Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-21

NAME an thAtt Eas why I'd been holler1n6.
how 1t strikes you 81. but do bheve
there's somethin' lackin' in the upper
story! IBE "
he'd bet II cookie 'twould come out ali
right In course o time. Better wait an
II guesAI went - ss.ep after that. but
auntie tokS me 0aed have a secr>S. Then
Twin soul aboueithe upper story, not even
mother | said 1 didn't want to tell
mother she'd feel so bad If there was any
thing the matsee with auntie's house. 1
think Uncle Stag felt bad, too. for he KEEP
Use. an he sand: I sh'd think you'd feel
like singirh pretty small about that speech,
iavy. u asked Aunt Octavia about 1t
once ono little whpe ago. an she said the up
us, but can't see a single bit o differ
ence when go there. Auntie amt never
oeen very we'll, mother says, an she takes
notions. l spose that's why she's always
teilin' me not to talk the boarders stone
blind. an l never talked anybody blind in
my LIE, cept p'raps Tropickercancer's kit
tens-an they got right over it,
The interval Of fruit-scented silence be-
gan TO grow more frequent. Had Eve been
IKE Electra, Adam would have found it
easy to Withstand her half-hearted solicit
tatlons Her occasional Don't you want
an apple. too?' sounded too mechanical
ana perfunctory to elicit even refusal.
A1terward, when she saw that the long
SUFFERING canvas bag went home empty.
MISS We gner found it necessary to assure
nerseif In dazed sort Of way that shs
mad positively not eaten a single apple that
morning.
1t was with a sensation akin to terror
that she detected indications of hunger in
Electra on the way home.
Mother told me we was goin' to have
stewed chicken for dinner; an toast, with
lots O gravy on it,, began that young per-
son hopefully.
She was climbing the great stone post
under the Osborne naples now, and her
next words fiuttered downward with soft.
uneven emphasis.
We're goin to have green apple pie.
too; an new cheese. an coffee. Now, look
out for leaves when 1 scrabble" posing
herself securely on the post and beginning
vigorous attack upon the lower branches
of the naples.
Electra" ssid GtSe Weszs=, esSAes's.
moment later.
Yes. Miss Dorothy" Her rosy little
face, with tangled curls blown across 1t,
became gradually visible through the
shower Of leaves that had followed the
scrabble"
day, haven't you, child? Come down now
and listen to me for minute"
Electra sprang from the post in prompt
obedience
Octavia said, Electra, Miss Wagner was
making futile efforts to reduce the tangled
hair to something like order-"and 1 really
don believe there is any need Of her wor-
rying about the boarders. l have listened
to you all the morning, to say nothing oil
other mornings that could be mentioned,
and 1 am not stone blind by any means
On the contrary. Pm beginning to suspect
that | see better from week to week, and
If that is so, you must have been my at
mospheric illuminant.'
The smile with which she spoke was quiz
Zical and merry. A sudden blithe animation
seemed to possess her.
The next few sentences Electra lost en-
tirely. With her eyes bent upon the ground
she was struggling with the two mysterious
words that had caught and absorbed her
attention: words that a sure instinct told
her she was not likely to hear again: At
mos-pheric lhl-illu-: atmospheric"
And then Miss Wagners voice destroyed
forever the possibility of fitting those fasci-
mating but elusiye syllables into the mosaic
q her vocabulary
so the new piano wilkcome next week.
Electra the voice was saying, with the
same unfamiliar buoyancy in its tones,
land it's going TO be your very-precious-
little-own." .a
The ardent joyousness of Electra's smile
rivaled the sunlight which flooded the din
radiance. when having disposed of two
heaping platefuls of chicken and baked po-
tatoes. followed in due course by green
apple pie, new cheese and coffee" she laid
down her knife and fork with sigh of per-
feet satisfaction.
I'm so happy can't eat another mouth
full" she said, alphabetically. Il guess I'll
go out and ten Tropckercancer."
saw her cross, the yard with rapid steps in
the direction of the barn. Before its open
door she paused in momentary indecision.
then turned and ran. with a hop. skip and
jump. straight. toward the furthest corner
of the orchard, where the New York pip
pins grew.