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Show 111 ' HISWEDDiNG SUIT hi Hi ( ' Staggers the Tramp Happened H i fy Along tit Right Time to Save Hi. His Friend. H 'i ' i . HI I "' By FLORENCE ULUAN HENDER- B f S0N- H " -Vou will bo curcful, will ou not, H ' tfenr?" pleaded pretty Mrs. Alnslce, ' i Iho bride of n year, "if anything H ,t houlcl.Jinppen to yon" H j' ,; "Hut nothing 1b going to happen to B !,) mo. Ilttlo chick." Bald bluff, happy H ' ' 1 Hob, bur husband. "Now, don't go H worrying yoursolf to doath and lm H agtnlng all kinds of disasters If I'm H ' ' ) i sot homo till midnight." H I ' -Till midnight" Mrs AlnBleo utter. 1" ' nln positive Bcroam of affright, I ' "Nearly two o'clock In tho morn- I tag. 1 should suy," corrected Hob, ih coolly. "Seo hero, you scnslblo pot 1 ' Once a year tho managers at our os- H t-ibllshment meet. Suggestions as to H tmproTlng trade, getting acquainted, m I i promotions awarded and I oxpoct I 1 coo, mind you and real, good, Jolly V fellowship nil around." H I "Oh, Hob'" gasped his anxious wlfo, H t ) "It's tho reul good, Jolly fellowship M I I'm afruld of. Suppose " ' Dob stopped hor lips with a kUs B1 .j and laughed heartily. l j l "Nono of tho dark shadows, wlfoyl" j I bo cried staunchly. "I bad my lesson B years ago. Cold water for mo, every "Just think, though, It tboy should tempt you, Hob!" porslsted Mrs. Alns- 1m. "A dark night, a lonely neigh- borhood, mllos away from homo. Look V at that man I hire to do our chores, and think what temptation has i i cost him." BV "Ehl oh, yes," responded Dob, V glancing past tho porch at a man pll- V I lng up kindling wood In tho bacx S : yard. "Your protege, ho looks fairly Vjl comfortable, for all thoso temptations V you tell about." ftS , "Just now, maybe, but ho was a ftS 4 I I wreck, and I reformed him. lie looks V so comfortable," explained Laura ftS ' j Alnsleo proudly, "becaUBo I glvo him all your old clothes. Ho's waiting V) for tho Beason to pasB to got the ones ftyj you'ro wearing now," H ' "Ob, ho Is!" remarked Dob, "Well, j ' ho'll havo to wait two full months for VL this W ' "He's patient, dear," said Laura. BSV "Oh, Dob, I feel so pleased with old rh i "ji SI Staggers Only Grinned His Delight. ( Staggers, as thoy cull htm. llo's SB given up drinking and lu saving up BBBJ money. And whnt do you think' Ho BBBj Is actually talking of getting married BBBJ to a widow who owns a restaurant BBBJ car. I havo an Idea ho 1b counting BKBJ on that suit of yours for 'tho wed- BBB "Well, good by," smiled Hob. "Homo BBBI the earliest 1 can, and clear water, BBVm dear, believe mo." BftVfl A lino fellow of his word, honest BBBJ. Hob went his way. A big-hearted lit- BBVB tlo phllanthroplBt, Laura proceeded to BBVfl tho BBVV. "Tlmt was my husband, Mr. Stag- BBVK: gers," said BBVb "YeB'm; often seen him; often ro- BBVB marked how happy ho oughter be BftBB lth a wlfo like you," bowed and BftBB fccraped tho politic tramp. BBVB "That suit ho has on I told him BftBB you wcro waiting for It." BBBm Staggers only grinned his dclleht BKBBi at tho announcement. BKBBV "You havo made mo very glad the BftBBg way you havo Improved," commended BBVB tho BBVBT "Bco here, mum," Bald tho tramp, BBVBT "tho fellow who wouldn't try and BftBBT' make good after being treated like a BBVBY, man as you havo dono, la no gentle- BBVH' mun. That suit!" added Stagger BBVB gloatingly, "say, I dream about it BBVH; nights, l'vo sort of made it tho top BBVB, stono of respectability. My, wou't 1 BBVHi thlno. I'm deeply grateful, mum, tru BBVH! ly. humbly grateful." BBVB "Everyhody's Just as happy all BBVH around as thoy can bo," murmured BBVBT Mm, Aiusleo, as shu wont Into tho BBpH, house. "I'll JUBt bo bravo till Dob BBVHi comes home, If It's daylight. Poor BBVHi follow; he doesn't often stay out BBVBT BBVH; Btaggora Mulshed his task Then BBVBV' ho caroo around to the back door to BBVBh report. Mrs. Alnsleo handed him a BBVBk bait BBVBV I "Tlmo was when that four bits BBVBV j I would havo meant what I onco thought BBHu j ft a good tlmo," ruminated Stag BBH LtfBBBb Cora. "Nono of II cow. I'll ccktrate with a moat and a nlckol show, though. Why not? I've enough g&Ynd up fcr tho wedding, and with that suit I" Btaggora felt quite proud an he thought of tho anticipated garb, He went to a restaurant, tat at a real table, and did very finely on a twenty-cent twenty-cent meal. Then he strolled around for an hour, and finally landed at a nickel moving picture (how, Onco settled In a comfortable seat. Staggers was loath to give up the lights, the warmth and the soothing excltomnt. He heard some ono say It was raining outside. Mrs, Alnalee had given him nn old umbrella, and Staggers felt proudly that ho did not havo to dodgo the showers. Ho sat through tho performances of tho samo thing over and over again. It was eleven o'clock whon he followed fol-lowed tho crowd out to tho strcot. It was drizzling a trlflo. Staggers startod homewards. The stroets were protty well deserted. As ho passod a well-known hotel, soveral gentlemen gentle-men camo out .shook hands In parting, part-ing, and ono of them, turning up his coat collar, startod on at a broaknock paco. "Hello!" suddenly exclaimed Staggers Stag-gers with a start and a staro. "Why, that's my suit!" It certainly was Dob Alnsleo. The 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," bruathod tho ardent pursuer. "It's beginning to rain harder. Say, he'll spoil my suit. How careless soma people arel" Dob was aiming for a trolloy lino three blocks away. Ho had boen a crack sprinter at college. Staggors had to run to oven match hlsgall Tho tramp was big-eyed with anxloty, panting llko a porpoise now, and perspiring. per-spiring. "Tho ruin will shrink it!" ho gasped. gasp-ed. "If tho colors should run, It's ruined." About to hall Mr. Alnsleo, the tramp broko Into his best run Instead. Passing Pass-ing a dark alloy, Hob wna halted by three footpads. "Hands up, boss!" ordered the leader. "Dlff! bang "Police! "thus Staggers, Stag-gers, his umbrella swinging llko a flail, his voice braying out In a hoarso war whoop. At tho corner a policeman police-man appeared. Tho baffled hold-up men darted back Into tho alloy. Dob Alnsleo picked up Mb watch where It had fallen when Staggers struck up tho pilfering arm of tho footpad. "Why, my man! You arrived In tho nick of tlmo, didn't you?" hailed Jolly Hob. "Yes, sir. Umbrolla, plcaso, sir; you'ro getting wot." "O. never mind that." "Hut It's It's my suit!" explained Staggers desperately. "Eh? ha! why, It's my wife's protege. pro-tege. I declare! How camo you hero?" Staggers explained. Tho policeman was advised of what had happened. Mr. Alnsleo consented to got under tho umbrella, but returned It with a dollar to his rescuer when ho reached his car. "Seo here. Staggers," ho Bald in a frlondly way. "You call at rny houso tomorrow. Thoro will bo something waiting there for you." Mrs. Alnsleo beamed with delight b hor husband walked Into tho houso half an hour earlier than she expected, expect-ed, "You cau pack up this BUlt for that actlvo protcgo of yours tomorrow, Laura," announced Dob. "Ho's earned earn-ed it." Then ho told her. Thoro were thrills as Dob depleted tho great rough footpads, and throbs of delight as bo related how her kindness to tho tramp had provented n robbery, possibly worse. And that was how old Staggers won his wedding suit. (Cop) right. 1912, by O. Chapman.) |