The Motion Picture Story Magazine (Aug 1913-Jan 1914)

80 THE MOTION PICTURE STORY MAGAZINE Kant sunshine. The coaches were disgorging their passengers, and, caught in the crowd, Bosco found his progress impeded. He wormed his way thru, making for the coach which Talmin had entered. It was empty. Bosco turned from it just in time to see the man he was pursuing drive away in a fiacre drawn by a white horse. To run was out of the question — it was all the poor cripple could do to draw one quivering limb after the other. He stopped in a small park to rest. Two exquisitely gowned women were strolling up the path, languidly chatting. One of them noticed the boy. "How ill that poor little cripple looks!" remarked one. "He looks starved to death," assented the other. Pausing opposite to him, they questioned him. "Yes, mesdames, I am very hungry, ' ' he answered. One of them slipped a coin into his hand — a gold coin. When he had satisfied his hunger, Bosco 's mind was once again absorbed with the thought of Marie. He sent a telegram to the captain and then set about to find the white cab-horse. This was not difficult, and the cocker was quite willing to be communicative. He had taken the gentleman and the little girl to "Villa Carmen." Bosco went with this information to the police. But, having accomplished so much alone, he could not resign himself to leave all to them. He was the first to reach "Villa Carmen. " Talmin, just emerging from the gate, was too absorbed to notice the misshapen figure that sought the partial concealment of an angle of the wall. Bosco slipped into the garden. An open window on a balcony might be a carelessly guarded entrance, or it might be a trap. Bosco, having lived ages since his cobbler-bench days and his timidity in* face of Beck's scowls — Bosco determined to put it to the test. He was safely inside. There was no sign of any one about. Thru the room, into the foyer, up the stairs — still no one opposed him. He opened a door cautiously and peered into a bedroom. A joyous cry greeted him. In he bounded and clasped little Marie to his heart ! "Petite clierieV he murmured. "Bosco said he would find you and take you back to papa. But, tell me, clierie, who is in the house? Any men?" "Non," shaking her curls emphatically ; ' ' only an old woman. ' ' "Well, we will get right away." "Oui" she lisped. "Let us bmrry. I'm afraid of that bad man." As they left the grounds, the gendarmes arrived to search the place, having arrested Talmin on the street. The next day, Bosco and Marie were at the station, awaiting Captain de Valen 's arrival. He had wired the police to take charge of Marie, but she refused to be separated again from her clier Bosco. When the captain arrived and found little Marie safely in Bosco 's charge, he crushed her to his bosom and sobbed, saying not a word. But the child prattled away and kept trying to attract her father 's attention to Bosco, who tried to wink back the tears of joy. "Papa, papa," she urged, "dont leave Bosco out, dear Bosco, 'cause he did everything, all, all ! " The captain turned to him with warm words of gratitude, and then followed Bosco 's humble story. "My boy," said the captain, when Bosco had finished, "I can offer you no reward; it could not express my gratitude. All I can do, and I do it gladly and with all my heart, is to say that you shall never leave my child and me, not while I live and you are willing to stay' with us and be my son. Do you accept, my lad?" "Kind sir, ' ' sobbed Bosco, brokenly, "I — I do not deserve — all this, but I will — do anything that Marie wants. ' ' "Oh, goody, goody!" cried the child, jumping up and down and clapping her hands. "Bosco and I '11 go to school together an' get educated, an' then — an' then when we get big ■" "Who knows?" sighed the captain, with a smile.