Show f I r rf Mack f 1 WHY my my d dear ar sir he said Ive I've Iveno Iveno no work for you to do But and he placed his long skinny hand confidentially confidentially confidentially on my shoulder I I know what I Ican Ican Ican can can do for you He slowly put his hand into the pocket pocket poc poc- ket ket- of his trousers let it rest there for an instant then took it it- out empty He did not seem to be surprised Wait just justa a a minute my friend he said calmly and looking steadily into m my my eyes then disappeared into the barroom bar barroom room from whence he had issued a few minutes before I I 1 saw saw him hinl confer With the b tender bar who presently produced a silver coin which my new acquaintance acquaint acquaint- ance took and slowly came out again A dollar he said Im Im I'm sorry that's all u- u a ahem lCm the a a change I have and pressed the coin into my myr r f hand No you yoa dont don't I said I ask for work He looked you somewhat somewhat some some- what surprised as I said this and slipped the coin into his pocket Well my de dear r. r sir sir sir-he he he seemed fond of that manner of address address- heres here's heresa a a letter I want mailed and heres here's your your pay again pressing the coin into my L hand 1 1 I. I 11 1 1 I was was s in in a strange nget t town town wash ry and had no money Here was a chance chanc to appease my appetite I was about bout boutto to give him back the back the coin coin but there was wass was s such ch an anxious anxious' look on his face which seemed to indicate he feared I 1 would refuse th the money that I slipped it into my pocket and with ith a Thank you you I started for the post He stopped topped me Say when can n I- Iy y you nie meet t me at the f I t tAt Gr Grant nt Hotel I t tAt At A t any time I I. I said t 1 I j 1 All right One hO hour r from rom pw He took from his pocket an an old gold watch and silently held it up so that I could see the tim time He carefully returned returned re re- turne turned it t to his is pocket and went e t down the street I 1 stopped long enough to t to note his appearance He was really a atall atall atall tall man but his is shoulders were so bent over that he did not appear to be tall His figure was a slight o one e and his clothes fitted him loosely t E Evidently he had been ill and lately too I met him at the appointed place and soon an intimate friendship grew up between us Through his endeavors endeavor I obtained a f fairly good position on the staff of a dail daily paper I was never able to find out out very much I about Macks Mack's business I. I 1 I His acqua acquaintances did not know mull much about him He told me he was a atheL the theatrical man and no doubt he was or or had been for he received mail e every everyday every everyday ery day from theatrical sources I hardly ever saw him in the night night- time nighttime time but often went to his room at odd tim times s during the day and talked with h him m. m He would tell me stories stories' stories stories-of of the stage and of his many theatrical ventures At one time he fairly buried himself so soto soto so soto to speak speak- in his conversation He sprang up and andre recited long speeches from man mans mans' of of f Shakespeare's plays accompanying p his liis de delivery ivery with appropriate a acting fing I I 1 was vas was sure siire sure that he h had d at at one one time been een an n actor Presently he sub sided sided v Ah Ah Willy he said those days ar are past and relapsed into a reverie from from which he hardly awoke duri during g the whole evening His room was not a very elegant one but he seemed to think it was otherwise for he often referred to it as his his suite I thought he was somewhat insane for forI I could not see how i it t could be II so called unless the sleeping apartment separated from the rest of the room by bya a dirty curtain could be called a room One thing he vigorously opposed the opposed the gambl gambling ng dens Hardly an evening I passed in n his company but that he occupied occupied occupied oc oc- a half hour of time in in- expostulating expostulating expostulating lating against the evils of gambling Lat Later r I saw why it was Well Willy he began one afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon as usual Ive I've caught a very bad cold and my throat is sore It I asked him how it had happened Oh only a natural consequence of this rough weather I suppose By the time I took my leave his throat had become much worse and I proposed to send a doctor to see him b but t he would not listen to it I did not see him during the two days following On the third day I I. I met one of h his is acquaintances acquaintances acquaintances ac ac- who informed me e that Mack was very ill with lung fever I hastened to his room He was asleep when I entered but the nurse told me his actual condition and it was quite as bad as I had been told it was I volunteered volunteered volunteered vol vol- to stay with him that night and th the nurse went to her home to get rest About nine o'clock someone knocked on the door and I opened it to toa a man very poorly dressed and hungry looking Does Mr McElvey live here Yes I said He went on I Heres Here's a pair of shoes he g gave gave ve veme me meI mea I a a week ag ago You see I was wa nearly b barefooted barefooted bare bare- re- re footed and nd tackled tackled him for for money enough to get get a pair of shoes B He e said he had an old pair hed he'd give me so J I I went here to his room oom with him and h he hei i gave me these shoes A few days ago ago I was up town and saw him walking down the damp sidewalk with nothing on his feet but a pair of rubbers Well that was too much for me So I rustled another pair of shoes and brought these back to him Tell him Im I'm much obliged to him and nd hope he didn't come cometo cometo cometo to an any harm on my account He went away So Mack good kindhearted kindhearted kindhearted kind- kind hearted Mack had through his kindness kindness kindness kind kind- ness probably ruined his health which was poor anyway and perhaps brought about his death That showed me the thereal thereal thereal real true heart of my friend and then and there I went down on my knees and silently prayed that his life might be spared A few days later something startling occurred The police station tation was on my route I had to go there each day and get an account of police court pro pro- On this particular day a large number of gamblers were to be tried They had been arrested the night before and I went to court in the interest of my paper Several cases were disposed of The Fhe clerk at last called out Thomas McElvey I supposed supposed supposed sup sup- posed it a mere coincidence of names but my surprise was great indeed when my friend Mack stepped up to the bar The wild look in his eye told me the toe whole story He was delirious and as asI asI asI I immediately supposed had es escaped aped from his nurse and made his way to the gambling table just in time to be arrested arrested arrested ar ar- rested with the other gamblers I took him back to his room and it was a struggle for life with him for many days But it seems that God deemed it wise to sp spare re my y friend and it was a happy day for me when we took our first walk together after his sick sick- n ness ss t It It was spring and the tolling of the church bells seemed to make the time of our walk sacred We strolled int inta into a a church in n time to hear the choir render render render ren- ren der the last hymn of the service How beautiful it all seemed l I 1 I felt as if a adream adream adream dream had suddenly overtaken me The singers seemed inspired My heart was filled with love and anci my soul went out outto outto to fo meet God The music ceased To Tome me it seemed as if the room were full of melody From the pulpit came the words Kneel my child children en that I may bless you to I knelt and to my surprise Mack knelt beside me Amen Amen We arose and pa sed out For a block or two we were both silent Then my friend said Well Willy I have been a gambler for many years That accounts for my my mys my's s sudden action during my illness And you yu can now easily see why I have al always always al- al ways condemned gambling I was a slave to it no it-no no I will not say that but butwill butwill butwill will say that my will power was too weak to resist But now I am free to We looked into each others other's ey eyes s. s I stretched out my hand and he eagerly clasped it within his own From that time ime we fully understood each other and became true friends Shady Stringer |