4 “Door child, I reck’n you are tired,” the old man, kindly. self tew find poor Arinie that I clean x, forget that you might be tired.” They went back into the exer hall, which | was now fairly well filled, and never to her dying day could Marion forget that sad picture. , "There were more ko than men in the brilliantly-lighted: room, and they were all ‘« talking excitedly and laughing shrilly. iy One after another passed, as they sat at a table, and the oltl farmer gave them each a keen glance, and then shook his head sadly. “Oh, how wretched and haggard they all look!” said Marion, in a whisper. “It does not seem possible that the world can contain so much misery.” | The waiters were so busy now that they paid no particular attention to the pair, but occasionally some one stared at them and made some laughing comment. “There’s a gal that looks like Annie!” muttered the old man, suddenly, as he half rose from the table and began staring straight in front of him. At that instant a band began to play loudly and with one accord almost every one in the place began singing and whistling. Marion turned her head to follow the old man’s gaze, and as she did so she started vio- lently and bit her lips to keep from speaking. Fxactly behind her, but with their backs ) stood two men well known to Henry Fairfax and Mad- toward her, her, They were ame Leopold's detective. (E() Mie ,OOKS. GO