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HAP PY DAYS
(This story commenced in No. 281.}
Petey, the Grocer’s Hoy;
IF YOU DON” " SEE WITAT YOU WANT, LOOK FOR It.
~ By SAM SMILEY, ~
Author % CAsress the Continent on Cheek,” “Harry Hawser,” “Bob and His Uncle
’ “Uncle J
ake,” “Smart and Sharp,” “Goliah,” etc. etc., etc.
" CHAPTER III.
Dinny and Pat were still getting ready"
for a scrap when Petey carelessly picked
up the hose and just as carelessly. turned
the nozzle toward the scrappers,
The stream of water went right between
, the two noses and the shot was really a
good one, but after that you could not say
as much for Petey’s marksmanship, for he
let that hose wabbfe terribly and took first
ie a pa ear ae =
ies nS He i a re eek ie
a
PINK! zipr!
ore ane and {hen the other of the scrappers on
u
They ere not the only ones who got
soaked, either, for that hose was pointed in
all directions in the most careless manner
and every one within a radius of twenty
feet got a dose. ~
Finally, Petey’s carelessness in handling
a hose being recognized, the crowd began to
scatter right and left and before long Petey
‘held the field to himself, and, there being
no more fun to be gotten out of it, he
dropped the hose and slouched away in his
usual free and easy manner, his basket on
his arm and his nose in the air.
The fight between Dinny and Pat was
declared off, the cold water having put a
decided damper on their ardor.
Neither could now accuse the other of
having wetted him his time and one was
as moist as the oi
As Petey isappeaned around the corner
Dinny remarked with an air of conviction:
“Faix, I believe it wor the Dutch bye
from the grocery thot jturrned the hose an
yez in the forst plac:
“Begorry, i believe. yez air right and I
tink so me;
ut Ves must remimber thot yez
called’ ‘me a liar.”
Just then the whistle blew.
“Well, niver mind,” said Pat, “soctably.
“Come on areound the corner, and we'll
hang him up for two schoon
The next time Petey disturbed the har-
mony of a peaceul neighborhood he was
mony of a peaceful neighborhood he was
would have supposed that it was always
Sunday afternoon and that everybody was
taking a nap.
There was a police station house in the
Dlock, but it never did very much business
and it was more than usually quiet on the
Particular evening that Petey happened
that way with his basket on his arm and an
innocent look on his f:
, The sergeant "aozed “at ‘his desk, the soll-
BOTH COPPERS GOT IT THAT TIM EF.
HELMETS, THEN THERE WAS A LAUGH FROM THE YOUNG FELLOWS.
PETEY STOOD LEANING AGAINST THE COAL BOX GAZING AT THE
tary patrolman sat in a corner playing
heckers with himself and cyervthing was
lovely till Petey came aro
le was a mi ho had been im-
bibing rather too heavily for the preserva-
tion of his equilibrium, and who. was look-
ing for some place where be might sleep off
the effects of his potatio
He monopolized the sidewalk, he apolo-
gized to lamp-posts with which he came in
rather violent contact and he held an ani-
“Lock that fellow up,” said the sergeant.
The solitary copper came from the game
of oeekers.
“Com you come with me,” he said,
laying hands on the stranger.
“Wo it, you go wiz me. Whish floor
is it? Gee a elevator? How mush
“Ah, get a move on you,” said ‘he cop,
grabbing the stranger,
The latter shook him off.
“Don't tush me, I tell yer. I's a inde-
pendent gen’Jeman an’ I c’n go wizout he'p.
Wha’ oor is it? Sen’ up a bo'l o’ hot stuff,
will yer?”
“Loe ot him up, Murphy,” sa: the ser-
geant,
Murphy could
The man fell at ‘over him.
And over the sergeant,
He seemed as slippery as an eel.
The reserves were sent for.
They couldn’t hold him, either.
He didn’t fight or get ugly.
He just sipped all over, Bhat was all.
A crowd gathered, of course,
It was sure to, with all that picnic,
They all had something to say.
BOTH STRUCK OUT WILDLY.
mated conversation with himself in regard
to the crowd that kept getting in his way.
etey was taking in the show and say-
ing nothing, but presently the man having
asked a street lamp for a light from its
cigar and being. unanswered, he looked
around and mi
“Where's zat hotel? Musser los’ my way.
Hello, young feller, d’ you know where my
hotel is?”
it was Petey to whom he put this ques-
tio:
“Why, soitenly, there it is. Don’t you
see the ht?’
ent was green and it was in front
of ‘he police station.
“ it over there?”
“Ya you
thats aright. much, *hliged. Come an’
¢ me some time.’
ony think nit,” said Petey.
Then the stranger. walked up the two or
three steps to the station entrance.
Petey wasn’t in any hurry to get any-
where.
He waited to see the fi
The stranger walked i, rwaltzed up to the
desk and said:
“C’n I have a room, lan‘lord?”
oats that?” cried the Sergeant, wak-
ing
Con 1 have a room, I say? Don’ put me
too near th’ top, ‘cause I’m ’fraid o’ fire,
Gimme fron’ room, too.”
The sergeant was now wide awake.
“Get out of here,”
I fot 2 right to stop at
t plenny money. I c
“Well, you can’ t stay here.”
“Wha’s reason I can’t? All full? Don’
gimme no back talk. ow me m’ room.”
“You can’t stay here, I ee it you.”
“Wha's reason? Full
0, but. are.”
“Tha's nosing.
Lot o’ ge’men get fall,
AND KNOCKED OFF EACH oTHEn’s MISFIT
THAT SETTLED THEM,
SKY.
Evidently
the
werenot men,
*
versation im-
aginable.
"Finally the
without being
} spy helped.
“Worst ho-
tel ever was
in, write to
got down the
steps in some
forks, and a
who told him
it was a ho-
tel, anyhow?”
Here the
sergeant
came to the
. oor.
“Get out of-here, you stuffs, or I'll run
you in,” he said, with that rare. courtesy
which distinguishes ‘the finest.”
e of the coppers, grabbed the
smallest man in the crowd and gave him a
shak! ing.
“Go on now and don't obstruct the street
or I'll club the head off of yo!
Then the crowd faded ‘and not a soul
knew why it had collected.
The man with the ‘ond “had disappeared
first of all. .
Petey was still on deck, but he looked
so innocent that no one suspected him.
e went away when the crowd began to
thin out and there was no more chance for
f
‘un.
“Gee!
himself.
One of those fine days when the spring
was beginning to show signs of coming in
with a rush, Petey was out on his rounds,
as usual, basket, apron and all, when he
saw two coppers standing Ga the corner of
a street exchanging gossip.
Now if Petey had a pea shooter neither
of hose coppers could see it.
rd then he looked so 0 innocent,
we, as I was saying——’
What a roast!" he remarked to
Something took the copper alongside the
8
se.
He jumped and hit himself a crack with
his fist.
» “What's: the matter wid yez?”
i don’ t know. Something stung me, I
“Fale, there's nothing that——”
Pi
here was something that could ‘sting,
just the same.
ie stung that copper on the tip of the
eal
en he nearly knocked himself off his
feet with the whack be, gave himself.
Zh I thought you said——” .
Fie was up to the first fellow again.
He got it on the jaw.
Ww
“I don't kn owe Soniething hit me.”
“Sure, how c
Plunk!
Ile got it on the nose.
He danced a bit and then found a split
pea on the walk.
s shooting beans at us
r.””
“Faix, I donno.”
Petey was not so very far away.
But then he looked so innocent.
He was leaning: against a coal box, look-
ing up at the sky.
Neither cop thought ot him.
They looked across at the other corner
to where three young fellows were prac-
ticing clog steps.
“Here, you, Peet out of that or I'll run
yu in. ~
“What's dat?”
The threat was repeated.
“Ah, go chase yerself.
doin’?”~
“Yez know very well.”
“Yes, and you'll have to stop it, too.”
“Yes, we will. What's eatin’ youse? De
daneln’ none hurt yer, does it?”
“It's not ine dancin’ I mean, it’s the bean
shooter’ yez
“Ab, go on, we ain’t got none.”
“Yes you——'
Pink!
Zipp!
Both coppers got it met time,
Both struck out
And knocked off each ‘other's misfit hel-
“What are we
met
t Then there was a Jaugh from the young
€
That settled them.
They could not help laughing at the
frantic actions of the two coppers, but it
proved the cull all the same in the eyes
of the cop;
ey immediately hurried across the
street.
The young fellows said they would not
gO awa
That was at long range.
When the coppers arrived, and before
that even, they du:
And Petey still wtood deaning against the
coal box gazing at the
“Go neow and ‘don rt be making a tar-
get av me agin or rn club the head off yez
ivery time I see yez.”
“G What a snap,” remarked Petey.
Zipp!
Pink!
The coppers got it again and they couldn't
make out the reason
The young ‘fellows were too far off to
send in as
They looked around and saw Petey walk:
ing along at a careless gait.
“Maybe it’s him.
“Let’s ask Sim. "
Then they intercepted Petey.
“Say, were yer z sPepperin’ us wid beans
ina peas shoo ter
“Who,
“Yis.
when was this?”
“Here on the corner.”
“Half an hour ago?”
“That’s what we want to know.”
“I donno, do you
. well did you do it or didn’t you?”
“What's the answer? I ain't good at
suesing Say, is it a catch?”
he cops couldn’ t de anything with Petey
and they had to give
nd all that time the ea shooter was at
the bottom of his bas!
“Ah, you give me x bain,” he said. “I
otter deliver me orders. Think it up and
tell it to me next week. I ain’t got time
There were no more peas shot and while
the coppers were more than satisfied that
Petey had been the shooter, they couldn't
prove it by him and they had to give it up.
“Gee! What a snap!” remarked Petey,
as he natked on in the same old slow and
easy Wa:
When he got pack to the store his uncle
was laying for
“Ach, Petey, ae loafer boy, for why you
was gone owit so big a time? I vait for
out once und don’t come back some more
yet.
Didn't I
T had to go
“Ah, what are yer beefin’ at?
come back as soon as I could?
up to Thoity-thoid street.”
“Dot don’t make some difference. I bet
me I go by Harlem und got back while you
was gone two blocks. You was more slower
as molasses, I bet .
t any pickles?” asked a sour voice,
and the Dutchman turned around and saw-
go to hotel, sleep it off. Tha’s wha's I “What's the matte a cross-looking woman, with a small bag
doin’, Come on, show me a room. “Something stung mie.” ‘ in her hand, standing at the counter.
-
panko \ : ces