Show EVENING TELEGRAMS TELEGRAM'S pAIL DAILY SHORT STORY EARLY IN MORNING I By DOROTHY DOUGLAS Copyright 1 Im 14 br the McClure ew-e. ew paper Syndicate Joshua P Perkins became e suddenly enly poa possessed Me l of ot a great d desire lre for a a. eight Ight of or his two Tn grandchildren ren to lo say nothing of ot his longing for a glimpse of ot city life Ute For two long Ions years he had scarcely strayed from th the tiny cottage e on en Long LOOK Island with ltd It It neatly kept flower newer gar nr- dens dena its iti chickens chicken and sod Its Us cats It had been the latter animals hIs animals his two great house cats cats that that had liszt precipitated i his Ws acquaintance with his neighbors the beloved vagabond of ot the cat world had wandered through the I fence and into the fair faJr Once there he seemed loath to leave Joshua Perkins did not blame the tho cat for lingering under the hands hands' or Kathleen M OConner It If I 1 were fifty years yearn younger It would not be that cat th that at would be getting getting get get- ting ting- fondled he reflected and watched the sunlight play pity on Kathleen's hair while she ahe worked among the riot dot of flowers lowers in her small man garden carden I. I I I won wonder er he IId said acid leaning over the fence and smiling his winning smile mUe di- di into the girls girl's laughing eyes whether you Ou would feed my ray chickens and s-nd tats while I t I take lake a short run in to Broadway Kathleen smiled mile banteringly y Is It the tango t s a or the children that tbt you are wanting to see se But But lu surely ly I will be glad to look lok after th the t. t live lve lk and ad even eve water the flowers fowe for you as a long a u as you want to stay tt So Be it I happened that that Kathleen Kathlen was u leftin left leftIn let letIn In charge not only of her hor own ow small email smal property but but also so that of ot her neighbor It I was w quite as u easy esy to t feed fee two broods broos of chickens as I it I was wl one and certainly the the two cats ct had ata always given her much of their purring purIng society ven The flowers flower nhe he reflected with a tender smile at Joshua JoshU Perkins Perkins' old fashioned fash fuh- toned lone hollyhocks and sunflowers will wiil U take more time but I love every eer one lone or them thom She drew dreW a long breath breth of de de light She e would not nOl have exchanged her tiny tins domain among the green fl fields lc for fox foxa a a. tn castle cast In the amon city ct I reen hope bope Mr Mm Perkins PerkIn enjoys enjo the city II Kathleen J attended ety er her gardening I whether sun or rain offered otere itself in the way ay of weather ran On sunny da days days' s a a. largo large lae sunbonnet of ot pink or blue shaded her deep blue eY eyes and ad when mud and andrin andrain rain rin entered Into the days dare days work she one wore wor masculine coat and great top boots boot a a slouch hat One On might mIght If passing Grove Cot Cottage e ona ona on ona a a pouring wet da day and ad some ono one in lathe the Er carden en taken some ome onn to b ba a a- 8 boy by r eo so straight ht and bOY Th boyish was the th the slim figure lm Kathleen Kathleen rather enjo enjoyed ed the extra charge she had assumed aume in the care ather of at Cre her neighbors neighbor's chickens Anything Inthe Inthe in inthe the manner of ot change chanc wa was a relief It It had always been moro more mor or less leu lonely when nays her brother was in the cH city all al day ay and now th that t Joshua Joshu Perkins too was gone gont Kathleen felt decidedly isolated When a 8 few fet days bad hod bl passed by she ebe had worn quits quite a path path over to Joshu Joshua Joshuae chicken run to so often oten did cUd she otis KO go over o to Inspect and feed th the feathered h pets peU i doubt if Joshua Joshua ever eVe kills a single chicken she he mused muse as she returned through the fence followed b by the two cats Kathleen shivered ere ehl and looked at the sky There were dampness dampness and fog in inthe inthe the sy atm She took took both cats inside with wih her ber to I sleep beside the open fire Early EMly the next morning Kathleen was U awakened by the mournful sound of ot othe the he fog horn hor It I was still sti dark outside e. e ana anc anaa anca a a heavy hea blanket of or fo fog hid even her neighbors neighbor's house hOUle from her her She sprang out of b bed and hut her windows window The Th thought of ot the poor cold chickens outside prompted her er to Ilp quietly downstairs do and put on a a great t pan or of mush to heat a After ter that Ge she got t into her top boots boot and long coat an and went wen quietly out to t the hen ben runs It I might have been midnight so o dark dak wa was right the morning morIng and arid Kathleen had togo to tog togo g go cautiously out with her bowl f hot meal mel She realized how grateful would woud bo be tho those o Ihl shivering chickens and and her heart hear was W light From Fm tho the upper window of Joshua Perkins Perkins' cottage a young man peered out through the fog He was wa city bred and the mournful horn had ba awa awakened ned him Also the tho weird silence of the country had Aso disturbed his dream dreams and now he imagined he could discern a a figure fre slipping slip lp- lp ping stealthily awa away from the chicken run at t the foot fool of or the garden It will wI do no harm to pop off this gun I he muttered arid and ad fired tire Joshua's shotgun in the tho direction of ot the tIie te marauder The cocks set let UP upa a deafening noise the stealthy Te figure crumpled crumple ua up and seemed to drop to the ground grund and somewhere Inthe Inthe in inthe the neighborhood a great geat dog dol barked barke All the joys of ot the country muttered the Al young man getting swiftly Into his hla hil clothes thee Now Ive I've Ive got to go go down through c this tbs ghastly fog fOl and se Be whether Ive I've peppered red that chicken thief f to the tho extent extent ex ex- tent of or getting myself flung ilung ng Into Jail Next Urea time I come to the country countr- for a little quiet quiet I I wont Muttering and grumbling he made his way through h tho mysteries of at tho the fog Cog hun hung morning Unfamiliar with the paths paths It t tok took him some time to find the thc low chicken houses house and arid thero there Just b by the small email smal door he found roun the huddled figure of tho the in in Stooping down on h h hf Tf r T d Into tim th fac fat tars t tI I then lifted Kathleen n in th his arms ar Fortunately Per For Fr- Fr her lantern had hd gone out when rone she sha fell fel and was wa lying harmlessly Sh at her side The great eat coat was so 10 great that It was not until a soft eon silky braid brid swept across his his' h hand that wood El-wood realized that ho he had fired upon a woman rs Great Scott Scotti SCtt I And she's fainted I Iam Iama am a alone alono ona in this thin damp world with an unconscious UnconscIous un un- Un- Un conscious woman woman girl he supplemented upon gazing down into Lute the almost childlike child childlike like faco face of ot I Kathleen He no was not aware that he had ha spoken aloud How dare daro you jou ou lire fire ra that horrid gun un at atme atme atme me demanded tho the girl so eo suddenly as to startle statte Crt Curtiss Into Ino releasing his hold on herI herr her I r I took you ou for a n chicken thief thiet h he apologized swiftly the tho while he began to appreciate the fog and the country and anc his hI Uncle Joshua I I am so eo sorry lorr to have startled you ou I hope hopa no damage damge has hal been done None Nona whatever said cald Kathleen If there is one thing thing I do like better beter than another i it r is to be taken for a a. a chicken thief and scared out of ot m my wits at 6 5 I o'clock on a foggy morning i tOKa Curtiss laughed aloud A second later laer he Jumped Something soft and ad sleek was as rubbing against his legs the beloved Deloyed vagabond of ot the cat ct world had wandered out in pursuit of or Kathleen an and his mate had followed e A huge St St. Bernard dog was t u looming up through the the fog and Just jut behind him came Kathleen's Kath leens leen's brother I I e say sis als what hal In the world are you up to at this unearthly hour And nd who's wh's shooting off orf that gun gun around here Welt Well Wel He had found the curious group of animals his sister Ilster and anda a strange man manHave Have you all an lost your our minds or or Is Js this an early morning for fog party This man mn shot allot at me when I was wa feeding Joshua's l ch chickens some hot mel meal explained Kathleen Katheen with wih a I laugh lauh struggling gllnn gling with her anger wih It is this way said sid Crl Curtiss I I came do down n herc helo heTe at my uncles uncle's unes suggestion on for fora a few weeks of the country countr I J am awakened awakened awakened awak awak- ened in what I suppose to be the te middle of the night b by sounds that make one think of of burglars and naturally upon seeing a stealthy figure stealing a away way from the chicken house I tire the bloomIng blooming blooming bloom bloom- ing gun I cannot ten telli-ou telli ou how extremely extreme Borr sorry I am nm He Ue pl picked e up and be bexan an stroking the black fur tut Kathleen peered at him through h the fog and found him much to her liking Any An man who loved cats ca t was welcome to her friendship She had ala always somehow somehow some somehow how found such uch men likeable If u you are Intending to get SOt your own on breakfast she al said I 1 think you had better beter come over o and e havo It with wih my ray brother and and- me she smiled Tour our uncle left let me rue in charge of or the chickens and and ca cats I feel sure he would a appreciate te temy my mv over his nephew I 1 have always told tol sis eta she h he would betaken betaken be betAken taken Jave for forD a man man man-In In those togs laughed Kathleen's brother as a ahe he led the wa way back to Gr Grove Gre e cottage c cota Joshua Joshua Perkins lau laughed hed Joy ush he hehe when he received receive a n. letter leter from his nephew Who ho says 3 I am nm not a matchmaker the I wanted that eyed blue Kathleen In family and It I didn't take the boy long Ions either |