OCR Text |
Show WmjL By'Edward Rlddlo Padgett. lBfc? T7 I ELI-' what d'you know. Pop?" K: II I Old man Ranbom better Hp lLm.1 known as "Pop," Suporln-fBv'' Suporln-fBv'' tendent of the Municipal Bt' Lodging House, didn't oven look up Hr,- Irom his work but roturnod tho salu-!jmWf. salu-!jmWf. tatlon for Buch it was, coming from Br a newspaper man with tho equally Bp Btorootypcd reply, "Oh, nothing jB? much." And then ho added, after a fBf moment, "Except that this Is Chrlst-Hr Chrlst-Hr man Evo and" ho smiled sadly "we Hft haven't quite as much ChrlBtmas jE around hero as I hoped to. Sit down, jB? Proctor; I'll bo with you In a mo-fK mo-fK ment" jmWL Proctor, tho visitor, sauntered Imgk across tho room and took tho chair JB Indicated, sliding down onto tho small jV of his back, leisurely crossing his legs B and reaching for tho inevitable clg- ffm arctte. MM Ransom kindly, gentle, benovolont Wj old Ransom had been with tho Mu- ff niclpal Lodging House for over fifteon lldf years. And ho still believed In tho t Jr flotsam and jetsam that came and 4 i ' went acn nlcnt To hIm thov woro ?(' hlB "boys," down on their luck, a lit- mWl tie worthless, oven a llttlo wicked, MMa but still human bolngs with a Bpark lilf of tho Dlvlno in their hearts that B needed only to bo fannod at tho right Bj moment and in tho right way to put H them on their feet facing tho world Bf with confldenco and wringing from it It by fair means tho living it owod them. It In one point, at least, tho old man lit Tvas adamant. No subterfugo, nor If pleading nor profane refusal could Ik budgo him. Tho would-bo "guest" Bl had either to yield or got out. And Bj that point was his firm lnslstonco that B all who tarried under his roof live up Bl to his motto of "Soup, Soap and Sal- B s vatlon." Many wero strong for tho B soup, but indifferent to tho soap and B salvation; yet they must tako all three B or nothing. B Presently ho turned from his small, B cheap desk, shoved off in ono corner B of the main room beneath a swinging B electric light under which his hair B shono white as snow, and faced Proc- B B "Well, my boy, what can I do for Bj you?" ho said in kindly tone. "I HI haven't seen you for qulto a whllo " HI "Nope," tho Star man replied, Bj sprawling at greater case In his chair B and exhaling a cloud of smoke celllng- l ward. "Things havo beon breaking II over at Headquarters and I'vo been li on the jump. I'vo como tonight to got If some Christmas dope from you. I'm R to como across with an 'under-world' I If ono as tho city editor calls it, and I'm III up against it Can you holp mo out? II i "I'll try," said Ransom. "Como It back in about an hour and perhaps If I'll havo something for yoa. But I II ! must finish this statement first." II Proctor untangled hi3 knees and It ' got to his feet. At tho door ho paused, II . turned and called back, "Merry Christ-It Christ-It mas, Pop!" Then, as though half-B half-B ', ashamed of tho little bit of emotion B ho had displayed, ho banged tho door Bj after him and set out for Police Hcad-Hl Hcad-Hl quarters. B There, ho first learned from tho Ser- B geant on tho desk that nothing had B "broke" during his absence worth moro than routlno mention. Ho sauntered saun-tered into tho "back room" where checkors and plnochlo wero In progress, prog-ress, watched Patrolman Hegarty, ono of his best "plpo lines," triumphantly tako another cop's last king. Then ho wandored back to the offlco arriving at tho desk almost simultaneously simul-taneously with a man who had entered en-tered unattended by a bluocoat Tho stranger looked like a man down on his luck, and yet ho didn't. His clothes wero plain, even shabby, but they were not frayed nor wero they dirty. His linen was clean. His hands were rough and large, a suro sign of work. And his face was strong, clear cut and deeply lined, -with eyes that looked out unafraid. "Can you tell mo," he asked tho Sergeant, In a tone in which there was no apprehension, "what's bocomo of tho Municipal Lodging House. It used to bo on Oliver street, I remember, somo eight years ago. And I want to know if old Pop Ransom is still in charge." Tho Sorgeant looked at him keenly beforo replying. Ho was about to ask "You used to flop thoro then, huh 7" but something in tho man's direct, unwavering un-wavering gazo deterred him. "They've moved around on Stoughton street," ho said instead. "And Pop's still on tho lid." Then, in a dlsarmlngly, frlondly tone, "A frlond of yours?" "res," roplled tho stranger promptly, prompt-ly, and without tho quiver of an eyelash. eye-lash. "Yes tho best friend I ever had. Whereabouts on Stoughton streot?" "I'm going around thoro now," Proctor spoke up. "And I'll bo glad to show you. Pop's a friend of mlno, too." Somehow, ho sensed a story. "Thank you," said the man, "I'll appreciate ap-preciate it very much, if you're sure it won't inconvenience you. My name is Bertram Kent." As they left the building and turned in tho direction of tho Lodging House Proctor ventured a question. "Pop's a great old fellow, isn't ho? Known him long?" "A llttlo over eight years though I havon't seen him for eight," was tho somewhat cryptic reply. They walked along "in silenco for a while. "He's still doing business at tho same old stand In tho same old way," suggested Proctor presently. "The bums still call him Pop and eat his soup whllo they pretend to uso his soap and swallow his salvation." And Proctor laughed Invitingly. For a moment Kent made no comment com-ment Then ho said tensoly, "Ho's tho salt of tho earthl" And after a slight pause he added, "Maybo somo of thorn swallow a little of tho salvation with their soup." Proctor hastened to tako up his cudgel. "So ho thinks, too. But I can't sco It. Onco a bum, always a bum, Is my theory. And a man'll sit through a prayer meeting or an experience service on any cold night to get a bed and something to eat afterwards. aft-erwards. It's Just a matter of psychology, psychol-ogy, you know. Onco a man loses his grip and finds out that ho's not going to bo allowed to starve he well, why Old Pop Ransom wus leaning forward tensely, tho very soul of him in his eyes. work at a Job that, anyway, Just about pays his living expenses when ho can get them without working and can pick up enough for boozo and tobacco by pan-handling? I'vo seen a lot of good men newspaper chaps go that route, and they nevor como back!" Kent started to speak, but evidently changed his mind, for Just then they had arrived at tho destination. Through tho glass in the door they could sco old Pop Ransom bent over his deBk, his hair silver white in tho glow from tho swinging light abovo him. Thoy entered. Pop glanced up as they approached and nodded to Proctor, then looked Inquiringly at Kont "Good evening," ho said pleasantly, but In a tono that plainly Indicated he did not recognlzo him. "Don't don't you remember mo. Pop?" asked Kent, hl3 volco trembling. tremb-ling. Ransom looked at him long and searchlngly. "Your your face is kind of familiar," answered the honest old man, "but I can't placo It and I haven't tho slightest idea of your name." "Kent," said that Individual. Pop seemed to gropo back back back in the archives of his memory, reaching out for light "A little over eight years ago," Kent prompted, a whimsical smilo on his face. "Ono Christmas Evo soused to the gills and bent on sulcldo " Suddenly the old man's face became alive with Joy. "Kent B. Kent as I llvo B. Kent!" ho cried. "Yes!" And thcro was a strango mixture of enthusiasm, and pride and gratitude in his tono. "Only now It's Bertram Kont right out and without any hesitation. Pop, I'vo been planning plan-ning this meeting for fivo solid years!" By this tlmo their hand3 were clasped and old Pop had ono arm over Kent's shouldor in affectlonato embrace. em-brace. "Ono of my boys, ono of my boys!" ho oxclalmed Joyfully, despite tho tears in his flno old eyes, and looking at Proctor. "Ho's como back to sco mo after all these years. My, my" and he Bnifflcd hastily and without sharao "horo I am forgotting all my manners. man-ners. Sit down old man and lot's talk It over. You're a sight for soro eyosl And how is everything with you. my boj'7" Ho reached out a trembling hand toward Kont's knee and patted It "You'ro looking flno!" Then he glanced at Proctor, with prldo and triumph. "I guess you two old frlondB would rather talk It over without me," said that worthy quickly. "So I'll " "No!" said Kont in doclslvo tonoa. "That is, if you aren't busy. I I was much interested in what you said as wo walked hore, and I want to say a fow things to you. Sit down, please." Proctor sat, for thcro was something some-thing compolling about Kent But he was far from subdued. "I I guess you moan you got somo of tho salvation along with your soup, eh?" ho remarked re-marked in a tono that Just bordered on tho sarcastic. "And maybo you'ro a millionaire by now, oh?" For a second anger blazed up In Kent'3 oye3, but then it changod to a toloiant, confident smile. "Yes, I swallowed somo of tho salvation," ho said, "enough, anyway, to cut out tho boozo and get mo a Job on a coastwise coast-wise frelghtor. I landed in Central America. Why I wont I don't know, except that I wanted to get whoro nobody know mo, and begin all over again." "I batted around for a while and finally ran into an Englishman who owned a big banana plantation, and ho gavo mo a Job. Also, ho helped mo fight the booze by not giving it to me. It was hell Bomollmesl Well, I got on my feet Then ho made mo boss of ono of his gangs. I was making' mak-ing' pretty fair wages, too; and I saved them, for tho simple reason that thcro was nothing to spend them on. "After threo years his manager left for a bettor Job In the Argentine, and tho Englishman gavo me his place. Ono year ago, when the war came on, ho returned to England to Join his regiment leaving mo to run tho whole plantation. But he also let me buy a small interest In tho placo with tho money I'd saved. Ho said it would mako me a better manager to feel that part of it belonged to me. I guess he's right, too." . Proctor shifted his weight and lighted another cigarette. Old Pop Ransom was leaning forward tonsely, tho very soul of him in his eyes. "Two months ago," Kent continued, "I found out that I'd havo to como back to tho States on business. And from that moment on " turning to tho old man "I'vo been looking forward for-ward to this meeting with you, Pop. No, I'm not rich; I'm not even well-to-do. I've simply got a good salary and fine prospects, for tho business Is growing and there's money in it I've fifty dollars for you to buy a Christmas Christ-mas for tho boys hero now, and I had to save It up. But I'vo longed always to como back and clasp tho hand that lifted rdo out of tho gutter. And now I'm hero, Pop!" "You sco! You seol" tho old man exclaimed to Proctor, his volco vibrant with pride. "Yes, I was coming to that." said Kent "As your friend and I walked hero from Police Headquarters, we had a llttlo talk about this business of giving a helping hand to tho down-and-outcr. Ho doesn't seem to think there's anything in it. So. Pop, I thought It might bo well to let him hear my I mCan our story. I wonder H what ho thinks now?" IH Proctor had tho grace to look lm- 1 pressed. But Instantly hla combatlvo B spirit assorted Itself. "I i think it's IH final" ho said. "And I want to toll B you, Mr. Kent that you haven't yet H got all you desorve. But I can't H change my opinion. Ono como-back IB does not prove that even ono out of IB a thousand bums can turn the trick, H You're tho exception, man, you'ro the H ono man In a thousand!" Pop shook hi3 head and started to speak, but Kent lafd a detaining hand IB on his shouldor. "You'ro mistaken, young fellow. H you'ro mistaken," he Bald. "This H very thing is happening all around ua H overy day in the year, only wo hear B of only a few cases, of courso. But H moro than that onco ono of us doei H como back ho works to pass on tho good word to othors. Ho's watching H always for a chanco to glvo a hand IB to somebody who needs It It's sort H of an endless chain. Now, I can give H you a caso In point" Ij'B Kent resumed hi3 scat and accepted IH the cigar which Pop proffered. IB "During tho first year I was manag- B ing the plantation," ho went on, "I went H Into the town two hundred miles H away to straighten out somo shipping mix-up. And down at tho waterfront I IB ran into a young man from the States. H I knew he was an American tho mln- IB uto I saw him. He was In a bad way, H what with booae and tho harsh treat- IB ment he had received p.a a stowaway IH from Now York on ono of the fruit IB steamers. And ho was crazy to Jump H in the bay. H "Well, I got him into a ooffce-houae, B and presently ho began to listen to jB mo. He had a whole lot better edu- IB cation that I ever dreamed of having H and I wasn't kicked out of collego H until my second year, at that But B ho was weak. The long and short of H it was that I took him home with mo. B And Just as my employer had helped B mo fight so I helped him. Ho won, B B "Now, he's my assistant and whllo B I'm up hero he's running the whole H works. You couldn't make him tako B a drink at tho point of a gun Ho's B got a pretty healthy Bum saved up, H and next year he's coming back to the H States for good and let his parents H know that he's still alive. But more B than that, ho's a genius. Why ho B writes stories for the magazines and H you'll find his first story In the Jan- H uary Issue of Nobody's Magazine His B name's Vernon Proctor, so look for " H Proctor sprang to his feet sending H his chair -crashing against the wall. B "Vernon Proctor!" he cried. "Did you B say Vernon Proctor!" H Kent stared at him in amazement H Then, recovering, he nodded affirm a- H tlvely. "You don't mean that you B know him, do you?" he asked eagerly. B "He's tall and thin and haB the light- B est hair I over saw on any man in H my life. Ho's told mo, by the way, M that this Is his home town " J Proctor reached out his hand. M "Why," he gasped, "why, old man, M : he's my brother!" mM Proctor had his Christmas story! W |