Occasionally a sight bobs up without warning in a city, which starts
a train of thought, sad or gay, according to how you look at it. And
so, Lucy, Priscilla, and Virginia Adams, walking along Broadway, saw a
crowd around a lamp post, upon which was a patrol-box; and, though our
girls don't customarily follow up such sights, Lucy saw a man's form
sprawling flat up against that post, as limp as a rag. Priscilla said,
in disgust:--
"_Ugh!!_ It's Norman Antor! Drunk again!!" and Virginia, hastily
grasping both girls' arms and hurrying past, said:--
"So!! His vacation in jail didn't do him any good! But, still, it's
too bad. Norman is a good looking, manly lad, with a good mind and a
thorough schooling. And _now_ look at him! A _common drunk!!_"
Priscilla was sad, too, saying:--
"Awful! Awful for so young a chap. What is his Dad doing now?"
"Still in jail," was all Virginia could say; adding sadly: "I do
pity poor young Mary, who sold Antor's liquor, you know. Doris says
that lots of school-girls snub that kid. Now that's not right. It's
downright _horrid!_ Mary was brought up in what you almost might call
a pool of liquor, and I don't call it fair to snub a child for that;
for you know that, not only 'Past' Councilman Antor, but also _Madam_
Antor, got what our boys call 'lit-up' on many public occasions.
Antor's pantry was _full_ of it! Which way could that poor kid look
without finding it? You know Mary is not so old as most of us; and I'm
just going to _go_ to that child and try to bring a ray of comfort into
that young mind. That rum-guzzling Antor family!! _Ugh!!_"
* * * * *
But a city also has amusing sights; and our trio ran plump into that
kind, just around a turn; for, standing on a soap box, shouting a
high-sounding jargon of rapidly shot words, was Arthur Rankin, an
original Organization lad; a crowd of boys, a man or two, and a woman
hanging laughingly around. Our trio's first inkling as to what it was
all about was Arthur's hail to Priscilla:--
"Aha! Branton Hills' fair womanhood is now approaching!!"
Now if our trio didn't know Arthur so thoroughly, such girls might
balk at this publicity. But Priscilla and Arthur had had many a
"slapping match" long ago, arising from childhood's spats; Priscilla
originally living on an adjoining lot, and was Arthur's "first girl;"
which according to his old Aunt Anna, "was just silly puppy stuff!" So
nobody thought anything of this public hail and Arthur was raving on
about "which puts an instant stop to all pain; will rid you of anything
from dandruff to ingrowing nails; will build up a strong body from a
puny runt; will grow hair on a billiard-ball scalp, and _taboo_ it on a
lady's chin; will put a glamorous gloss on tooth or nail; stop stomach
growls; oil up kinky joints, and bring you to happy, smiling days
of Utopian bliss! How many, Priscilla? Only a dollar a box; two for
dollar-sixty!"
Priscilla, laughing, said:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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