The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 5, 1902, Page 7

THE SUNDAY CALL. Ragser sat on some t was piled up n t wharf, and watched cr-men load the by the ferry going on board and er awhile Tuftsey and Ragsey some u' papers, lat- 0 one seemed to care no one wanted the earliest edition: and was that few papers means bright but no the stcamer. the seir loose freight = h for customers. under the high =h led out again, would-be pu Tor there was bul rs and freigh! been cleared, it with dusty boat considering the ple trucks that ontinual stream over the gang Tuftsey sprang forward, oung woman by the arm and harp pull to one side, just as big wheel of the coal cart was about Lo strike her. The carter had jerkeg ‘he clutched ave her a s the horse roughly by the bit because it wouldn't back to suit him, and maddened 1t this treatment, the animal had reared suddenly and thrown itself backward. Tuftsey had been watching and when the Young woman attempted to pass just be- dind the cart to reach the boat, he saw her danger. She stood looking at him now, somewhat startled and surprised. Tuftsey promptly doffed the ragged ex- cuse for a hat that partly covered his curly head. “I just pulled you out th’ way o' that cart, miss,” he said. The girl looked at the cart, compre- hended and smiled. ““Thank you!" she said. moment. “Evenin’ papers!” called Ragsey, osten- tatiously, looking far away over the wa- ter. The girl looked at Ragsey, then down Tuftsey, and at the papers under the arm each. Her hand went to her pocket She hesitated a and then was slowly w pained expression came ir opened her lips to speal tightly and turncd away. A moment later she had faded amid the crowd of human- ity on the steamer and Tuftsey went back to the freight pile and sat down by Rag- asked Ragsey, sar- : she t'anked me like er lady!” vroudly. up town an’ have somethin’ to “On wot? “On da lady's {'anks—yo' seem to t'ink it’s wort’ somet ey was siler even buy pay continued with a subdued snor Oh, dat's > 'em! Da neve s ot givin' us said Tuftsey. n't much to-do—jest, pull "er back s she wasn't rich nohow. But yo! tion of Western Posters. K|nother Splendid Poster Pickure. N Page Eight of this section of The Sunday Call you will | find the second in that serics of splendid pester picturves by Ed Borein. The illustration for this week has been printed in specially selected colors and will prove a gem to add to your collec- Mr. Berein is the'one artist of the United States who catches the true ring snd dash of life Southwest. His pictures speak for themselves. They are the perfec: cmbodiment of animal fire and gction 2nd this series will represent as a whole the best types of the sturdy manhood of the plains that have ever been published in any newspaper at home or Have the care to select a mount for this poster that will match the delicate tints of the picture made possible by The Call’s latsst color process, and the result will prove 2 decorative addition to any wall. in the great abroad. e i et — e a wasn't she pretty, Ragsey, ole feller? Hair all fuz ’ brown an' teeth jist 1 white—an’ suy! did you ‘see the smi give me? Aw’ her dark eves—my! da was the clearest, softest eyes—"" Ragsey was looking at him with a scornful curl to his thin, pinched lips. ““Guess her eyes wasn’t no softer'n your * he said, and with that parting shot elbowed his way through a crowd to sell a paper. ‘When he came back Tuftsey’s mood had changed. He was disheartened. “Ain't no usk in stayin' here, Tuftsey,” said Ragsey: “Le’s go down da front.” Tuftsey snook his head. “Well, Ie's go up to then.” Tuftsey banged his papers down on the empty potato boxes beside him and turned on Ragsey fiercel ; wot's da use of anyt'ing?” he de- manded. Ragsey let his pale ey the wharf and oul to where da odder -boat, wander over the seaguils were floating and dipping over the waves. “I guess, Tuftsey,” he said, I guess— Just them there was a cry from the steamer, followed by a splash. Some one overboard f:om the stern of the arge chowd gathered on the edge of the wharf opposite the point, and gathered so quickly and packed so denscly that Tuftrey and Ragsey found it almost impossible t0 get through it, although they were used to wiggling through crowds and had run at the first alarm. Suddenly, while Tuftsey was struggling to get to the fromt to see what was hap- pening, he heard some one cry out, *““It's woman!” and then some one else said, “She’s sinking again!” The face of that pretty girl he ‘had pulled back from under the cartwheels came before Tuftsey’s eyes, and he feit somehow that it was she that was in th: water. So strong was this feeling that he seized 'the coat-tails of a fleshy man whese form barred his way to the edge of the wharf and tugged at them fiercely. “Lemme through!” he panted. The man was well —dressed, and he turned and shoved Tuftsey back. “Get out of here, you ragamuffin,” he said, roughly, and then he called out: “Hurry up with that boat—she's gone down the second time! The words made Tuftsey frantic. gripped the fleshy man by the arm. mister,” he said, “kin you swim? sald the man, shortly, without turning, and then he began calling again to the steamboat crew to hurry up. Tuftsey looked around, saw Ragsey at his elbow, whispered something to him and then, be- fore -any one knew what they were doing, they had given the fleshy man a shove that sent him. with a vell, into the water. and leaping to the cdge of the wharf had dived, like two shadows, toward the struggling woman, now really drowning. Tuftsey and Ragsey were the heroes of the hour along the water front. Their pictures were in the papers, along with generous praise of their heroism, and the other newsboys were most envious of them—and envy the highest compliment among such. But Tuftsey and Ragsey were miodest and unassuming and bore their new honors with beseeming grace. They sold papers, night and morning, the same as usual, and the fact of their hav- ing saved that girl's life made but little difference with their lives except that they sometimes went up to the house where she lived. The house was far up on a steep hill—a little cottage with a tiny green yard and one shade tree. Some- times Tuftsey would go up 2fone, and the girl, Miss Doris, would sit under the tree and read to him while he lay stretch- ed out by her side. These were happy times for Tuftsey, for he liked to be read tp,, and, besides, ever since that incident at the wharf he had felt a great nameless something under his ragged coat, which drew him toward Miss Do and made her appear prettier and sweeter every time he saw her. It was a something which made him forget that he was only a street gamin apd that M Doris, be- sides being a great deal older than he, was a superior being. So 1 often went up-on the hill. He felt romething of a traitor on these oceasions, for he generally brought them about by grossly deceiving the unsuspecting Rag- sey into believing that he was going some- where else. But one day Ragse; would pay a visit to ) copcluded that he s Doris “without Tultsey. -So he climbed up. the steep hill to the house. . There was Miss Doris and Tuftsey ' unfler the treé. Ragsey was stirprised—s<o - was Tuftsey. Bat M Dorfs ook mo notice—she only made Rag- sey ‘comé_and sit down beside her and she ‘talked to him just as she talked to Pafisey. . They had & very pleasant after- noon, “but when they got started away = - = A OFFMANN poor. Ragsey turned on friend. “I tought you was goin’ down to de wharf dis afternoon?” he said X “Well, I didn’t,” said Tuftsey. “See?” “You said you wos!" answered Ragsey fiercely, “an’ instead o' that you sneaks off up to see Miss Doris!” “Wot's that?”’ demanded Tuftsey, stop- ping and doubling his fists. “That's jist wot you are!” y—"a sneak!” The next moment Ragsey and Tuftsey were mixed up in one grand comming!ing of belligerent fists and twisting legs, and when they at last separated themselves they were considerably the worse for the scrimmage. Tuftsey's eyve was swelled and Ragsey’s nose was bleeding. “Dat’s all right,” said the latter as he wiped the injured member with his coat sleeve; “but if you don’t want more 'n a black eye, Tuftsey, you jist see 't you keep away from Miss Doris—dat’s all!” Tuftsey spat the dirt out of his mouth with adf action of scarn. 3 “Huh!" he said. “Guess I'll go see Mi: Doris whenever I want to! She likes me best, anyhow, - an’ if yeu don't want more'n yer face smashed you keep away from her. See?” And so they parted. said Rag- i - Residents of the water front were sur- prised when they came to know of the unfriendliness between Tuftsey and Ragsey. But to all questions these per- sons answered that “nothin’ was de mat- ter.,” Nevertheless, they. never spoke, though they met almost every day. They both visited Miss Doris once in a while, but neither found occasion to carry out his dire threats against the other for the simple reason that each took care not to get in the way of the other. But after some days Ragsey got a_steady position in a chophouse and he ceased visiting Miss Doris. One Sunday morning Ragsey was sit- ting on the extreme end of a wharf, look- ing out over the bay. He had a vaea- tion for that day, and he had come down here to think. He watched the gulls floating and’ dipping and the ferry-boats and tugs gliding by. He saw the great, black-hulled ' vessels. that were moored fa out in the bay, and he longed to be able to embark on one of them and sail far away. For, as Tuftsey often sald, what was the use of anything? Ragsey was no- body—nobody at all-and probably never would be. And Miss'Doris was good and lovely and a fine lady, If she was very Ragsey loved Miss Doris—he felt s if_he neyer could tell how, much—but Miss Doris ‘'was much older than he; and then, no doubt, she did like Tuftsey bet- ter than him anyway. If he was only called a familiar voice at his back. Ragsey leaped to his feet, and then 2 s S e ——— stood uncertain. There was Tuftsey, his hand outstretched, a pathetic smile on his face. Ragsey hesitated a moment and then he seized the hand. “Tuftsey, old fellow!™ he cried. They stood a moment so and then they sat down together. a while there was silence between them, then Tuftsey spoke: “Ragsey,” he said, have you seen—" he clioked oddly, then recovered, “have you seen Miss—Miss Doris late! Ragsey was breaking a splinter of wood into small pleces and throwing them out to the wheeling gulls. He half paused in khis occupation and then said slowly, with- out looking up: “I ain’t been up there for week: “Then you don't know about it ““About wot 2" “Ragsey,” said Tuftsey, solemnly, “Miss Doris has been sick.” “"Wot's that?" “Sure! She w: took bad last Tues- day an’ she di— with a gulp. “Wot was de m atter? he pped abruptly Ragsey was sit- to look into shifting eyes. “Doc said as how it was de heart—kind o’ got tired an’ give up its jo “De heart—give up its job W'y, wot n sald Tuftsey. with deepest ‘did you love Miss Doris?” “Sure!” “So did I, but she’s—she” ead.” Ragsey laid his hand on Tuftsey's knee. dead, Ragsey, “Dead!” he cried. “Tuftsey, yer lyin But the tears trickling down _thro Tuftsey’s fingers proved that he ‘wasn't “She died this mornin’,” he whispered, brokenly. “an’ I come down to find you.” for some time without speak- ing, both looking away over the bay. The cries of the wheeling gulls came whim- peringly through the air; the whistle of a far-off tug sounded like a dismal wall, and the slap and smash of the waves on the piles under them was as if the s was weeping also. Then Tuftsey told how it all “You know, Ragsey, she meet a feller up at Stockto to be married there and tl goin® to go a-tourin’. She did just enough tin to pay her why she didn’'t buy any pape member wot you sai i “Don't!"” cried Ragsey “Well, she didn’t go that day cause she fell in ‘the water, and never heard from the Stockton feller till just last Tuesday. Then she got a letter, an® the feller wrote that he was married, an’ that happened was to if she hadn’t thought enough of him to come to Stockton he guessed she wouldn't break her heart because she'd lost him— but_she did. Ragsey, she did “Tuftsey,” sald Ragsey, “le's le's git on one o' them big shi oft somewheres. I don't want to live hera —not now.” Tuftsey shook his head. * said, with a sort of half wail, use of doin" anything”” And Ragsey, with a h throat, answered despair agsey.” 'wot's the rd lump ip >thin’.