ELFREDA AND THE MAD BUSMAN .
__A
L _ - - ■■ - ■ .. ■ ---—---1---~
THERE sre a number of person*
In this story. First there 1*
Elfreda, who might be described
ss "the Woman In the Case;1' there
is Mrs. Melrood with her attendant,
Sarah; Mra Judd of Rosemary Eane;
a policeman; a frightened bus con
ductor, a stout gentleman; and, of
course, Mr. Gudgeon himself, with
whose mysterious and extraordinary
fate the story Is primarily concerned.
N'or must w-e forget the 20 rngamuf-i
fins.
-Mrs. Judd was Mrs. .TuddofRose-i
mnry Ians, because aba had lived
there longer than any of the other
Inhabitants.
Mr. Gudgeon aha had known since
he had come to Rosemary Ij*ne as a
red haired, freckled-nosed young man.
with a rosy complexion. In those
days Mr. Gudgeon drove the old
Atlas horse-bus from Camden town
to London Bridge. Tjater tha red
hair had become a sandy halo round
a shiny, bald head, and the rosy com
plexion a veined and weather-belen
purple, and the horse-hus a thunder
ing, roaring, bustling motor Jugger
naut. It was the latter change that
bad marked the turning point In Mr.
Gudgeon's development. Mrs. Judd
could tell you all about that, for [
hadn't he lodged with her without I
a grumble for 30 years?
“It ws them there motor-busses
begun It," she told her listeners. “Up
to then 'e was as nice spoken, pleas
ant sort of chap you could wish to
meet—not larky, mind you. Always
a bit on the quiet side, es you might
say, but 'appy as a bird. Always
^•full of ’Is ’orses, '# was. 'Sarah
Jane’s off her feed today, Mrs.
Judd,’ 'e’d tell me. If she’d been
'Is own child 'e couldn't 'ave fussed
more. And then them thSVe motor
buses!’’
Not that. Mr. Gudgeon had failed
In any way. He had fared the
change manfully, carrying over Into
his new Job that feeling for a way
ward creature's moods without which
no man can become a successful
motor drtver. ITe had even trans
planted his affection and tended It
with a kind of passionate absorption
which had first given Mrs. Judd the
idea that he was going "queer.’’
“It weren't natural,’’ ahe declared,
calling a bloomin’ old bus Gwendoline
and pattln' It on Its 'ead and talkin’
to It. I didn’t 'old with It, and I
told 'lm ao. Much good that did!
When a man goes queer, he's queer,
and there ain’t no 'elpin' ’lm."
Mrs. Plggot wiped a rheumy eye
with the corner of her shawl. “And
now ’e's gorn, poor fellow."
Elfreda lived In the top room of the
last and most decrepit house In Rose
mary I.ans. It was Inhabited not
only by Elfreda hut by Mrs. Gollghtly
and Mrs. Gollghtly's husband and her
three bouncing boys. Mr. Gollghtly
was a bouse painter by profession and
on artist by Instinct. The artist
tended to come home In the small
hours, singing at the top of a shaky
baritone In the sheer Joy of life, and
the house painter who rolled out of
hla frowsy bed the next morning was
r. surly person who would as soon
throw- a boot as look at you.
psa Mrs. Gollghtly was a practical, rig
orous woman. She believed In "every,
body pulling 'Is weight In the ’ome,"
and as Elfreda weighed exactly four
stone, Mrs. Gollghtly had no opinion
of her pulling powers. And she had
a playful way of expressing her opin
ion which left Elfreda not quite sure
whether she were standing on her
head or her feet for hours afterward.
Mrs. Gollghtly was not Elfreda's
mother, for which Mr*. Gollghtly gave
heaven constant and eloquent thank*.
Elfreda herself didn't know where ahe
came from or where she was going
to, and didn't think about It.
In tha morning she went to school,
and for the rest of the day ahe made
flower*. It was wonderful, the way
she mad# flower*, because she had
never seen any. Her teachers re
marked little Elfreda was backward.
They had never met her on her high
(tool hy the attic window, trying
to catch the last gleam of the dirty
afternoon light over the tumbled chim
ney*, the stumpy, chllblalned fingers
making marvelously life-like rosebuds
out of strip* of pink silk and the con
tents of a paste pot. They might
even have been astonished had they
seen her later still, under the candle
light, not quite *o steady on her
perch, the Intent, small face a shade
grubbier, the blue, little finger* a
ahads bluer, making daffodils.
That was what Mr*. Oollghtly
meant hy “pulling one'* weight."
Gwendoline, officially known as No.
47V, began her career at the Grown
and, having made her way across
London, drew up In a rather over
**.c#ated state at the top of Hill Rise—
the outpost of a suburb and guarded
by the king's arms, where Mr. Gud
geon and hla brethren gathered
strength for tha return Journey. What
lay beyond that barrier of seedy and
tawdry villa* Mr. Gudgeon did not
r ii"” •
He had brought Gwendoline to her
journey's end, end he had to lake her
hark again, avoiding the pedestrian*
seeking slaughter under her wheel#,
■ nd keeping to the company's time.
That was Mr. Gudgeon's bualneaa In
life. I,lfe, If you were one of the
lucky onee, consisted of doing todav
■what you did yaaterday and what
you hoped to do tomorrow. ^
That we* Ilf*. Everybody'* life.
Bmoei men, of course, had wives
and children. Or they took to drink
Once Mr. Gudgeon himself had had
a love affair, but that had been a
long time ago—'way back In the vil
lage whence he came and whose name
he had almost forgotten. Nothing
had come of It. For Mr. Gudgeon,
like ao many redheaded, freckle
nosed people, was awkward and dlffl
dent. And so ha had Just settled
down.
Instead of • wlfa and children or
the drink Mr. Gudgeon had Gwendo
line. Thera w*e an understanding be
tween them. H# knew her ways—
when ahe liked to be "changed
down," how to ooag her up Hill IIIsc,
and when In *plt« of the gnrage ex
pert aha waa feeling below par.
And In return eh* had never felled
him. Even when suffering cruelly
neglected plugs ehe had been
known to limp home with a full cargo
rather than that ha should he strand
ed and miss his supper.
And becaue* of Gwendoline Mr.
tkidgeon did not know that he was
• lonely, little man—growing old.
k One dripping winter'* evening Mr*.
Golightly, according tn custom, be
came depressed, and, depression de
veloping Into “an 'orrible sinking feei
ng," Kifreda was hustled out for
the only known remedy. And It was
while trying to edge through the
swing doors of the public-house with
out spilling her beery burden that she
saw Mr. Gudegon talking to Gwendo
line. Ha even patted her, running
his hand over her hlaok wing with
a lingering tenderness that mad# K1
freda gulp loudly—she did not In
the least know why.
Whereupon Mr. Gudegon turned
and became red and emharrased and
said, "Now then—" very severely.
Hut for once Klfrpda was not dis
mayed. She knew now that No. 47X
was not a terrifying monster at all
And Mr. Gudegon was a nice man
who was kind when no one else was
looking.
Mr. Gudgeon stared *t Kifreda.
“Ought ter he In bed," said Mr.
Gudgeon. "Where's yer mother?"
"I dunno.”
"Well, run ’ome to >r. Ought ter
be In bed hours ago."
"I don't go tn bed," she said, "not
for hours and hours."
"Oh, you don’t eh? And why not?"
" 'Cause I'm working."
"Tush!" said Mr. Gudgeon, "What
work?"
"Maklitj things "
"What things?"
"F flowers."
“Well, I never 'eard tell of any on*
makln’ flower*.” Mr. Gudgeon con
cealed hla skepticism tactfully. " 'Ere,
warm those paws of your a bit anv
'ow. I'll 'old your beer for you. Put
'em there.”
By stretching up ah* was ahls just
to touch the top of Gwendoline's rad!
ator, and an almost, overpowering
wavs of comfort poured over her
tense, shivering little body.
She said huskily: “Oo—It’s alive,
ain't it?"
Mr. Gudgeon looked shy. “Well—I
dun no—In a aort of way."
"Wot'* 'er name?”
Mr. Gudgeon blushed. "Well—I calls
'er Gwendoline.”
“I like* ’er." Elfreda said, " ’cause
she's warm."
Mr. Gudgeon tried to look raaual
and Indifferent. "Oh, ahe ain't a bad
sort—as busses go.!' Then In a burst
of loyalty: “Thera ain't many of 'em
can go up '111 Rise like she do—I can
tell you that any ’ow." ,
So, after all, the gre»t queetlon
came quite easily. "Where's 'III Rise,
Mister?”
“ 'III Rise'* It's a might of a way
from 'ere- Straight across I,ondon as
far as you can go. Three hours ac
cordin' to schedule.”
“And are there tree*—lots and lot*
of ’em?”
Mr. Gudgeon was shout to explain
that Hill Rise was just a “pub’’ aa far
a* he waa concerned, but at that mo
rnent he caught sight of the upturned
face, and It was so small and white
and pager that in a burst of Intuition
he lied. ‘ Trees enough.”
“And f—flowers?''
“P'raps. I don't 'ave much time
for pickin' e'.”
Elfreda went home, slip ■ slopping
through the puddles and the mist of
rain like a scared little phantom. His
last shift over, Mr. Gudgeon went
home, and Mrs. Judd gave him a de
scription of the Oolightly menage—
whereat Mr. Gudgeon swore. And aa
Mr. Gudgeon never swore, Mr*. Judd
marked the occasion as the beginning
of the end.
So from being the least and moat
despised of Ragamuffins Elfreda be
came an Important person. She and
Gwendoline and Mr. Gudgeon knew
each other. And gradually a deep In
timacy sprang up between th# three
of them—a sort of wordless under
standing.
Things changed. Winter melted In
to a warm and kindly spring, and
oh* became restless and Inclined to
fall Into a kind of dazed dream about
on* didn't know what. One didn’t
make one'* rosea and daffodil* so
quickly, and Mrs. Golighlly’s depres
sions were more frequent and more
painful In their expression.
Mr. Gudgeon s lltlle flicker of anger
became a small, smoldering furnace.
He didn't know either what he was
angry shout. Rut he was gruff to th*
Inspectors end said rud* things under
his breath ahout tiresome passengers
and peopl* who tried to get him Into
trouble by making Gwendoline run
over them:—which was what they
richly deserved. And altogether mat
ters were getting very strained and
critical when the most amazing thing
of all happened.
On* dusky April evening Elfreda
and her mug of beer came out of the
stifling, evil smelling bar and found
Mr. Gudgeon crying. Elfreda let her
mug fall, and Mr. Gudgeon turned.
“Now you've gone and done It,” he
croaked.
Oddly enough, Elfreda didn't seem
(o eare. She said, "Hilo!" tentatively
and esme and stood clone to him, rub
bing herself against his sleeve like
some srnrill, friendly animal and Mr.
Gudgeon put Ills hand on her shoulder
Slid squeezed till II hurt.
"Well, Hint's thnl."
"Wot's wot ”
"Scrapped " If* pointed to Gwendo
line. "Scrapped. Going to the knack
er*. I,Iks Sarah Jan*. T,lk* th# lot
of us. Got to make way foe the new
fangled ones W*U, It'll he ms next.
That'* Ufa, Elfy.'i
"Yu*," *ald Elfreda.
He gave her a little push. He didn't
want even her to see him so broken
down.
' You get along aome. Tell >r 1
lid It. 'Ere s twopence to buy some
more. Don't you fret."
Elfreda left Mr. Gudgeon standing
there, and explained to Mis. Golight
lv about the beer, and Mrs. Gollghtly,
whose depressions had become posi
tively homicidal In the delay, accused
her of having drunk it herself and
beat her with a broken broomstick.
As a punishment, Elfreda sat tip
until midnight making roses, and the
candle guttered and she fell asleep,
and the next morning the rosea re
vealed themselves as a hideous' fail
ure. All except one. That one, El
“Law!” said Mr. Gudgeon piteously ]
"Wot can a man do?”
"I dunno. I—I couldn't come along
too, could 1? I—I'd like to come. I’d
like to see them trees.”
•‘Law!’’ said Mr. Gudgeon again.
"Much as my Job's worth."
"Just them trees,” she repeated
humbly. "Just once.”
Mr. Gudgeon climbed Into his seat.
The bus conductor had come out—a
young man, pert and self-important.
"Got to get a move on,” he said.
“Late already.”
Mr. Gudegon w rapped himself In his
blanket. Rage blazed up In him
Rage against the Inspector and the
bus conductor, against life, against
the Golightlys and all people who
beat children and animals, rage
»
"’Ere, warm those paw* of your a hit, anyhow." (
freda. nerved by desperation, slipped
into the bosom of her dirty jumper,
and crept downstairs into the dawn,
while the Golightly snores pursued
her. thick with menace.
“He's getting past hfs work,
thought the inspector.
" ’Ere—M said Klfreda.
The inspector went into the "pub
to tell the bus conductor thst it was
high time 47X was on its way. A J
stout gentleman, with a heavy, gold
watchchain settled himself in the in
. V
against the itout gentleman who in
obviously at* too much, and against
all the monotony of things.
Mr. Gudgeon put put in hli clutch
loosened his brakes. It was to bo his
and Gwendoline's last Journey to
gether.
‘Give us a ride. Mister.”
Mr. Gudgeon blinked at the crowd
of white, upturned faces. They
weren't Just "varmints'' now. They
weds ail Elfredas and embryo Mr.
Gudgeons—little human beings that
I
r
In the morning the went to school
and for the rest of the day she made
flowers.
were being brought to eerve some
faceless, senseless tyrant to be tossed
aside W'hen their day waa done They j
clamored, "Give ua a ride. Mister,"
as If they were clamoring for the,
moon. There wasn't a real hope
amonj^ them.
It was then Mr, Gudgeon went mad
He leened over Gwendoline's side. "If
you want a ride—get In," he aald.
Nobody could have blamed the bus
conductor. By the time he had re
covered his presence of mind. No. 4TX
was well under way. and there was
nothing to do but go In and say,
"Kates, please,” sa though 21 raga
muffin* wets normal freight.
The stout gentleman said, "One,
two penny," and added, “f think the
to the company,” and Klfreda, who
to the company," said Klfreda. who
was aliting next him, breathless and
bewildered, said nothing.
" 'Kre—where * your fare?"
Klfreda could only gaze and gaze
The other ragamuffin* piped In chorus.
"'K an id we waa to"- which wna
neither grammatical not* illuminating
—and pointed at Mr. Gudgeon's head
just visible through the glass parti
tlon.
The hue conductor opened the little
glass window over Mr. Gudgeon's head
and shouted, "Wot do you thlm
you're doing ' '
By this time It was apparent to the
meanest intelligence that Mr. Gitd
genn and Gwendoline wrr* running
a wav together
"There'll he ntt an idenf " said the
• tout gentleman. "I shall writ* to
th* paper*.”
aide corner away from draft* Mr.
Gudgeon paused on hi* upward climb.
He looked, as the Inspector Judged, a
little, old man. He hadn't shaved,
and there was n sort of baffled, gone
to seed air about him. No aelf respect
Ing hue company could have thought
of retaining such a person on their
payroll.
"Eh?” said Mr. Gudgeon.
” 'Ere,” Elf red a repented.
It was all she had to give, the
only thing that was really her own
and Mrs. Gollghtly would certainly
kill her for stealing It. That didn’t
matter much. Even Klfreda knew
that you could only Ire killed once, and
In a sort of way It would be nice
to get tt over.
"I made It.”
Mr. Gudgeon took the pink object
held up to him. lie tiled to smile
“Well I never! Hid vou, now?”
“It * a rose. Mis!ei
“Like a.s two pins," said Mr. Gild
eon.
Mr. Gudgeon put It In hla button
| hole with clumsy, shaking finger*
Then f'»r the f|r*t time he really
| looked at Klfreda.
‘ Klfv, *h.e didn t best you, did she?
1 “Vus—a bit.”
The first policeman signaled to was
a stout man anil hopelessly outclassed
by Gwendoline. The second—Con
stable -\'/.—happened to be the best
runner ot his division, and he landed
nn Gwendoline's bark step, lie and
the bus oonductor consulted rapidly.
The policeman opened the glass
window. “Look here, my man—you
pull up at once.”
Mr. Gudgeon could not possibly
have mistaken the accents of author
ity. Gwendoline gathered speed.
“You're under arrest," said the
policeman.
He hung out from the slderall and
blew his whistle, and the policeman
nn point duty stood out in the middle
of the road and help his -hand up.
and Gwendoline made a sort of skit
tish side-courtesy and was past him
and up the hill opposite before you
could county twenty.
Constable X7 went hark to the
glaas window' and shouted into Mr
Gudgeons ear.
“Look here, mv man. you can't dc
that sort of thing, you know."
And having thus announced the law
in unequivocal term* he explained
that he would have to report the
whole matter to his superiors, who
would no doubt deal with the situa
tion, and Jumped clear.
“If you think,” shouted the bus
conductor hysterically, “that I’m go
ing to be left here with a blnpmin'
madman and a bunch of kids, you're
very much mistaken!”
He added something about a wife
and children and vfnlshed overboard.
He missed bis footing, and landed in
an inconvenient puddle.
The Ragamuffins whooped with
Joy.
Gwendoline at this point lurched
round an unexpected corner, and the
stout gentleman gut up and spoke to
Mr. Gudgeon himself.
“My dear fellow.'’ he said, breath
less but propitiating. “I quite under
stand that you intend this for a treat,
hut would you mind telling me our
destination? I'm not a policeman, and
I'm perfectly willing to enter Into the
spirit of the thing, but I prefer to
know.”
Mr. Gudgeon shook his head. He
didn’t know. That was the whole busi
ness. Perhaps Gwendoline knew. He
had given her her head. He himself
was simplv obeying a blind instinct
—a homing instinct. Perhaps homing
birds, too, hardly know' where they
are going when they turn homeward
—or how they are going to get there.
They Just start out blindly and keep
on going, as Mr. Gudgeon did.
Elfreda, leaning snugly Against the
stout gentleman, could see through
the window opposite miles upon miles
of hill and valley, field and forest,
veiled In a spring mist of ethereal
golds snd greens. And not a house in
sight—If you excepted the thatched
cottage before which Gwendoline had
halted. A gaily-lettered sign hung
over the porch informing you that
“The Case Is Altered” nnd that you
could get Whitney’s Ale here, and
there were real daffodils swaying in
a side garden so that for one moment
Elfreda Imagined that they were her
daffodils come here to greet her. Rut
a moment afterward she saw that
thev we»« quite different. There was
such a#glo\v nnd brightness shout their
green and yellow dress.
The stout gentleman, who bad hnd
to sit very still so that Elfreda should
not be disturbed, groaned and stretch
eel himself.
“It seems this js our first halt.'' he
said.
And he lurched out In front of the
Ragamuffins, w ho were rather tired
by this time, and a red fared man
wit it a green apron round hia waist
stood in the porch and greeted him
verv respectfully,
“Sony. sir. Afraid we can't do much.
We weren’t expecting a large party.
If you only let us know you wa*
coming "
"I didn’t know myself," said the
stout gentleman grimly.
“Well. sir. wo could do cheese and
eggs and sausages and coffee "
The Ragamuffins rustled n?id twit
tried like excited sparrows In a nest
“Yus viii ”
"We're 'ungrv "
“I never id no hre.ikfu*' even
"(live me anwsldges.**
The 'Viw m«U' he tine i i miRi
chorus
The stout gcimlemau sighed deeply
"Well I suppose so 1 • m't have 'em
starve before m\ eye* Though who'll
pay ms hark. 1 don't know pn
what you eon, landhud. Vnd while
wets' waiting, get ms * trunk call
to London."
“So phone here, sir.'
"Well, eend round to the police
station."
"There Is a policeman at d.ltllc
Thornton,” the landlord ruminated
doubtfully—"at least I've heard tell
of him.”
"la this a civilized country?" the
stout gentlennan demanded of nobody
In particular’ “Get him anyhow. I
refuse any further responsibility."
He followed the landloard Into his
Inn. and the 20 ragamuffins charged
in after him like a pack of yelping
puppies.
But Klfreda stayed behind. She
went and stood very close to Mr.
Gudgeon. To her he was still won
derful. Before him authority had
collapsed like a toy balloon into
which he had stuck a contemptuous
pin. To her he wasn't a little, old
man gone queer in the head, but
a hero. And yet the look on his
face made her ache all over. •
"Wat's the policeman cornin' for.
Mister?"
"I dunno—dearie—T dunno."
"He ain't a goln’ to take us.'ome, j
is >?’
"’Ome!" said Mr. Gudgeon under
hi* breath. "’Ome!”
“Don’t you let '1m, Mister—don’t
you let l m.’
A wild light Gashed up the old
man's face. He picked T-.lfreda up
and set her by the driver's seat. He
gave one strong pull at Gwendoline's
starting handle. And then they were
away again.
Admittedly this* la very late In the
story to Introduce Mrs. Melrood. But
we have classical precedent for the
delay. "Whoever heard of a Dea ex
Machlna in the first act?
Mrs. Melrood lived with Sarah, who
was very old, at Melrood Court, a
fine, tumbledown Georgian house. In
a fine, gone-to-seed park—full of
deer end sheep and weeds. Mrs.
Melrood herself was obstinately poor.
If she had chosen, she could have
sold Melrood for twice Its value to
any one of a doren wartime mil
lionaires, and settled down to a
luxurious and respectable old age In
Kensington.
Not that any one could have Im
agined her in Kensington. Mrs. Mel
rood. rheumatics and all, could still
ride to hounds over the worst county
In Kngland with the best of them,
and her language, when aroused,
would have chattered the bric-a-brac
of a Kensington drawing room to frag-,
ments. In the day time she wore!
shabby tweeds and a high oollar, and
a deer-stalker, and In the evening
very punctiliously she changed into
what one can only desorlhe as tailor
made deoolletle. Ho attired, and oddly
Imposing with her aoquiline profile
and cropped, snow-white hair, she sat
alone at the head of an oak table
spread with linen and the finest silver
and partook of a mutton chop or a
stew from yesterday's join' Opposite
her. shadows —almost living In the
fllrkerlng candle light—were full
length portraits of three men in unl
| form These Mis Melrood toasted
regularly in a class of ancient port.
Now, on the night of the day on
which Mr. Gudgeon. F.lfreda and
Gwendoline set out on their great
adventure. Mrs. Melrood finished her
after dinner coffee and a gasper Jn
a mood as near melancholy as was
possible to a person of her tempera
ment.
It was a disagreeable business—
this growing old with only one d*.
cent horse In the stable so that once
a week's hunting was the outside
limit, and not a soul, except Harah, to
ask after one's rheumatism. And
then Harsh was getting old. too.
And at that moment Sarah burst
In. "Oh. ma’am—If you please,
ma'am—If you'd come at once—oh,
dear, such a shock I've never had—
Id Just gone out for s breath of
all—snd there it was staring at me
lange as life oil. dear, and it a there
i this a ery minute."
"Where*’ " demanded Mrs. Melrood
I with splendid calm.
"In the lake, ma am!"
"What's in the lake’"
"A bus. ma'am."
"A what?"
"A bus,” Sarah repeated faintly,
and sat down recardless of deoorum.
"To my certain knowledge," said
Mrs. Melrood, "there Isn't bus within
SO miles My good woman, you must
be suffering from a complex "
lloiWrer, tlvere It was T’nmlatak
able. In the pale moonlight it did.
in fact, look rather like some pre
historic monster—a slightly befuddled
plesiosaurus that floundered Into
the lake and stuck there ankledeep
In slime. Mrs. Melrood, from dry
land, flash'd a light over her sign
board.
"The Crown. Old Kent road. 11 ill
Rise.” she read aloud. "Seems to have
come a little out of Its way.”
The torch whisked round to the fig
lire standing close to her. There was
e moment's silence. “Oh. it's von,
Gudgeon, is it?” said Mrs. Melrood.
Mr. Gudgeon touched his cap.
"Tea. ma'am.”
*T told you ynuM get sick of that
jackety town life and want to come
hack.” Mrs. Melrood reminded him.
Put T do think >nu need not have
brought a bus into the park. You
| know how 1 hate the beastly things ”
"She ain't the usual sort hf bus,
ma’am. She s a good sort. She was
| a real friend to me. And now I done
er in.”
Mrs Melrood reg ” ded Gwendoline
critically. ' You shouldn't have driven
her Into the lake Gudgeon ”
"l know, mi am. 1 got all mud
died like It dldn t seem to me the
toad used to go that way.”
"It didn’t. Colonel Melrood altered
it That mss after your time
"Yes, ma’am,” said Mr. Gudgeon
and Ivy
"Things have changed, Gudgeon."
"That's true, ma'am.”
"The Colonel’s gone. Perhaps you
heard?"
"Ye*, ma’am I ’eurd.”
"And Master John and Robert—to
together- at Neuve Ohapelle.”
1 saw It in Jim impera. ma'am, I
didn't write. T was ashamed like '
Me hung his hr.id. Me didn’t want
anyone to ace that lie was crying
again. When she lead said to Mm
Ami'll come bm k one of these dax*
Gudgeon,” she hnd been Noting and
beautiful. 11c felt h"w old and tired
he xx
Mis Melrood leaned <auti«ui.s]\ over
the strip of water and poked Gwen
doline In the libs t suppose tt isn't
>uur bus, is it, Gudgeon?”
*
"No, ma'am—not so to Bpealt,
ma am.”
"You atole It?”
"Yea, ma’am—I s'ppo*# that's ’ow
ii would *p?m to most p^opls.”
"Well, why any aan« person ahotild
want to steal a bus.” The torchlight
wavered and fell a. point. "And what
on earth i* that?” demanded Mrs.
Melrood sharply.
"It’s a little Kill, ma’am.”
"Your little Kiri?”
"No, ma'am.”
"Eloping- at your ages—really.
Gudgeon!”
Klfreda clung 1o her friend with
her last strength. The bright light of
the torch blinded her. "What lay he
hind it she did not know—policeman,
Mr. and Mrs. Golightly, instant,
dreadful destruction—and yet the
voice was kind. Elfreda's frozen, lit
tle legs shook under her. She wasn’t
a pretty child at any time, and now
she looked like a funny, white-faced
gnome with a red-button nose caught
in the act of stealing toadstools, Its
eyes wide with bewilderment and
black-rimmed with dirt and sleepiness
"It looks very thin,” Mrs. Melrood
commented. "You haven't been feed
ing it properly. You nhouidn t run
away with other people's children.
You don't understand them. Its
mother'll he fretting herself to death.”
People were always talking about
Elfreda's mother.
"She ain't got no mother." Mr.
Gudgeon blazed up. "No one she's got.
Only me. They beat 'er. I sees >r
arms—black and blue they was and
1 couldn't stand it—I wouldn't stand
it. A man goes on and on—like en
old bus 'orse—puttln’up with things,
seein’ ’em 'sppen day in, day out—
and then all of a. suddint can't
stand nrt more. I'd 'ad enough
enough of the whole balst'd business,
■i 11 go hack and die where I belong,’
I. ses. And whery she ses, 'Take me
along too, mister,' I ses to >r, ‘You
get m—’ "
He gulped and began to tremble.
"Peg pardon, ma'am. It don't matter
about me. They'd 'ave scrapped me
any'ow—like they'd scrap 'er—my
old Gwendoline. She's rocky in 'er
engines, and I'm getting queer like In
the 'ead, and that's the truth.”
"All the best people are queer In
the head. Gudgeon. I am. myself "
"But she s such a little 'un. It's
an aid, long way to go when you're
a little 'un and no one caring.”
Mrs. Melrood switched out her
torch. "Police after you. I *uppo*s.
"I make no doubt of It. ma'am."
"Well, hang the |>olice." eaid Mn.
Melrood, cheerfully. She bent down
and lifted Klfreda in her arm*. "I
thought there wasn't any one left,
she said. "Rut It seem* there* *1
wavs some one to' look after
Klfreda dung to her drowsily. "You
ain't a coin' to take me 'om*.
missus?" — «
"Not If t know it. my dear."
She remarked over her shoulder,
"Your old friend, Sarah, Is atll with
us. Gudgeon.'
Yes ,ma'am.”
“Ami there's a good horse in the
stable for you.'
But Mr. Gudgeon was looking at
Gwendoline for thp last time. Both
lights were out. Ho knpw that she.
was dead. And she had died for him.
So horse could have been more gal
lant or more faithful.
There doesn’t seem much left to
tell—except that Mrs. Melrood was
very rude to the police next day and
threatened the bus company with an
action for trespass. And the bus'
company apologized, and after they
had dragged the lake for Mr. Gud- <
peons body and found a. few tin
cans and an old hoot, the police,
withdrew out of range. They weren't
very Interested in Mr. Gudgeon any
how. The local policeman happen
ing to he a nephew of Mr. Gudgeon s
sister in-law's unde by marriage—he
Tnd the village generally considered
that if Mr. Gudgeon chose to return
unexpectedly to his old Job as Mrs.
Melrood’* groom and bring an In
fant relative with him, that was their «
business and no concern of a lot of
pushing, good for-nothing Londoner*.
Rosemary I>ane. on the other hand,
knew that Mr. Gudgeon had "made
away with himself.” Mrs. Judd said
so, and what Mrs. Judd said, went.
As to Elfreda, being so small she
was forgotten almost at once. Mrs.
Golightly, who disliked investigation*,
said that she had gone to relatives,
and Rosemary I^ane opined that <
Wherever she was, she couldn’t he
worse of. And the stout gentleman,
to whom one child was just like an
other and quite as tiresome, never -
even missed her.
In any case, no one would have ,
recognized her.
For it is amazing how qlucklv one
| begins to grow pink and hurst out
'of one's clothes when one is young G
1 and happy. * -
MOTHER! Fletcher's Castoria is a pleasant, harm’.e's sub
stitute for Castor Oil, Paregoric, Teething Drop' and Soothing
Syrups, prepared for Infants in anus and Children all ages.
It has been in use for more than 30 years to safely relieve
Constipation W ind Colic To Sweeten Stomach
Flatulence Diarrhea Regulate Bowels
Aids in the assimilation of Food, promoting Cheerfulness, Rest and
Xatura1 C1.;*v- -
To avoid imitations
Proven direction« <
AnW.RTISKMK vr. *m KRTISKMKVT
HARMLESS LAXATIVE .*
For Sick, Feverish,
Bilious Children
Mother!
When Child is Constipated
Give “California Fig Syrup”
* ’«5 • I. , m I...- pi 4 aunt | •..»%* i . * " < - tv
"t'Mhfoin » Ki# S\iup ‘ ami Blmllx Tall x.»« . d xo * unit only
tok* It ex an when folium*. faxtrlah jiha genuine California Kyf Syrup’*
au k or conMfpated. No other U\ o *■ •**.« f< K*Mea a»4l
fix# regulate* the tender little Ixoxxrl* MM n . ill Mgr* printed on ho’tln.
«o nleely. It iwfctam the atomai h \i,v‘i#» You tnu<t «n 'Cm torn1 a*1
and atari* the llxar and N'weta « h >* \,mi max get at> Imitation ft*
out cramping or extracting. Contain* «>rup