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Show I HIS WEDDING SUIT B Staggers the Tramp Happoned B ' ) Along iit Right Time to Save B ; His Friend. B By FLORIiNCE LILLIAN HENDER- BB H "You n lit bo curoful, will you not, BB aitarV pleaded proUy Mrs. Alnslee, BB ilho bride of a year "If anything BBJ should happen to you BB "Hut nothing la going to happen to BHj inc. Iltllo chick," said bluff, happy BB ,11c li, her husband. "Now, don't go BB -worrying jourself to death and Ira- BBl .Aginlng all klniln of disasters If I'm BB . .not honra till midnight." BH' "Till midnight!" Mrs Alnsloo utter BBt .ed a posltlro scream of affright. BB, "Nearly tno o'clock In the morn- BB lng, I should say," corrected nob, BB. -coolly "&'o hero, you senslblo poL BB' Onco a jo.ir tiro managers at our es- H tabllshment meet Suggestions at to BB,' improving trado, getting acquainted, BB1 promotions awarded and I expoct HHHI' nnn mtnrl vnnnn.l rnnl irnexA Inllv BB fellow ship all around." BB "Oh, Dob!" gasped his anxious wife, BK "it's the roal, good, Jolly fellowship BR I'm afraid of. Suppose J Hl Hob stopped hor lips with a kiss BE and laughed heartily, BHl "None of tbo dark shadows, wlfeyl" BBj ha oried staunohly. "I bad my lesson BB years ago. Cold water for ma, every BB time." BM "Jut tnlnk thouh. ' ther should BB Umpt you, Oobl" persisted Mrs. Alns- BB lee. "A dark night, a lonely neigh- BB borfaood, miles away from home. Look BB at that man I hire to do our chores, Hj and think what temptation boa kakakaw t awial ftlm ' BB "Eh! ob, yes," responded Dob, BB ,. glancing past tbo porch at a man pit- Hi ing up kindling wood In tho back Hi' I yard. "Your protege, ha looks fairly BB ' comfortable, for all those temptations 1 jon tell about." "Just now, maybo, but he was a wreck, and I reformed him Ho looks to comfortable," oxplalnod Laura HJ Aintlco proudly, "becauso I give him H all your old clothes. Ilo's waiting BB for tho season to pass to gut the one' BB you're wearing now," BH "01- 1,u Ib!" ruinnrked Dob. "Well. Hi ' ho' II havo to wait two full monthd for BB this Hi "He's patient, dear," snld Laura. HR "Oh, Dob, I feel so plrnsed with old bbj ' ' Hi Staggers Only Grinned His Delight HJ StaggorB, as they cull him He's Hb given up drinking ami Is saving up Hh money And what (In yon think' Hn HI is actually talking of gutting married BB to a widow who owns a restaurant Hh car. I hate an Idea ho Is counting HJ on that suit of yours for the wed- HB , HI "Well, good by," smiled Dob. "Homo Hj the earliest I can, and clear water, BB dear, bollero me " HJ A line fellow of his word, honest HB Hob went his way A big-hearted lit- HE Ue philanthropist Laura proceeded to HJ the yard. HB "That was my husband, Mr. Stag- BB ficrs," she said. B. I "Yes'ni, often seen him; often re- HH. marked how happy ho oughter bo HB with a wlfo like you," bowed and BB scraped the politic tramp HJ That suit he has on I told him HJ you wero wnlting for It." HB Stnggers only grinned his dollght HHH at ihp anrintlnniHiiniit BBJ "You have mado mo very glad tho HB i way you have Improvod," commanded BBJ the lady BBh "See hero, mum," said tho tramp, BBk ' "the fellow w ho wouldn't try and BBJ make good after belli'; treated ltko a BBf man as you havo do no. Is no gentle- BBJf non. That suit'" added Staggers BBJ gloatingly, "say, 1 dream about It BBJ sights. I've sort of made It tho top BBJ tono of respectability. My, won't I BBJ shine. I'm deeply gratoful, mum, tru BBJ IT, humbly grateful." BBj "Kvorybody's lust aB bappy all BBJ , around as they can be," murmured BBJ'. an. Alnsleu, as sbu want Into tho BH, louse. ''I'll Just bo bravo till Dob BBJ ' comes home, If It's daylight. Poor BB fellow, ho doosn't often stay out BK Bights BBI Staggars llnlshod his task. Then BBf " came around to tho back door to BBJ report. Mrs. Alnslee handed him a Be &U dollar. BBj Tlmo was when that four bits BBJ would have meant what I onco thought BBJ vaa a good timo," ruminated Stng- Hi BBB fe ' i .HBBBBk BBBBBBBBBBflBBBBBzi BBB" .' HHHal i gers. "Nono of if now. I'll celebrate with a meal and a nlokol show, though, Why not J I've enough saved up for the wedding, and with that suit!" I Staggors felt quite proud as he thought of tho anticipated garb. He went to a restaurant, sat at a real table, and did very finely on a twenty-cent twenty-cent meal. Thon he strolled around for an hour, and finally landed at a nickel moving picture show, Onco Bottled In a comfortable seat, Staggors was loath to give up the lights, tho warmth and tho soothing excltomnt. He heard some ono say it wat raining outtlde. Mrs. Alnslee had given him an old umbrella, and Staggers felt proudly that he did not have to dodgo the showers. Ho sat through tho performances of the tame thing over and over again. It wat eleven o'clock when he followed fol-lowed the crowd out to the Btreet. It wat drizzling a trifle. Staggors started homowards, The streots woro pretty well desertod. As ho passed a well-known hotel, several gentlemen gentle-men camo out .shook bands In parting, part-ing, and ono of them, turning up his coat collar, started on at a breakneck pace. "Hollo!" suddenly exclaimed Staggers Stag-gers with a start and a stare. "Why, that's my suit!" It certainly was Dob Alnslee. Tho ex-tramp did not feel well enough acquainted ac-quainted to call after him. In feverish fever-ish hasto, however, ho started In pursuit. "I'vo got to catch him," breathed the ardent pursuer. "It's boglnnlng to rain harder. Say, he'll spoil my suit. How careloss some people are!" Dob was aiming for a trolley line three blocks away. He bad been a crack sprinter at college. Staggers Kail tn rttn tn avitn miitnti hl vAlft The tramp was big-eyed with anxiety, panting ltko a porpolso cow, and perspiring. per-spiring. "Tho rain will shrink ill" he gasped. gasp-ed. "If tho colors should run, It's ruined." About to hall Mr. Alnslee, the tramp broko Into his best run Instead. Passing Pass-ing a dark alloy, Hob was halted by three footpads. "Hands up, boss!" ordered the leader. "Illffl bang "Police!" thus Stag-rrs, Stag-rrs, his umbrella swinging like a flail, his voice braying out In a hoarse war whoop. At tho corner a policeman police-man appeared Tho baffled hold-up men darted back Into the alloy. Dob Alnslee picked up his wntch whero It hud fallen when Staggers struck up the pilfering arm of the footpad. "Why, my man' You arrived In the nick of tlmo, didn't jou?" hailed Jolly Ilob. "Yes, sir. UmbroILt, pleaso, sir; you're getting wet." "0, noor mind thnt." "Hut It's It's in) hult!" explained Staggers desperuttly. "Kh? ha! why, It's my wife's pro-tege, pro-tege, I declare! How camo you here'" Staggers explained. The policeman wns adtlsed of what had happened. Mr Alnsloo consented to got under the umbrella, but returned It with a dollar to his rescuer whon he reached his cor "See here. Staggers," ho said in a frlendl) way -You call at my houso tomorrow Theio will bo something waiting there for you " Mrs. Alnslee beamed with delight as her husband walked Into tho houso hnlf an hour earlier than she expected expect-ed "You can pack up this suit for that actlo protege of jours tomorrow, Laura," announced Dob, "Ho'b earned earn-ed It." Then he told her Thorn wore thrills as Dob depleted tho great rough footpads, and throbs of delight as he related how her kindness to tho tramp had prevouted a robbery, possibly worBo. And that was how old Staggers won his wedding suit (Copyright. 1912. by W. a. Chapman.) |