A Son of the City

, and watched the antics of the children with their transitory castles until this pleasure began to pall. Then they retraced their steps westward to the big island and expl

ch. Here and there, they surprised a squirrel adding another peanut to his well-buried winter cache. But a little later, a pair of lovers on

rried for shelter from the intruders. As they returned, they loitered by the green, verandaed club house to count the fast diminishing fleet of yachts, and joined an ironic audience who watched the struggles of two mo

Louise forced a disturbing entrance into his thoughts with a strange insistency. Was she sleeping peacefully or was she thinking of her rescue from the mercies of the gang? Perhaps sh

truck ten. He discovered that a wrinkle in the she

tood on the sunlit corner that morning. Did she like to fish? An expedition for two could be arranged in spite of the late season. He'd

railroad trip, and once when Uncle Frank had come to visit them. He rubbed his clenched fists in his eyes and wondered if he dared light the gas to read. He c

n one toe-frayed stocking. Now that his mother had roused him for the third and fina

sighed contentedly. Had not Leander sacrificed long hours of precious slumber at the shrin

a verbal declaration; therefore the message must be in writing. But in what form? Letter writing

om the stairway. "Aren't you

king hastily, with a call of

in the library bookcase. That ought to help him

remptory interruption of his thou

rs as bathing, and scampered down the stairs to the dining-room. After a hasty meal of oatmeal and potatoes, he

titution, to his father, engaged

uise. "Honored Parent!" Why, "Honored Loui

grain business in Baltimore, to a wholes

a love letter, an epistle that would breathe the fire of adoration in ever

of the heading-such things didn't have m

lov

ounded

firs

. Mrs. Fletcher gazed do

It's five minutes of nine, now. W

nished and that "B" class was holding its English recitation. Miss Brown frowned and made a mark in the record book on her desk, and went on with

before. He twisted in his seat and caught a glimpse of the adored one'

ition books and began to recit

sing back, c

was given t

e under dee

yet, letter-perfect in the verses. The teacher encouraged them. Twenty odd juvenile

ntiments! Why hadn't he thought of it before? On

nk, what d

under the

maid c

stpan a

d it and

ut of t

nly to have Miss O'Rourke pounce upon the effort and read it to

cond disaster. He began

ved L

ke further words unnecessary. What did people usually put in poems? All about stars, and the wa

ose i

olet's

ill te

ove

iette in the third-grade valentine box, but Louise need never know the secret

lded the paper complacently, and waved on

r to the school store

ns prepared for

es

sly down the aisle. At his old desk, he paused with a fleeting glace at Louise as he dropped the not

ace breathlessly. Curiosity was succeeded by surprise and then by anger. A little toss of her curls, a glance a

, she stuck out h

ere was no cause for offense in that note. He loved

dimly lighted, cement-floored playroom, where the children held forth on rainy days, he met a boy

down

mad unless you're gone half a

the room resounded with shouts of "H'ist," and "No fair dribblin'" until the grizzled schoo

wn all too rapidly in the basement. Louise showed not a sign of r

he copy bo

forgotten. "A quarter of an hour after school" was the sentence for the offense, an

were scattered oblongs of blue paper as he scampered from the deserted buildi

T. J. O'

AND JU

dous, Sidesp

ORHOOD

tober 4, a

Heads of Europe. All the well-known characters, with added m

rofessor T. J. O'Reilley. Hear the Bad Boy and his friend talk and joke as if they were really alive. During this act

I

oism of American Soldiers during the Spanish-American War! See the landing of the Regulars under fire! See men

low

and other Toys. In addition, every man, woman, and child in the audience who does not win a gi

ING AND INSTRUCTI

n only t

ys forthcoming from his mother when an itinerant showma

he overtook Bill, who had stopped

his chum glanced at th

idedly. "Did you see the rings t

e fifteen minute detent

ches-all gold and stones, a

buzzed with a new and daring possibility. Would Louise overlook the morning's fias

want two dimes

o have the two coins. Mrs. Fl

little girl you

eyes pleaded his cause so eloquently that one o'clock found him s

ood pulsing in his veins. Ordinarily, he would have scampered off to play with Bill and

e street. When she had gone perhaps fifty yards, John walked down the steps and followed not too rapidly. He mus

murely at a window display of gaily tinned talcum powder. As the

a sign of recognition. Evident

e kids won't throw any more cucumbers. I fixed 'em." Perhaps the

sook the enticements of the drug windo

ool this morning," he

hy

ly again. What

she ask

onversation dra

he didn't suppose she could tell "Run, sheep, run" from "Follow the leader," either. He fumbled in h

?" he

idn't

lay but a half-block ahead, so he went on hurriedly, "There's Silvey an

nfatuation was equal to passing that mob of sho

ound, and advised that they be retained, for "Them's got programs on, and you'll need 'em." On the broad pavement, excited little groups of boys read and reread the announcements amid running choruses of approving comment. Now and then, a fussy, important matron bust

oise and confusion held sway. The place was filling rapidly. Boys called to each other from opposite corners of the room. A not infrequent shout of surprised anger arose as a seated juvenile clattered to the floor through the agency of some mischief-maker in his rear. Eighth-grade patriarchs, retained by the same pay as the corner advance agent, darted here and there in the aisles

atch. "Most time to

ar rows, a claque started a steady handclapping, and cat-calls

diamond glistening therein, palpably false, and the lapels of his full-dress coat, distressingly shiny, but to John and Louise, he seemed a very prince of succes

s she?" The familiar, hooked-nosed figure appeared on the little stage and John sighed in ecstasy. What mattered if Punch's complexion

u just see!" John whispered as the mari

?" Louise's eyes

to a Punch and Judy show bef

s a day and rent money in their present bliss, grins appeared on the faces of the adults in the hall, and the rest of the audience swayed and shouted and giggled as P

came from the dept

tatically on his hard chair. "There he is,

m from one side of t

one," he

d the corpse to its original resting pla

n surprise, while the audience roared appreciat

ce as Louise quaked at the make-belief

e bulliest fight of all, and they'll throw each other down and hit

the devil's conquest of the unrepentant old reprobate, so that master of ventriloquism introd

h wrinkled brow. "This is

ong, flat object which appeare

as the mystery disclosed two terrific

unch. The jaws cl

eachy?" whi

ore. Again the jaws swung sl

as he stooped dangerously

while the audience screamed in delight. Ensued a fight which changed rapidly to a pursuit back and forth over the bodies of Judy

Louise, as the litt

other delights promised by the blue adverti

tage. The professor stooped over a battered trunk at the side, and brought out two life-sized dolls wit

'm afraid they've been shut up so long in that dark trunk that they're feeling a little angry. I'll have to see. Now [to the sandy-

ed the black-f

watched the professor's lip

nice little girls and

-t

ever go t

s,

ink hair ribbon who's sitting in the

the younger member of th

triloquist. "Aren't you ashamed o

ed George incorrigibly

agic eyes of childhood, but snickers and shouts and giggles filled the hall while the dialogue lasted. Finally the lay

he scolded, as the groans grew more and mo

. "Couldn't I get teacher mad, ta

ed Louise. "He's

al life. You will see the landing of our brave troops upon the rock-bound shores of Cuba. You will witness a thrilling battle with Spanish insurrectos [the professor was getting his history a little mixed, but that mattered not a whit to his audience], and brave men will fall before your eyes in the charge up San Joon hill. I nee

duction of the feature which, later, was

center of the hall where the long, cylindrical gas tanks stood, and a six foot

ve the idea that the boat loads of infantry were approaching the shore in a torrent of

plemented the operator. They had no titl

her pitched headlong into the sand, and the Americans swept up the slope in a charge which brooked no obstacles. Little girl

an Joon w

terrupted excitedly. "I've got a book at home wi

was," Louise repli

he eyes of the audience. A chair squeaked. Th

n the stage. "The drawing for prizes will now take place. Ryan," t

e skates, Jim?" "What'll you do if you get a ri

l for silence. "Will some boy step u

mbled over the footlights. The pro

at the coupon which had been handed him at t

ff Harriette of last

he shifted sheepishly from foot to foot. "But the skates are boy's. Isn't that too bad? Now, little girl, do yo

hn ejaculat

w out another slip. "And another little girl. Well, she gets this beaut

k to her mother as fast as her st

d-fifteen! Number se

cited effort to get to the front. "That's me!" Was it another pair of skates,

s a boy, is it?" The pr

stammered Jo

izes as he half turned to the exit in th

to "Give it to her! Give it to her!" Sid DuPree's face grinned maliciously at him from the first r

led out. Nor did he pay attention to the professor's lecture on the opera

scampered home in the fast gathering dusk. One or two yelled taunts about the do

ously near tears over his humiliation, but she knew not how to begin. They sauntered along.

e it?" she ask

stle in his mouth. After a few uncertain "

nt of her apartment, J

kwardly, "I don't want thi

s, she caught the spirit which lay

imitate the noted T. J.'s Punch and Judy show. Two days later, he left the noise-maker lying on