OCR Text |
Show p-ijLii u,.u.'-mhwm.i 1 mil IHl'lli". I TONE'S: FRIEND I By JACK LAWTON. John Burrows brought his automobile automo-bile to a standstill, before the last cottage of the dingy factory street. Antonio Mangella, the disturbing element ele-ment of the great Industrial plant, had font a few days ago reached the zenith - of his crimes, by flinging In a rage, his .little son down a narrow stairway. The, senior member of the factory ' firm, now sent its Junior member to investigate. The errand was distasteful distaste-ful to John Burrows, and he knew that his influence here, would be as Impo-.tent Impo-.tent as It was against the evil power of the man. at the works. Small Tonie hailed his visitor from his cot stretched before the window. "Are you my futher's rich boss?" he demanded defiantly. That depends" John Burrows answered an-swered In his quizzical way, "sometimes "some-times I think it Is your father who Is ray boss. How are the bruises J" Tonle made a grimace. 'Hurts every time I move," he said, "An' the visiting nurse has me all plastered plas-tered up. too. She." Tonie's tone was contemptuous., "don't help much, but . when Angela comes, she tells stories an" plays picture games with me an I forget all, about It. Father likes Angela, too." the boy added triumphantly, trium-phantly, "lie told her that he was sorry he threw me down stairs." John Burrows remembered having heard that the dreaded Antonio's wife had died some time ago; this Angela might be, perhaps, a coming stepmother stepmoth-er for the boy; he was thinking over the possibility of gaining her influence to conquer the stubborn spirit of the man, who persistently sowed dissension among his fellows. So strong was his power, that to dismiss him would mean a loss of valuable followers. And as John Burrows considered, the door opened and a girl came swiftly Into the room. , "Angela," cried the boy, his thin arras outstretched. - - The tiead bent over Tonie's was as dusky as his own, and when the girl turned to look questlonlngly at Burrows, Bur-rows, her eyes were deep and dark. Admiration was la the gaze John Burrows gave her. Her face was like a glowing flower above the plainness of her dark blue dress. "You are Tonie's friend, I hear," he said. The girl nodded, as she drew some bright picture cards from a bundle and spread them out before the Invalid. Then, mechanically almost, but with a radiant smile at the boy, she began her game. "I," John Burrows told her, "am a member of the factory firm, and, I wonder If you can agree with Antonio In his grievance." "I do not," the girl answered briefly. brief-ly. "Then, I still wonder," he added and came close to look down into her face. "If you might not Influence him to our point of view. The man could be a power for good as well as for harm." "I can only Influence through kindness," kind-ness," answered the girl. T try." John Burrows rode away with a memory picture of her, rocking very gently, the maimed small Tonle In her arms. The picture haunted him strangely.- He found himself forced to return again to the dingy room. ' "Angela came every day to see him," Tonle told Burrows. "Sometimes she made good things and brought them for ' hi and big Tonie's supper. Big Tonie spread them out on the little table as she told him to, and sometimes, he even stayed awhile at evening, playing one of the picture games." John Burrows formed a habit of stopping in his car before his homeward home-ward ride each evening. He too, left surprises for small Tonle, an orange, maybe, or a new game to play. And if Angela was there, he carried her in the front seat beside him to the end of the street. Angela would not tell him where she lived. The mystery of her tormented him. The refinement of her manner so at variance with her rough friends of the court, and the simplicity of her dark dress with Its white collar, so differ-. differ-. ent from their gay clothing. When he left her at the end of the street, she always stood waiting with a parting wave of her hand, until he , was out of sight. And as the summer passed, the wild spirit of Antonio showed show-ed undoubted Improvement John Burrows reflected savagely that It would be preposterous for a creature like Antonio to win the hand of such a glorious woman. Then to John Burrows Bur-rows came the Illuminating discovery, that the unknown woman undoubtedly had won his own heart. And when he saw her again bending tenderly over the convalescent Tonle,' he found it impossible to withhold his secret. "I love you." said John Burrows. "I want you to be my wlfe." - And even as he spoke the words, the consternation which such , a union would cause among his friends, the disapproval of the senior member of his own firm, were as nothing compared com-pared to the suspense of Angela's silence. si-lence. Then her radiant smile flashed upon him. 'T also, love you," she answered simply. sim-ply. -"And I am going to say yes, because be-cause I believe that I may be a help to you. And now, when you drive me to the end of the road, will you stop tor a moment at my father's office. of-fice. I am Angela Wells. Father Is your senior partner. It was In visiting visit-ing him here that I became interested in Tonie, and the rest of my friends. (Copyright. .JijiwiWr Unlgn) |