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THE ORBGON SUNDAY JODKMAL.
PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 5, 1920.
eQrI and "the WWp&1Cl
ABOUT 4 o'clock one Bummer
afttrnoon a young man cam
whlitlLn-, merrilx down a
country road. Hl old suit and his
broken shoes were white with dust,
his faded felt hat was tilted rak
ishljr orer one eyebrow, and his
dark eyes peereM put from under
the brim with that half-humorous,
half-Insolent expression of sizing
up people that is the mark of the
tramp the world over.
As he came within sight of
well-kept country house he stopped
suddenly, then jumped into the
bushes with the Quickness of a cat
as an automobile swung slowly out
of the drlreway.
"H-m-m," he muttered as the car
glided by his hiding place. "Lady
of the house taking a ride with her
only daughter. Looks to me as
though no stranger erer got within
her gates unless he had a letter of
introduction from the President
and his whole Cabinet. Let's see,
now. If there's nobody left home
but the maids maybe there's a
chance for some grub. Haven't
heard any dogs barking round here
yet. We'll try It, anyhow."
He stepped out of the bushes,
and walking boldly up to the back
door, knock loudly. Then the
stood back, ready to take his cue
at first glimpse of the person who
should answer.
The door was flung open by a
girl. She was evidently about
eighteen, but small, for her age,
with an under-fed, over-worked ap
pearance. She wore a faded green
gingham dress, with the sleeves
rolled high brer her thin, childish,
arms, all criss-crossed by little
brown, "oven-door" burns. Strag
gling, reddish hair was dragged
back from her freckled face; she
had a straight, rather too short
nose, and a small, pale month, with
a short upper Hp. Her eyes
The man stood still, his chis
dropped, staring at those eyes. In
all his calling at hack doors he had
seen many a little slavey, but he
did not remember erer seeing such
eyes. They were large and black
lashed and of that peculiar color
often called gTeen, but whicb la
really gray or brown or black, ac
cording to the light and the mood
of the owner. But the puzzling
thing to the man was their expres
sion. ,
. There was a light, an expectancy,
a wild hope tinged .with ever so
little disbelief, almoajt a demand in
those eyes which met his so eager
ly. Then, suddenly, the whole face
sagged and fell, the nope died
slowly out, a lacklustre crept into
the eyes a mute 'acceptance , of
things as t&ey were, not as the
dreams behind had made them.
"What do you want?" said the
girl, dully.
"I I wanted something to eat,"
aid the hue, at little dated. "Could
you give me a bite of grub?
been walking all day and I harent
bad anything to eat since yester
day." With the familiar formula
came returning confidence.
The girl watched him without In-
' terest; then she turned her head to
look at the alarm clock that was
ticking on the shelf Inside.
Tour o'clock," she mused. "She
won't be back for an hour. Yes, I
guess so. Come in and sit down,"
and she pointed to a chair beside
the oilcloth-covered .table.
The man dropped Into the chair
with a nod and a grin, pulled off the
felt hat and tossed it on the table
before him.
"All right, kid." he said gayly.
trot out the grub now."
The glrL eyes averted, brought
bread and butter, cold meat, dough
nuts, a thick wedge of apple pie
and cheese, and placed them all .
allently before her guest. Then she
looked at him for the first time
lnce they stood at the door.
"Want some coffee T" she ques
tioned, colorlessly. "I can make
you some if yon want it; It won't
take but a minute."
The man laughed outright and
the sudden gleam of white teeth
dispelled the hardness of his dark
face. y , - ;f
"Coffee? 'You bet! Say, this la ''"V
some handout! v You're a. winner,
kid. you are I"
The girl set about making the
coffee without a smile or a glance
In his direction, whereupon ha gar '
a little shrug and attacked the food
before him. Suddenly she turned
at the stove, a spoonful of coffee '"
beld over the pot.
"Are you a regular tramp?"
"M-m, h-irf," answered the man, '
bis speech a little impaired for the '
moment, "a regular tramp? Why?
Wouldn't you feed a tramp if you
knewitr . ; '
She dropped the coffee in, shrugv ,
King her thin shoulders. "What's ' 1
the odds? Mrs. Harris wouldn't,'
though: she hasn't any use for
tramps. She'd fire me quicker than
'cat if she was to come in here
... - POW."
."Sure," nodded the man, "hut she '
if"- r
I v yah 'vX ."Av r'"
i v mm, :'m
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"That'll be about all from
isn't comLig in, here now; I saw
her drive off before I knocked.
A-h-h! That's the stuff!" as the
girl poured the steaming coffee into
his cup. Again he laughed up ifito
her sober face. .Now you sit down
there, honey.- arfd talk to a feller,
will you? Tell me who you were
expecting fb see when you opened '
the door." '
She gave a. startled glance at
him, shrugged her shoulders again,
and dropped into the chair on the
other side of the table.
"Nobody," "she answered moodily.
"Oh, .come. on," bantered the man.
"I never saw a more expecting look
In anybody's eyes' in my life than
you had when you came to the door
there. Who were you expecting to
see?"-
She propped her chin on her
hands and stared out' of the win
dow. "Nobody; that is, not really
anybody."
The man threw back his . dark
head and laughed. ' '"Not really
anybody.' That's good. Go on and
tell me. Is he as good-looking as
his girl? If he Is"
She said nothing, but a tear .
slipped slowly down her cheek.
The man set his cup down sud
denly, splashing the coffee .on the
white oilcloth, and quick, gruff sym
pathy replaced the banter, of - his
tone.
"Why, what's the matter kid?
Don't cry. anyway; tell me about it
Instead; that'll do you a heap more
good than to cry. Go op. and tell
me."
, She dropped her head on her
folded arms and began to sob. The
man looked at her bearing shoul
ders with masculine alarm; he cast
one wild look out the window, then
he looked back at his ' unfinished
meal, and began to eat again,
watching her curiously. At last she
raised her head, and, wiping her
face on her sleere, she looked at
him with her wet gray eyes, whose
actual beauty struck him then like
a blow. He stared, open-mouthed;
then he reached an awkward hand
across the table to, pat her arm.
"Say. kid, it's a darned shame,
whatever it la. Did you expect to
see your steady there and ; then
opened hat door to nothing but a
hobo? Was a blow, wasn't It? ,
Dont know as I blame you for
turning on the waterworks. I dont
suppose he's a hobo?" . .
8he shook her head, elltne: light
coming back o her -'eras at1 the
friendliness of his tone. VNo, he
he oh!" y She ' mg her bands
toward him, palms out wUh a des
perate gesture. "Oh.,.rm through!
Through lying to myself or to any
body else any more;- he isn't any
thing at an there 'isnt any'he! I
haren't any steady or anything! I
I Just make beliere about shim;
that's alL And this time I'd been
m w &:-"-. ti hi" i - 111 I 1 1 II In .
s ijuuuuiix j ' i v
you," he cried, springing directlyin front of the angry woman.
a blamed sight mere."
thinking about him so long when
you knocked that it seemed as
though it must be him."
"Oh, so that's It, is it?" said the
man, his Hps twitching a little.
She nodded her lowered head
eh$ly. "Did did you ever want
anything so hard that It seemed
as though the very hardness of your
wanting It must make it come?"
He shook his head as he drew
the plate pf pie toward him, "Guess
not. Just that way. If I want any
thing I Just go after it and get It,
that's all. This Is new dope to me.
What do you mean?"
"Why why. I heard a lady say
once that If you wanted anything
hard enough and was willing to
wait long enough it Just had to
come some time. She said you had
to pay for it, of course; everything
had its price, and the thing you
wanted most of all was likely to
hare the highest price, and it
wasnt always worth the price,
but" .
"That's true as preaching, kid,"
muttered the man, sobered. "So it
was a steady you wanted most of
all, was It?"
"Most of anything In the world,
you mean?"
He nodded, absently. She shook
her head, clasping her little rough
hands in front of her and raising
her big eyes to his.
"Oh no. The thing I wanted
most of all couldn't come true, so
I stopped thinking about that, and
the thing I wanted next couldn't,
either, I guess. But what I wanted
most of anything in the world was
was oh, gee! I wish I was
you!"
The man gasped, a piece of pie
poised on his fork in midair.
"Ho-holy smoke! M-me! Yon wish
you was me! Say, girl, you're
crazy; raving, raring crazy! Me!"
He wared the pie helplessly. "Why.
cant you see that I'm nothing but
a bum? Just an ex-soldier bum
ming for fun?"
. "An ex-soldier?" she whispered.
"Did you say an ex-soldler?"
"Whyweure," said, the man, puz
zled by her expression. "Why not?"
"Oh," she breathed, "I was hoping
he'd hare been a soldier, too. Did
you go orer and fight?"
"Burs, I went orer and got
wounded." Then, embarrassed by
her expression: "Say, don't look
like that; most everybody was a
soldier., What's the matter with
you anyway, kid?"
' She waa leaning orer the table,
. her bands clasped in front of her,
her big eyes fixed on his. "You
, you got wounded? Oh! And you're
all orer tt now! .And you can do
nythlng.you want to? Misa Rose
aid .the Gorernment was going to
-teach, the soldiers so they could
get wonderful Jobs and lota of
money. What are you going to
(C) l&o, latcrnsUonal
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He turned his eyes away from
hers and spoke shortly. "Nothing.
.1 could If I wanted to, I suppose,
but I don't want to; bumming is
good enough for me. I was a tramp
for five years -before I went into
the army, and you bet I'm glad to
get back to1t again. That's the
life, kid; that's the life. . The road
for me." He looked up at her from
under frowning brows. "I guess
you don't wish you was me any
more now, do you?"
She considered. "Yes, I. do; be
cause you're a man, and you could
do something If you wanted to; you
don't have to be a bum." A flash
of anger darkened the man's eyes,
but the girl went on. "You're a
man. Now, a girl like me isn't any
thing, and cant ever be anything
or do anything. Not even like other
girls. Why, all the other girls In
this town did a lot for the Red
Cross and the soldier boys and
everything. But I never did a thing.
I couldn't; and I never can do a
thing but nfb in somebody's kitch
en, thafs all. Just be somebody's
slave."
The man scowled in bewilder
ment. "Why, what's the matter
with you?"
Her head drooped still lower.
"Why, I don't know who I am; no
body knows, nor ever will. I never
had any famiily or anything; they
picked me up on somebody's door
step and put me in an asylum.
"Mrs. Harrfs here took me when I
was twelve, years old to work till I
was eighteen-! that's to-morrow. Ill
be free then, I auppose, but I cant be
anybody even then no one wants
a charity girl round. But if I was
a man, now," a little smile edged
her lips, "It wouldn't make a bit of
difference who I was or. whether I
had any folks or not. I. could hare
been & soldier, too, and fought, and
got a nice Job and been as good as
the next person, But," the tears
began to come again and she wiped
them away with her sleeve, "It
lsnt fair, that's all; it isnt fair!
Now you could be anything you
wanted to; you're a man and your
own boss, and you could get a
Job"
The man raised his face, sud
denly grown i sullen and hard. "I
suppose you're going to. tell me that
I haven't any right to be a bum
and all-the rest of it" he growled.
"Well, Jet me tell you right .here,
young lady. It Isn't any of your
business what I am or what I do,
and"- h
She put up a weary band. "Don't!
Who do you think I. am talking
bout, anyway? I wasn't going to
tell you anything. Tm talking about
myself and what I'd do. I'm sot
blaming you any."
"You're not? Why, I thought
you r-
Feature Service. Xna.
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"Moral! I guess Annie's
"Course not. What business
would I hare blaming you? I don't
know you. I'd have to know you
first, wouldn't I? And then, maybe
I'd blame you and maybe I wouldn't.
Some folks are awful strong on
blaming other folks; I'm not."
The man laughed harshly. "You
bet some folks are, kid."
"Well, they've no business to be,
unless they know. I was made the
way I am, and you were made the
way you are, and I don't see that
either of us Is to blame. And may
be we aren't to blame for tha way
we feel and the things we do; I
don't know. :-What I meant was,
it isn't fair for you to have a
Chance and not want it that I'd"
give my head for. That Isn't fair,
I say." She banged a hard little
fist down on the table. "It Isn't
anything to me that you dont want .
it that's your business. Maybe I
wouldn't If I was you, but I'm not.
I'm me, and I do. And I can't have
it. And it isn't fair; it Isn't; it
isn't. Is it. now?"
The man was through eating at
last and sat with his head bent.
"No." he said slowly. "I don't know
as it is, when you put It that way.
I never thought of It Just like that
"before. How did you happen to
think? of .all those things 7"
"Oh, I don't know; I never have
anybody to talk to, and so 1 Just
think a lot. And what I was think
ing before you came washat If I
had a fettow to help to do things
it would be the next thing to being
a man and doing 'em myself. I
heard Miss Rose reading a letter
from her beau the other night, and
he said when things was going aw
ful hard It was Just thinking of her
that kept him bucked up and doipg
the best he could. x
"So I wa thinking that if I had
a beau, maybe he'd be a soldier boy
back from Prance, and maybe he'd
have lost an arm or something, and
when he, was studying to learn his
new trade it would be awful hard,
and he'd get blue and discouraged,
maybe, and then 1 could help him
a lot and cheer him tp and keep
him going. And I'd decided that
perhaps that would be almost bet
ter than' if I was a man myself, be
cause I would be helping two peo
ple, don't you see, Instead of Just
myself.
s "And then oh, It's awful silly, 1
suppose but I'd been wishing it so
hard and so long, that when you
knocked on that door I sort of felt
that I'd open it and see him stand
ing there. Like that woman said.
And I thought no matter what the
price was I'd be willing to pay it;
it couldn't be harder than hut it's
no use! I can't ever help any
body." She gave a bitter little
laugh, as she flung out her arms
with the rolled-up sleeves and sur
reyed herself grimly. "What's the
Cheat Britala KixBtt Scaerrad.
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as moral as you are and
use? No one, unless he was cra'-y,
would ever look at me twice."
The man stirred uncomfortably;
then, looking her orer critically, he
spoke in a gruff voice. "Sure they
would! Somebody will get stuck
on those big. eyes of yours some
time, girl, and then you'll have your
chance to help a fellow make' good."
She leaned orer the table, her
eyes softening and filling with
light, her fingers twisting ner
vously. ,
"Do do you really think eo?
Honest? You-you aren't kidding
me, are you?"
The man moved again, uneasily,
and dropped his eyes.
"Oh, sure sure," he muttered.
"I'm not kidding you." Then, In a
lower tone: "I don't suppose your
steady could be just a hobo, could
he?"
"Oh, no." said the girl. -No, he
wouldn't want to be nothing but that,
with all the chances there are to
do big things." She looked out of
the window, thinking. Then, she
gave herself a little shake and
laughed qneerly. "What's the use,
anyway? I'm crazy. Just as you
said. I'm nothing but a little scrub
and I've got to stay in somebody's
kltqhen all my life; there's no
other way. Mrs. Harris says shell
keep me and pay me wages now
I'm eighteen; she says I'm not
much good, but she's used to me.
and she'd rather put up with me
than to break in a new maid. So
I guess I'll stay here. It doesn't
matter much, anyway, because I'm
pothing and never can be any
thing. "But, all the same, it Isn't fair,
and it's a lie what that woman
said about wishing for something
so hard you got it." Her voice was
terce with tears Just behind. "It
isn't true, and I'm nerer going to
try It again ever. What's the use,
anyway r She managed a broken
little laugh and turned bravely to
the man, who was still sitting with
downcast head. 1
"Say, Tve been talking an this
time about myself;. now you talk
to me fer awhile. Tell me what
you're done. You're seen a lot,
tramping, haren't you? And you're
been in France. Pre nerer been
anywhere or seen anything in my
life, and you're been everywhere,
I suppose. Tell me about It."
The man raised his head slowly;
then, as 'he realized what she was
asking, he smiled happily.
"Gee, kid, I sure have been every
where. I'd been bumming for lire
years before I went over, and. I tell
you. It's the life. Of course, some
times you get hungry you don't
always meet a little queen like you
to give you handouts, you know
and sometimes you get lonesome;
but you're free. There isn't any
one to boss you; you're got tha
whole wide world before you: du
there's nothing like It, kid, nothing
like it Why, once" -
-A long time they aat at the oilcloth-covered
table, the girl rapt
and silent, as the man, laughing,
gesticulating, led her over the open
road through the Canadian forests,
the. rose gardens of California, the
barren plains of Arizona, the Jungle
swamps of Florida and the rocky
coasts of Maine. And always his
eyes clung to the black-fringed eyes
o' dreams before him.
The sun dropped lower and lower,
the shadows of the tall trees at the
edge of the drive lengthened until
they fell across the table where
the man and girl sat, but neither
noticed until the purr of a motor
outside snapped the girl to her feet.
She stared at him for an Instant,
horror-struck.
"Oh!" she gasped. "Mrs. Harris!
She's back! She she'll kill me for
feeding you she hates tramps
worse than poison she says they
all ought to be shot. She'll fire me
out In the street and she won't
give me any character nobody'U
ever hire me again, never. Oh!
Whatll I do? What'll I do? You
go; quick, quick!"
The man leaped to his feet, but
the girl caught his arm. "Hejre!
Don't go that way; sometimes She
takes a notion to come In the
kitchen door. Here, down cellar,
quick!" i
It was too late. The door was
already opening and Mrs. Harris's
portly form stood on the thresh
hold. For an Instant she stood sur
veying the stage and the actors
the table with its remnants of food,
the cowering girl and the roughly
dressed man. Her thin lips set
themselves In a straight line; her
cold gray eyes bored Into the fright
ened ones raised so pleadingly to
her. She took a deep breath and
spoked
"So this is he way you obey my
orders when I am away! How
many times have I told you, Annie,
never to feed a tramp?" Her con
temptuous eyes rested for a mo
ment on the man. then shifted to
the half-open cellar door. "But
why, pray tell me, were you trying
to hide him in the cellar?" There
was no answer from the trembling
child. "Perhaps this this gentle
man Is, an old friend of yours?
Why, of'course, you probably have
an understanding with him to come
to you whenever you are alone in
the house." The man clenched his
fists involuntarily, but the girl
made him an imploring gesture.
"Very clever of. you, my dear, very
clever a little too clever though
for a servant of mine. And I must
inform my friends, too, of your
cleverness, lest they be taken in
as I was. I ought to have known
It in the first place, only the kind
ness of my heart misled, me. What
else could I expect of a foundling,
a creature of your moral"
There was a little moan from the
girl, and the man, shaking off her
warning grasp, sprang with one
cat-like leap directly in front of the
angry woman. His features were
working with rage; his bands wre
tightly clenched; Us eyes were
mere slits in his dark face.
"That'll be about all from you."
His voice was low and shaking.
"Moral! I guess Annie's as moral
as you are, and a blamed sight
more. I'm no tramp; my name's
Joe Getchell, frofh down through
the woods. I didn't have the price
of a ticket and so I walked; that's
all. I'm Just! discharged from the
army and I'm not working yet; I
had tx see my see Annie here
about what she thought I'd better
do. The Government's going to
to send' me to school . awhile and
then get me a new Job, and and
then, we we was going to get
married, as soon as she was
through In this dump and I was
working.
"So if you want to kick this poor
kid out in the street without Any
chance to get another place, why,
go to it It don't make any differ
ence to us. I guess, the way things
are working out now, we won't wait
for any Jobs; well get married as
soon as I can get a license. That
Is, If ir he stopped, holding
his breath In an axony of listening.
Then a voice lilted to his ears,
a voice he hardly recognized, a
voice so full of Joy that It made his
heart ache.
"Yesm," it MA, "I was hoping
: Joe'd get discharged so he could
' get here by my last day, and I
hope'd It so hard It seemed as
though I almost knew he was com
ing to-day. I guess you do get
what you want If you only hope
hard enough and aren't in too much
of a hurry, like the woman said. I
don't know about the price, and I
don't care; I'm willing to pay It"
The man whirled abruptly and
caught the girl in his arms, while
Mrs. Harris stood shocked, for one
In her life. Into speechlessness.
"Price, kid! There's no more
price for you to pay; you've been
paying it all your life. Now you're
going to get some of the things
you've been paying for, with inter
est, too. It Joe Getchell can give
'em to you. Get that, honey?"
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