City and town life -- Fiction; Didactic fiction; Indiana -- Fiction; Orphans -- Fiction
"The woman looked at me so I said: 'It's all over but burying the kid
if it dies; come on, lady, they'd be _glad_ to plant it, and get it out
of the way.' So I started and she followed, and just as he let me out
the door I handed him this: 'I saw you listen and cut to tell, and I
bet you helped put the kid to sleep! But you better look out! She gave
it to that baby too rough for any use!'
"He started for me, but I flew. When we got on the street, the lady was
all used up so she couldn't say anything. She had me call a taxi to
take her to her hotel. I set down her name she gave me, and her house
and street number. I cut to a Newsies' directory and got the name of
the owner of the palace-place and it was Mrs. James Minturn. Next
morning coming down on the cars I was hunting headliners to make up a
new call, like I always do, and there I saw in big type, 'Mr. and Mrs.
James Minturn prostrate over the sudden death of their lovely little
daughter from poisoning, from an ice she ate.' I read it every word.
Even what the doctors said, and how investigation of the source of the
ice came from was to be made. What do you think of it?"
"I have no doubt but it's every word horrible truth," answered Douglas.
"_Sure!_" said Mickey. "I just hiked to the park and walked up to the
cop and showed him the paper, and he looked awful glum. I can point him
out to you, and give you the lady's address, and there were plenty more
who saw parts of it could be found if anybody was on the _kid's_ side.
Sure it's the truth!
"Well I kept a-thinking it over. One day about three weeks later, blest
if the same car didn't stop at the same fountain, and the same nurse
got out with the boys and she set them on the same bench and told them
the same thing, and then she went into another palaver with the same
p'liceman. I looked on pretty much interested, and before long the boys
got to running again and one tripped the other, and she saw and come
running, and fetched him a crack like to split his head, and pushed him
down still and white, so I said to myself: 'All right for you. Lady
tried a lady and got nothing. Here's where a gentleman tries a
gentleman, and sees what he gets.'
"I marched into the door just across the hall from you here, and faced
Mr. James Minturn, and gave him names, and dates, and addresses, even
the copper's name I'd got; and I told him all I've told you, and
considerable more. He wasn't so fiery as the lady, so I told him the
whole thing, but he never opened his trap. He just sat still and stony,
listened till I quit, and finally he heaved a big breath and looked at
me sort of dazed like and he said: 'What do you want, boy?'
"That made me red hot so I said: 'I want you to know that I saw the
same woman bust one of your _boys_ a good crack, over the head, a few
minutes ago.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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