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Show 1 1 Detective Connor's Heart Adventures Det!I.lllt!!ji 1 : Bill Connor and Bonny Wiso were strolling along tho Bowery a I a late hour on a November evening. They scanned every face and glanced into doorway and alley as they sauntered down the wide thoroughfare. Earlier in the evening the vaptnln of the Sixth precinct hfui received re-ceived a yollow slip of paper from headquarters head-quarters in Mulberry street, calling for a general round-up of yegg gcntlomcn 'nnd Idle citizens of the crooked type. The crJer had gone to all tho precincts throughout the great town. Pomins of suspicious character were to bo gathered In nn unusual order one of those, unexpected unex-pected spasms of police activity that, for some unknown reason, occult or otherwise, other-wise, breaks the civic quiet of the metropolis me-tropolis at Irregular Intervals. I The Bowery was crowded with the people of tho night. The music halls and the theaters had poured a human stream into the moving throng upon tho slde-valks. slde-valks. Sailor men, soldiers and rural youths frolicked along tho curb with the girls and women of the street. Drunken Drunk-en men reeled Jn the gutters, and the ' Uttlo merchantmen of tho Bowery cried 'their wares under the bright lights of a thousand candles. At t he corner of Canal street. Benny "N ise crossed the avenue to continue southward in his search, leaving Connor Con-nor to plod alone along the west pavement pave-ment through the moving mass of strange peoples who seemed to promenade to Chatham square and back again. The crowd kept going, kept coming, never reaching anywhere an Idle, moving Ktrani. having neither souico nor destination. desti-nation. Detective Connor was Hearing Spring .street when he came across an old man. al the curb, shivering with tho cold and .holding out a. beseeching palm. The ihands of the aged beggar trembled and I there wore tears on his furrowed cheeks. His clothing hung In rags and ho plainly bore the stamp of dire poverty and want. There was a stoop in his back, a scar ,ou his chin and a cast In his left eye. lie was a very tall man. and angular. His free was iiiin nud wrinkled, and his nose a large, round crimson bulb was a cry striking one ami one to be long remembered. I "Get along now!" said Connor kindly, as he gave the old man a nod of recognition, recog-nition, "Duck for your roost, if you've got one. Uncle Bob I" "Do oldest bum on de Bow'ry," buckled the old man. as tin; detective stopped and touched his olbow. "Von seem to tie stuck on yourself. Bob. ' remarked Connor, rather amused, "and 1 don't know which you're so all-lircd all-lircd proud about, your old age. your booze, or the Bowery part of It." "Don't get insullln'. Cap," whined the old man. as his wrinkled passed affectionately affec-tionately over his crimson beak. "It w re de old Bow'ry J was t'inkln' of. Do nv new's gone to dor bad. Cap. Nothln left here but do mand-mc-down shops, on de hot-dog cats, en de gin-mills, en d gals, en de lobhygows. en do bums." lie rubbed the back of his hand over bis dry.foverlsh lips. "Sap1 Cap." and Ids eyes brightened at Hi" thought of days long gone. "There was class on de Bow'ry onot, when the old stages. wid der six ponies, went rat-tlin' rat-tlin' down to Chatham sou arc. en Jennie j.lnd uset to warble at de Bow'ry I'eater. en you got der mall at de Bow'ry post-offlce, post-offlce, en all de rich dubs from up de State uset to stop at de old "Westchester "Westches-ter House. Why. Cap. back in de 7.0's, v lien I was a young feller, things was swell down here, en Broadway wasn't ace high. "Goo, hut de gab makes me dry!" bo added, after a deep breath. "Be. yon goin" to blow mo to a bowl, Cap'.'" "Nothing doing in tho drink line," said Bill, who was moving slowly away. "Ton had better crawl In some place where it's warm. Bob. Hero's a quarter for you." "It's dc Inside as wauls warmin.'" chuckled Bob. as he seized tho coin. Then he caught Connor by the arm. "Von know, cap." ho whispered, "it was back In 'it- dat mo nig en dc angel child runs away from old Bo, on 1 never onw " "Come, cut It out. old man!" Interrupted Inter-rupted Connor In despair, raising his hands in protest. "You're all right. Bob. 'cepl when you gel to telling that old. bughouse yarn of yom-s. So long!" And tho big detective went his way. leaving Iho old.mtin on the ourb- A thousand times had Crazy Bob told his story to tho Bowery folk, lie forced the yarn .into the cars of every, one with whom he came in contact. Whether drunk or semi-sober, ho lost no chance to whimper of the woman and Iho angel child. And so we know why I bey learned to call him Crazy Bob this very old man. the oldest bum on the Bowery. There had been a woman and a child in the days of old Bob's youth. She was a very beautiful womtin and young, and tho child, too. was a pretty child. The story barkened back half a century, cen-tury, to the early sixties, when the Bowery wan in the height of Its repute re-pute and its glory when tho Flowery was the center of life and of gayoty. of romance, of women and of song. There had been a time whan liobert Harry loved the woman and the child, and. as the story went, an actor, man of tho Bowery an actor of tho" old school of tragedy and melodrama had carried them away the woman and the child and Boberl Barry was left alone to grieve after bis beloved ones. Drink became a solace and a. means of forgetting, and the man went down ami down, to the very bottom or the pit of misery. And then came the rags, and tho degradation, and the hunger, and the rest of It. Tonight Crazy Bob Barry, oldest of a thousand bums on the Bowery, "was still whimpering the story of the womam and the child telling of the early romance ro-mance to any one who would pause to listen. But no one believed, not even Bill Connor. To all who beard the story It was but a dream of fancy, the va-1 garies of a drink-crazed mind. At midnight the detective had reached the southern limits of his patrol, and then he faced about, retracing his steps to Hlcecker street. His night of vigilance vigi-lance had borne no fruit, and he was returning empty-handed. Not a crook bad hi' met in all his mile of search at least none that he knew. But across the street, on the eastern shore of the Bowery stream. Benny Wise had been served with better luck, and even now was at the station house making charges against a youthful yegg. In front of the Bowery bank a crowd had gathered, and tho approaching Connor Con-nor beard angry, discordant voices, and a swaying movement of arms and hands above the heads of the throng. Quickening Quicken-ing his steps he swept the avenue with his eyes, but not a policeman could be see. and alone he shouldered his big bulk into the very midst of tho riotous crowd. In the very heart of the throng a tall, old man; unkempt and wild-eyed, was waving his bands and uttering weird cries. Several men were crowding crowd-ing close and clinging to his shoulders. Connor elbowed near and recognized . his old acquaintance, Crazy Bob Barry. "Heeth broke up theth servithess," i whispered a short, stocky man. who wore a Salvation Army cap, and car- 1 Connor elbowed noar and recognized his old acquaintance, Crazy Bob Barry. riod a cornet tucked under bis arm. A nestling close to the comet player. t dumpy little woman of uncertain ago. "Right in the middle of the Lords holding a tambourine In her band, was prayer." added the woman, as Connor turned an ear to the complaining voice of the hort man. "Broke npth theth meeting. - and tried to take Slsther Ftanceth In hlth armn," continued the man -with the cornet, nodding nod-ding at Crazy Bob. and urging the detective de-tective to immediate action. "Stole- rne rag on de. angel child." murmured Crazy Bob. very soberly, but still fanning the air with his wrinkled hands. "Way back in tho '60s, Cap." Connor took tho old man's arm very gently and mado a move nr. if to lead him away. The crowd jeered. A pale-faced youth proffered advice to Connor: "Ah, pinch the bug, en send for de patrol. Put de nippers on hlrn. or he'll pull a gun en shoot." "Dc angol child," murmured the old num. "Cut II out. and come nlong. replied Bill gently. Ho led old Bob out or tho crowd, followed by the short man with the cornet, and Sister Frances and her tambourine. Crazy Bob was child-like, and obedient under the protecting arm of Big Bill, and he walked along by the side of i lie detective, very peaceably, shaking bis gray heud to and fro and muttering quietly- to himself. It was a picturesque group that a little, later faced the desk sergeant In the station sta-tion bouse the tall, gnunt tlgiiro of the old man In his rags, tho lisping cornet player in his official cap, Sister Frances with her black poke bonnet and the bright scarlet ribbon across her breast, the big detective, perspiring and good natured. the pale-faced youth., and a brace of Bowery stragglers. "We were in tho midst of prayer, your honor." Slpter Frnnivs was explaining to the desk sergeant, "and I had just said. 'Thy kingdom come," when this poor, deluded de-luded old brother broke In upon tho meeting and grabbed hold on me." "Thy kingdom come!" cried out the prisoner suddenly. "Mo angel child!" And he stared at Sister Frances wllh a strange look In his eyes. She drew back in alarm. "Disturbance of the peace'," wrote the desk sergeant on the blotter. "What Is your name and age'.'" he said to Crazy Bob. "Stole me. rag en dc angel child, way back In dc 'flUs, Cap!" whimpered the old man. Connor shook his arm. "Answer the question!" The old man straightened up and looked wildly about the- room. Then he spoke very slowly In short, jerky sentences. sen-tences. "Name'.' Hubert Barry, de oldest bum on de Bow'ry. Born J S IC, In Canal street. Ho stole inc rag en dc angel child way back In dc 'GOs. Cap." "Where do you live'.'" growled Ihc desk sergeant. "Thy kingdom come!" repeated the old man as If recalling the prayer. "I couldn't help It. Cap. so help me God. T couldn't, help It. It all come so natural like en her name was Frances, too. You sec, when mo rag was young en good, before de devil stole her from me. she taught de angel child the same prayer words en she had de sweetest, gentlest way of savin' 'Thy kingdom come.' Rn when T hears de army lass makln' de I prayer, it struck me quick right here." And the old man beat his wrinkled hand on his breast They were listening keenly now to the words" that fell from the lips of Crazy Bob. Kven the desk sergeant had lost a bit of his Impatience. There was something some-thing in the old man's voice, In his manner, man-ner, that touched a chord of human sympathy. sym-pathy. "Kn I makes a grab for de army lassie," went on the old man. "I wants to get her in my arms for sumt'lng here seem to tell me she's a part of me en you know It was way back In de '60s. Cap. that he stole mc rag en de angel child en her name was Frances, too." 5 Ho turned and pointed a iiw Ilngor at tho little woman inJw bonnet, who was trembling vllw "De lady's name Frances vTt mother's name, lady' F0r CilB do namo quick!" ho gasped wfl There was an ImpresulWB eameatnofi3 to the. scene, und'aS ment tho desk sergeant and MS lost note of time, and place 'UjS A drama was being playcdftff little stage a. romantic drarifci dead and burled past alnioistflfi It seemed to that small group ojf "De name pf your mother. IaijS gasped tho old man. iS The woman in tho rokc U?V grown white, and a fainting 0 conic upon her. sho IcanlS the railing for support. Audi'? fortified, she looked up Into tW eyes of Crazy Bob. and, as if$f an old man's whim, she said I33 "ostBaTry vas "' mother'?! Kn she Is where?" asked tllff very gently and with a note otM "Dead for over twenty ycariP Uie little woman. Swl "En where is " Sfj A frown came upon Bob BalS and he hesitated. Ho w.ib aboufS a narno that had not passed tfii nearly fifty years. ifi? The woman seemed In utidcraflj "Dead!" she said quietly. "Mv my mother died!" -F Then the tears camo and sir; ees began to sob and covercuV with her hands. K The aged man took a step fowl spirit of youth crept into hialV The wild expression of thou! passed away like tho mists 'oil' years, and a look of quiet tJ across his face, as If cmcrM" some Kec.ro t hiding place. IIo-Taji crly arm around the shoulder.ffii bing woman, "Me angel child," he nnirmuirV-"I nnirmuirV-"I knew It was your mother'' was sayin' 'Thy Kingdom ConiS dyin' to take you In me arms-lt been so long so long nearly iy mo child way back in do 'SO'SjA She raised her eyes and I f. him. su "My poor old dad." she said,)! know my father I was so lltl' and life has been very long anqi me. but, praise Cod, there ore? 1 have, and tho things to eataf for you." Detective Bill Connor was lejj the desk, talking in whispers d gcant. & "Better cross it off the blottea! saying. :'drop tho whole thlng "Sure!" ngrccd the sergcanta forget it, Bill." And to the III in front of the railing he saldl y- ft? "Well, you folk3 can go hi room Is awful hot, and the frei do you good." fa Bill Connor followed them to Tho old man and the small worn poke bonnet were walking hanf like little children, with the llsl or of tho comet at their henlsAj "God night, Bob," cried cheerily. jl "Good-oyc, Cap.' replied the'J shaking with emotion "Mo angj way back In de '60's. Cap!" ,jjjw "God bless you, sir." salri.Sisii ccs, as the big door closed behind "And now what do yon thlnklt grunted the desk sergcaiit, HI pipe. Bill Connor dropped Into a c clasped his hands back ofthls he "Well." he replied thought! guess Crazy Bob wasn't so m bug as wo thought ho was. , 7i can tell, Sarge; wo are all more or less." |