Famine's Heart

Miss Irwin was very busy. She was handliug a difficnlt assignnient wbich j by righis should havo been given to one of the men reporters, and so it bappened that she reraained after every oue else bad gone to dinner, and for some time . the walls of the city editor's room bad I listened to the nnsuaual at such an bour of a bad stnb pen sciatohing over thin brovcn paper. Finally the ruonotonous scratching was interrupted by tha opening of a door, and Faaning, the pólice repórter, hastily entered. Miss Irwin paused in her story 'long enongh to look up. "Oh," sbe said, "it's you, Fanning. Been to dinuer already?" "No, ma'arn, nofc I'm looking for Scrantcn. Ha sn 'í come back yet, has he?" "Notyet. Anything Ican do for you?" "No, thanka. I jnst wanted to see hila abouc a uto-y--that liftle cbap that whs hurt. Read abont it, didu't yon? Scrauioii's interest ed. The little cbap's dying. I've just come from tha house. The doctors all say he'll die tonight, and I wanted to teil Scranton. I am ao worried. Pshaw, Vjpa worried sick, I" - He paused, ran his fingors throngh his hair and looked embarrassed. "Gome, now,. Fanning, teil me all aboufc it, " said the thoroughly intereated Miss Irwin. "There ain't ranch to teil. Oh, yon mean what I'm worrying abont? Wel], to put the whole thing in a few lines, I'm aíraid he roight not die in time for me to get my story for the morning's paper. Jnst think of what I'd lose - such a beantifnl story. " Mjss Irwin looked shocked, and Fanning saw it. His blua eyes took on a resolute expression, but the musoles of his face did not move, nor did his red cheeks grow the least bit redder. He lit a cigarette and said doggsdly : "Yes, ma'am; so long as he'sgoing tedie - they said he won't live through tonight - he might have enough eonsideration for me to arrange it in time. Just hij luck to get scooped. " And h kaocked off some eigaretta ashes. Miss Irwin gaied at the boy in aatonishment. "Why, yon cruel, cruel fallow," he exolaimvd, in a dítappolstad toce, "I didn'í tíi Jnfc 70a ■wie that eort. " It jtM VanuiBa'g tarn to look dísappoLsfod. "Toa Mam to tlimk, bcesnse I talk m I áo, that politie rpoctr haan't auy fosliass at all," k aid, in an injnjeel wy. "JLals vr'v got paor Üsxa yo& SihiKk. Vow, tbre ain 't acybo7 terciar tíaan I asa tor thoi UtUs boy. Wlr, hi isoüisr smA Ister Üiiak I'a tita htt fsaá tksy've got, besana if I hída'lí MUd mj iy, tb mllj vio kart & Usil Jm# itwIAbH W feesu UÍA at all I ñmU Um aU light aa.gk, ihemgh ; uato tkias pítij liv-eiy te ths pUe wrt, UéMi If Well, I gueau. "67. í fe vwM nüy buíiy op asi. ü te Mane I MÜ4 write the mosí olgtmrt asá taEsüsa íty. Toa Jast oogb to iaiia. Breaybody fcak Biasth iatrrt te ktia, asé íiis atad Mu bwik as4 tejri Mad Jsllj ama all sortn oí good Üiiat St. Wiiea I a w hiia fcbia ervesbig, ti bd tres oovowd with jefaytyjtea, Wt íí yemlU esüeve íí, he íidn't M t eare éde 'en a alL Tb only tking fco H3ed ttm a baaok ai roes oaefcsíjy Jeid EMkt kim. He wouldu't , pwt wiiUh 'eai, awd vrisaa I tav him lyinS fcttck tfate yrttk Eke Ëowere ngsi&rt his einöefc, I tiioögitt bow prOty it Toald b for E3 4 iuwt ton di -jrilh thaa la kiis honá. fesy, Wíwün't tíaat be pletureQU? I wwt iariier ycwa, tbo-agk, ajay loatgi. Ií yo p JBecanton, teU káza abrt it ; Wil fes intoeefctd. " Tbe ooc aiat3, d Mus Iviri WM agivia akms. IBka oeulíin't tafee oay tb train oí tia&agkt site iwd Imsb pmsciag ■wh itiTBjied, oad riae tiÜ liad tka kocká iok che aamned at tó k3laií oí VtuBJtias's nveaecatioB. "Sak a hav&maeü. fellow," efe snskttnt, "aad ye a keart I reaíly kliv k&n to b wJití he Bays be is. " Yb aas amÍQg Miss Irvrin CMOBDed tJ pajWBS, bii mw uothiüg abont tlu boy. XJm ereaing papéis coatafaied kng RooonBÍe oí hís Ufe and denth. Miss Ir■win f OIt rather soxry that Fanning, wítk all hiscraal, kiadheort, bad beat soooped. Êhe yra eme bits aooonct wanld hare snrpaasad those he had read, aod Khe eigbed as íhe thonght of the rose. They had not beeu mentióned at alL Beveral days passed. She was anxiou to meet the pólice reporter. Curiosity cansed her to wonder what be woald say. Fiually the chance carne.. She happened to be waiting for a car wben Fanning pasead. She stopped him. "By the way, Fanning, I saw yon were clïeated out of your story abont the little boy." ' Yes, I was. Lnck's dead against me." "What time did he di?" "Threa a. m. exactly. Jnst too lata for me to get ín even a line. I ivas thert vtoe&hedied." "Paor, dear, little fellow I Bow did Ise die?" "He died ou space latos, ma'am. " Jdiss Iif üi thuugtit tbat aloe had Wacme uasd to the rporter's ysaUr Btyle, but bis reply was too muoh for her. When she regaincd hei composurej she said : "I mean, did he know anybody? Was he canscioua to the last?" "Oh, yes. He jnst opened bis eyes ; then he shnt 'em again, and ha opened j 'em again and snriled raal sweet at his 1 mother and sister r-ud rue, and then, and theu he - he jnst died nice, real nice. "Say," he touched Miss Irwin on the arm and lacghed, "wbatdo yon supi pose? His mother thinks so mnoh of me ebe asked me to piek out thecolBn; said h-he didn't knowwhat would be api propriata. I selected a little beauty. i Say, yon onght to have seen him in it. " i Miss Irwin was becoming vastly in■ terested in Fanning. He was so differI ent from any one sbe had ever met bej fore. ïhen, too, he Duzzled her.' His j conversation was certainly of a "don't I care" style, bnt soiaehow she conldn't j believe hiai to ba as heartless as üe seerued. His story about the death of the little boy had affected her greatly; j so mach so, in fact, that she went to I see the sorrow stricken mother. "Oh," said the mother, between her tears, "you are from The Motniug Herald, you say? It ia so kiud of yon to oomo. My poor little boy thonght The Heraid was the best paper in iown ; he often sold it. If all the people on The i Heraid are so good acd kind as yon and Mr. Fanuing'1 - "FaniiJDg!" "Ye do you know him? I don't know wbat on earth I would have done in all my tronble if it hadu't been for ! him. Ha's güt tho kiDdeat, laosfc geuerons heart. 'The Lord loveth a cheorful giTer, ' bnt then, Mr. Panning can afford to giv.e, and" - "Fanning a2ord to give!" ejaculated Miss Irwin. ".Why"- "It's a blessed thing to be rich, and to have so mnch power on a great big paper like The Heraid," continued the eider woasan. 'Of course, if ho had been poorer off than ba really is, I wouldn't i have let'him do what he did. " "May 1 ask what he did?" inquired j Miss Irsvin. "Yos, indeed, acd I'm only too glad to teil yon abj'jt it. I believe in mentioning good deeds. Mr. Fauning's paper took such an interest in my little boy that it printed loiig columna abont him, and thenïir. Fanning had the man who injnred my boy put in jail, and then he sent him flowers - beautiful roses, the ones he was buried with - and Mr. Fanning even bonght the coffln with hia own money. When I told him uot to do that, he laughed and said that was nothing - he conld afford it. " "So, " mused the lady reporter, ae she walked away, "Fanning has spent all his hard earned saviuga on the flowers and coffln. He'a a dear, good boy." -