Show 1 I recognized A PATCH I 1 by JACOB LOWENBURG Is there any interesting incident in his life that the public would en joy reading about the reporter turned to mr air johnson the friend oil og the great singer whose concert they had just come from why yes mr air johnson smiled at the memory it happened about seven years ago and was the beginning ot ol 01 alfred hendricks career may I 1 have ita the reporter took out his pad and pencil ready to take bis his notes it was late afternoon and I 1 wag was coming from the ferryboat with mrs johnson then my fiance as we stepped into the street she dropped her umbrella I 1 stooped to pick it up and a small box containing the en ga gement ring I 1 had just purchased for her dropped out there were a lot of 0 newsboys gathered about one grabbed the box before I 1 could get it and disappeared into the crowd I 1 in stantie darted after him and mrs johnon after me we ran through twenty third street to the elevated station he ran up on one e side and down the other I 1 con tinning after him he was a better runner than I 1 so in a short time he managed to lose me mrs johnsoa johnsom had grown tired and taken the car to ray my mothers so I 1 at once telephoned to the police pollee then went home gee what luck to lose such a ring the reporter spoke we put several detectives on the case but there was little they could do outside of watching the various newsboys at the ferry that evening my mother was not N well ell so my fiance sat with her and father and I 1 went to the theater it was amateur night they had the usual bill followed by the amateurs most of them N R ere impossible about the tenth on the bill was as a little fellow who nho looked about ten years old he was a nervous e chap a and very shabby he worried t through the first verse of a popular song on some 0 e thing in the song or per perhaps a s it was as the boy pleased the howlin howling mob 0 for chef the actually let him eing sing the chorus not not once but fully a dozen times his voice was beautiful the most vibrant sympathetic boy s voice I 1 have ever heard well its wonderful now the reporter smiled knowingly As he left the stage sir mr johnson resumed something familiar caught my eye a patch on the seat of hia his trousers I 1 had chased that same patch from the ferry to ninth avenue that afternoon the patch was black and white check and the trousers gray I 1 whispered a word to my father and together we left the theater er hurried to the police station and I 1 went to the stage door found the man ager and told him the story the boy was waiting with the crowd for his prize he received it then mr air emery the manager brought him to me johnny he said did you ever see this gentleman before no sir the boy replied promptly but I 1 was sure about the patch so I 1 simply accused urn lim at once for a minute he seemed terribly frightened then he looked me in the eye and said I 1 didn dian t take your ring sir and his lip trembled slightly but my boy I 1 think I 1 said it kindly I 1 recognize the patch on your trousers tio users oh sir he smiled these ain aln t my pants I 1 didn dian t have any so good so he lent them to me the boy next door did hes he a sick tonight 1 I laughed at the boy but the clue N was as too good to lose so I 1 offered him a large reward it if he would take me to his friend will you put him himan jn jail be he ak ed and it was not until I 1 had given him my word not to punish his friend it if the ring was returned that he con scented to take me to hia his house he had worn the pants and he could not be unfaithful to the one who had been kind to him did you recover the ring and what became of the thief the reporter had been busily writing we sent the guilty one to a farm chere a he was cared for and mrs johnson received the ring in due time and little Hendricks 9 we looked up his family records and finding he was quite alone we adopted him and not once in the seven years have we ve regretted it that was a lucky patch for him As the reporter spoke hendricks join ed them you are correct he said to the re porter that was a patch worth hav ing and it Is now almost my most valued possession outside of my tears came into his eyes foster fath er and mother |