Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-04
EASIER THAN PAYING

.If lived on a reservation with the noble
red man." unused young Dontdig OF the Blu
reau Of Bilgewater. I'D be called Young
Man-Afraid-of- His-Iandlady, and that's no
fortissimo fiageolet fantasia in 3.
For the month was up-it had expired,
that Island he wasn't there. nor anywhere
near 1t, with the twenty bucks for his
board and keep.
The board and keep money was payable
semi-monthly In installments of so. but,
two weeks before. Dontdig had sent up the
long moan.
Consequently 1t was now up to him 10
arrive at the front with the entire months
amount.
He lay in bed listening to the milk was-
Ons cruIching over the cold, cold snow. ana
he figured how different things might be
had that pinhead not held four miserable.
paltry deuces against his king-full the night
before.
Il wish 1 could think out a convincing.
sparkling new one to push at her." he re-
fected, dismally as he pulled the bed COW
erings UP around his throbbing temples.
Il couldn't say l was walking through
Lafayette Square and got held up by four
out-of-work brigands from st. Asaph-n-no.
that's kind O. diaphonous, and don't be-
lieve / could get by with. it,
Might say the disbursing officer of the
bureau forgot to show up yesterday to pay
the hands off: but-er-I guess that's nshy-
sounding, too. and these Washington land
ladies must have had that one ladled out
to 'em a lot o times before.
There's possibility that / could say l
lost 1t, but 1t seems to me passed ner
that one once before, couple of years ago.
II fear me that she'd hand me the nay
nay-Claudio If l told her that I'd handed
my entire half months wages to poor
woman who was perishing for the need OF
an ermlne scarf.
tn i1rcf
about eight minutes from now. 1 guess I'm
not in bad or nothin'.
Whereupon he turned over on the other
side and tried to go to sleep so that ne
could dream that he had placed $50 on 100
to i shot in a handbook and that the long
one had walked in.
He couldn't get to sleep again, however,
so he jumped out OF bed and started 10
dress. He had progressed as far as the
DOMINIC Of his vest when there was short,
sharp. business-like rap on his door.
"Oh-ah-come in, dor sung out the
young man, cheeriiy.
The landlady came in. Her face was like
a marked-down bottle of mustard chow
chow.
Mr.. Dontdig," she began, in a tone of
such intense acidity that he involuntarlly
picked up his box Of dyspepsia tablets
seeing that you were not home to o.nner
last night-that. indeed, you did not get
home until almost daylight this morning
1 have reached the conclusion that you no
longer care to occupy this
"Oh. by the way, I'm glad you came
up he broke in, picking up nail file and
beginning operations with it with the in
souciance of leading juvenile. 1.-The lit
tie matter of the-er-Mrs Cutrations. l
wanted to see you about matter. You've
heard Of Representative Smokehouse, OF
course-member from my district, YOU
know. Well, I was out with him last night
and saw him off on little trip he's maxi
ing back home, and he told me that he was
tired of his boarding house and was going
to make change. l recalled then, just In
of yours happened to be vacant and l told
him about it, and what a really swell ia
Bile you set, and so on. He'll be back In
about ten days, and L m going to bring him
up to see you, and if l don't land him In
your second-story front room-and there's
going to be a long extra session right af-
ter the 4th of March, too, you know--why,
there'll be something in Denmark that'll
need fumiga ting"
The landlady's sour frontispiece had dis
appeared like a plate of tea biscuits before
a harvest hired man.
Now. that was what call real thought
full on your part, Mr.. Dontdig," she said,
amiably, land I'm sure I hope your men,
Der will like
"Oh, he'll like 1t all right" interrupted
the young man, airily. HE likes any old
thing 1 want him to like, and inside of ten
days he'll be installed in that room or
I'm a Hollander.'
Here the young man smiled deprecat-
ing1y as ne adjusted his cuffs. ,"715
Hell be deuced lucky to get that room.
too" he went on. Hes the luckiest man
ever knew, anyhow. He was just lucky
enough to win my two weeks pay in a lit
tie game we had before he went away last
night. He tried to give the money back to
me. of course, but I'm not doing the baby
act, and 1 wouldn't let him, although he's
got money to incinerate. So, with refer
ence to that little account of ours, Mrs.
Cutratons I'll have to ask you to wait till
next payday. when I'll"
"Oh. that will be all right" replied the
landlady, beaming, making for the door.
"Ill just have that seeond-story front
fixed up before your member returns,
and
Yes. please do that" said Dontdig, ear
nestly and the landady went out
He made a grinace at himself In the
glass.
"Oh, l guess I'm not there or nothin'
when 1t comes to the squirm gag he NUT
tered to himself.